Chapter Eighteen

“He is definitely not moving on,” Melissa said on FaceTime the next morning. “Nuzzle.”

Reese’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much with her best friend. “Right? I’m not being ridiculous? He should not have teased me like that.” She shifted on the couch so she could prop her elbow up on a pillow. This was one of her and Melissa’s marathon convos and her arm and fingers were fatigued from holding her phone.

“Definitely not,” she agreed. “I’m worried you guys are going to kiss again.”

“So am I.” She could still feel his full lips on hers, the eager pressure that had her tingling all over. His body against hers and his heart beating hard and fast. “But we can’t. It’s not worth the risk.”

“Or it is,” Mel said. “You’ve never loved any guy as much as you love Cam.”

“Exactly. And I love his family too. What if we did start dating or whatever, and it doesn’t work out and there are hard feelings? Then I couldn’t be around Pixie anymore. Or the guys. And would my mom and Pixie be able to stay friends? It would put all of us in a difficult situation.”

“But what if he’s the one?”

Reese sighed. “My head is going to explode. Can we talk about this more later?”

“No problem. In the meantime, I have another perfect guy for you.” Melissa reached to her left and lifted up a framed picture of her fiancé, Scott, and his brother Caleb. She waved it for Reese to see, her diamond engagement ring sparkling. “He asked about you the other day.”

Another perfect guy. Could a person have two soulmates?

“And what better way to get over Cam than with someone else?”

“True, but the situations are similar. What if we date and break up and can’t stand each other? Then we’ve put you and Scott in a difficult position. I want to be with you for all your important events, and he’ll want to, too.”

“Or, you could go on one date with him and see what happens. There is a flipside to your doubts. Maybe if you gave him a chance, you’d be pleasantly surprised and decide he’s worth it. There’s never any guarantees for any of us.”

She supposed that was true. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

“Yay!”

“I need to get going. Rub your tummy for me and we’ll talk later.”

Melissa put her hand to her mouth and blew a kiss through the phone screen. “Bye.”

Reese dropped her cell on the couch and stood. She only had a few minutes before Scarlett arrived with Thomas.

She walked over to the kitchen table and closed her laptop. She’d written a few more pages this morning while baking banana bread, putting herself in Poppy’s shoes again as she mixed and poured. She pulled a fresh bowl of strawberries out of the fridge and placed it on the counter beside the banana bread just as a knock sounded.

“Good morning,” she said, opening the door and greeting Scarlett. “Come on in.”

“Hi, thanks.” She held Thomas’s car seat in the crook of her arm, his adorable sleeping face peeking out of a blue checkered blanket covering him.

“Is the couch okay?” Reese asked.

“Sure.”

Reese grabbed the banana bread and strawberries and placed them on the coffee table as Scarlett put Thomas’s car seat on the floor at her feet. “He should sleep for about an hour, which gives us plenty of time to catch up.”

“He’s too cute for words.” Reese hurried back to the kitchen to snag some napkins from the drawer beside the oven.

“You didn’t have to do all this,” Scarlett said, clearly grateful for the gesture.

“I wanted to, although I’m a little worried, considering you’re a professional baker.” She sat down on the couch. “It sounds like you don’t get baked for very often.”

Scarlett chuckled. “No.”

“Then I’m extra glad I did. I also have an ulterior motive, one that I’d like to pick your brain about.” Reese grinned, excited to be conducting her first bit of in-person research for her screenplay.

She went on to tell Scarlett about her script and how she wanted to prove to Cam—and herself—she could do it. Scarlett gave her a lot of “inside” bakery info and Reese couldn’t wait to get back to writing this afternoon when Cam came over.

“I had a crush on Cam back in high school,” Scarlett admitted. “Actually, I had one on him until I met Brody.”

Until she met Brody. Reese let that sink in. If Scarlett could get over her crush on Cam, then Reese could, too. “I need all the details on Brody. Last time I saw you, I don’t think you’d started dating yet.”

“We’ve known each other casually for a while but got together early last year and then engaged just before Thomas was born.” Scarlett glanced down at her left hand. “I took off my engagement ring because I accidentally scratched Thomas with it. Brody’s with the US Forestry Service and he’s been gone a lot. When he gets home we’re going to set a date for December. Something small and intimate.” She got a dreamy look in her eyes. “I can’t wait.”

“That sounds wonderful. He works with Wes Brown?”

“Yes. Wes is his brother-in-law.”

“Soon to be yours, too.”

“Right.”

Reese loved how so many people knew each other in Rustic Creek. Family and friendship seemed to overlap often and once again her thoughts strayed to Cam. His family and hers, and the sense of belonging she felt whenever she visited.

Scarlett’s phone rang from the baby bag at her side, at the same time that someone knocked on the guesthouse door. Reese went to answer it while Scarlett took her call.

Cam stood on her stoop. “Hi. What are you doing here so early?” At the sight of him in jeans and a faded green T-shirt that stretched across his chest and flat stomach, her knees went a little weak.

He gave her a smart aleck look. “Hi, Reese, I’m fine, thanks for asking. How are you?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Apologies for my rude greeting. If I’d known you were stopping by, I would have baked you a cake.” She was pretty sure he could see her molars with the wide smile she gifted him with.

“Smells like you baked something.”

“I did. Scarlett and Thomas are here. Is everything okay?”

“I’m not getting any work done because Nash won’t leave me alone, so I thought I’d come over early. Can I use your bedroom?”

Her bedroom? What kind of secret sauce did he put on his eggs this morning? Bedrooms conjured up ideas, and not the kind either of them needed. There were at least a dozen other places he could write: outside somewhere, at the library, at a coffee shop…

“I’ll be right there,” Scarlett said in a panic, drawing both her and Cam’s attention. Thomas must have heard his mom, too, because he started to cry. “Crap.” Scarlett slid her phone into her sweatshirt pocket.

“What’s wrong?” Reese asked. Cam stepped inside the guesthouse behind her.

Scarlett picked up the car seat and swung it back and forth. “My mom is having an allergic reaction to something and needs me to take her to the emergency room.” She kissed Thomas’s forehead. “Shhhh.”

Thomas didn’t shhh. He cried louder.

“Should she call 911?” Cam asked.

“She said no, but she sounded scared so I need to hurry.” Scarlett’s voice wobbled. Misery creased the corners of her eyes and she looked like she might cry right along with Thomas.

Reese put a hand on her arm before she walked out the door. “How about if you leave Thomas with me?”

Scarlett stopped in her tracks. “Really?”

“Yes. Tell me what to do and I’m happy to do it.”

“Thank you. There’s a bottle in his bag. It just needs to be warmed up. After that, he should be okay until I get back. There’s diapers and a change of clothes and—”

“Go.” Reese lifted the car seat off Scarlett’s arm and looped the diaper bag onto her other arm. She hadn’t been around an infant since her babysitting days in high school, but it was like riding a bike, right?

“I’ll stay and help, too,” Cam said, putting his laptop aside.

“Thank you both so much.” Scarlett kissed Thomas’s blotched cheek. The little guy had quickly worked himself up. “Love you,” she whispered to him before disappearing out the door.

Reese put the car seat down and extracted Thomas. Holding him close to her chest, she rocked back and forth. “Can you warm up the bottle?” she asked Cam.

He found it in the bag and put it in the microwave.

“Not in there,” she called out, her babysitting skills coming back to her. “Put it in a glass of hot water.”

“That could take a while and…”

“Thomas won’t stop crying. I know. We’ll just warm it a little.” She cradled him, hoping the new position might help. It didn’t. Maybe he needed a diaper change, too.

She found a changing pad in the bag and laid it on the floor. Thomas wiggled unhappily and continued to wail louder than any tiny human should be capable of. She took off his diaper, grabbed a new one, and before she could get it on, he sent an arc of urine right at her. She squealed in surprise and put her palm out to block the flow.

Cam stood over her and laughed. “We start young whipping it out.”

“Oh my gosh, shut up and hand me a burping towel.”

“This?” He held up a blue burp cloth.

“That works.” She dried Thomas and her hand, cleaned them both with baby wipes, and then got a new diaper on him. His little cheeks were red from crying and her heart ached for him. She lifted him into her arms before standing and moving to the couch.

Cam retrieved the bottle for her and the little guy sucked down the nourishment like a champ. Quiet settled over the room and the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding on her shoulders, retreated. Cam looked comfortable beside her, his eyes on Thomas.

“All your babysitting in high school came in handy today,” he said.

“Yeah.” She stared down at Thomas. “There was a family down the street that had six kids in seven years, so I did this a lot. I’d babysit even when the parents were home because they didn’t have enough hands.”

“I remember being out to dinner as a family and someone saying to Pixie and Paul, ‘Don’t you know you’re not supposed to let them outnumber you?’ I can’t imagine being outnumbered six to two.”

“It was definitely chaotic.” She tipped the bottle, Thomas already nearing the end of the milk. “But I’d always wanted a sibling and babysitting allowed me to experience that while also being in charge.”

“And getting paid.”

“That, too.” She lifted her head to look at Cam. “Do you want kids one day?” Marriage. The white picket fence. What would happen to their friendship when he fell in love with someone? When another person got all his secrets and home-cooked meals and kisses?

“I do. What about you?”

“Definitely. At least two.”

Cam’s expression immediately darkened. He looked across the room, toward the door, like he wanted to escape.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Slowly, his gaze tracked back to hers. She held those gorgeous light mahogany eyes in care before focusing back on Thomas.

“No. Every once in a while I just think about my mom being pregnant when she died.”

“I forgot about that.” Reese blinked back tears. Her chest hurt for all the lives lost between the two of them.

“I would have had a sister.” He walked over to the window, keeping his back to her as he looked outside.

She pulled the empty bottle from Thomas’s lips and put him over her shoulder to burp him. Getting to her feet, she went to stand beside Cam. If her arms had been free she would have wrapped them around him.

He twisted the leather band he often wore around his wrist. “I can still remember when they told me. I was pretty unhappy it was a girl instead of a boy, but then my mom said, ‘This baby girl is going to be so lucky to have you to protect her and watch out for her’ and that was all it took for me to change my mind. It made me feel special.”

“You would have been a great big brother.”

“Turns out I got two brothers I would do anything for, but every once in a while I wonder about her and how much trouble she would have caused me.”

“Good trouble.” Reese took a moment to think about the brothers she’d gained. Nash and Gael had been a big part of her life—still were, even though they didn’t see each other as often anymore. She peeked at Cam out of the corner of her eye. They’d forged an extraordinary friendship, spending more time together as adults than they had as kids. Living in the same city helped, but she had a feeling no matter where they lived, they’d carve out time for each other. The only thing that could break their bond would be a failed romance, hearts broken despite their best efforts.

“For sure,” he agreed.

They stayed quiet, the only sound the gentle pats on Thomas’s back. A squirrel ran up a tree. A hummingbird flitted around the flowers under the windowsill.

A booming burp from Thomas broke the silence.

“Wow,” Cam said. “He puts Nash to shame.”

Reese laughed, happy to lighten the mood. “Good job, Thomas.” She cradled him again. He had a cute little nose and round cheeks. Dark hair and big blue eyes.

He studied her for all of two seconds before realizing she was not his mommy. His cry pierced the air with disconcerting intensity.

“How does someone so tiny make such a loud noise?” Cam took a step aside, like that would help reduce the assault on his ears.

She transferred Thomas to her shoulder. Walked around the room. He didn’t stop wailing. “Let’s try going outside.”

Reese quickly headed for a tree to keep Thomas shaded from the sun, and walked around the trunk. It didn’t help in the slightest so they went back inside the guesthouse before they bothered the neighbors in the next town.

“Let me try.” Cam extended his arms.

It was worth a shot. She gently handed Thomas over.

Cam held him protectively in his arms, rocked back and forth.

And Thomas stopped crying. He opened his eyes to take in Cam and remained quiet as the two of them stared at each other.

Holy Baby Whisperer.

Reese slowly backed away so as not to ruin the magic happening before her very eyes. She also needed a minute to catch her breath because watching Cam hold Thomas was one of the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. Flutters swooped in to make her stomach quiver. Heat coated her skin from head to toe. She went back to the window to open it. One day he’d have his own family and she wouldn’t be as important to him. Her heart and head ached at the thought.

Turning, she leaned against the sill to watch them. The fresh air on the back of her neck helped, but not enough to dampen this never-ending new attraction to Cam.

Thomas’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier until finally his eyes closed. It was only then that Cam lifted his head to look at her. The smile he sent her way had her ovaries putting in their orders for him. Shit.

“What do I do now?” he asked softly.

“Give him a few minutes and then we can put him back in his car seat to sleep.”

“This is nice.”

“Holding a baby and putting him to sleep?” It was more than nice from her position, but she had no intention of telling him that.

“Being better at it than you.” His smug yet teasing tone pleased her. She hoped it meant he’d let go of the memory of his unborn sister.

“Beginners luck,” she told him.

“You tell yourself that.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Is that all you got, Nuzzle? Because I like your tongue. Especially the way it feels and tastes inside my mouth.”

Her jaw dropped.

His face twisted in regret. “Damn it. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“You should feel how good it is on other parts of your body.” Her heart nearly beat out of her chest. She couldn’t believe she’d said that out loud.

Intense, hot, hungry eyes fixed on her mouth. She licked her lips, unable to help herself. He had this way of catching certain parts of her body on fire. He let out a little groan.

“What are you saying?” he asked.

“That I’m good with my tongue.”

He groaned. “Reese.”

“You started it.”

“By accident.”

“Are you sure?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m not sure about anything anymore except for how sexy you are.”

For the record, Cam holding a sleeping baby and flirting with her was one of the most intense and butterfly-inducing moments of her life. She wanted him in a way she’d never wanted anyone else.

He’d called her beautiful before. Cute. A ray of sunshine. But never sexy. “Clearly we have a problem then, because I’m feeling the sexy for you, too.”

“So much for ignoring this.”

“What is this?”

“Hell if I know. You’ve got me tied up in knots, and right now I’d like to go to your bedroom and do everything we can think to do to each other before coming back out.”

She gulped. “Holy shit, Cam.”

“I know.” He combed his hand through his hair. “We’re always honest with each other, so there it is.”

Honest. Agent Asshat floated through her mind. She definitely needed to tell Cam that truth sooner rather than later.

He leaned over to put Thomas in his car seat. But as soon as Thomas’s bottom hit the padding of his seat he woke up, looked at Cam, and started to cry. Cam picked him right back up, rocked back and forth, and he quieted.

The thrill racing up her spine at the prospect of getting naked with Cam quieted, too. Thank God.

“Looks like someone needs you more than I do.”

“To be continued?” he asked.

“Yes.” They would talk this through until they’d considered all the downsides. Written a list with pros and cons and possible chains of events. Her phone rang from under a couch cushion, making her jump. She dug it out. “It’s Scarlett.” She let out a breath, sat down. Cam did, too, Thomas content in his arms.

“Hi, how’s your mom?” Reese asked, the phone at her ear.

“She’s going to be fine. They’ve given her some epinephrine and an antihistamine, but they want to keep an eye on her for another hour or so. How’s everything there?”

“We’re great. Thomas drank his whole bottle and now he’s sleeping in Cam’s lap.”

“I should have warned you he doesn’t always like his car seat.”

“No worries. We figured it out. Take care of your mom and we’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks so much, Reese. There’s a pacifier in the baby bag if you need it. I’ll be there before his next feeding, so maybe an hour.”

Reese hung up and fell back against the couch cushions. “Her mom is okay and she’ll be here in about an hour.”

“That’s good.” Cam looked down at Thomas. “Does that mean I’m stuck in this position until she gets here?”

“To be on the safe side, yes.”

“Hand me a piece of banana bread? I haven’t eaten yet today.”

“Sure.”

He carefully pulled one of his arms free from underneath Thomas to accept a slice. The look of pleasure on his face after his first bite filled her with joy. “I could live on your baking.”

She grabbed her own piece and they ate in comfortable silence while Thomas made cute little sleepy sounds and tried to find his thumb to suck on. Cam helped him out, pushing his tiny fist toward his mouth, but Thomas gave up, content to cuddle into Cam. I know the feeling, buddy.

“To be clear,” Reese said. “After Scarlett picks up Thomas, we’re going to write for the rest of the day.”

His gaze collided with hers. “If that’s what you want.”

“I think for today, yes. We both need to gather our thoughts on us.”