Page 150 of Love Unscripted
When she was settled, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, shifting into something more serious.
“Okay. So, Camille… we need to discuss our plans after we get married. Questions like where we will live, if—and how many—more kids we would like to have. Our career plans… especially since we currently have one child.”
Her heart caught on that.
Camille’s eyes lit up before she could stop herself.
“Oh Aaron, you said we have one child,” she said, her voice full of something she couldn’t quite contain. Delight. Gratitude. Wonder.
He nodded easily.
“We do. Madison is now ours, not just mine. You will be her mom, not her stepmom. Is that acceptable to you?”
“Oh yes, Aaron. I would be honored.”
And she meant it more deeply than she could put into words.
He smiled.
“So would I,” he said quietly.
“I interrupted you. What else were you saying?”
He shifted. “I view finances as being important. I have a substantial life insurance policy to protect Madison should anything happen to me. I’m going to include you and increase the amount.”
Camille listened carefully, noting the way he watched her, the seriousness in his tone.
“Do you keep your bank account in the black? What’s your attitude about debt? Will you be transparent in allowing me to know your finances? I will be transparent with you. I’d like for us to have all joint accounts. What are your views on that?”
For a brief moment, everything inside her stilled.
I’d like for us to have all joint accounts.
The words landed deeper than he probably realized.
A memory surfaced—unbidden.
Her father’s voice. His reassurances. The way she had trusted him completely… and how that trust had been broken in ways that had taken her years to understand and even longer to recover from. Money had not just been numbers—it had been control, secrecy, betrayal.
And somewhere in the quiet aftermath of that, Camille had made a vow. Never again. Never again would she place herself in a position where someone else could misuse what was hers. Never again would she give anyone that kind of access. That kind of power.
She had kept that vow carefully. Quietly. Without ever needing to say it out loud. Until now.
Her fingers tightened slightly in her lap as she leaned back, buying herself a moment to think.
Because this wasn’t just about money. This was about marriage. And almost immediately, another thought rose—clearer, steadier, cutting through the instinct to protect herself.
“The two shall become one flesh.”— Genesis 2:24
Marriage wasn’t partial unity. It wasn’t emotional closeness with carefully guarded compartments. It was oneness. Real oneness. And if that was true—if she truly believed what Scripture said—then that oneness had to touch everything.
Even this.
Especially this.
Her gaze lifted to Aaron’s face, still watching her, still waiting.
Another thought followed, just as quietly, but with more weight. If I can’t trust him with this…Then I shouldn’t be marrying him at all.
