Page 59 of Promise To Marry You
Her nod is full of excitement and satisfaction. “Yup. You’ve got to find it, though. No hints.”
I lean over and kiss her again, unable to control myself. “Challenge accepted.” Turning my attention back to the mural in front of me, I’m blown away, yet again, by her talent.
Her ability to capture so much detail so seamlessly, so realistically, is amazing.
My eyes travel up, above the mountain peaks. I start to skim quickly over the blue sky, over to the sunset tucked in the corner, when a cloud formation catches my attention. Taking a step closer, I peer up at it.
“Cam.” My voice cracks.
She comes up to stand beside me, sliding her hand in mine and threading our fingers together. Her head falls to the side, leaning on my shoulder.
“You’ve always been there for me, Beck. You’ve always known what I’ve needed, and you’ve never hesitated to give it to me. What else could I possibly use to show you how much that means to me?”
As you wish.
Three words, written into the clouds in such a subtle manner that if you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t see it. But I see it. And I see her, and us, coming here year after year to look at those words and remember this day.
“I love it.”And I love you.
I kiss the top of her head as I wrap my arm around her shoulders. I want desperately to say those words to her. Tell her how I feel. But she’s already come so far, deciding to be with me, the last thing I want to do is move too fast.
I look back at the clouds, our clouds. And a deep sense of satisfaction settles over me.
Finally.
I make a show of reluctance when Cam wants to leave the mural and head to the storefront she plans on renting, but it’s weak, at best. The truth is, I’m just as excited for her plan to open a studio as I was to see the mural.
She’s truly setting roots in Dogwood Cove. It’s not just her words saying she wants to stay, it’s her actions.
“I’ve already put a call in to Ethan, and he’s having the rental agreement drawn up.” Her voice is full of excitement as we round the corner of Main Street, onto the side street that has her future studio space. “And I was hoping you might know someone who could help me with a budget and a business plan?”
Her wide smile brings out a chuckle in me as I swing her into my arms.
“I’m pretty sure I can find someone,” I reply, a smirk stretching across my face. “However, is it a good idea for your husband to be in charge of your budget?”
Something strange flashes over her expression, but it’s gone so quickly, I figure I might have imagined it.
“They do say not to mix business with pleasure,” she teases right back, lifting up on her toes to kiss my cheek. “But I happen to have full faith in your ability to only do what’s best for me.”
“In your businessandyour pleasure.”
Cam snort-laughs and soon I’m joining in, the cheesiness of our banter mixing with the emotional release of everything we’ve shared today bubbling out of us with abandon.
But eventually, it subsides, and I cup her cheek in my hand. The openness in her shining green eyes is absolute perfection.
“I’m proud of you, Cam. And I know your grandfather would be, too.”
She tilts her head slightly, pressing into my hand. “Thank you. I know he’d be so happy that I’m here with you. He loved you, Beck.”
Leaning forward, I kiss her forehead softly. “Maybe he knew what he was doing with that marriage clause.”
Cam laughs, but it’s short and layered with grief. “Maybe he did. Is it wrong for me to wish he hadn’t needed to die for us to end up here?”
“Not at all, babe.” I pull her into my arms even tighter. “You’re allowed to miss him, and grieve him, even as you celebrate the new life he’s given you.”
She nods against my shirt. We stay like that for a while, wrapped in each others’ arms, in front of the space that will someday soon give birth to Cam’s dream of opening her own studio. And for once, I find myself unsure of what else to say. How to support her, aside from just being here. For once, I don’t know what she needs in this moment. Grief is a strange thing, and it’s different for everyone. Hell, if I’ve learned anything from living with Cam these last few months, it’s that grief is different in every moment for everyone.
And I can’t carry this pain for her. She has to do it. All I can do is make sure she never lets go of my hand, and never forgets that she’s not alone.
