Page 43 of Promise Me a Forever Texas Love

“Camden Joseph Stockton! If you touch that cake, I swear I’m going to send you to your room for the entire party.”

He got a belligerent look. “It’s my cake!”

Before she could really lose it, Huck spoke. “So you wouldn’t mind eating cake someone’s been sticking their fingers in?”

“I just wanted a taste.”

“And you’ll get one soon enough. For now, how about you and I kick around the soccer ball.”

For the rest of the party preparations, he played soccer with Camden. Then when the guests started to arrive, he grilled hot dogs, refilled the drink coolers with soda and bottles of water, and helped keep an eye on the kids that raced around like ants on an anthill.

Cadee had always had her family’s help at parties, but there was something about Huck helping that was different. She couldn’t put her finger on why it was different. It just was. When everyone gathered around the tables to watch Camden blow out his candles and she glanced over at Huck and saw the look of pure unadulterated love on his face, she finally realized what that difference was.

Camden was theirs.

They shared him as only two parents can.

Huck wanted the party to be as big a success as she did. He wanted that for his son.

For their son.

As much as her mama and brothers had helped her with Camden, Cadee had always felt like the full burden of Camden’s happiness was on her. Now Huck shared in that. She could see it on his face. Read it in his hazel eyes as he held up his phone and snapped photo after photo of their son blowing out his candles.

He’d been taking pictures of Camden all day. Something Cadee never had enough time for as she hustled around making sure everything was perfect for her son and his friends. After a party or holiday, she would always kick herself for not taking enough pictures.

But Huck relieved that worry. Every time she looked over, he had his phone out and was snapping shots. Probably because he wanted to make sure he captured these moments since he’d missed so many others.

After Camden had finished making his wish and blowing out the candles, Huck glanced over at her. Something passed between them. Some invisible string she’d thought was long gone but was now even stronger. Her heart swelled into her throat, and she couldn’t seem to pull her gaze away. Didn’t want to pull it away.

It took Camden asking if he could open his presents and a chorus of kids’ squeals for the connection to finally break.

Camden wasted no time unwrapping his gifts. Once he was finished and had thanked everyone, Huck looked at her expectantly. The plan was for Cadee to have all the kids and adults follow her and Huck to the tree house. But suddenly she didn’t want to share the gifting of the tree house with everyone at the party. She wanted it to be something just she and Huck shared with their son.

Strangely, or not so strangely since they’d grown up reading each other’s minds, when she hesitated to answer his questioning look, Huck smiled and nodded in agreement as if he too didn’t want to share the moment with anyone but her and Cam.

So she allowed the party to end without mentioning the tree house. Once the last car drove away, Callum came up to her.

“What the heck, Cadee? I thought you were going to give Cam the tree⁠—”

She covered her brother’s mouth with her hand and glanced over to where Camden and Huck were trying out the Nerf gun he’d gotten from one of his friends. She looked back at Callum and lowered her hand, keeping her voice quiet enough so Camden wouldn’t hear.

“Huck and I wanted to give it to him alone.”

Callum scowled. “So that’s how it’s going to be? You’re just going to cut off the people who’ve been here for you and Cam from the beginning? Did you think that maybe we’d like to see the look of surprise on Cam’s face too?”

Cooper stepped up. “Come on, Cal. That’s not fair. Huck built that tree house and Cadee decorated it. They should be the ones who get to give it to him. Just like you gave him his boots for school without the rest of us being there and we didn’t complain. We knew you just wanted the moment to be special with you and Cam. That’s what Huck and Cadee want. You’re going to get to spend a lot of time in the tree house with Cam.” He hooked an arm over his brother’s shoulders. “Now come on, let’s help Mama clean up.”

Callum didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t argue. None of them ever argued with Cooper. Probably because he was usually right. Cadee sent her oldest brother an appreciative look before she headed over to Camden and Huck. Before she could reach them, she was hit with two rapid-fire Nerf darts. She started to get after her son when she realized Huck was the one holding the gun . . . with a devilish glint in his eyes.

“Oops. Sorry, Catydid.”

She walked up to him and held out her hand. “I guess Camden didn’t inform you of the Stockton family Nerf gun rules. No hits in the back or above the chest, or your Nerf gun is confiscated.”

“I didn’t hit above the chest. I hit your . . .”

“Boobs,” Camden finished the sentence.

Huck bit back a smile. “Exactly. Which is technically the middle of your chest.”