Where There's Hope_A Well Paired Novel Page 15

  Those warm eyes of his watered again and he closed them tight.

  “You paid for a crime you didn’t commit—”

  “I was driving. I was responsible. I should have forced him to wear his seatbelt.”

  “He was a grown man capable of making his own decisions. And weather-related accidents are not always the driver’s fault. You paid for more than your share. You need to learn to forgive yourself.”

  Because he needed the comforting and she needed his touch, she drew his head toward hers and kissed him again. He’d lost it all that night. Not only his identical twin, but his parents as well. Hope couldn’t imagine living with the amount of hate and cruelty his father had put on Cameron.

  She’d surprised herself with how quickly she believed and forgave him. It was an honest man who held her in his arms. One who deserved a second chance at life.

  A loud tapping at her window startled them, and they broke apart quickly.

  “Dude! You’re fogging up the windows. I’m going to have to report you two for indecent exposure.”

  “Go away, Mia.”

  Hope heard her laugh and watched her through the steamed up windows as she skipped down the sidewalk toward The Happy Clam.

  “Do you have to work?” Cameron didn’t seem bothered by their intruder and softly stroked her cheek with his thumb.

  “I have Mondays off.”

  “I know.”

  Hope cocked her head and smirked. “Keeping tabs on me, are you?” Cameron nodded shamelessly, and she laughed at his candor. “Want to play hooky?” She bit her lip in anticipation. What would they do all day? They could go back to her place, but the temptation would be too great to strip down naked.

  Not that being naked with Cameron was a bad thing. She eyed his neck and let her gaze travel south. His bulky coat covered him too well, and she only imagined what she’d find under his thick layers. But she didn’t want to rush things either. They’d waited for twelve years and nine months for this reunion.

  “I’d love to.” He kissed her quickly and turned on the defroster. “Unfortunately the engine I’m working on is taking longer than expected, and I promised the customer it would be ready by Friday. These cold days are making it hard to work.”

  “Why can’t Dwayne move the boat into the warehouse where it’s warm? You’re going to get frostbitten working out in the cold.”

  “The lift is broken, which is what Dwayne’s been working on. Hopefully, he’ll have it fixed in the next day or two. In the meantime, you’ll have to come by more often to warm me up.” The sexy-as-sin grin took over his face again.

  “I guess I’ll have to then.”

  SATURDAY MORNING CAME before Hope was ready. The rest of the week flew by with the crazy business of the usual: dance class carpooling, homework help, day shifts, night shifts, birthday party planning and shopping, and silly texts from Cameron throughout the day.

  He came by every shift she worked, whether it be to sit at the bar and order a sandwich during his lunch break, or sip on a beer as she closed up for the evening. Other than a few stolen kisses here and there, they kept their passion simmering on the back burner.

  With her mind now occupied with thoughts of Cameron and buckets of lust, she kept forgetting items on her mental list of things to do. She focused on the big—work and Delaney’s twelfth birthday party—and skipped the minutia like filling up the salt shakers, rolling silverware, locking her door.

  Having busted them making out in the car, Mia had been surprisingly quiet about it all week, preferring to drop subtle hints and teases instead. “That defroster working yet in your car?” or “How’s my favorite jailbait doing today?”

  Most were responded to with an eye roll or a friendly smack upside the head. One thing Hope needed to work on though was her work schedule. It was one thing to leave Delaney at home when they lived with her parents, but she was too young to stay home at night while Hope worked. A few hours alone after school was about all either one of them could handle. And with the sun setting around five these days, darkness fell much earlier.

  Delaney didn’t like to be home alone at night, especially in a new house. Mia always had Friday night off and worked Saturdays so Hope could spend a good chunk of the day and night with her daughter.

  People had been telling her for years that she worked too much, and now she realized how true it was. Her parents had done more than just watch Delaney when Hope worked; they were co-parents as well. And while she appreciated and loved them to the moon and back, she needed to give them a break and not rely on them so much.

  Which made the work situation a mess. She’d have to hire more help so she could be home, yet the slow season was coming up and she couldn’t afford it.

  Being a single parent sucked. Somehow she’d make it work.

  “Happy birthday, twelve-year-old. Time to get up.” Hope crawled on top of the covers and spooned Delaney. Pretty soon her daughter would be too big for this, so she cuddled with her as often as possible.

  “No,” she mumbled.

  “Well, then. You know what I have to do.”

  “No.” Delaney buried her head under her pillow.

  Hope laughed and cleared her throat. “Happy birthday to you,” she sang in her best worst opera voice. It was a joke they started years ago when Delaney got her first role in the Nutcracker at the age of six.

  One of the women learned it was Delaney’s birthday during practice and sang to her in a beautiful soprano voice. One Hope didn’t have. Ever since, she’d worked on replicating year after year.

  “Mom, you’re terrible,” she muffled into the pillow.

  “I’m getting better, don’t you think? Happy birthday to you.”

  “Don’t quit your day job.”

  Hope tugged down the covers and tickled her daughter until she loosened her grip on the pillow over her head.

  “Rise and shine, birthday girl. I’ve got breakfast on the table. We need to make a few stops before practice today, or we won’t be ready for your party tonight.” She kissed Delaney’s cheeks, gave her feet a tickle, and rolled out of bed to give her daughter some privacy.

  Since practices were not open to parents, Hope used that time to run errands in town. While she preferred to support her local businesses, there was a lot that couldn’t be found in Crystal Cove. Rockland wasn’t a huge city but had a party supply store and a lot of food options in their local markets.

  Practice was only two hours, and she had three hours worth of errands to run. And would have a house full of sixth graders tonight. Thankfully her mom was baking and decorating the cake. One item checked off her list.

  And there wouldn’t be time for her daily Cameron fix. So caught up in the magic of their new relationship, she couldn’t remember if she even told him about Delaney’s party. Their stolen moments weren’t always private and were often rushed, not giving them time to talk about much other than the mundane.

  Delaney wouldn’t want her hovering over the party all night, so Hope would use those moments when the girls were giggling about boys and their favorite celebrity crush to call Cameron.

  An hour later, Hope dropped Delaney off at the studio and rolled down her window, singing Happy Birthday to her retreating back. When she got to the door, Delaney turned around and shook her head in embarrassment.

  “Mom,” she warned in her I’m too old for this manner, but the smile escaped anyway.

  “Love you, birthday girl!”

  “I’d love you more if you stopped singing.”

  Hope blew her a kiss and rolled up the window.

  The stores in town were already gearing up for Christmas, and Thanksgiving was still two weeks away. Every year the holiday seemed to come earlier and earlier.

  When her car was filled with balloons, unhealthy snacks, and Delaney’s birthday gifts, she drove back to the studio, only having to wait five minutes for class to get out.

  The entire ride home Delaney rattled off stories about class, her friend
s, their plans for the party. “You’re not going to make us go to sleep at midnight, are you?” Delaney asked once they got home and everything from the car was brought in.

  “Absolutely not. I promised all the parents lights and technology off by nine o’clock.”

  “Mom.”

  She wasn’t even a teenager yet and she already sounded the part.

  “Teasing. How about you start the movie at midnight to unwind?”

  “I guess. Can I go take a shower now?”

  “Please do. The older you get the more you smell.” Hope plugged her nose with one hand and fanned her face with the other.

  “Funny.”

  The rest of the afternoon was spent doing chores, making Delaney’s favorite white chocolate Oreo popcorn, and decorating for the party. Her parents had stopped by earlier with the cake and a few presents for Delaney. Knowing their granddaughter was crazy excited for her first big sleepover, they didn’t stay long, which Hope was grateful for.

  Chances were they’d heard rumors—which were now true—about Hope and Cameron. It wasn’t a quick chat or introduction to be made, not when they knew about his past. Or, rather, when they only knew the story that Hope had believed for over a decade.

  By the time the girls started arriving, Hope had two pizzas in the oven and two more ready to make. Like one would expect, the volume level in the house rose a billion decimals, and Hope did all she could to keep up with the energy.

  They were all great girls, but wow. Five of them. Giggling, each trying to talk louder than the next in a non-competitive way. When they crowded around the kitchen table to eat, she thought it would quieten down. Somehow they kept the rhythm of chatter and laughter going, and Hope’s heart burst.

  This was what she wanted for her daughter. Happiness. And Delaney’s rosy cheeks radiated sheer joy. Hope leaned against the stove and appreciated the young innocence in her kitchen. It reminded her of her own childhood. Simple. Pure. Fun. She had an easy life. Nothing extravagant. No major trauma or tragedies.

  Save that for her college years.

  “Mom? Can we go outside and play Manhunt?” Delaney picked up her paper plate and tossed it into the trash.

  “What’s Manhunt?”

  And then five anxious girls proceeded to tell her at once. Hope’s cell phone rang in her pocket, and she reached back to silent it as she listened. What Hope gathered from the explanation was that it was pretty much Hide and Seek in the dark. But with teams.

  “I guess. But it’s cold outside. I want you ladies to bundle up. And stay on our property.”

  They cheered and next thing she knew, a stampede of ponytails, giggles, and pink flashed by her and into the living room, which had been completely taken over by the girls.

  It was a good thing she didn’t have much furniture; the girls and all their stuff wouldn’t have been able to fit. The front-to-back living room was perfect for a giant sleepover, which Delaney had said only about four hundred times since they moved in.

  When the house was quiet and the girls were outside, she picked up the remnants of dinner from the table, wrapping up the leftover pizza. She peered out the back windows, watching the dance of flashlights across the yard. Dishes done, she was just about to sit down when the doorbell rang.

  “Girls.” Hope rolled her eyes. She knew the door was unlocked. A few had run in and out to either use the bathroom or grab something from their bag in the living room. Most likely they were having fun with her.

  Hope put on her best stern face and opened the front door.

  “Cameron?” She’d been looking out the kitchen window into the backyard and hadn’t seen any lights come down the driveway.

  “Are you okay?” Cameron turned and investigated the front yard with his gaze, then peeked into the house. When he saw the living room his eyes grew wide, and he turned back to Hope. “The party. I forgot. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry.”

  It was the first time he’d been to her house since he came to her rescue a few weeks ago. The first time since they’d been...a couple.

  Hope’s first instinct was to rise up on tip-toes and kiss him, but with a house full of girls—granted they were outside—and since she hadn’t talked to Delaney about him yet, she dropped back. “Come in.”

  “I didn’t mean to intrude. But you called, and I couldn’t understand what you were saying.”

  “I called?” She’d planned on it later when the girls were settled, but she’d been non-stop busy all day.

  “About a half hour ago. All I heard was screaming. When I called back you hung up. I was worried.”

  “Oh.” Realization set in. Hope reached for her phone in her back pocket and saw the missed call from Cameron. “I must have butt dialed you or something.”

  “Butt dialed?” His adorable grin perked up the right side of his face and he dropped his gaze, his head craning to see her backside.

  Hope instinctively covered her butt with her hands. “Easy now. I have a gaggle of impressionable girls lurking about.”

  “I’m sorry.” Cameron stepped away from her, his back up against the front door.

  “They’re all outside, but I’m sure ten eyes are peeking through the window to see who the handsome stranger is who crashed their party.”

  “I should go.”

  “I’m teasing. I want you to stay.” She reached for his hand and tugged him down the hall and around the corner to the kitchen. She so desperately wanted to sneak in a kiss, but there were windows everywhere and no safe place to do so without possible witnesses.

  She wasn’t hiding Cameron from anyone, but until she talked to Delaney about him, there’d be no PDA. Especially in front of her daughter and her friends.

  “You’d mentioned the party earlier this week. She’s twelve now, right?”

  “Yup. My early bird. I was due on Thanksgiving, but she arrived a few weeks ahead of schedule. Tiny little nugget. Six pounds two ounces.” She dropped his hand when they reached the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I have a ton of leftover pizza. Are you hungry?”

  “I didn’t rush over here for dinner.”

  “Oh yeah?” Hope closed the fridge and leaned against it. She cocked her head to the side and teased him. “So why did you come over? To rescue a damsel in distress?”

  “You’re no damsel.” Cameron’s eyes darkened, and she recognized the longing in them. He licked his lips and his gaze dropped to her mouth. “This is killing me,” he whispered as he clenched his fists by his side.

  Hope clenched her thighs at the rush of need and want that filled her core. Their touches had been innocent. He’d grabbed her butt Thursday night during a passionate make-out session in the back corner of the restaurant after everyone had left, and that was all. The only skin-to-skin contact had been their hands to the face and neck.

  Her body burned for him. Wanted and needed his gentle and loving caresses everywhere, not just to her cheek.

  “Sweetheart, you can’t look at me like that. I’m going to have to go.” He rubbed his hands across his face in frustration.

  “No. Don’t.” She reached for his forearm, holding him still.

  He swallowed hard and she watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed, his long, smooth neck taunting her even more.

  “Can you...hang out for a little bit?”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “I do.” Hope nodded vigorously, maybe too vigorously, and Cameron chuckled.

  “I guess I could go for a slice of pizza. If you’ll have one with me.”

  “Perfect.” She released his arm and opened the fridge. “I was so busy earlier I forgot to eat with the girls. Bacon, pepperoni or cheese?”

  “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

  Dang, he was adorably charming. “I made three bacon, one cheese, and one pepperoni. I’m surprised we still have a whole bacon pizza left.”

  “Sounds like they’re having fun outside.”

  The sound of screams and laughter c
arried through the field and into the house. “They’re playing Manhunt.”

  “Manhunt?”

  “I guess it’s like Hide and Seek? I don’t know. I’m feeling my age these days, though.”

  She turned the oven on to broil and slid a few slices of pizza on a baking stone. A housewarming gift from Lily who said cookie sheets didn’t bake the same. And she was right. It was a small piece of luxury she had in her kitchen. The rest were yard sale finds, hand-me-downs from her mom, and purchases from the kitchen section in Wal-Mart.

  A few minutes later when the cheese on the pizza bubbled, she removed the stone and handed Cameron a paper plate.

  “Dig in.”

  Cameron placed a piece on Hope’s plate first before serving his own. Even serving pizza on paper plates, the man had manners oozing out of his delicious pores.

  And that’s how far gone she’d turned, lusting after a man’s pores. It wasn’t just that. It was everything. From his adorable buzzed hairstyle, to his sometimes clean-shaven, sometimes whiskered face, to his manners, to his smile, to the depth of his soul. Cameron had quickly monopolized Hope’s every thought, distracting her from financial and work stress.

  He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the table, as if he was escorting her through a fancy restaurant. He pulled out a chair and waited for her to sit before he removed his coat, placing it on the back of his chair, and joined her.

  “I’m assuming you didn’t pick up these manners in jail. Is it the Smithfield upbringing?” Cameron paused, his bacon pizza halfway to his mouth. They hadn’t talked much about the past, keeping their short conversations on the present, but she didn’t want to treat them like an elephant in the room either.

  “I didn’t date many women in prison.” Cameron winked and took a bite of his pizza.

  “Many?” She bit into her slice as well, the hot cheese burning the roof of her mouth. “Oh. Hot.” Hope scooted her chair back and poured herself a glass of fruit punch. Once her mouth cooled, she held out the bottle. “Would you like some?”