Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
“Okay,” I say, my heart still strumming. She’s pregnant with my child! Nothing matters anymore except Cammie and the baby. All of our past disagreements seem idiotic, even the stupid shit with the fake fiancée. It doesn’t matter because things have changed, and for the better.
As soon as we settle on the couch, I launch into the speech I’ve had prepared since the day Cammie walked out, although the words are tumbled and rushed now. “I’m so sorry about Mikayla. I swear to you, I’d forgotten all about her and it was a total shock when she appeared on my doorstep. I thought it was a joke, really, when I signed the papers. I never expected her to find me in Medina.”
Cammie opens her mouth to respond, but I cut her off.
“But you’re right. I’m not proud of my old lifestyle. I used to have a woman in every city I visited, and I’m surprised I’m not a walking bag of STDs. But then I met you and everything changed. The womanizing and jet-setting doesn’t suit me anymore. I want you, Cammie. I want to have a baby with the woman I love, and that’s you. Will you forgive me?”
Cammie holds up a hand. Again, she tries to speak, but I’m not done because I’ve waited months for the opportunity to get this out, and now I can’t stop.
“Yes, I was dumb. I didn’t show respect for the sanctity of marriage like you said. But I swear, sweetheart, I’m different now. I love you so much, Cammie, and I know that everything was fucked up about that situation, including the fake engagement, the immigration issues, not to mention completely fucking up what we had together. I never meant to hurt you and I’d do anything to change what I did. Please, sweetheart. Hear me out. Can you forgive me? I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d appreciate it so much.”
Tears spring into Cammie’s eyes, and she almost glows, she’s so beautiful.
“Yes, I forgive you, Troy. It was a lot to process when it happened, and I can be a stubborn woman sometimes. But I’m sorry it took me so long to come back, and I was so scared of how you’d react…”
I take her hand in mine. “I hate that you were afraid, honey, and even more, I hate that I did that to you.”
She sniffles a bit, looking at our entwined fingers.
“I guess we both kind of messed up, didn’t we?”
I shake my head furiously.
“No. You didn’t mess up at all. You had every right to be angry because any self-respecting woman in your position would have been pissed. I was the asshole, and it was my past behavior that got us into hot water. But never again. Having a baby with you is the greatest gift in the world, and I will never put you in jeopardy again,” I vow.
Tears are pouring down the beautiful woman’s face now, and my heart clenches. I love her so much, and I need her to know.
“I adore you,” I say in a hoarse voice, staring into those big brown eyes. “I want us to be together, with the baby. I want us to be a family.”
She lifts my hand to her lips and kisses my knuckles.
“That’s what I want too, Troy. A fresh start. A chance to be together, and to savor one another. Although of course, once the baby is here, our lives will be pure chaos.”
But that’s all I need to hear, and with a joyful shout, I pull the curvy girl into my arms, claiming her mouth with a deep, fierce kiss. After all, this is where she belongs, and Cammie knows it too as she snuggles against me.
“Forever?” I whisper in her ear.
“Forever,” she agrees, tucking her head beneath my chin. With that promise, I sigh with contentment. After all, Cammie and I survived quicksand and near disaster, but in the end, love prevailed and now I have the woman whom I adore in my arms, along with a baby on the way. What could be better? Once upon a time, I was a philandering playboy, but no more. Cammie Forster has me tied around her pinkie and the truth? That I love every second of it.
Epilogue
Cammie
* * *
Two years later.
I stand, looking in the full-length mirror, and try not to cry.
“Hey, now, no tears!” Caitlin says, handing me a tissue. “Waterproof mascara can only handle so much moisture, you know that. It’s not really waterproof.”
I smile.
“Yes, but I don’t know why I’m so emotional!”
“Maybe because you’re marrying the man of your dreams,” my best friend smiles. “It would make any girl cry.”
I smile too, taking in my reflection in the mirror. I’m wearing a long, lacy white gown with a demure neckline and cap sleeves. It’s gorgeous, and I can’t wait for Troy to see me in the dress. “That’s true.”