Chapter 48
Chapter forty-eight
Cam
Morning settles in soft and quiet, sunlight stretching across the sheets where Kate is still curled against me. Her breathing is slow and even, one knee draped over mine like she fell asleep trusting I’d still be here when she woke.
I brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Even asleep, she leans closer, her body finding mine without thought. Something in my chest eases into place.
She’s mine. And I’m hers.
When she wakes, it’s with lashes fluttering and a faint smile forming before her eyes fully open.
“Morning,” she murmurs, voice husky with sleep.
“Morning, Katie.” My thumb traces the curve of her hip, and she stretches into me, the memory of last night still between us.
We don’t rush into the day. The house is still, wrapped in that fragile space where everything feels new and settled all at once. But eventually, reality nudges in.
We have something important to do today.
By nine-thirty, the kitchen smells like cinnamon oatmeal and fresh coffee. Kate moves around in a soft T-shirt and loose shorts, hair still damp from our shower, skin glowing. I watch her pour juice into the dinosaur cup—the one Evie insists on using every morning.
She catches me staring and smiles. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” I say. “You?”
She rests her fingers on the back of a chair. “I want her to hear it from us first. Before the town gets creative.”
I snort. “Smart.”
I lean in and kiss her once—slow, grounding—just as there’s a knock at the door.
“That’ll be Mom,” she says, turning toward the door.
When Kate opens the door, her mom stands smiling, Evie perched on her hip with hair wild and mismatched socks, Matilda clutched by the tail.
“Someone stayed up past bedtime,” Kate’s mom says.
Evie spots me immediately. “Cam!”
I take her gently, her small body warm against my chest, cheek tucked into my shoulder. Kate steps forward, smoothing Evie’s curls.
“Hey, baby.”
Evie beams. “Can we watch cartoons?”
“In a minute,” Kate says softly. “We want to talk to you first.”
Her mom’s gaze flicks between us before she squeezes Kate’s arm. “You three have a good day.” Then she heads back down the walk.
We sit together on the couch, Evie tucked between us. Kate’s fingers trail lightly over her back, grounding both of them. Evie studies our faces, perceptive as always.
“Why do we need another talk?” she asks.
Kate takes a breath. I feel it—the moment she chooses calm over nerves. She takes Evie’s hand, voice gentle.
“Baby, Cam and I want to tell you something,” she says. “Something good.”
Evie’s eyes light up instantly. “Are we getting a puppy?”
Kate laughs. “Not a puppy.”
Evie gasps. “A unicorn?”
I bite back a smile as Kate shakes her head. “Not an animal. A promise.”
Evie tilts her head, working through that.
I take her other hand. “Your mom and I love each other,” I say carefully. “And we love you. So we wanted to ask how you’d feel if we became a family.”
Evie blinks. Then—quietly, seriously—“Like…forever?”
“If that’s okay with you,” Kate says. “Nothing changes unless you’re okay with it.”
Evie looks between us, then at me. “You’d be my Cam?”
My throat tightens as I nod. “Yeah.”
A big toothy grin forms on her face. “Okay. I want that.”
Kate’s breath catches as Evie launches into her arms. I wrap around both of them.
“Will there be a wedding?” Evie asks suddenly.
Kate smiles through misty eyes. “Yes, I think so. Maybe someday soon, we can have a big one. With music and cake and dancing.”
Evie’s face lights up. “And sparkles?”
“So many sparkles,” Kate promises.
Evie twists toward me. “You can be the prince.”
Kate meets my eyes, her smile wide and unguarded.
“That sounds about right,” she says softly.