Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
When Cadee stepped onto the treeboat deck, both Huck and Camden jumped to their feet. Neither one looked thrilled to see her. Camden looked angry and Huck looked . . . sad.
She felt more than a little sad herself now that she realized she had played a major part in him leaving town. Her hiding their friendship had made him feel like he wasn’t good enough. She needed to fix that.
But first, she needed to deal with their son.
“I know you’re upset, Cam, and I don’t blame you. I shouldn’t have lied to you about who your daddy is. I shouldn’t have lied to the townsfolk either. There’s no excuse for what I did.”
“Huck already told me why you did it. You didn’t want folks gossiping about me being a Hennessy Hooligan.”
She had certainly used that as an excuse. But when she’d overheard Huck talking about not being good enough for her, she realized it wasn’t the main truth.
“Yes, your daddy was a little bit of a terror as a kid. But that wasn’t the reason I kept him being your daddy a secret.
I was just so hurt and mad when he left, I guess I didn’t want him to have any part of you.
I wanted to keep you all to myself. But that was wrong.
You are part of your daddy. And that’s a good thing.
Because your daddy is special. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have picked him as my best friend the very first day of kindergarten. ”
She sent Camden a stern look. “But that doesn’t excuse you running off from school and scaring the life out of me. Something bad could have happened to you and I didn’t have a clue where you were.”
Camden’s lip popped out. “I was mad . . . I’m still mad.”
“Okay. You can be mad, but you can’t endanger your life.”
“I wasn’t in danger. I looked both ways before I crossed the street.”
“Well, I’m glad you did, but you’re still too young to be running all over town without letting me know where you are. If you do it again, I’ll take your tree house away for a month.”
“I don’t care ‘cause I have a treeboat now.”
“Camden.” Huck’s voice held a tone Cadee had never heard before. When she glanced at him, his face was stern. “If you run off again, you won’t be setting foot in the treeboat either. You got that?”
Camden scowled. “Fine!”
“No, not fine,” Huck said. “Yes, sir, and yes, ma’am.”
Camden looked at Cadee as if waiting for her to get after Huck for correcting him. When she only lifted an eyebrow, his scowl deepened.
“So now I’m gonna have two people telling me what to do?”
Huck’s lips quivered as if he was two seconds away from laughing, but they quickly pressed together when Cadee threw him a warning look.
“That’s just part of having two parents,” she said. “Now there are a few things I need to talk to Huck about. I just ran into Poppy down by the river. She said she’d teach you how to catch tadpoles.”
“Tadpoles!” He started for the ladder, but she stopped him and drew him into her arms for a tight hug. “I love you, Camden Joseph Stockton.”
“I love you too, Mama.” He gave her a squeeze before he drew back and squinted up at her. “But isn’t my last name Hennessy now? Aunt Poppy said I’m a Hennessy Hooligan.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Now be careful at the river. Don’t go too far in.”
He rolled his eyes. “I can swim, Mama.” He headed toward the ladder but then stopped and looked at Huck. “Do you think I can have a ship wheel in my tree house?”
Huck nodded. “I think that can be arranged.”
Camden smiled broadly before he headed for the ladder. Both she and Huck issued a warning at the same time.
“Be careful!”
Camden glanced between them and heaved a sigh before he disappeared down the ladder.
Leaving just Cadee and Huck.
They stared at each other as Cadee struggled to find words. Huck didn’t have the same problem.
“Thank you for what you told Camden about me being a good man . . . especially after learning what I did.” He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stand on end as he stared out at the river that glistened in the afternoon sun.
“I wish I had a good reason for taking the money, but it was just another one of my harebrained get-rich schemes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He looked at her, his eyes contrite. “Because I didn’t want to see the same disappointed look you gave me today.”
“I was just surprised and hurt that you hadn’t told me. We used to share everything.”
He smiled sadly. “Not everything.”
He was right. They hadn’t shared their love for each other. That was her fault much more than his. If she had claimed him as her own, instead of hiding him, maybe he never would have left.
“I’m sorry, Huck. If I’d had the guts to stand up to my daddy, maybe you would have realized you are more than worthy of my love. Maybe you had some harebrained ideas when you were a kid, but every kid dreams about being rich and buying a big house and a fancy car.”
He stared back at her with such longing it broke her heart. “It wasn’t just about a big house and car. I thought if I were rich, your daddy would let you marry me.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Huck. My daddy couldn’t have kept me from marrying you if you had asked me.
No one could have. I know my actions didn’t say that, but that’s the truth.
And I’m so sorry for not seeing what my actions were saying to you.
I’m not ashamed of you. You can drive a motorcycle.
You can work at a bar. You can have a pirate’s mustache and soul patch .
. . in fact, don’t you dare get rid of that mustache.
I love you for who you are. I’ve always loved you for who you are.
Because beneath the ornery kid and the impulsive teenager and the motorcycle-driving, sexy-mustached bad boy, is a good-hearted man who is kind and loving and loyal and charming . . . and perfect.”
After she finished her speech, she realized that both she and Huck had tears rolling down their cheeks, but Huck also had a huge smile.
“So . . . you do love my stache.”
Only Huck could make her laugh through her tears. “Damn right, I do. Especially when it’s between my . . .” She let the sentence drift off.
Huck’s grin got bigger. “Your what, Catydid?”
“You know what.”
“I do. And I have no plans to get rid of something that makes you so . . .” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Happy. But for the record, I’m no longer a motorcycle-riding bad boy. From now on, I’m just a truck-driving, woodworking, family man.”
“Family man?”
He nodded. “You and Cam are my family, Cadee. I know you don’t want to rush into anything, but—”
She cut him off. “You call twenty years rushing?”
He blinked. “Well, no, but—”
“But nothing. I’ve waited for twenty years, Huck, to be with the man I love and I’m not waiting a minute more. So do you want to marry me and Cam or not?”
His eyes widened with surprise. “Are you serious? You want to get married now?”
“After twenty years of loving each other, I think it’s about time, don’t you?”
He closed the distance between them in a second and pulled her into his arms. His kiss was everything. Rough and gentle. Hot and sweet. Needy and loving. Cadee felt like she was floating away on one of the downy white clouds above them.
When he drew back, his pretty amber eyes held everything too. A lifetime of friendship. The pain of separation. And the joy of reuniting.
“I want to marry you too, Catydid. But if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. I’m going to get permission from your family, then we’re going to plan the biggest wedding Promise Springs has ever seen.”
“I don’t need a big wedding.” She smiled and smoothed back the wayward strand of hair on top of his head. “Nor do I need to get permission from my family. I love you, Huck. I’ve always loved you. If they have a problem with that, I don’t care.”
Huck cradled her face in his hands and his eyes sparkled in the setting sun. “I love you too, Cadee. God, how I love you. You pick the date and I’ll be there.”
As much as she wanted to race to the courthouse and claim him as her husband right then and there, she knew Camden would need a little time to adjust to Huck being his father.
“What are you doing tonight?” she asked.
His eyes darkened. “Whatever you want, baby. My mustache and I will be there.”
She brushed a finger over his mustache. “That sounds nice, but I was thinking more of having a movie marathon with Camden.”
Huck stared at her in confusion for a second before his eyes lit up. “Will there be dinosaurs in these movies?”
“A few.”
He laughed. “Then I’d love to. I’ll bring the popcorn and candy . . . and the mustache for after Cam goes to sleep.” He kissed her deeply and thoroughly before he drew back and smiled wickedly. “Who’s your Huckleberry?”
She melted into his arms. “You. Always you.”