Chapter 47
TARA
The bell above the door jingles as Zaza, Keesha, and I step inside Mickey's Deli.
The place pulses with life—steam rises from soup bowls, plates clatter against counters, and conversations weave together in a warm, chaotic symphony.
The hostess threads us past the crowded booths, sticky plastic menus balanced against her hip.
"Nice to have you all back, girls," she says, once she led us back to our old booth.
"Just like old times," Zaza grins, sliding into her corner like she's claiming a throne.
I sink into the cracked red leather booth, happy to surrounded by my friends' smiling faces once again.
I'm smiling too, but underneath, restlessness coils in my chest.
So much has happened since we were last here. But I can't stop thinking about Cameron. About Posey.
In our short time together, they've became the closest thing to family I'd ever known.
"So what's it like settling back into your old life? Excited about being a glassy again?" Zaza teases.
"Actually, I got promoted to Taboo Babe," I reveal. "I'll be serving pricey cocktails now, collecting the big tips."
Zaza's eyebrows shoot up.
"You? With your no-makeup mandate, your air-dried hairdo?"
"For a few hundred extra in tip money, I'll figure out eye shadow and blow-drying."
Zaza's attention shifts. "Oh, look." She nudges me, her glossy red nail pointing toward the entrance. "The Great Luna's here."
Zaza beckons to the fortune teller, who's now carrying a crystal ball that glitters under the fluorescent lights.
Luna glides over, setting her crystal ball on our table.
"Our friend won't give us the juicy details about the Prince Charming you promised her. We want to see him in that magic ball of yours," Zaza says.
Luna mumbles an incantation, hands sweeping over the glass like she's clearing away mist.
"Here he is. A man—tall, dark, handsome. I see an adorable child. And a dog. Big. Black. Loyal."
Zaza snorts loud enough to turn heads. "That's not a fortune, that's a Hallmark movie trailer. I need to see this with my own eyes."
Zaza bends to peer into Luna's crystal ball.
As she does, I sense a commotion in the room.
Cameron!
And Posey.
Edison trots by their side.
I watch in disbelief as Cameron's gaze sweeps the room with that rockstar confidence.
That slow, sexy smile spreads across his face as he approaches our table.
"Good evening, ladies."
Cameron's voice drops to that rough register that makes my pulse race.
Posey breaks free, launching herself into my arms.
"Tara! I missed you so much!"
I bury my face in her hair, breathing in that sweet scent.
But over her head, I drink in Cameron—how his dark jeans hug his thighs, how his black T-shirt stretches across his shoulders.
Edison pushes his massive head under my palm, demanding attention.
"Thank you, that will be all," Cameron tells Luna, pulling out his worn leather wallet. He tucks some cash into her open palm, and she vanishes like smoke.
Zaza leans back, red lips curving into a wicked smile.
"Did that witch actually conjure you, or are you the real deal?" "
A little of both," he says.
We all laugh.
After Cameron engages in playful banter with my friends, the server appears.
"Champagne. A Shirley Temple for my daughter. And a water bowl for my dog."
Posey claps in delight at the mention of her new favorite faux cocktail, while Edison lets out an approving woof.
"Ladies, will you excuse us?" Cameron's tone is polite but commanding. "I need to speak with Tara privately."
My heart races.
"Keesha, can you watch Posey and Edison? Order her French fries—she's obsessed with them," I say.
As I follow Cameron across the restaurant, I’m hyperaware of his hand at the small of my back. His touch feels electric on my spine.
He produces that VIP keycard from his pocket—the bartender must have slipped it to him—and leads me through the secret door to the luxury hotel lobby next door.
We settle onto the same green velvet sofa where we first kissed, the memory crackling between us like live electricity.
"Why are you here?" My voice comes out breathier than intended. "Why didn't you call?"
Cameron's knee brushes mine as he turns to face me.
"Surprise visit. Had to meet with Sterling Records today. Didn't want you asking questions until everything was settled."
"So it's finished? What happened?"
"I'm signing with them for another year..."
My stomach drops. "Oh."
Cameron's selling out? After all that artistic angst he poured out to me in those vulnerable Nantucket moments?
"Happily, Sterling agreed to my terms."
His grin is pure triumph.
"I get complete creative control. I can write whatever I want. Best of both worlds."
Relief floods through me. "That's incredible!" I reach for him instinctively, pulling him into a hug that turns desperate the moment
I feel his solid warmth against me. His arms tighten around my waist. Suddenly we're not in Manhattan anymore. We’re back in that Nantucket storm, clinging to each other like lifelines.
"What about the custody hearing?" I whisper against his neck, breathing in his familiar scent of expensive cologne and pure male pheromones.
"Radha's lawyer is brilliant. And the DNA results came back. Posey is definitely my daughter. The custody case is swinging our way now."
Our way.
The words hit me like lightning.
"So we have a chance against Jason?"
His hand finds mine beneath the table, fingers interlacing with a touch that sends fire straight to my core.
"More than a chance, Tara." His thumb traces circles on my palm. "This time, we win."
The word 'we' hangs in the air between us, loaded with promise and possibility.
In his eyes, I see everything I've been dreaming about since I left Nantucket—family, forever, a future where I don't have to choose between love and survival.
"What does that mean for us?" I ask, barely daring to breathe.
Cameron's other hand cups my cheek, thumb brushing across my lower lip. "It means I'm not letting you go again, Cinderella. Not this time."
Before I can respond, his mouth captures mine in a kiss that’s slow and sure. I feel it all the way through me.
Tight in my chest, and warm between my legs. Like everything in me is saying yes, yes, yes.
And I can't wait for more.