Chapter 27 #2
“But I’d be crazier not to even try. I love that girl. She’s having my baby. And if being with them means giving up everything, I’m ready.”
“But you love that job. All your friends are there. Mama and Daddy—”
“Ah, then Mama hasn’t told you about her big plan yet, huh?”
“Uh, what big plan?” she asked, sounding wary.
“They’re gonna sell everything too. They’re movin’ to Tennessee so they can be full-time grandparents. To my kid. And the ones you’re gonna have.”
“God help us,” Eden muttered. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, but I am.” We both loved our parents. But like most adults, we only liked to be parented in small doses.
“This is your fault,” Eden said. “They wouldn’t be making this move if you weren’t.”
“Sorry.” I smiled. “I guess they think their grandbabies are gonna need them just as much as we did. And maybe they’re right, huh?”
She considered that for a minute before she said, “Yeah, maybe they are. We are pretty lucky to have such awesome parents. I appreciate them even more when I hear stories like Rylee’s. It must have sucked for her, growing up with a mama like that and no daddy. No one she could count on.”
“Yeah.” It still hurt me to think about, but her upbringing only made me more determined to love her and take care of her. No one should ever feel as alone as she did growing up.
“That’s why I’m so glad she has you now, Cam. I was praying you guys would find your way back to each other. And when I found out about the baby, I just knew that was divine intervention at work, giving her what she didn’t even know she needed.”
“I like to think so.”
“So, you’re sure about leaving everything behind? What are you gonna do for work? I know you’ve probably got plenty of money saved. But you’re gonna go stir-crazy sitting around all day. We all know you’ve got a serious hero complex that needs to be fed.”
I snorted. “Yeah, not working isn’t an option for me. But when I submitted my resignation, I put some feelers out there, and I’ve already got an offer in Franklin, so that’s where I decided to buy a house.”
“Wait, you’ve bought a house? You’ve already resigned and found another job? Doing what? When did all this happen and why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
Shaking my head at her rapid-fire questions, I said, “I came to Nashville a day early, so I could go house hunting with a Realtor. I found one I liked and made an offer. I figured I better, since I already sold my house, and it closes in less than a month.”
“My mind is officially blown right now. Man, when you make a decision, you don’t mess around, do you?”
“I’ve wasted enough time waiting for this phase of my life to begin, sis. I’m done waiting.”
“Tell me about the job, and the house you made an offer on. Will you have to stay on in Oklahoma much longer?”
“I’ll have to stay until the end of the month.
My Undersheriff will be the acting interim Sheriff until they can call an election.
As for me, I got an offer as a Lieutenant for now, and the Special Operations Captain is retiring at the end of the year, so the Chief said that job is mine, if I want it. ”
“That’s awesome, Cam. Think you’ll ever run for Sheriff again?”
“I don’t know. We’ll see how things go. I love it, but it’s a demanding job. And with Rylee’s career demanding so much of her, I want to be able to pick up the slack when she needs me.”
“You’re awesome. You know that, right?”
I smiled, feeling a rush of pride that I could still make my little sister proud of me. “Thanks.”
“What about the house you’re buying?”
“Hmm, I gotta say, I love it. It has all the character and charm you claimed my last house was lacking.”
“I’m glad to hear that. But you should have taken me with you, you know to get a woman’s stamp of approval, so we can be sure Rylee will like it too.”
“It feels like the kind of house Rylee would have given anything to grow up in, sis. The energy was great, if that makes sense? As soon as I walked in the door, you could just tell there’d been a hundred plus years of families lovin’ each other in that home.”
“Awe, I love that!”
“Yeah, it’s an old farmhouse on a couple of acres. It’s move-in ready, but still a few projects we can do to make it our own. And the wrap-around porch sealed the deal for me. I’m thinkin’ sunsets on that porch, watchin’ my girl rock our baby to sleep.”
“If you don’t stop it, you’re gonna make me cry.”
“Sorry.” I chuckled. “I guess I was just getting caught up in the fantasy. I just hope Rylee buys into it too.”
“She’d be crazy not to. A guy like you, totally in love with her, a baby on the way, and a chance to raise your little ones in a cozy farmhouse like the one you described. I know her. She’d sign up for that in a heartbeat.”
“This is everything I’ve ever wanted,” I said, quietly.
“And that scares the hell out of me. Because what if it doesn’t play out the way I imagine?
I mean, moving close to Rylee is the right call because I need to be a full-time dad.
But I need that girl too, Eden. I don’t want to do life without her. ”
“She loves you,” she said, softly. “I know that for sure. And she wants to give your baby the kind of childhood she never had. I think she’s going to be totally shocked and overwhelmed that you made all these changes without clueing her in.
But when she’s had a chance to process it, she’ll see it for what it is. ”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“It’s just about the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard of… so… nicely done.”
I laughed, feeling a sense of relief. “I’m glad you think so, kid. Let’s just hope Rylee does too.”