Chapter 29
Rafe
This year’s winter festival is the same as any other. My parents and their bake sale, the frost-covered decorations, and too many Santa hats to count.
Plus, my boyfriend being ridiculously extra.
Though I suppose the boyfriend thing is new.
I glare across at Campbell and the long line of families waiting to get into his booth. That bastard’s done it again. One day he’ll run out of ideas, I swear, and then I might finally be able to best him.
Dad nudges me. “Go help Cam. He looks like he’s getting overwhelmed.”
“Maybe if he stopped thinking of such ridiculous ideas, he wouldn’t have that problem,” Mom says, but unlike every other festival, the bite from her words is gone. Now, there’s a fondness there. It took her a while to let the idea of Laura and me go, but Cam was insistent on winning her over.
She never stood a chance.
I leave my parents with our booth and cross the distance to the Taylors’. Some of Cam’s hair has fallen loose from his ball cap, so I step up close and tuck it back behind his ears for him.
“Thank God,” he groans, knocking his head against mine. “Put on some gloves and help me with this.”
I snap on a pair so I can assist Cam in filling the bowls of brightly colored candies on each table.
“You could have done something easy,” I point out.
“You could have come to help sooner.”
Fair point. And even though he could have gone with the easy option, he wouldn’t be Cam if he did. I look around at the twenty or so tables where families and groups of friends are sitting together, decorating gingerbread houses, and smile.
People might like that my family does the same thing each festival because they know what to expect, but they also know what to expect when it comes to Cam: fun.
“Divide and conquer?” I ask.
He holds up his hand for a high five, and I slap it on autopilot. “Let’s go.”
There’s no time for a break, but oddly, I don’t care. People keep turning up, and we keep restocking and helping with frosting and powdered sugar, and even Mom and Dad come over to build one together.
Do I get all warm and fuzzy? Maybe a little.
When it starts getting late, the families with young kids disappear, and things start to ease up.
Lori takes over and tells us to have a break, so I pull Cam away from the main thoroughfare. It’s darker and quieter behind the booths, more isolated. My whole body relaxes at the stillness, and I pull Cam to me, soaking in the first bit of alone time we’ve had all day.
“You smell like sugar,” I mutter into his neck.
“Someone’s a sweet talker.”
“Please don’t.” I press my face in deeper so he doesn’t know I’m smiling. “You’re such a dork.”
“I don’t know what you mean. My jokes are very refined.”
“Why are you so embarrassing?”
His lips press against my hair. “It’s a skill. I’ve been perfecting it for years.”
“Mission accomplished, I’d say.”
“Good to know where I stand with you.” He pinches my ass, and I retaliate by nipping at his neck before we start to jostle each other.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s get some food in you before you turn even more ridiculous.”
Our fingers fit together perfectly as he tugs me back toward my family’s booth. We slip along the side, and I’m about to pull back the opening when I overhear my name.
“Rafe and Cam?” Mom says. “Oh, I know! Such a gorgeous couple.”
“Childhood friends falling in love. Isn’t it romantic?” I crane my head and see Ms. Rasserman buying her usual cream bun. “And all these gays around town. I’m starting to feel quite hip.”
“I’m not sure it works that way.” It’s clear by Mom’s tone that she’s humoring her.
“Think a wedding is on the cards? I’d so love to see them settle down together.”
“They’re already settled. Trust me, those two are it.”
I start with surprise at Mom’s reply.
“Hopefully there will be a wedding and kids one day, but they both seem happy as is. So we’ll see, I guess.”
My mouth drops, and I turn back to Cam. “What the fuck was that?”
“Progress.” He passes me to step into the booth. “You better have saved me some of that lemon meringue pie, Teresa.”
I watch as she pulls out the slice she set aside for him, while Dad pulls Cam into a conversation about football scores on the weekend. Seeing them all together makes me happier than I can say, and yeah, it’s taken me close to forever to get here, but it’s all worth it.
Cam and I fit.
The only expectations that matter are ours.