Epilogue
ADAM
Two Months Later
Ipay for our corndogs and fresh cut fries and head to the picnic table where Camille is waiting with my family. This is the third festival she’s dragged me to this summer. I don’t normally go to them—they’re not my thing—but she never experienced one until this summer.
Leann attends every one of them, and sometimes helps her friend Jill out with her art booth.
From Memorial Day through mid-September, there’s a festival every weekend in Watercress falls.
They’re mostly held for the tourists to provide activities while they vacation and to draw in more revenue for the town.
They’re a huge boost for small businesses and showcase local artists.
I’ve loved seeing Camille bond with my sister over something they both enjoy. I suspect Camille would attend more of these festivals if I liked them. Regardless, I’ve let her drag me here every time she’s asked to go. She loves them, and they make her smile.
I'll do anything to put that smile on her face.
I set her corndog in front of her before I slide in next to her on the bench. She smiles and kisses my cheek. “What do you want to drink? I’ll get us something.”
“No need.” She slips her arm through mine and leans into me. I love these little shows of affection and kiss the top of her head. “Joe ran to get some lemonade. I asked him to get you the raspberry one. I hope that’s okay.”
“Sounds perfect. Thanks.” I smile and take a bite of my corndog.
The last couple months with Camille have been great, and I suspect things will only get better.
There have been a few moments when her past crept in and her emotions got the best of her, but not in a way that puts a strain on our relationship.
If anything, I’d say it’s made us stronger.
We lean on each other for support and trust that we’ll always be here to catch each other when we fall.
My life may not have turned out the way I planned, but that’s okay. In many ways, it’s better than I ever could have hoped for. We’re an unconventional family—Camille, Lizzy, and me—but we’re a family, nonetheless.
We have regular calls and video chats with Lizzy.
It’s become our Saturday evening ritual.
Hearing about Lizzy’s week—her job, friends, and even occasional dates—has really made me feel like she’s a part of me.
I’ll never replace her dad, and I don’t expect to, but it’s nice to know she looks at me like a father figure.
It’s more than I ever could’ve hoped for.
“Uncle Adam.” Emmie comes barreling toward the table and jumps into my arms.
“Hey munchkin” I kiss the top of her head. “Having fun?”
“Yep. Daddy let me play the balloon popping game. I won a stuffed horse.” She holds a small horse up for me to see with a huge smile on her face.
“Did you win that all by yourself?” I ask.
“Mostly, but Daddy helped.” Her smile is contagious, and I can’t help but grin from ear to ear.
Before I have a chance to make room for her on the bench beside me, she squeezes between Camille and me. She leans in and hugs Camille with the same excitement she hugged me. God, I love this kid. It makes me so happy that she’s taken to Camille.
“See what I won, Aunt Cami?” Emmie holds her horse up, and Camille’s jaw drops. Emmie has had lots of questions about my relationship with Camille, but this is the first time she’s called her aunt.
“Emmie.” Matt’s voice whispers from behind us as he sets her lunch on the table in front of her. “What did I tell you about that?”
Emmie shrugs and starts playing with her stuffed horse. “I know what you said, Daddy. But I don’t care. I like Cami and I want her to be my aunt.”
“But—” Matt starts to speak, but Camille stops him.
“It’s okay. She can call me Aunt Cami all she wants.” She glances at me with a smile before she pinches Emmie’s nose. “I’m honored you consider me family.”
Emmie wrinkles her brow and looks confused. “Of course you’re family. Why else would you be with Uncle Adam?”
That earns a round of laughs from the table, and Matt shakes his head. “You can’t argue with the logic of a four-year-old.”
“I’m almost five, Daddy.” Emmie frowns.
“Sorry, sugar. Almost five-year-old.” He pushes her plate closer to her. “Now eat or I won’t take you to play any more games.
Emmie sits up straight and picks up her corndog and takes a huge bite earning another round of laughs.
I glance over at Camille. She’s smiling at me with a longing in her eyes.
We talked about kids and her concern over not being able to give me any.
It took some convincing, but I finally got her to understand that I’m okay with not fathering my own.
All I need is her. And who knows, maybe one day Lizzy will make me a grandad.
I lean over Emmie and pull Camille in for a quick kiss. Emmie groans and pushes me away from Camille. “That’s gross Uncle Adam.”
I laugh and lift her up to kiss her cheek. “But that’s what aunts and uncles do. They kiss.”
Camille’s face lights up and my heart warms. We’re unconventional for sure, but we’ve got enough love between us to fill this entire valley.
By the time we make it back to Camille’s house, we’re both exhausted.
We hung out with Matt and Emmie for the afternoon.
Emmie was determined to win a prize from every game, and dragged us from one to the next.
Matt groaned with every dollar I spent, but I didn’t care.
I love spoiling that kid. I didn’t win her a toy every time, but I did manage to earn the title Uncle of the Year when I scored her a giant stuffed unicorn that was bigger than her.
“Are you hungry at all?” Camille asks as we plop down on her sofa. She curls into my side, and I wrap my arm around her. This has become my favorite place for her to be—tucked in next to me.
“Not really. I’m still full from all the junk food we ate.”
“Me too.” She smiles. “Maybe I can make us something light later. Want to watch a movie and drink some wine.”
“That sounds good. But I may need a nap first.” That earns me a laugh.
“You always need a nap after a day with Emmie.” She runs her hand over my chest and up around my shoulder.
“What can I say? That girl wears me out.” I pull her onto my lap and kiss her. “Curl up here with me.”
She wraps her arms around my waist and nuzzles her face in my neck. Her breath lightly brushes across my skin, and suddenly I don’t feel so tired. She runs a trail of kisses across my neck and then nibbles on my ear.
“Keep that up and there will be no nap.” I joke.
She chuckles before she sucks my earlobe into her mouth and whispers, “Stay with me.”
I pull my head back and look down at her in confusion. “I am with you.”
She rotates on my lap until she’s straddling me. She cups my cheeks and kisses me lightly. “No I mean, stay here, in this house with me. It feels like it's as much yours as it is mine. And I don’t want to be apart from you.”
My arms stiffen around her, and my eyes widen. She stares at me with so much sincerity that my breathing slows. “Are you asking me to move in?”
“Yes. Is it too soon? Oh, God.” Panic fills her eyes, and she turns rigid in my arms. “It’s too soon isn’t it. It’s been five months, so I thought—”
I cover her mouth with mine, stopping her from finishing that thought. It's a fast kiss, but it's still intense and deep. “It’s not too soon, Cami. I’ll stay.”
Her smile grows as she runs her hands up my chest. “You mean it?”
“There’s nothing I want more in this world than to be here with you.”
“Good.” She smooths her hand down my beard and around my neck. With her gaze on mine, she says, “I like being Aunt Cami, and I don’t want there to ever be any doubt about who I am to you.” She kisses me slow and deep. “I’m yours, and you’re mine.”
“Always, love. Always.”
Read on for a bonus scene from book 2 in the Watercress Falls Series, Deserving You.