Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Snowflakes danced in the fading light outside the bedroom window, and Camilla stood transfixed, watching the gentle cascade of white against the darkening sky. The sight was undeniably romantic, and she felt unexpectedly moved by the beauty of it all.
"It's magical, isn't it?" Jade's voice came from behind her.
Camilla turned, a smile playing on her lips. "It really is." Her gaze shifted from the snowy scene outside to the woman before her. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight of Jade in the red satin dress her assistant had bought for Jade.
The dress hugged Jade's curves in all the right places, the bright color a striking contrast against her fair skin and blonde hair. The satin shimmered in the warm light of the bedroom, accentuating every graceful movement as Jade adjusted the thin straps on her shoulders.
Camilla stared at her, mesmerized by the way the fabric draped and clung to Jade's body. She'd always appreciated beauty, of course, but this was different. This was a visceral reaction, a pull she felt deep in her core.
"You look absolutely stunning," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jade's cheeks flushed at the compliment, a shy smile spreading across her face. "Thank you," she said, her eyes meeting Camilla's. "But you... you're breathtaking."
Camilla glanced down at her own outfit - a black slip dress from the 1990s, its sleek lines a stark contrast to Jade's more dramatic gown.
The dress was simple, elegant, with thin spaghetti straps and a hem that fell just below her knees.
She'd paired it with strappy heels and minimal jewelry, letting the dress speak for itself.
"Thank you," she said. "This dress… it’s special to me."
Jade's eyebrows raised slightly, a question in her eyes.
"It was my mother's," she explained. "Wearing it is a bit of a Christmas tradition for me."
Jade’s expression softened. "Oh, Camilla...”
"After she passed," Camilla continued, her fingers absently tracing the delicate lace trim at the neckline, "I kept a few of her pieces. I wear them on special occasions.”
"That’s a beautiful tradition.” Jade's eyes shimmered with emotion, and she reached out to take Camilla's hand in hers.
Camilla squeezed Jade's hand, feeling a rush of affection. "Don't worry," she said, noting the hint of sadness in Jade's eyes. "It's a good thing, I promise. It makes me feel closer to her."
"Tell me about her?" Jade asked, leading Camilla to sit on the edge of the bed.
Camilla smiled, a bittersweet ache in her chest as memories flooded back. "She was... incredible," she began. "Warm, vibrant, always laughing. She had this ability to make everyone around her feel special, you know?"
Jade nodded, her thumb tracing soothing circles on the back of Camilla's hand.
"She was the heart of our family. Dad was always so focused on the business, but Mom.
.. she made sure we had traditions, that we took time to just be together.
This dress," she gestured to her outfit, "she wore it to a Christmas party the year before she got sick.
I remember thinking she looked like a movie star. "
"I can see where you get your elegance from," Jade said.
Camilla laughed lightly. "Oh, I don't know about that. Mom had a grace I could never match. But she always encouraged me to be myself, to follow my passions. She's the reason I joined the family business, actually. She saw how much I loved it, even as a kid."
"She sounds wonderful," Jade said. "I wish I could have met her."
"Me too," Camilla replied, surprised by how much she meant it. "She would have loved you."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication as Camilla realized the depth of what she'd just said. It wasn't just that her mother would have approved of Jade as a friend. No, she would have loved Jade as the person who had captured Camilla's heart.
"What about your dad?" Jade asked. "Your first Christmas without him must be hard."
Camilla nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat. "Yeah," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "It's been seven and a half months, but sometimes it still doesn't feel real."
Jade wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. Camilla leaned into the embrace, drawing comfort from Jade's warmth.
"He was brilliant," she said. "Brilliant in business, always pushing for more, better, bigger. He loved Mom so much and he was a hopeless romantic around her but after she died, it was like he threw himself into work even more to avoid dealing with the grief. He never wanted to talk about her; I don’t think he could. "
She paused, remembering the long days at the office, the quiet dinners where conversation revolved around sales figures and marketing strategies.
"I think that's part of why I did the same after my father’s passing," she admitted.
"It was easier to focus on the company than to face the empty spaces they left behind. "
A tear slipped down Camilla's cheek, and Jade gently wiped it away with her thumb. "Oh, sweetheart," she murmured.
The term of endearment, spoken so naturally, made Camilla's heart swell. She turned her face into Jade's hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.
"It's okay," Camilla said, managing a small smile. "Being here, with you... it's helping. More than I ever expected."
"I'm glad," Jade said softly. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."
The sincerity in Jade's voice made Camilla's chest tighten with emotion. She wanted so badly in that moment to tell Jade everything - about the will, about the marriage clause, about how what had started as a business arrangement had become the most real thing in her life.
But the words stuck in her throat. She was afraid - afraid of bursting this bubble of happiness they'd created, afraid of tainting what they had with the complications of her inheritance.
And if she was honest with herself, she was afraid of how Jade might react.
Would she feel betrayed? Would she think that everything between them had been a calculated move on Camilla's part?
So instead of speaking, Camilla leaned in and kissed her, and Jade responded immediately, her lips soft and yielding against Camilla's.
The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Girls?" Aunt Lara's voice called from the hallway. "Everyone's gathering downstairs for drinks before dinner. Are you almost ready?"
Camilla cleared her throat, trying to shake off the intensity of the moment. "Yes, Aunt Lara," she called back. "We'll be down in just a minute."
They heard Aunt Lara's footsteps retreating down the hallway. Jade stood, smoothing out her dress. "Well, I suppose we should make an appearance."
Camilla nodded, rising to her feet. When she moved to the full-length mirror and applied lipstick, she caught Jade's reflection watching her.
"What?" She met her eyes with a smile.
Jade shook her head, as if coming out of a daze. "Nothing. I just like watching you. You have this quiet grace about you. It's beautiful."
Camilla blushed at the compliment. She turned to face Jade, suddenly overwhelmed by the depth of her feelings for this woman who had been a stranger before they arrived.
She closed the distance between them, contemplating kissing Jade again with the risk of smudging her with lipstick, but another knock at the door startled them out of their reverie. This time, it was Theresa's voice that called out, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"If you two lovebirds are quite finished, the rest of the family is waiting. Some of us would like to eat sometime this century."
"We're coming!" Camilla called back, then turned to Jade with a mischievous grin. "She’s just jealous. I bet she hasn’t been laid since Emma was conceived."