Chapter Twenty-Five
The drive to the hospital went by in a flash as Camden received an escort for most of the trip. He took calls from his siblings and cousins along the way, receiving updates as each one made their way to the hospital. He would be the last to arrive.
His cell buzzed four miles out from the hospital. It was Dalton.
“Hey,” he said after answering. “Everything okay?” Their grandmother’s condition was fragile. She hadn’t spoken yet but her eyes were open and she squeezed Grandpa Lor’s hand when he asked her questions.
“Yes, sorry, didn’t mean to make you stress,” Dalton said.
“How’s Grandma Lacey?” Camden asked.
“Still touch-and-go,” Dalton replied. “The doctor tried to kick Grandpa Lor out of the room.” Dalton chuckled. “He quickly realized it would be over Grandpa Lor’s dead body, so he let him stay. Grandma Lacey does better with him in the room anyway.”
“Have you seen her?” Camden asked.
“I got to peek my head in the door,” his brother responded. “Her coloring is improving, according to the nurses. They also warn these things can be up and down.”
“We already experienced that with Grandpa Lor,” Camden pointed out.
“How far out are you?” Dalton asked.
“I’m close. Not more than a couple more minutes until I’m in the parking lot. Why?”
Dalton was silent for a moment. His voice changed to all business when he said, “She’s here and I didn’t want you to be caught off guard.”
“Our mother?”
“That’s right,” Dalton confirmed as Rochelle reached across the console to make contact with his arm. Her touch sent a wave of warmth rippling through him. With her by his side, he could face anything.
“Thanks for the heads-up.” Camden wasn’t sure how he felt about the woman who’d abandoned him, except to say he was ready to hear her out.
Rochelle had made good points before and questions he’d never allowed himself to ask had been swirling in the back of his mind ever since.
Questions he was ready to have answers to thanks to Rochelle.
“Have any of you guys spoken to her yet?”
“No,” Dalton said. “We all thought it best to wait until we’re all together.”
“Alright then,” Camden said. “I’m about to pull into the parking lot so you won’t have to wait much longer.”
“See you in a minute, bro.”
Camden exchanged goodbyes before finding a spot and parking. He turned to Rochelle. “I would still very much like to have a conversation with you.”
“Same,” she said. “But first, I’d like to meet your family.”
Camden smiled before exiting the driver’s side and then rounding the front of the vehicle to open the door for Rochelle. He could get used to being with her and hoped like hell she felt the same way about him.
Hand in hand, they walked into the hospital. The elevator bank was to the right.
Within minutes, they were on Grandma Lacey’s floor. Almost the second the elevator doors opened, Dalton greeted them.
First, he brought Camden into a bear hug.
“This is Rochelle Paddock,” Camden said, introducing her.
Dalton’s grin went from ear-to-ear when he introduced himself. He stuck out a hand. “What am I doing?” Last minute, he pulled his hand back and brought Rochelle into a hug. “Looks like you are family now.”
Camden left that statement alone.
Rochelle smiled.
“Everyone is gathered in the waiting room,” Dalton said. All his family in one place for the first time in years sounded pretty damn good to Camden.
“Let’s go,” Camden said, holding tight to Rochelle’s hand. She gave a slight squeeze, which offered more reassurance than words could.
“By the way, her last name is Arnoult now,” Dalton revealed.
The trio walked into the waiting room, Dalton leading the way.
Camden wasn’t sure what he expected to find or how he expected to feel.
Warmth spread through him at seeing his entire family together in one place.
The only people missing were his grandparents, but knowing they were together down the hall was enough.
After a round of introductions with all the new faces in the family, Camden’s gaze landed hard on the woman who’d been sitting quietly in the corner. She was a shadow of the person he remembered. The years had not been kind to her.
She stood up when all eyes ended up on her.
“First of all, thank you all for allowing me to be here with you.” Her chin quivered.
“I’ve imagined this day for more than twenty-five years.
” She sniffled. “I’d like to say you’ve all grown up to be people your father would have been so proud of.
” A few tears rolled down her cheeks. Dalton couldn’t help but notice the rock on her ring finger.
“I’d like to explain what happened all those years ago if you’ll allow me to. ”
“Go ahead,” Jules said. “Some of us have been waiting a long time to hear what happened.”
Camden didn’t realize, until now, how important this moment might be for his brother and sister. Even his cousins were rapt with attention. Did they have questions too? Camden’s father was their uncle, after all. They were all connected by marriage and blood.
“Okay,” Sandra Arnoult said after taking a sip of coffee from the Styrofoam cup.
“After I had Dalton, I suffered from postpartum depression. Of course, no one called it that at the time. Or knew much about how it impacted a woman. Your father did his best to help me, but I was in too deep.” She glanced around the room.
“Have any of you suffered from depression?”
Heads shook.
“It’s hard to explain unless you’ve felt it,” Sandra continued.
“But I fell into a dark hole.” She set down the coffee and then crossed her arms over her chest like a barricade.
“So much so, that I began to believe I might harm one of you. The thought scared me to the point of not allowing myself to hold Dalton or be in the same room alone with either of you.” Her gaze shifted from Camden to Jules.
“I convinced myself that you’d be safer if I left. ”
A man entered the room. Before anyone could tell him this was a family meeting, he walked over to Sandra and put an arm around her shoulder.
“This is my husband,” she said. “We met at the hospital where I eventually sought treatment. By then, too many years had passed. I learned your father died. I reached out to your grandfather, who thought reintroducing me back into your lives might cause more confusion than anything else. I respected his wishes.”
Jules gasped. “Grandpa Lor asked you to stay away from us?”
“He was only looking out for your best interest,” she said. “And I learned a long time ago that no one is perfect.”
“You two met at a hospital?” Jules asked.
“I’m the attending physician at Dallas General, where your mother was in group therapy,” Dr. Arnoult said. “I’m on the third floor. She was on seven.”
Sandra looked up at her husband with adoration. “We passed each other in the hallway one day because I got off on the wrong floor.”
“Bumped into each other is more like it,” Dr. Arnoult said with a warm smile.
“And then the next day in the elevator,” she said.
“That might have been planned on my part,” he said.
Sandra looked around the room. “I know it’s too much to ask for your forgiveness.
I just thought it might help for all of you to know that I didn’t take leaving this family lightly.
In fact, it broke me, but I believed in my heart that I was doing the right thing for you.
That I was keeping you safe. So I suffered without realizing how much more I might be hurting the ones I loved by walking away. ”
She broke down in tears.
Jules was the first to walk over and bring their mother into a hug. At this point, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. So many missed opportunities. So many years had gone by. And for what?
Grandpa Lor had done his best to protect those he loved. Camden couldn’t be upset about what was already done. But they had today. And they had tomorrow. And the next day.
It was time to let go of the past and charge toward a bright, new future. A future he hoped to spend with Rochelle.
When chatter had quieted and hugs died down, Camden brought Rochelle to the center of the room.
He took her hand, and got down on one knee.
“Rochelle Paddock, I could live a thousand lifetimes without ever finding anyone like you. It’s the only certainty in life.
Of that, I’m sure. So here I am in front of my family, asking if you think you could possibly ever feel the same way about me.
I’m head over heels in love with you and I want to ask you to marry me in front of my family and my mom.
” He took a deep breath as he gazed up at her.
“Will you do me the incredible honor of marrying me?”
Rochelle glanced around the room before locking on to him. His heart skipped a few beats as a knot tightened in his chest. The thought of losing her would gut him. Had he asked for too much, too fast? Because he was willing to wait until she was ready if she’d give him the chance.
“Camden Remington, I think I fell in love with you the second I laid eyes on you,” Rochelle began.
Her racing pulse was visible at the base of her neck.
“I’ve never in my life met someone who so perfectly understood me without words, or so perfectly fit.
I couldn’t say anything about what I felt during the case but that’s over now.
I’m ready to start a new life. With you.
I would be honored to marry you and start a life together. ”
She tugged at his hand. He stood up.
“I have no idea how I got so lucky to be partnered with you on the case,” he began, “but loving you is all I need for life. Because I’ve finally found where I belong. I’ve finally found home.”
“Time is precious,” she said. “I don’t want to waste another second. I’ll marry you any day of the week but I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me how much I love you or that we belong together.”
Camden kissed his future bride, forgetting anyone else was in the room until the whoops and congratulations started, surrounding them with love.
A nurse stuck her head in, interrupting the celebration. “Please follow me.”
A hush fell over the room.
The nurse waved for them to hurry.
They did. Everyone filed out of the room. Camden’s mother, his stepfather, his siblings, and his cousins. Plus all the new additions to the family. They were quite a sight following the nurse to Grandma Lacey’s room.
Grandpa Lor sat there, holding his bride’s hand as she sat up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “Your grandmother heard your voices and said she’s missed out on enough already.”
“She’s going to be alright,” the nurse reassured them.
Grandpa Lor brought their clasped hands to his lips, kissed hers. “She came back to me.”
Camden coughed to clear the frog in his throat. He could scarcely believe they’d gotten their second miracle. He had no plans to take it for granted either. “Who is coming home for Christmas?”
“We should start a group chat,” Jules practically chirped. Everyone jumped into the conversation with ideas about food and who would put up the tree.
They were coming home and Camden, for one, planned never to take anyone for granted again. His future bride tugged him out into the hallway.
“I thought you should be the first to know that I decided to take time off work,” she said. “I’d like to be on the other side with victims. Help them rebuild their lives. What do you think?”
“If that’s what you want, I’m all for it.” Camden stared into eyes that sparkled like jewels. “What do you think about moving to the ranch while we figure out our next steps?”
“You love your job,” she said. “Would you consider leaving it?”
“I did love it,” Camden admitted. “But I love the ranch too. I think it’s time for a change. I miss the open skies and being on the land. Getting my hands dirty. How does that sound to you?”
Rochelle pushed up to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Camden kissed his future bride. The slow, tender kiss gave way to passion and a fire he’d never known.
By the time they pulled back, both had to catch their breath.
“I like the part where you get dirty,” she whispered with a twinkle in her eyes.
“We have time to catch up with everyone later,” he said. “What do you think about getting out of here and getting some privacy?”
“I can’t think of a better idea, Mr. Remington.”
“Good,” he said. “Let’s go home.”
Side by side, they walked out of the hospital and into their future.