Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
The woman in my arms gasps. Her expression is startled and her hair mussed beneath the mortarboard. Her mouth opens and closes, and my heart beats painfully.
“Please say yes,” I mutter under my breath. “Maddy, I do love you, and it would mean the world to me if you’d be my wife.”
Suddenly, the clouds seem to part, letting through a shaft of sunshine, and she smiles gently with tears in her eyes.
“Yes, I’d love to be yours, Cameron Savage,” she says, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I love you too.”
With that, I place a kiss upon her lips because Maddy means the world to me. Sure, we were never supposed to meet and in fact, her mother caught us in flagrante at the most inconvenient time. But I have the resources to make mother and daughter happy, and now, the curvy girl is carrying my child. So why not? I don’t need a diamond to seal the deal. I just need this beautiful woman for the rest of my life.
“Forever,” I say, looking into her eyes.
“Forever,” she repeats, smiling back into my blue gaze. With that, our lips and hearts are sealed, and we pledge our love for eternity, right there, beneath the scalding Nevada sun. But it doesn’t matter where we do it because Maddy is mine and I am hers. Through rain or shine, thick and thin, we will always be together from here on out.
Epilogue
Maddy
I clasp my arms around Cameron’s neck as we relax back at his suite.
“That was quite a show,” I murmur. “You swooped down from the sky like an avenging god. I think you could be in a movie. You could be Thor or maybe even Superman.”
He chuckles, squeezing me gently.
“Maddy, I wasn’t going to let anyone disrespect you like that. Hell, I think your aunt’s at the county jail right now getting booked for disrupting the peace or something of that sort.”
I shoot a wan look at him.
“Aunt Kathy is out of her mind. I’m so sorry that happened. I’m not sure what got into her. It must have been the heat or the sunlight or something.”
Cameron takes a deep breath and then looks me straight in the eye.
“No, baby girl. It’s because I used to date her, and after I broke up with her, she was distraught. I guess she never got over it.”
I sit up, startled.
“You used to date my Aunt Kathy?”
He looks distinctly uncomfortable, flushing a bit under the collar.
“Yeah, to my shame. It was a long time ago, like at least fifteen years. She was a lot different back then. She was nice, for one, although always a little high-strung. We got along okay, but she always wanted more and I couldn’t give her more. She didn’t take it well after we broke up, but I haven’t seen her in years. I mean, hell, it’s been fifteen years. I had no idea that these bad feelings were brewing the entire time.”
I nod, realization dawning.
“She’s never mentioned you before, and she and my mom are close. I guess she must have put it out of her mind until Grace told her that I was living with you. That must have stirred up a lot of old memories and bad feelings. I just wish she had talked with us first. I could have told her that nothing untoward was going on. I’m eighteen, hell, I’m nineteen now. Yes, it’s a little weird that you dated both her and me, but it happens. You’re an attractive man who’s been around for a while now.”
He smiles, and it’s a little wry.
“I’ve been around and available too long, Maddy. That’s why you have to make an honest man out of me. I can’t keep causing these commotions wherever I go.”
I laugh and throw my arms around his neck again. But then he pulls back.
“When were you going to tell me you were pregnant, sweetheart? I’m over the moon to be a dad.”
I smile at him.
“I only just found out myself, and to be honest, I’m not sure how Aunt Kathy knew I was pregnant. Could it be a sixth sense or something? Is that possible?”
Cameron looks thoughtful for a moment.
“Did you take any pregnancy tests?”
I nod.
“I did, but I took them while I was at home, and not at Le Palms. It was just something I wanted to do without you finding out until I was sure,” I admit shyly. “Do you think she went through my garbage? Who would do that?”
Cameron shrugs.
“When people get desperate, they’ll do anything. I’m sure after your mom told her you were living with me, Kathy started watching you like a hawk, including whenever you were home. I bet she did go through your trash, and found the positive pregnancy applicator. That probably set her off, leading to her outburst today.”