Page 122 of I Loved You First

Brady nodded. “She’s my best friend.”

Cam nodded this time. “How would you feel if Fiona and I decided to be special friends the way we were before you were born?”

Brady’s brow furrowed a little. “Like how you kissed like a mom and a dad?”

Cam nodded again. “Yeah, like that.”

“Okay.”

He wanted to make sure Brady truly understood. “It would be okay if you saw Fiona and me hugging and kissing sometimes?”

Brady nodded again. “Yup. Fiona gives nice hugs that make me feel happy. If Fiona gives you a hug, you can feel happy, too.”

Cam blinked his surprise at Brady’s level of thought, forever in love with his son’s big heart. “Thanks, buddy.”

“You’re welcome.” He looked out the windows as the car began to move again.

“Can I ask you one more thing?”

Brady met his gaze again. “Yup.”

“How would you feel if Fiona came back to Vermont with us? If she lived in our house with us?”

Brady’s eyes grew huge. “Fiona can live with us?”

Cam nodded. “If you and I think it’s a good idea.”

“Yes!” Brady launched himself into Cam’s lap on the opposite bench, hugging him. “I like the way you think, Dad.”

Laughing, Cam hugged him hard. “I like the way you think, too, buddy.”

Brady eased back so their eyes met. “We can tell Fiona that she can be my mom now? Because moms live with boys and girls who go to big kid school.”

Some of Cam’s light mood dimmed with the swift reminder of the complications awaiting them back in Maple Ridge. “How about we talk about that some more when we get back to Vermont?”

Brady nodded. “Okay.” Then he scrambled out of Cam’s lap as their car moved closer to the top. “We’re in the sky again!”

Cam pulled his phone out of his pocket, accessed his video app, then pressed record. There were a million things he and Fiona needed to figure out, but this was a beautiful moment he never wanted to forget. “Tell Grammy and Grampy hello.”

Brady waved. “Hi, Grammy and Grampy. I’m at Seattle. I’m in the sky on a Ferris wheel. I’m like a bird.”

Cam chuckled, thrilled that this was a memory he would share with his son.

Life was bound to have its ups and downs over the next little while. Their new family would inevitably encounter a few bumps as they navigated unfamiliar terrain, but he wanted to treasure the time he had with Brady right now. Because everything about the present was perfect.

thirty-two

Fiona groaned as she blinked her eyes open in the dim light of dawn, pressing a gentle hand to her stomach. She rolled from her side to her back, frowning when saliva pooled in her mouth, and goosebumps puckered her skin. Yanking her covers back, she hurried to the bathroom, well aware of what that meant.

She made it to the toilet just in time, getting sick. Groaning as she flushed, she didn’t dare move when she couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t vomit again.

Footsteps moved through the bedroom, stopping in the en suite doorway. “Are you okay?” Cam asked as he walked in wearing black boxers.

She shook her head before she got sick again.

Sighing as he turned on the faucet, he offered her a paper cup of water. “Rough morning.”

Nodding, she sipped, swished, and spit the water into the toilet before she flushed. “You could say that.”