Page 35 of Flawless

“Real subtle, Mama,” Eden said, laughing as she patted her mama on the shoulder before heading back up the slight hill to the house.

“Your kids are both amazing, Mari,” I said, smiling when she squeezed my hand like we’d known each other forever.

Some people had the kind of energy that drew you in immediately, and Cam’s mama was one of those people.

“Thank you, sweetheart. They say the same about you.” She winked. “You better believe I trapped my son in the kitchen to get the full story about y’all before I came out here to meet you.”

I felt a touch of unease wondering what he might have said. I knew we were on the same page about our relationship, but maybe he was reluctant to tell his parents too much, in case it didn’t work out.

Her eyes filled with tears before she leaned in and whispered, “He told me you were the one.” She fanned her face with her hand. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear him say that.”

I felt totally overwhelmed, and giddy with excitement. “It goes both ways, I promise.”

She hugged me again. “I’m so happy for you both, Rylee. I know it won’t be easy, with your career and his, but you’ll find a way to make it work if you love each other.”

“We’re already talking about that,” I admitted. “How to make it work.” Since no one knew Cam better than his mama, I had a confession to make. “I just worry he may resent me if he has to move to Nashville because of my career. I know how much he loves it here.”

Cam lived less than an hour and a half from his family and told me he tried to visit them at least once or twice a month.

“If there’s one thing I can tell you about my son, it’s that he’s always had a mind of his own.” She laughed, shaking her head. “No one’s ever been able to talk him into doing something he doesn’t want to do.”

“That makes me feel better.” In fact, it felt like a weight lifting to hear those words. “Cam makes me feel…” I was probably oversharing, but couldn’t help myself. “Safe. Loved. And I think I’ve been looking for that my whole life. But I didn’t realize it until I met him.”

Her eyes filled with tears before she sniffled and pulled me into her arms again.

“He does have a way about him,” she said, clearing her throat. “I think that’s why he’s so good at his job. He’s a calming presence. Even when it feels like everything is going wrong, people trust him to make it right.”

I smiled. “I love that. I didn’t realize there was anything wrong in my life. But then I met your son and he made everything so right.”

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said, holding my hands in hers. “But Cam shared a little bit about your background with me?”

“I don’t mind.” I shrugged, breaking eye contact. “It’s nothing I haven’t shared in interviews. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve been through, Mari. It’s made me who I am.”

“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” she assured me. “I think you’re incredibly brave, and strong. I only bring it up because…” Her little impish grin made me smile. “Well, loving our son kind of makes you a part of our crazy clan, like it or not.”

“I’d like that a lot.”

I had a feeling she could tell how much it meant to me, to be welcomed into their family, without question, since that had never happened to me before.

Foster families had always kept me at a safe distance, not allowing me to get too close.

“Good.” She curled her hands around my shoulders, studying me. “Gosh, you really are lovely.”

“You’re sweet,” I said, dipping my head. “Thank you.”

“Now that we have all the important stuff out of the way, let’s go have a little fun, shall we?”

“I’d love that.”

My heart was full with a feeling of unconditional acceptance like I’d never known.

Chapter Thirteen

Cameron

It had been a few days since my girl returned to Nashville, but the weekend couldn’t have gone better if I’d scripted it.

My family loved her, just like I knew they would. And my mama gave me a nugget of advice that had been playing in my mind on repeat, “Don’t worry about moving too fast, son. When it’s right, time, like age, are just meaningless numbers.”