Page 71 of Feels Like Coming Home

When Cam rang the doorbell, I could feel a rush of butterflies in my belly. I don’t know why I was so nervous. Cam and I had been a part of one another's lives since we were six. Things were different now though, and it felt exciting to feel this way towards another person again.

Towards Cam again.

Piper got to the door before me because I was still slipping on my shoes when he got to the house. I could hear her from down the hall.

“Well, well, well, Haley’s suitor is back again. Don’t you look handsome?” She spoke with her fakest nice voice. Even though I couldn’t see her, I could picture the shit-eating grin I knew she was sporting. I hurried to grab my bag so I could go and rescue Cam.

“Hello to you too, Piper.” Cam stepped inside the doorway and sure enough, he did look handsome.

He had shaved recently; I wasn’t sure when because I hadn’t seen him since he came to the house earlier in the week. With the cleaner cut, his jaw was more defined and somehow he looked even hotter than before. I felt good about my outfit choices since he was wearing dark, loose-fitting jeans, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a pullover that accentuated his strong arms. Not super fancy, but still dressed up enough for a date.

When he saw me walking down the hall, a smile grew on his face and his cheeks touched his eyes. A warm feeling grew in my belly as I got closer to him. Between his smile and his dark emerald eyes, all he had to do was look at me the right way and I was ready to take all my clothes off.

“There she is”, Cam said, extending his arm for me to take his hand, which I did. “You look beautiful. You ready to go?”

“I’m ready.” I nodded at him, still holding his hand, and started to follow him out the front door. “Bye Piper.” I turned and waved to her with my free hand.

“Bye, sweetie, be good tonight…or don’t!” She winked at me as she closed the door. I made a mental note to yell at her for the comment later.

“I'm sorry for her. She has no self-control, I swear.”

“Jones, you do not need to apologize for anything. Piper is your best friend, I would expect nothing less from her.” He leaned in and kissed me on the side of my head, making my heart do a flip. “Plus, I think she’s funny.”

“Oh god,pleasedon’t tell her that. She’ll never stop if you do.”

When we reached the passenger side door of his car, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. The space on my cheek burned with electricity when he leaned down and kissed it. I couldn’t help but smile at him.

I loved it when Cam showed me how he felt about me with these small gestures. Physical touch is one of my top love languages, so moves like this caused my heart to swell. Part of me hoped that I would get to have him like this forever.

As soon as I had the thought, though, a small voice in the back of my head said,“Remember when you wished it was Connor who would be your forever? You’re horrible for replacing him so soon. You’re a despicable, terrible wife. You don’t deserve this kind of love from anyone. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I shook my head, trying to silence the voice.

Cam looked at me funny. “I’m sorry, do you not want me to do that? I won’t if you?—”

“No,” I cut him off. “I do. I do want you to do it, it’s just…it’s nothing. I’m sorry.” Pushing myself onto my tip toes so I could reach him, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before lowering myself into his car. Cam closed the door once I was in and took his place next to me in the driver’s seat. He reached across and set his hand on my thigh, and I slipped my fingers under his. It felt nice to have his hand in mine.

“So where are we going?” I asked, still in the dark about our destination.

“You’ll see soon.” He looked mischievous and almost giddy as he pulled out of the driveway. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but knowing Cam, it was somewhere I wouldn’t expect.

I gaspedas we walked up and I saw where we would be having dinner.

As it turned out, Cam had spent the afternoon setting up a beachside picnic for us at the end of the boardwalk we’d walked down the last time we came to the beach. Knowing how much I hate the sand, Cam offered to walk me to our spot via piggyback, which I gladly accepted. When we reached it, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

A massive rug had been placed in the sand with small lanterns that were illuminated at each corner of the rug. In the center sat a low-sitting table just big enough for two. Around it were pillows and cushions to sit on and somehow there was music playing even though I couldn’t find a speaker. Waiting for us was our food which was still steaming hot and ready to be eaten. A bottle of wine sat chilling in a cooler and two glasses were on the table waiting to be filled. The whole scene, mixed with the ocean in the background, took my breath away.

“Oh my god, Cam.” My eyes moved to take in the whole setup as we approached. I turned my head to look at him, but he was already looking back at me.

“You like it?”

“I love it. Thank you!”

He kissed me on the forehead and motioned for me to sit. Lowering myself down, I slipped my feet under the table and set my sweater down beside me. I was glad I brought it out here with me because it was already starting to cool off. I sat with my hands on my cheeks, taking it all in before I started to eat when I heard Cam chuckle.

My eyes went to him. “What are you laughing at?” I asked defensively.

“Nothing, I just think you’re cute.” I felt my face blush. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

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