Page 81 of Only in Our Dream
“Shut up and sit down.” Cameron tossed a pillow at him only for him to catch it and immediately throw it back to her. “Maybe you need to take up baseball.”
“And have to play ball outside? No, thank you.”
Melanie snorted a laugh, nearly choking on her wine. “My god, heisyour son.”
“Duh,” Jonah and Cameron responded in unison, making Melanie laugh.
They let Jonah pick what to watch, and he chose to watchFriends. He and Cameron had been watching the series together for Jonah’s first time, and she was glad he chose something lighthearted and not a horror movie as he often would. Even if that meant he would wind up in Cameron’s bed because he couldn’t sleep after watching it.
Melanie curled up under a blanket as Cameron lay her head on her lap. The feeling of Melanie’s soft hands running through her hair was one of the most comforting things Cameron had ever felt. She remembered Melanie did the same thing when Cameron had been in labor with both Jonah and Dylan. And when she had the flu and stomach bug at the same time, and Melanie took care of her for a week straight. She’d even done it after Cameron’s father had died and she was borderline inconsolable.
Damn, this woman has always known exactly what I needed.
The trio laughed through several episodes together before Cameron’s phone buzzed. She took it off the coffee table and read Dylan’s message.
“Dylan wants to come home,” she looked up at Melanie.
“Then let’s go get her.” Hoping up from the couch, Melanie held out her hands to Cameron. She helped her up before turning toward Jonah. “Come on, kiddo, you’re coming with us.”
“She’s just at Mason’s,” Cameron clarified.
“I know. But I have an idea. Trust me, you’ll love it.”
“Come on, Mom. Trust Mama Mel.”
The new nickname caught both of their attentions as they turned to Jonah. He shrugged as if it was no big deal and walked to the front door to put his shoes on. But the name kept swirling around in Cameron’s ears.
“I didn’t tell him to call you that.”
“I know.” Melanie’s smile was as wide as ever. “But I kinda love it.”
“Me, too.”
They piled into Melanie’s car as they jammed out to Taylor Swift on the way to Mason’s house. Dylan was confused when they all rolled up together, but she was thrilled to see Melanie, which made Cameron’s heart happy. And when Melanie pulled into Any Given Sundae, Cameron felt her kids’ love for their Aunt Mel grow even more.
Or Mama Mel.
Cameron let the word ricochet around her mind as they ordered their ice cream and found a table by the window. Jonah sat next to Cameron while Dylan sat by Melanie, allowing Cameron to be able to watch Melanie interact with the kids. Even after seeing it for sixteen years, Cameron noticed how it felt so much different now. Yes, it was different because she and Melanie were dating.
But it was also more than that.
And Cameron knew she was crazy for even thinking that they felt like a family of four already. Cameron couldn’t help it, though. Seeing the love for Jonah and Dylan in Melanie’s eyes and seeing it reflected back from her children made Cameron realize how perfect she and Melanie were for each other. She wanted to kick herself for not realizing that sooner, but Cameron knew that what the four of them shared now was only possible because of their history.
Across the table, Melanie caught Cameron’s eye. Jonah and Dylan were chatting about something, but Cameron could only focus on Melanie. She looked so content and happy sitting in her fancy clothes eating ice cream with the kids. It didn’t matter to her that their Valentine’s Day plans got ruined and they didn’tget to spend the night alone. Instead, Melanie looked more in love than Cameron ever remembered seeing before.
As Cameron finished her ice cream, one thought kept vying for top billing in her head. Melanie was really going to be her kids’ Mama Mel one day.
Chapter 26
Melanie
Preparing for Cameron’s fiftieth birthday was a task Melanie took very seriously. She’d been planning it for weeks along with Isla, Vera, Jonah, and Dylan. The kids had been tasked with keeping Cameron out of the house while the other three decorated for the party. They’d gone to an aquarium for the afternoon along with lunch at Cameron’s place of choice. Melanie had told them to be back by seven, which meant they had exactly two hours to finish preparing for the party.
Melanie had spent most of the last hour arranging a giant five and zero on the wall out of photographs. She’d chosen pictures from all throughout Cameron’s life, but one in particular kept catching her eye. It was the one from the New Year’s Eve party last year when they’d kissed. She wished she could go back in time and tell both of the women in the picture that things were going to work out.
“Look how little Jonah was,” Isla cooed as she looked at a picture of Cameron holding a brand-new baby Jonah in the hospital. “He was what? An hour old here?”
“Something like that.”
