Brides and Brothers by Anneka R. Walker

Chapter 35

Camille

Camille had resorted to eating crackers before slowly rolling out of bed in the morning. It was worth the neck full of crumbs to keep her antinausea medicine down. Life was so much more fulfilling when one wasn’t a worthless heap on the bed. Regardless of her persistent nausea, her spirits were high. Aiden was coming home tomorrow, and then they were leaving straight for Island Park.

Showering helped defog her brain, but she didn’t bother doing her hair. She had an appointment with her stylist and was going to look amazing for Aiden if it killed her. She was also going to go purchase some bronzer to hide the pale, sickly tone her pallor had taken in Aiden’s absence. If she had time, she’d stop by Amy’s house and borrow something fashionable to wear. Their mom had recently sent Amy a box of brand-spanking-new name-brand clothes. It wasn’t an unusual gift for Amy, but Camille had never enjoyed that luxury without borrowing her sister’s clothes.

She managed to go to her hair appointment, shop in Amy’s closet, and stop at the grocery store to stock up for their trip all before noon. She zipped home to unload her car, feeling quite proud of how much she’d accomplished. She hadn’t even felt sick all morning. She piled her arms full of groceries and mentally thought about what she was going to eat for lunch. She seemed to go straight from satisfied to starving.

Stepping up to the door, she attempted to shift her bags to reach the doorknob. It swung open for her, and her mouth dropped open. Standing in front of her was Aiden! He was grinning and looked good enough to be on the cover of Forbes magazine.

“You’re early!” she squealed, her smile stretching across her face.

He took the bags from her arms and set them down on the ground. “You’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. Camille had to remind herself to breathe after losing herself in the bliss of the moment.

She bit her lip to hold back her emotion. “Oh, Aiden, I’m so happy to see you!”

He kissed her again and squeezed her tight. “I don’t even want to let go of you long enough to put these groceries away. Can we leave them here?”

Camille shook her head. “They might freeze, which would be okay, except for the produce. It needs to last the week.”

Aiden pressed his lips to hers once more, then reluctantly released her. He grabbed all the bags with one hand when she’d barely managed to hold them with two. With his free hand, he wrapped his arm around her.

“Your hair is shorter,” he said.

Camille smiled. “Do you like it?”

“I like you.”

“Does that mean you like my hair too?”

“You’d be beautiful if you were bald.”

Camille laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes because I don’t even want to pretend to be mad at you. Not today of all days.”

“It’s a yes,” Aiden insisted, “which is what I hope you’ll say when I suggest leaving right away to Island Park.”

Camille’s smile could have reached her ears.

The next two hours passed quickly. Before she knew it, Camille was holding Aiden’s right hand as he steered the truck with his left. Island Park was blanketed in white snow. Even though Camille wasn’t a huge fan of the cold, it was suddenly the most beautiful place on earth.

Aiden glanced at her. “I know our separation wasn’t life-or-death, but I also know it was hard on you. I want to thank you for being so supportive.”

Camille used her fingers to tickle the palm of Aiden’s hand. “Like you, I had good days and bad. It’s over, and that’s what matters.”

Aiden snatched her hand and brought it to his lips. He pressed a long kiss to her fingers, and she scooted as close to him as she could so she could lay her head on his shoulder.

“I would do anything to make you happy.” Aiden’s voice was low, and the fervor in his statement was unmistakable. She knew exactly what she could tell him to make them both happy. She’d planned a creative way to reveal the big news that she was expecting, but she needed to wait until they were at the cabin. After being relatively patient for this long, she could handle a few more hours.

“Tell me, Camille, what would make you happy?”

She tried to think of something non-baby-related to say.

“Uh, maybe a trip to Hawaii.” She shrugged. “Come on, you know I just want to spend time with you.”

He shrugged too. “That’s been the plan all along.”

“Great. Then, you can arrange the details.” She nuzzled into his shoulder.

“Thanks for the permission,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Camille teased, then sighed. “It’s so nice to be alone. I get a whole day and night with you all to myself. I only want to talk about us for the next twenty-four hours.”