Page 96 of SALT

"Connor," Mackenzie scolds, punching his shoulder.

"I'm happy for you guys. Really, I am." He holds out both his hands. "But come on, you realize it's a little weird for me, right?"

"Yeah, calling me mom would make it weird, so don't be weird," Cameron tosses back.

"We should probably talk about wedding dates," Mackenzie chimes in as Connor walks to the stove and picks up a plate, helping himself to dinner.

"I mean, it just happened. Aren't most engagements a year?"

I swallow my cognac before I choke on it. "A year? Cameron, I'm not waiting that long to give you my last name."

Connor smacks my shoulder. "Yeah, Cam. Dad's clock is ticking. He doesn't have that much time left."

"Connor—" I start.

"No, a year would be good. I shouldn't have any problems fitting into a bridesmaid dress by then," Mackenzie says.

Cameron drops her fork. "Are you serious?" Her eyes dart from Mackenzie to Connor, and it takes me all of that time to understand what Mackenzie is insinuating.

"You're pregnant?" Mackenzie nods as her eyes start to well with tears.

"No, don't cry," Cameron says, vacating her stool to hug her. "Why are you crying?"

"I can't help it. Hormones are a bitch, and I'm just so happy. You're getting married, and I'm having a baby." She hugs her tighter and rocks side to side excitedly. "We came straight here as soon as we took the test."

"To clarify, we took three tests, not one," Connor adds before taking a bite of chicken.

I squeeze Connor's shoulders. I know he's been trying to get her pregnant for almost a year now. "Congratulations! We both clearly have a lot to celebrate, and since Connor has already helped himself to dinner, you guys should stay. Cameron made dessert."

Cameron releases Mackenzie and waves her hand. "No, I didn't." She quickly grabs her covered tray. "It didn't turn out." I furrow my brow and watch as she hastily walks the tray across the kitchen. Her eyes flash to mine briefly before dropping back to the pan in her hands. She's lying. That dessert is perfectly edible, and she knows it. I watch as she pulls open the oven and shoves it in. "But we have ice cream." She clasps her hands together.

"Mackenzie, do you want me to make you a plate?"

"Yes, please. Marry Me Chicken smells delicious."

"That's because it is. Dad made it."

Cameron ignores Connor's antics rather than snapping back like usual; something has rattled her. I stand behind her at the stove as she dishes Mackenzie's plate. "Why aren't we sharing the dessert you worked so hard on?"

"I told you, it didn't turn out."

My hand finds her hip. "And we both know that's a lie."

"Everett, please leave it alone," she pleads.

"Okay," I relent, hearing the desperation in her tone. "Will you tell me later?"

"There will be no hiding it soon enough," she says before stepping out of my reach, leaving me to process her words while I stare blankly at a pan of chicken. Tonight, there are two things I am certain of: my love, something I never had before, and Cameron Salt will be my wife. The rest is all joy. As I slowly turn back around and watch my future wife serve dinner to our family, the chatter and laughter fade away as I collect a moment, soaking in a life I never believed I'd have.

She was my secret, the kind that haunted my dreams and ran away with my sanity. Sometimes the secrets we keep are bad, but sometimes they are the very ones worth guarding and protecting at all costs. We were forbidden, every stolen moment a priceless memory shared between secret lovers. Our love was a tangled web of two lost souls dancing on the edge of temptation, teetering between right and wrong. She was off-limits, but her love was just like the girl, a wildfire burning without borders. The love we found in the dark had the power to burn bright and outshine the shadows where it used to hide.

"Ev, are you going to join us?" Cameron says, extending her arm for me to come sit beside her at the island. Without thought, my feet carry me to her side, where I'll stand until the end of time.

She leans back into my chest from her seated position on her stool, her hand reaching back to lace our fingers together, a move that knots my stomach still. Feeling her need to be close to me stops me in my tracks every time. My heart always knew what it wanted because the heart wants what it wants regardless of consequence; love doesn't require reason or logic, it just is. But it only could have been her love, the forbidden kind was the only love that was strong enough to conquer my mind, for it is the best love of all. It battles the rules, triumphing over reason and transcending time, and proving that love really does conquer all.

As Mackenzie and Connor talk giddily about things to come in hushed tones, she asks, "What were you thinking about?"

"Our future," I say.

Her hand tightens around mine, and I feel her breath catch in her chest, confirming the fleeting thought I had beside the stove is likely true. God, I love her so much it hurts.

"Is it beautiful?"

Our love looks different because we are different. We aren't storybook. We were better than that. We are more than I could have ever imagined. There wasn't a trail of heartbreak that led to her. For that to be true, I would have had to have loved before her, and it's only because of her that I know what love is. I didn't keep my faith like I was supposed to, but I didn't know what I didn't have. However, it didn't stop me from praying for the things I have now. I prayed, if not in this life, then the next. I prayed for someone to love me like she does, and the Gods answered. She's perfect.

"It's more than beautiful. It's the salt of the earth."

THE END