Page 18 of I Loved You First

Fi hesitated before she nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Brady eyed her treat again. “I liked your Freezy.”

Fiona grinned as she scooped up another bite, sharing another sample. “Thanks for showing me your cool tricks.” She surprised Cam when she scooped up another bite for him, too.

He chewed a piece of cookie dough, holding her gaze. “Thanks.”

She nodded. “See you guys on Saturday.”

“In two more sleeps,” Brady added. Because he asked Cam every day.

“In two more sleeps,” she said as she turned away, heading toward her place.

“Not too bad,” Cam muttered, watching Fi disappear down the tree-laden path. Because that had gone far better than he’d expected.

“Not too bad at all,” he said as he turned back to his son, loving that they lived in such a small town. Because bumping into Fi was bound to happen again. But for now, Brady deserved his full attention. “What are you going to do next?”

Brady studied his options. “Go down the twisty slide on my belly.”

“I like it. Show me what you’ve got.”

seven

Fiona glanced at the dashboard clock as she turned onto Little Lake Road. She’d waited until the party would be well underway before she hopped in her mother’s car.

Two thirty seemed like an appropriate time to swing by a gift and then be on her way. Brady was undoubtedly having fun with his family and friends and wouldn’t care whether she stayed or left.

Half a mile down the road, she spotted Cam’s simple black mailbox with the orange, green, and blue balloons tied to the post. Turning right, she headed down the long paved driveway that had once been a wide dirt path. Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper up both sides of the private road.

Finding a spot, she eased in between a minivan and a pickup truck, nibbling her lip as she killed the engine, debating whether she actually wanted to do this. Seeing and talking to Cam at the house on Tuesday and then again at the park on Thursday had kept her annoyingly distracted. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get him off her mind.

Cam was a single dad—and a great one at that. He lived where the two of them had stared up at the stars and dreamed so many dreams. It wasn’t difficult to admit that she was curious about the life he’d created for himself. Taking a little peek didn’t have to be a big deal.

“Fiona, just go,” she told herself, grabbing the basket of gifts for Brady before she got out.

Wearing frayed jean shorts, a black scoop-neck tank, and strappy sandals, she started down the road, breathing in the smells of the water and pine, listening to the music, laughter, and hum of conversation through the trees.

Following the slight bend in the pavement, she gasped when the house came into view. Stopping in her tracks, she pressed her hand to her heart, taking it all in. Two stories of glass, stone, and blue-stained shingles stood like glory among the trees.

“Our house,” she whispered, blinking back tears. She remembered so clearly the number of hours she and Cam had spent fiddling around with Ellie’s interior design software.

Forgetting herself, she walked around to the back, drinking in the details. The large stone patio for family meals and the second-story master bedroom walk-out. The wall of French doors that had been destined for the great room. All with gorgeous lake and mountain views.

“Wow,” she whispered, still completely stunned. Her dream house actually existed, and now it was Cam’s.

She heard the footsteps behind her, already knowing they were his.

“You came,” he said seconds later.

She nodded, still staring at the house. “You built it.”

“The land sort of begged for it.”

She looked at him now, ignoring the uptick in her pulse, noting how his fitted gray tank shirt accentuated his excellent pecs and arms. He wore black athletic shorts, a pair of aviators, and that damn ball cap backward, making his exceptional looks that much better. “It’s beautiful.”

He nodded. “The plans we made… It seemed like a hell of a shame to let them go to waste.”

“It’s beautiful,” she repeated, suddenly feeling out of place as she looked around at the forty or so people enjoying a gorgeous Saturday at the lake. It didn’t help that Melody and Ezra were out of town until tomorrow afternoon. “Where are your parents?”