Page 21 of I Loved You First

“Thanks for having me. Happy birthday, Brady.”

“Thank you, Fiona.”

“Aw. You’re welcome, buddy.”

He waved as he rested his head on his dad’s shoulder again and eventually disappeared into the house.

Cam stopped by the large window in Brady’s room, watching Fiona walk down the long driveway toward her mother’s car. She looked good—summery and gorgeous.

She actually showed up, which wasn’t all that surprising. Fi was too polite not to at least stop by when she’d told Brady she would. If he’d kept an eye out for her for the last hour and a half, that was neither here nor there.

Eventually, he’d gotten busy with the party and their guests, but he’d known the instant she arrived. An instinct had him turning toward the driveway. And thank God he did because he’d watched the moment she spotted the house—the shock and emotion playing over her stunning face as she took it all in. It had warmed his heart to see her reaction—to know she loved what they’d dreamed up together.

Maybe it had been a little weird to build the house he’d designed with his ex-girlfriend, but he’d looked at hundreds of plans when he’d been ready to build a home for himself and his son and always came back to theirs.

Their spot by the lake had always felt like home. Over the last few years, it had brought him as much comfort as it did despair.

“Dad, what are you doing?” Brady asked as he lifted his head and looked out the window. “Hey, that’s Fiona.”

Cam nodded. “It is.”

“She has a pretty face.”

He nodded again. “Yes, she does.”

“She’s my new best friend.”

Cam smiled because everyone was Brady’s new best friend these days. But he understood that creating and fostering friendships was an important part of his son’s development. “Fiona’s a great best friend.”

Brady nodded. “I like her hugs. She’s soft.”

Cam swallowed as he stared at his little boy, forever worrying. The recent uptick in stomachaches, headaches, and the occasional rash kept him on edge. But he also worried that his amazing kid didn’t have a mother who wanted to hug him and soothe away his troubles the way Fiona just did.

Brady was loved. He knew his little boy knew that. But he also knew that Brady was aware that he was the only child in his class without a mom who showed up for his special events.

He was doing the best he could. He read the parenting books and tried to be all the things Brady needed him to be, but sometimes he wondered if it was enough.

He kissed Brady’s forehead. “Let’s get you snuggled up for a little while. Maybe you’ll feel better after we read a book.”

“I’ll pick one out.”

“Okay.” Setting Brady on his feet, he looked out the window where Fiona had been, longing for what he couldn’t have.

Because wishing that everything had turned out differently did him no good. Loathing himself for the choices he’d made didn’t do much for him either. But knowing so didn’t stop his wanting.

The only thing that had remained the same after all this time was his need for Fiona. After seeing her and talking to her this week, his yearning was all the worse.

But reality was what it was, and he had a son to raise. Regretting how he’d handled things six summers ago didn’t change a thing.

eight

Cam held Brady’s hand as they weaved their way through the crowds at the Maple Ridge Farmers Market. Typically, there was a decent turnout in the pretty downtown square, but today, there were tons of extra people walking around due to the additional festivities.

Top 40 music blasted through several massive speakers while food trucks joined the usual vendors selling their various homemade goods and garden-fresh produce.

Cam adjusted his aviators on his nose as the sun blazed hot and bright in the late-morning sky. “What do you want to do first?”

Brady clutched his new stuffed dinosaur in his arm as he stared at the bouncy house set up on Main Street. “We should get ice cream at the booth.”