Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 94630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“May I?”
Jo nodded, sighing when his fingers brushed her neck as he pushed the robe off her shoulders. She wasn’t naked, but she was the next best thing. A strapless bra with transparent cups her nipples peekabooed through. Lace not bigger than a breath triangulated at the juncture of her thighs. Her legs folded under her, the muscles sleek and elongated. Cam ran his index finger down one leg until he reached the shoes. He slipped one shoe off and then the other. He pulled her close until her soft breasts melted into his chest.
“And from now on, you have a hard day, you come to me.” Cam wrapped her wild hair around his fist. “I’ll be your closet, Jo.”
“And will I be yours?”
Even though she smiled, the question lay real in her eyes. She and Ms. Kris had taught him the meaning of unconditional love. He had tested it at every turn, and Jo had passed over and over again. She had proven, even when he belonged to someone else, that her love went deeper than that. It wasn’t defined by romance and wasn’t confined to sex and kisses. She had always figured out how to be there for him. To be in his life in whatever capacity he needed, even when it had broken her heart.
“You haven’t answered my question.” The smile melted on Jo’s lips, but the question still lay in her eyes. “Will I be yours?”
“Oh, baby.” Cam swallowed the emotion rising in his throat and let the smile break through. Finally break through. “You already are.”
Epilogue
Happy birthday!”
Thirty-one candles blazed on the enormous cake Jo had ordered. Remnants of Q’s rib dinner littered sauce-covered plates scattered around the dining room. A small mound of gifts varying in color, size, and shape waited in the corner. And everyone who meant anything to Cam stood around singing the birthday song.
“Daddy, you have to blow out the candles.” Tiki’s grin burned brighter than the cake. One oversized Afro puff stood at attention on top of her head. Cam had slicked, pomaded, and tamed Tiki’s hair himself. Jo still couldn’t quite get the hang of it. That, like so many aspects of his life with Jo and his baby girl from Haiti, was a running joke.
Cam fake huffed and puffed for a few seconds before frowning at Tiki.
“I think I need some help.” He pulled his daughter by her narrow shoulders to stand in front of him and the cake. “Blow with me.”
She looked up at him, deep brown eyes wide and shining, an enthusiastic nod setting the cloud of hair in motion. Between the two of them, they managed to extinguish all thirty-one candles.
Thirty-one. Good grief. He’d squeezed a lot of living into those thirty-one years, but this last year had undoubtedly been the best. The movie he’d done the paintings for had been just the beginning. Bash could barely keep up with the demand these days, and Cam had started turning things down. He didn’t want to miss moments with the people who mattered most to him. He’d been given a gift that in many ways saved him, but it wouldn’t consume him. Not when he had his girls to do that.
Jo moved around the large dining room, making sure everyone had eaten enough and was having a good time. Pregnancy suited her. Of course it did. How dare it not? The dark, caramel-streaked hair fell past her shoulders, the natural wave left untamed for his pleasure. She’d always been beautiful, but that famous glow made from hormones and happiness powered up something inside of her, illuminating her face. Cam could barely keep his eyes and hands off her most of the time. Par for the course.
Jo shared a quick laugh with Shaundra, who had helped her plan the party. Her assistant had become that much more valuable since Peter resigned. It was for the best all around. Peter’s father got his son stepping into his rightful place as successor to the lumber empire. And Peter got to keep his teeth, which Cam would have inevitably eventually knocked out of his mouth.
Meredith pulled Jo close, whispering behind her hand. Something dirty for sure. Meredith’s mind had one track. She was a character, but she’d been such a good friend to the two women Cam had married. Was it weird to have both his ex-wife and his forever-wife in the same room? In the same family? They had turned down more than one offer for a reality show. The dynamic that so fascinated those looking in from the outside felt completely normal to them. Probably because things had turned out the way they should have been all along.
Cam caught sight of his ex-wife/cousin-in-law. Kerris and Mama Jess had cornered Q about her sauce recipe. Kerris glanced his way, grinning and mouthing “happy birthday” before turning her attention back to talk of spices and sauces.