“Cam, that’s not—”
He hooks my chin and brings my gaze to his. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved any woman, as much as I love my own kids. Whether or not you’re ready to hear this, I’m sayin’ it. You’re part of this family. Sooner or later I’ll put a ring on that finger and make it official. If you want kids, I’ll give ’em to you. Bottom line . . . I’ve fallen for you, Yvette. I ain’t ever gettin’ up. So you—”
I crash my mouth to his and sink into a deep kiss. His hands fist in my hair, pulling me closer and holding me there. Exactly where I want to be.
My fingers dig into his bicep, and it’s all I can do to not become overwhelmed by him. But instead of sucking up every ounce of this, storing up everything he gives out of fear that it’ll all be taken away, I slow down. My lips glide against his in a slow seduction, nibbling for once in my life rather than devouring out of fear that I’ll never have it this good again. For the first time, I feel entitled, as if I’ve earned this kind of love. And that in itself is miraculous.
Everything I never had crept into my life the day I met Cameron. I swore I’d never let anyone in, built up walls to ensure my heart would be protected, but leave it to the best fighter in the UFL to shatter them.
*
Cameron
I don’t remember the last time I smiled so much my damn cheeks hurt. It’s been forever since I’ve been able to be in Rosie’s room at the care facility without sinking into a pit of guilt and depression. But now, surrounded by my kids, my ex-wife, and Eve, it’s as if the world started spinning again, and it’s Eve who set it in motion.
“Okay, it’s Rosie’s turn to open a present from me.” Eve brings over a large box, and sitting in a chair across from my daughter, she places the box on her own knees.
“Hold up.” Ryder raises his hand in mock offense. “The movies, the books, and now you’re giving her more? I got gypped!”
We all chuckle as Eve pulls off the ribbon and rips open the bright red paper. Her hands placed on the box’s lid, she smiles at my daughter. “You ready?” She pulls the lid off, tosses it aside, and lifts up a stack of magazines.
I squint and, upon D’lilah’s gasp, realize what Eve’s just done.
“These are all the old magazines I kept that have your mom on the cover. I’m passing them on to you.” Eve turns from Rosie to a choked up ’Li. “I figured there’s a lot of stories behind these images. Bet your daughter would love to hear them.”
My throat swells, and my eyes burn as D’lilah jumps from her seat to hug Eve. I catch my woman’s eyes and pray that she sees my appreciation.
“Eve, wow . . .” D’lilah takes the stack of magazines and plops them on her lap. “Oh my gosh, this photo shoot was in Japan.” She flips through the pages. “Oh, see here. You can’t tell, but I was so sick this day.” Eve leaves the seat in front of Rosie, and D’lilah takes it. Lost in her story, she holds the photos up to her daughter. “Look at this one, baby. My hair was shorter here, like yours.”
“Doll.” Eve’s eyes find mine. “Come here.”
She glides over to me, and I pull her down to my lap.
“Fuckin’ love you, babe.” I run my nose along her jaw, breathing in the warm sugary scent. “Sweet gift you gave my girl.”
She shrugs. “Nah, they’re just magazines.”
“Not just magazines. You gave Rosie . . .” We both look over to D’lilah and Rosie, who are now surrounded by a smiling Ryder and Rosie’s nurse. “You gave Rosie her mom back.”
Eve sucks in a quick breath and then hides her face in my neck. “I was hoping I could do that for her.”
I run my fingers through her hair, my eyes fixed on my little girl and D’lilah’s light laughter ringing through the room, when suddenly—wait, did she?
“Oh my gosh, Cam, did you see that?” D’lilah’s eyes are glistening with tears.
Eve jumps off my lap and we surround Rosie.
“Yep, I saw it.” Ryder ruffles his sister’s hair. “That was a smile.”
“I saw it too.” It was unmistakable: the tiny twitch of her lip.
“Of course she smiled.” Eve sounds so confident, as if the assumption that she wouldn’t smile is offensive. “She’s perfect.”
I pull Eve into my arms and bury my nose in all that blond hair. “I can’t believe it. You got my little girl to smile.”
She tilts her head back. “I was hoping she would. That was my Christmas present to you.”
I blink at what she just said. “Wait, so this isn’t the first time you’ve seen that?
She shakes her head. “She did it on my last visit. I told her if she could pull that off for Christmas that would be great since I planned on spending all my money on her and her brother. That was the only gift I could think to give to you.”
“Fuckin’ hell, doll.” I wrap her in my arms, amazed that this incredible woman is capable of giving me so much in such a short period of time. “I love you.”