Tempting Cameron

chapter Fifteen


The entire McKenzie family was in attendance this evening, even Patrick and his family, who were in town for the celebration. It was a special night—James and Lydia McKenzie were celebrating forty years of wedded bliss together.

It reminded Cam of a night not that long ago, when the family had gathered to celebrate Jane and Chris’s wedding. It was being held at the same reception hall and mostly the same crowd was in attendance.

Which meant pretty much the whole town.

Cam walked through the crowd holding Chloe’s hand, desperate to get out of there. Just because he was happy to be back didn’t mean he never suffered those moments of complete suffocation that came with being in this town for a prolonged period.

Meaning, he was having a suffocating moment at this very minute and wished he could take Chloe home, where he could have her all to himself.

“When are we going to tell them?” Her eyes wide, she licked her lips nervously.

“Soon. Now, if you want.” He squeezed her hand for reassurance. She was nervous. And he couldn’t blame her.

She nodded, pursed her lips to exhale loudly. “Let’s do it. I hope they’ll be happy.”

“Happy? God, Chloe.” He drew her into his arms, kissed her to ease all that anxiety pouring off her. “Mom’s going to be beyond thrilled. So is my dad. The entire family will be, even Mac,” he said grudgingly. “Jane and Mindy will probably wet their pants.”

Chloe made a face. “Gross.”

He laughed, yanked on her hand so she had no choice but to follow him.

“Cam.” Chloe whispered his name just before they got to the table.

“Yeah?”

She smiled. “I love you.”

Unable to resist, he kissed her. “I love you, too, babe.”

“You two are so sweet,” his mom said as they approached the table. “Makes me happy to see you together.”

“I agree,” his dad said with a nod.

Cam cleared his throat. For all his bravado, he was nervous. This was a big deal. Like the biggest deal of his life. “Mom, Dad, we have something to tell you.”

Both their faces fell, his mom literally gripping the edge of the table as if she needed the support. “You’re going to have a baby, aren’t you?”

“What? No.” Cam shook his head, laughing shakily. “No babies.” Yet.

He’d given kids some secret thought. More than once he’d imagined Chloe lush and glowing, her belly full with his child.

Yeah, that had him feeling all possessive and shivery. But he wanted Chloe to himself for a little bit before they started making babies.

His mother visibly relaxed. “Oh. Well, not that it would be a bad thing. I love grandbabies; every one of them is a blessing and I’m sure the two of you would make beautiful ones together. Don’t you think, Jim?” She nudged her husband in the ribs, making him grunt.

“Aren’t you jumping the gun a little bit, Lydia? The kids are still only dating, after all.”

“See, that’s the thing.” Cam gripped Chloe’s left hand, holding it out so they could see the glittering diamond and platinum band that circled her ring finger. “She’s not jumping the gun. We’re married.”

His parents gaped at them, his mom’s mouth hanging open for long, agonizing seconds before finally his dad stood, sputtering as he approached them. “When did this happen?” he asked as he engulfed Chloe in a big hug.

“Last weekend,” Chloe admitted when she withdrew from his embrace. Tears streaked her cheeks as she looked at Lydia. “You’re not mad, are you?”

Tears glittered in his mother’s eyes and she furiously shook her head. “Mad? Why would I be mad? I gained another daughter who makes my son happier than I’ve ever seen him.”

Cam smiled, hugged his dad, then yelped when his mom pinched his ear before drawing him into her arms. “Rotten boy, running off with her alone and not giving her a proper wedding.”

“She wanted to run away.” He rubbed his ear.

“It was my idea,” Chloe admitted with a shaky smile, wiping her tears away. “I figured it was the only way I could get him to make it legal.”

“Seriously?” He turned to his wife, surprised at her admission.

She shrugged those pretty shoulders, the ones he always liked to kiss when they were bare and gleaming smooth in the light. Like the night he made her his in the most legal sense, when she wore that white, sleek strapless gown that had brought tears to his eyes when he saw her in it for the first time.

Yeah, he’d cried when he married her. Yet another reason he was glad no family was around to witness that particular moment.

“You don’t like to be pressured, Cam,” she said softly, her smile sweet. “I figured a big wedding might send you into panic mode.”

“She understands you,” his mother said with a nod of approval.

“She definitely does,” he said, his gaze meeting Chloe’s. “She also knows I hate it when she cries.”

“I’m not crying anymore,” she protested.

“She deserves a party.” His mom smiled, crossed her arms in front of her. “Chloe dear, don’t you want a party?”

“I don’t want to take away from your party,” Chloe said, glancing around, afraid someone might overhear. “This is your night to celebrate.”

“Nonsense. Let’s go grab that DJ’s mic and make your announcement.” His dad looked pointedly at him and Cam had no choice but to follow.

“Cam?”

He turned to see Chloe standing there, still looking nervous. “You don’t mind telling everyone, do you?”

“Baby. Just because I ran off and married you in the middle of the night doesn’t mean I want to keep this a secret forever.” He grabbed her, hauled her into his arms, and kissed her so soundly she clutched his shoulders for support. “I love you. And I want the entire damn town to know it.”

…

Chloe smiled, those tears appearing again, and Cameron gently wiped them away, his thumb lingering on her cheek. How she loved this man, her husband. She was the luckiest woman in the entire world.

And everyone seemed to be in agreement, because the surprised cheer that went up when her new father-in-law announced their marriage probably could’ve been heard clear across the lake. They were then embraced and congratulated by just about every single person in attendance, her mother standing at their side, since Chloe had been grabbed and brought to the front of the dance floor when the McKenzies had made the announcement.

It was when the dancing started that she and Cam had finally snuck out. His sisters and Ali had demanded a coffee meeting tomorrow morning, wanting all the details.

Not that Chloe would give them all the details, only the general ones. Some moments were meant to be kept private. Like when Cameron first saw her before she walked down the aisle toward him. The little chapel they found in Lake Tahoe had been perfect, small and quaint, the glow of candles scattered throughout providing the only light. The ceremony simple, charged with emotion because not only had she cried, but so had he.

She leaned her head on his shoulder as they drove home in his truck and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You okay?”

“Yes.” She sighed blissfully. Had she ever been this content? “Though I think your sisters are going to kill me tomorrow. Ali, too. They wanted their chance at being bridesmaids and I deprived them.”

He chuckled, pulled into their driveway. “Be strong. Bargain with them. Let them plan the reception. That’ll keep them so busy they’ll leave you alone.”

“You don’t mind having a party?”

Cam shut off the engine and turned to look at her. “It’ll make our families happy.”

“But will it make you happy?”

“Yeah,” he admitted softly, a little smile curling that mouth she adored so much. “I like showing off my beautiful bride.”

Her heart fluttered. “You make me so happy,” she said softly.

“Do I, Mrs. McKenzie?” That low, velvety voice was full of wicked intent, and she gasped with surprise when he pulled her into his arms.

“Yes.” She rested her hands on his chest, curled her fingers into his dress shirt. He was so handsome, she still couldn’t get over it. Would she ever? “I don’t think I’ll grow tired of hearing you call me that any time soon.”

“Good.” He smiled against her mouth. “Because I’m going to be calling you Mrs. McKenzie for many, many years to come.”

“Promise?” she asked minutes later, still breathless from the kiss he gave her.

“Most definitely.”





Acknowledgments


To my family for putting up with me sitting at my desk all. The. Time. To my editor Stacy Abrams for her love of my work and her continued support. To Red Garnier for being the best CP a girl could ever ask for. She described us as an old married couple and I sort of love that. To Kelley Vitollo for her e-mails that make me laugh—our paths are rather similar, aren’t they? To Jessica for being the best publicist ever—your help during my recent major deadline crunch made my life a lot easier.

And to all the bloggers, reviewers, and readers out there: you don’t know how much I value your support. We would be nothing without our readers! I hope you all love Cameron as much as I do. He’s one of my favorite heroes I’ve ever written.





About the Author


Romance author Karen Erickson writes what she loves to read—sexy contemporary romance and sensual historical romance. She has been digitally published since 2006 and when she’s not busily writing on deadline, she enjoys reading, hanging out with her family, and traveling. A native Californian, she lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children, the dog, and too many cats. She is also the author of the first book in her Lone Pine Lake series, Jane’s Gift, as well as Game for Marriage for Entangled’s Brazen line. Visit her at www.karenerickson.com.