Prescription For Love (The Kingsley Series) (32 page)

"What ya got there?" Tabitha asked, leaning over Cameron's shoulder.

Cameron jerked, bumping her elbow on the edge of the counter and dropping her phone in her hurry to turn around. "Jeez, you can't be sneaking up on people, Tab!" she gasped.

Tabitha only laughed. "Engagement rings, huh?" she asked. She turned, opening the refrigerator to take out a tray of parfait cups. Cameron's mother had made them for dessert, layering bits of cake with juicy strawberries and thick whipped cream. "Coming to eat one of these?" Tabitha glanced over her shoulder, stopping to add spoons to the tray.

Thankful for the change of subject, Cameron nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming," she said.

***

Sitting by the river, Cameron soaked up the musical sound of the water as it flowed with its wild current. She kicked her sandals off and worked her feet through the grass below the bench she'd perched herself on.

"I don't know,"
she wrote,
"I just don't know. The idea of getting married is terrifying. What if he changes after? What if I don't like being married? What if Logan and I don't get along once things get serious? Oh God, what if his mother hates me? I sure as hell don't want one of
those
mothers-in-law."

Cameron looked up with a sigh, watching geese and ducks mingle together along the river's edge. The ducks' quacks mixed noisily with the honking of the geese, and Cameron smiled a little to herself, tapping her stylus on the edge of her tablet before getting back to her journal.

"Maybe it won't be like that, though. I doubt Mac would let any members of his family treat me less than kindly, especially after my own family has taken him in so quickly and easily. Then again, if they are less than kind to me, what kind of wife would I be if I told him? Could I put myself between them like that? And maybe none of this even matters. Does he even want to marry me? Would Logan like it, or would he see me as an interloper in his mother's house? He did seem like he wanted a mother, that day at the zoo ... but what if I'm wrong? What if I'm reading them wrong? Oh, I just don't know."

Saving the journal entry, Cameron stowed the stylus, slipped the tablet into its sleeve and tucked it away in her bag. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she stood and started walking along the river trail, leaving the ducks and geese to splash behind her. Walking always seemed to help her clear her mind. Wandering along, she listened to the river as it flowed in the other direction, the rushing of the water reassuring and relaxing her, the water sounds mixing with the rustling of the trees overhead as she approached a nature walk that followed the edge of the river.

Cameron's breathing settled as she entered the canopy of the trees; this path was one of her favorite places to be in the entire world. Here, the busyness of the city was left behind. She could listen to the twittering of birds, the rustling of a late summer breeze through the branches above, and smell the perfume of the flowers planted along the path. Turning a curve in the path, she nearly crashed into a woman running along the path, headed in the opposite direction.

"Cass?" Cameron asked.

"Hey, Cameron!! What are you doing out here?" Cass asked. Her face held the glow of physical activity, her cheeks were flushed and her dark eyes blazed. She shimmered under a layer of sweat, her ponytail bouncing behind her as she jogged in place to keep her heart rate going.

"Just out for a walk, you know. I love it out here; it's so quiet. How was the honeymoon?"

Cameron grinned as Cass's face flushed deeper and she averted her eyes. "It was good," she said. "We had a lot of fun, and Hawaii is really beautiful. I just couldn't believe some of the things we saw. There was this long road that circles around one of the islands, and it was just the most beautiful drive!"

"I'm glad you guys had a good time," Cameron laughed. "So, uh, how's married life treating you?"

"It's the same, really, as it was before. I mean, there's that little twinge when I remember that I'm a wife now, and Drew says he gets that, too. But mostly, it's the same for us. I guess because we already lived in his house before the wedding, you know? So we still have breakfast together when he's not working, we still run together when we can. Same stuff, we just have a paper now. It wasn't always simple though; we had to adjust some to living together. How are things with you and Mac?"

"We're good," Cameron answered, looking to the ground to disguise her own flushing cheeks. "I met his son."

"Wow that's great!" Cass gushed, her jog slowing. She bent, stretching one leg out and squatting back on the other, working the run out of her system as her body cooled. "What was that like?"

Cameron stood back, admiring the changes she'd seen in Cass over the months that they'd been friends. Cass was still a round woman, and the extra weight flattered her body. Just as her sister Chelsea was always telling her, Cass really did have a deliciously curvy body. She'd toned up a lot though, and she was looking truly amazing. The best part was that she had no clue how great she looked, and she still wore the tenderness of insecurity.

"It was really good," she answered, watching as Cass stood and bounced on her toes for a few minutes. "You know, you really look amazing these days. I just had to tell you."

Cass blushed, her eyes watering as she met Cameron's gaze. "Thank you," she said. "I know my weight has changed, you know, but I still feel the same. Except for this." She gestured around them, indicating the path and ending on a wave to another runner who approached and then passed them. "I never thought I'd be doing this, but it really helps me clear my head."

"I hope I'm not interrupting you," Cameron said. "I'd hate to break your run; I know how you love it."

"No, I'm good," Cass answered. "Actually my car is parked by the river, so I'm on my way back."

"Oh." Cameron turned then, walking back toward the parking lot with her new sister-in-law.

"So, asking about married life, huh?" Cass asked, nudging Cameron gently with her elbow.

"Uh, well, you know, it's customary to ask a newlywed how they like it," Cameron hedged.

"Mmhmm, and no connection to a certain dating relationship?" Cass teased. "One that got heavy on the night of my wedding?"

Cameron's face flamed, and Cass laughed. "I guess you heard the morning-after story from your sister then?"

"I did. She said you guys looked so sheepish, sneaking up on the deck to breakfast. I think it's cute, though. Cameron, if you're happy, I'm thrilled for you. Are you thinking things might get really serious now that you've met his son?"

"Yeah, I think maybe. We all went to the zoo together, and at one point I went off to the bathroom. When I came back, I overheard them talking, and Mac sounded pretty serious. He was talking with Logan about whether he'd like me to stick around, you know?"

"What did he say?"

"Well, you know, he's nervous about me because of his mom. Apparently, there's a little boy who picks on him about Alex being gone, so he has a rough time with that. I think he's afraid I might not like him enough to stick around."

"Yeah, or that you might die too," Cass answered. "I had a lot of issues like that when I was little, because everyone I knew died. Like, just one after the other, and then suddenly everyone I'd ever known was gone."

"I don't want him to have to worry. That's just too much for a kid."

"But look at me," Cass said. "He'll turn out. Don't let Logan affect how you feel about Mac. I know he's important because he's Mac's son, and I'm not saying his feelings on the subject don't matter. But in a few short years, that little boy will be a grown man, and he'll be off on his own. Don't miss out on someone you love for the sake of a little boy's fears. If anything, maybe you can help him by being there. You know, Cameron, I wanted every one of my foster moms to be a mom to me. And I'd shut down a lot by the time I got to the Keaton’s out of self-protection."

"Do you think maybe Logan's feeling that? Because I'll tell you the truth here, Cass. I think that Logan's feelings will have a huge effect on whether Mac asks me to marry him or not. And I can't just discount this kid's fears."

"I think he's just afraid of losing out again. But you know what they say, 'it's better to have loved and lost,' right? I don't even know what my life would be right now if Janet Keaton hadn't found a way to reach out to me and open me up."

As they'd talked, the women had approached Cass's car. Leaning a hip against the edge of the hood, Cameron crossed her arms, thinking. "What do I do?" she asked.

"Go with the flow. If you love Mac, and he asks you to take it to the next level, go for it."

"Hmm. Maybe I will, if he asks," Cameron answered. "I bet you need to get going, huh?"

"Yeah,” Cass answered with a grimace. “I’m pretty gross right now, so I want to get home and shower. I'm supposed to be meeting with Drew for dinner in a bit."

"Okay, you go on then. I think I'm gonna hang out here and think a while. You really gave me a lot of new perspective," Cameron said.

"Well, you know you can call me anytime," Cass said, slipping into her car.

Once Cass was gone, Cameron changed her mind about staying by the river, and wandered over to her own car. She didn't really need to think anymore; she knew exactly what she'd say to Mac.

If he ever proposed.

Pulling into the driveway in front of Mac's house, Cameron took a breath and checked her appearance in the rearview mirror. Her backseat was not as full as she'd have liked it to be, holding only one small overnight bag. She still couldn't figure out how she'd managed to fit everything she'd wanted in there. But Mac had said to pack light if she wanted to leave her car and travel with him on the motorcycle. He'd refused to tell her where they were going, only willing to say that it would be warm there.

With that minor information, she'd packed light as directed, forgoing fresh jeans and extra pajamas in favor of denim shorts and several tank tops to go with the jeans she was wearing on the trip. She was really looking forward to a long ride, perched on the back of the rumbling motorcycle with Mac between her thighs, her arms snug around his waist, her hands clutching his hard body and her breasts pressed flat ...

Cameron jerked, peering out through the car window at the sudden rapping on the glass. Pulling the release, she pressed the door open and stepped out into the late morning sun. Logan closed in, wrapping a skinny arm around her waist, his dark eyes beaming up at her.

"Hey, kid," she said, dropping her own arm around his shoulders and pulling him close so that she could muss his hair with the knuckles of her other hand. He giggled, shrugging her off and jogging back toward the house.

"Come on," he urged her, twisting to look over his shoulder. "My grandma's been waiting for you to get here. She sent me out to get you so she can start tea. She says you two are going to have a great time until my dad gets back!"

Cameron's feet froze in protest, her steps faltering long enough for Logan to stop near the door and look back at her. "Your dad's not here?" she asked.

"No, he went to get the other bike. He said you'd ride more comfortable on it. But he told me to tell you not to worry about Grandma, and that she won't attack you with a Yahtzee box." Laughing, he waved an arm to beckon her inside, and then went shouting into the house.

Making a mental note to murder Mac when he returned from wherever he'd gone, Cameron willed her feet to move again, forcing one foot to move nervously in front of the other. It was too late to turn back and pretend to be fashionably late; with Logan screeching through the house, Mac's mother was sure to know she'd arrived. Right on cue, Marie Caswell's gray head bobbed in front of the window, and then the door opened and she peered out. A short woman with the classic grandmotherly look, she had faded blue eyes that might once have rivaled the eyes of her son, Mac. She smiled softly, wrinkles appearing here and there over the aged landscape of her face.

She was kind enough not to mention Cameron's obvious nervousness right away, though her eyes were twinkling with laughter as Cameron came close to her. "Aren't you just the prettiest thing?" she said, reaching out to take Cameron's hand. "Come on in, honey, and we'll have something to drink while we wait for Mackenzie to get back. And then we'll kill him together for sticking you with his mother so unexpectedly like this." She laughed at the shocked expression on Cameron's face, hauling her into the house.