The Truth Within (Pelican Bay 3)

“So he came out here to find Walter years ago?” I heard Riley ask.

“Yep,” Cam said. “His niece said Lenny confided to her about ten years ago that he’d come out here to be with the man he loved… the man he’d regretted not choosing when he’d had the chance. But when he saw that Walter was married, he knew he was too late.”

“Walter was married?” Riley asked in surprise.

“No,” I said softly. “But his sister lived with him. A lot of people used to mistake her for his wife.”

“Fuck, so Lenny just assumed Walter was married and gave up?” Linc said.

“He never gave up… not hoping, anyway,” I corrected. “If he had, he wouldn’t be here now.” I watched as Walter took Lenny’s hand in his. The men ignored all of us and began walking toward the little pond on the far side of the driveway… the one with the babbling brook that was just now starting to run again.

“He never gave up,” I repeated.

Cam leaned down and kissed that spot where my neck met my shoulder… one of many of his favorite spots. “No, he didn’t,” he agreed. I watched the men until they disappeared down the path that led into the woods.

“Let’s go make some dinner,” Cam suggested. “I have a feeling we’re going to have a lot to talk about tonight.”

I turned in his arms. Riley and Linc were already walking toward the house.

“I think our family is about to grow by one,” I said.

“I think you’re right, beautiful,” Cam said with a smile. He kissed me softly. “You okay with that?”

I nodded. “Really, really okay with it,” I said.

As we walked hand in hand toward the house, Cam asked, “You think you might want to adopt someday?”

I smiled but didn’t look at him. “Do you think it’s even legal to adopt a seventy-nine-year-old man and his seventy-six-year-old boyfriend?”

Cam gave my arm a tug. I chuckled and looked at him.

“I was thinking maybe we’d start with Riley and go from there,” Cam said, his voice growing heavy with seriousness. Did he really think I’d even hesitate on that particular issue? Or any that related to us being a family to anyone who needed one?

“I think that’s a good start. But you may need to make an honest man out of me first.”

“Done,” Cam said.

“Just like that?”

Cam grinned and pulled me closer. “Just like that. Saves me the trouble of having to figure out a creative way to propose.”

“Oh, you still need to propose. I didn’t actually say yes.”

Cam made a grumbling sound.

“Hey, Cam?”

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking…”

“Yeah?”

“You may need to lend Walter some of your little blue pills.”

Cam slid his hand over my ass and then turned me so I was facing him. He gripped my backside and ground his groin against mine. His mouth nipped at my lips. “Babe, you remember what happened last time you teased me about needing little blue pills, right?”

Yes… yes, I did.

I’d ended up with a night of seemingly endless orgasms. I kissed Cam deeply and whispered, “Why do you think I brought it up?”

Cam smiled against my mouth. “Tell you what…” He pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Whoever comes first tonight…”

He kissed me again.

“…has to take…”

Another kiss, this one deeper, longer, harder.

“…the new love birds…”

He had my toes curling with the next kiss. I leaned into him to try and maintain the contact, but he maneuvered his mouth away.

“…breakfast in bed in the morning.”

“Deal,” I said. The idea of serving breakfast in bed to what would very likely be a naked and wrinkly Walter and the love of his life wasn’t exactly at the top of my to-do list, but I was certain I could make Cam come first. I was already planning his downfall in my head.

“What does the winner get?”

“I get you saying yes, tonight, to my proposal.”

I laughed as he kissed me again. “You’re pretty sure of yourself,” I said when he let me come up for air.

“Mmmm-hmmm,” he said.

“Deal,” I agreed.

“Good.” Cam released me and turned to walk in the opposite direction of the house.

“Where are you going?” I called.

“Gotta get my cuffs,” he responded.

I shivered. “That’s cheating!”

“Yep!”

“You want to marry me that bad?” I said.

Cam turned and grinned at me. That beautiful, soul-deep grin that made me wonder what I’d done right in my life to have gotten so lucky.

“Maybe,” he answered. “Or maybe I just really don’t want to see Walter and Lenny naked. I may not have a photographic memory, but even I won’t be able to unsee that.”

Damn, I hadn’t considered that.

“Uh, Cam?”

“Yeah?” Cam said, his voice full of humor. I started walking toward him, but he knew what I was up to and quickened his pace.

“Can I just say yes now?” I lengthened my stride in the hopes of catching up to him without him noticing.