Among other things to bask in.
I found one of the more comfortable couches at the far end of the lobby and sank down in it. I did it so swiftly, the others didn’t even realize I’d gone.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
I glanced up in the middle of my daydream. My mouth curled into a warm smile.
“This seat taken?”
I shifted a bit to my left. “It is now.”
Camden sat down beside me, draping one big arm over my shoulder. His shirt was undone at the top, and his tie was askew. Still, he’d been working the crowds all day. Helping get the guests settled and the cars parked and the exterior of the whole venue buttoned up for the coming storm.
“Whaddya think?” he asked, settling back with a satisfied sigh.
“About what?”
“About everything,” he laughed.
“Well I’m pretty sure the guests love the fuck out of this place,” I said immediately. “From everything I’m overhearing, no one can even believe we pulled this off.”
Camden laughed, and his hard body shook gently against mine. “I find it hard to believe myself, actually.”
“Yeah, well we did it,” I told him. “We worked our collective asses off for this.”
We lay there together for a minute, just leaning against each other and taking in the lobby. Camden’s thoughts were far away, like mine. I imagined they were probably in the same place.
“Madison may have found the manor and saved it,” he said blankly, “and we’ll always love her for that.” He paused before turning into me. “But you know what?”
“What?” I asked, snuggling into him.
Camden’s blue eyes bored into mine. As always, they made me melt a little.
“You were the best thing that ever happened to this place.”
A warmth swept over me, followed by a wave of intense satisfaction. A dozen return quips came to mind, and all of them involved praising myself. The great majority of them were sarcastic as well.
Instead of saying anything though, I just sighed.
“Roderick’s going to make his speech soon,” Camden said. “And Bryce is going to attend the dinner. Ryan and Sarah are going home in a few. Probably to Ryan’s place, which is going to be Sarah’s place soon enough actually.”
I raised an eyebrow. “They’re moving in together?”
“He told me yesterday.”
My smile widened. “Good for them.”
“Yeah, very good,” agreed Camden. He paused and stretched before continuing. “That leaves just you and me.”
“Oh?”
“Unless you’re heading to the dinner,” he said, holding his hands out. “I wasn’t sure. I mean, if you are—”
“To be honest, I’m not really hungry,” I said.
His eyes flashed for a moment, and now he was smiling too. Yeah. Our thoughts were definitely in the same place.
“So… you wanna do some plowing with me?” he asked, pulling on his gloves.