Close to You (Fusion 2)
“I’ll go with you,” I reply, and hold my hand out to help her up. She’s so tired it seems that just lifting her feet up each of the stairs is a challenge. When we get to the bedroom, she crosses to where her dressers used to be, then comes up short.
“I’ve been burgled,” she says. “By a burglar that has a thing for yoga pants and bras.”
“I’m sure those exist,” I reply with a chuckle, and take her hand again. “But I think I have another explanation.”
“I hope so. I was really looking forward to those yoga pants. And why is there a door in that wall?”
“Come on, Sherlock, I’ll show you.” I lead her through the door and she simply stops and stares, her jaw dropped, trying to look everywhere at once.
“Oh my God.”
I hang back and watch as she slowly steps inside and touches the edges of her hanging clothes, runs her hand over the top of a dresser, and sits at her vanity, as if she’s never seen any of those things before.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispers. I walk up behind her and massage her shoulders, watching her face in the mirror.
She’s not smiling. She’s not clapping.
She’s crying.
Fuck.
“I need you to talk to me, sweetheart,” I murmur, kneading her tense muscles.
“I love it all so much,” she says, and sniffs, completely confusing the hell out of me.
“But you don’t like the color?”
“No, the color is perfect,” she says, and reaches for a tissue.
“If you love it, why are you crying?” I squat next to her and take the tissue out of her hand, gently blotting at the tears on her cheeks.
“Because it’s just so sweet,” she says, her green eyes swimming. God, she’s killing me here.
“I was hoping it would make you happy.”
“I am happy.”
I chuckle and reach for another tissue. “So these are happy tears?”
“Yeah.” She sniffs again. “Landon, it’s seriously great. Did you find my closet Pinterest page?”
“Honey, I don’t know what a Pinterest is,” I reply honestly. “I just built what I thought you’d like, and what I thought would be functional.”
She turns in her chair and takes it all in again. “The light is pretty. How did you do all of this in two days?”
“Steven helped me,” I reply, and feel completely helpless as she breaks down in tears again. “And Riley came to help me organize it.”
“You all went to a lot of trouble.”
This is happy?
“Hey.” I pull her into my arms and rock her back and forth. “Stop with the waterworks, baby.”
“I’m just tired,” she says. “I’ve been really tired lately.”
“Maybe you’re coming down with something,” I reply, rubbing circles on the middle of her back.
“I hope not. I have a lot of work to do.” She pulls back and smiles through the tears now as she gazes at her rows and rows of fancy shoes. “I can finally see them all at the same time.”
“Are you sure you like it?”
She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly. “I couldn’t love anything more.”
My thoughts exactly.
“Thank you so much, Landon. This is better than anything I could have imagined.”
“You’re welcome.” I kiss her forehead, then pull her to her feet. “Come on, I’m going to put you in a hot bath, and then bed.”
“God, that sounds like heaven.”
I smile as I help her sit on the bed, then march into the bathroom to run the water, making sure it’s not too hot, then return to the bedroom, laughing when I see that she hasn’t even flopped back on the bed, she’s simply sleeping sitting up.
Her eyes blink open when I start to undress her.
“Do you think you can sit in the bath for a few minutes without drowning?”
“I can’t guarantee anything,” she says, her smile soft and a bit shy. “I’m sorry that I’m so sleepy.”
“You’re adorable.” And if the truth be told, I don’t mind taking care of her in the least. “But because you’re exhausted, I’m going to get in with you so I can revive you if you go under.”
“You’re the cutest lifeguard I’ve ever seen,” she says around a big yawn.
“Thanks,” I reply, and lead us, both naked, into the bathroom, and into the steaming-hot water. She leans against me and sighs deeply.
“Mm, this is delightful.”
“I missed you,” I murmur against her ear, and watch as water glides over her skin, skimming her breasts. Her light brown nipples are puckered, begging for my fingers to graze over them gently.
“I missed you too.” She kisses my arm. “Thank you for my closet.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
“I bet Riley was jealous.”
“I believe she proposed to me at least three times this afternoon.”
Cami laughs. “She can get her own man.”
“That’s what I told her.”
She tips her face back, gazing up at me with sleepy eyes, but her lips are slanted up in a grin. “I love you.”
And there it is. Every time she says those words, it’s as if my world is kicked off its axis and I have to catch my breath.
I am one lucky son of a bitch.
I lean in and sweep my lips across hers. “I love you too, Cami.”
Chapter 15
~Cami~
“Breakfast is our thing,” I announce as we sit in my kitchen the next morning, sipping coffee and eating pancakes that Landon whipped up before I even left the bed this morning.