He simply scooped my wailing daughter off the ground before she could get drenched in the melting snow and helped me carry her to a nearby Italian diner for breadsticks and some soul-soothing coloring pages while we waited for our lunch.

At just twenty-four, his maturity makes my ex look like even more of a spoiled, narcissistic man-child in comparison. And that kind of grounded, kind, has-his-shit-together energy isn’t something that’s easily faked.

Right?

At least not day after day without a single break in the façade. Unlike Phillip, who worked at a restaurant halfway across the city when we were first dating, and who I saw only once or twice a week, I’m with Cameron all the time. We work together, play together, and sleep together with increasing regularity.

Surely, if he had some secret evil up his sleeve, I would have seen some sign of it by now. But there hasn’t been a single red flag, aside from the fact that he rearranged my kitchen without asking to make it easier for two people to cook in there, and even that was endearing. He did all that work for me, for us, and he would have put it back the way I had it in a heartbeat if I’d asked him to. He’s not one of those guys who gets so up in his ego he can’t admit when he’s overstepped or made a mistake, and the fact was his setup was better anyway.

He’s better, better than any boy or man I’ve dated since I said “yes,” to going to the homecoming dance with Lawrence Ballard in tenth grade.

So, it’s probably safe to keep falling in love with him…

Until you uncover his fatal flaw and have to kick him out of your life as quickly as he popped into it, devastating your kid in the process.

Or maybe he’ll decide he’s tired of playing house with a single mom and wants to go back to dating women his own age, who don’t have to worry about finding a new babysitter last minute when the nanny comes down with a bad case of food poisoning.

As if eavesdropping on my thoughts, Cam sticks his head out of the bathroom down the hall and holds up his phone. “Jess just texted. She said she can watch Crissy tonight as long as she can do it at our place. She twisted her ankle at her kickboxing class this morning and needs to keep it elevated and iced.”

I set the fruit salad on the table and prop my hands on my hips. “Okay, as long as she isn’t in too much pain to deal with a four-year-old all night. We could always re-sell the tickets online.”

“And miss your favorite boy band live at the Garden?” He snorts. “No way. She wouldn’t have offered if she didn’t feel up to it. And when are we going to have a chance like this again? Starting next Thursday, we’ll be at the restaurant all weekend every weekend. At least until I convince you it’s safe to hire more kitchen staff.”

I pull in a breath and press a hand to my chest, where my heart is already pounding faster. “You’re right. God, I can’t believe it’s almost reopening night. I’m so nervous.”

“We’re booked solid, the new menu is incredible, and the team is ready,” he says, following Crissy back down the hall as she dashes to the table. “You have nothing to be nervous about.”

“That’s right, Mommy,” Crissy says, crawling up into her booster seat. “And I wanna hang out with Cam’s friend tonight. He says she has all the best video games, and that we can play for two whole hours without stopping.”

Cam’s brows inch higher on his forehead as he glances my way. “I hope that’s okay. I know you usually have a forty-five-minute limit, but…it’s a special occasion, and Jess has a pretty insane game collection. Lots of kid-friendly stuff, too.”

“It’s fine,” I assure him, settling into my chair and dishing out pancakes and fruit salad for Crissy. “Sounds like we’re all in for a fun night.”

“Yay!” Crissy stabs a chunk of pineapple, stuffing it in her mouth before she says, “I’m going to wear my hedgehog costume. You should wear your kangaroo one on your date with Mommy, Cam. It will keep you warm and you can put her purse in the pouch.”

He hums thoughtfully as he drizzles maple syrup on his pancakes. “I’m not sure Mommy will want to be seen at a rock concert, even a cheesy boy band rock concert, with a giant kangaroo. It might be a little embarrassing.”

“You can wear whatever you want,” I say. “I don’t care what other people think, and I’m sure you look as ridiculously cute in a kangaroo costume as you do in all your other clothes.”

Crissy giggles and makes a smooching sound. “Ooo, Cam, Mommy likes you! She wants to kiss you and hug you and play vampire in the hallway until Mrs. Greer gets mad.”

Tags: Lili Valente Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net