Page 63 of Lock 'em Down

With Cami, I’m not go-with-the-flow, Laid-Back Leif, as much as I’m whatever she needs me to be. Her husband.

And I like that more than any other identifier.

We shower together, taking our time and enjoying just being under the hot water. When we’re both finished, we dry off with thick towels Mom had the good sense to wash and dry last night.

Then, I pull one of my hockey shirts over my girl’s head. She slides on a pair of underwear and combs out her hair. I pull on sweats, and we relocate to the kitchen where I make us pancakes for dinner.

We spend the rest of the night watching TV, talking, and cracking jokes. Cami’s hair dries naturally. I wrap her in a blanket and pull her onto my lap. And I discover what true contentment is.

For the first time in my life, I think I have what my parents share, what my older brothers have found, what Chris has with Casey and Hudson has with Piper. And I get it. I get them.

Because this, with Cami, this is everything.

Over the next few weeks, Cami and I settle into a routine. Into our version of a honeymoon. We go for hikes or runs in the early morning and have smoothie bowls for breakfast.

I kiss my wife good-bye as she heads to work, and meet her and her coworkers one or two times a week for happy hour.

When I head to the stadium for an afternoon, weekend skate, she bakes cookies and spends time sketching. I haven’t seen her work yet but the few doodles I’ve caught in the margins of shopping lists have clued me in—my wife is really talented. She has a true passion and could turn her drawings, her designs, into a career path if it’s something she wanted to do.

A few times, we Zoom with my siblings and my parents. My brothers and Annie like Cami instantly. My dad thinks she’s good for me. Grounding is the word he uses.

Mom is over the moon and as the days stretch into weeks, Mom and Cheryl ramp up their wedding planning.

“You know, before our Crosslake wedding, we have a wedding to attend in Honey Harbor,” I tell Cami one night as I flip our burgers on the grill.

She’s holding a cup of tea, her feet curled underneath her, as she perches in one of the Adirondack chairs. “That’s right! Chris and…Casey?”

“Yep. Their wedding is the last Saturday in July.”

“That will be fun!” Cami takes a sip of her tea. “I’ll need to buy a new dress.”

“Whatever you need. You got the credit card I left you, right?”

She snorts. “You mean the one you slipped into my wallet?”

I shrug.

“I can buy my own clothes, Leif,” she says quietly.

I glance at her over my shoulder. “I know you can. It’s just…there. In case of an emergency.”

She rolls her eyes. “Now you sound like my dad.”

“I like your dad,” I volley, even though I’ve only talked to the man once and I don’t think he likes me at all. I still have some work to do to get Mr. Coleman and Rhett to welcome me into the family fold. Luckily, Cheryl is putting in a good word for me, and Jenna and I have talked a few times.

Cami sighs. “It’s important to me that I can…take care of myself.”

I frown, wondering where this is coming from. “Okay. I know you can take care of yourself, and you know you can too. The card is just an extra…insurance. You might see shoes you like.”

She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Hey, this Friday, Sam and Tarek want to hit some music festival after happy hour. Maria can’t come because her mom has dinner plans, so she doesn’t have anyone to watch the baby.”

“Oh.” I wrinkle my nose. “That’s too bad.”

“Yeah, but I told them we’d go with them. Is that okay?”

I shrug. “Sure. I’d love to check out more of the local music scene.”

Cami grins. “Great! I’ll text them to confirm.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and rattles off a text message.

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