Page 91 of SALT

I know his words are true. I witnessed the marriage he had with Moira. It was cohabitation. They collaborated on the charity and Connor, but with everything else, they had their roles. She stayed in her lane, and he stayed in his.

"I forgive you," I say as I hold him around the waist. "But why do we need two offices? You just said you liked how this trailer is small. I'm not building another mini-mansion."

"I assumed you'd want your own office for designing, and since I plan on working from home more often, I needed a separate space where I could have meetings and?—"

"You're going to work from home?" I pull back and look into his eyes. Technically, Everett has always worked from home, but it was after he had already put in a ten-hour day at the office. It's not like he worked in his home office all day.

"I want to be here with you. I no longer want to live to work." His eyebrows rise. "Technically, I don't need to work. I could step away, but I don't know who I am without the law firm. It's part of my identity, one I'm not ready to give up, but I do want to take a step back. I want to be present in this life I'm building with you." His lips press against my forehead. "'The universe always has a plan, and for me, it was you. I love you, Cameron Salt." He smacks my ass, causing heat to spark low in my belly as I clench around the plug. The wicked grin cresting across his mouth tells me he knew that would happen. He bites his juicy bottom lip before adding, "Now get ready. It's the last day, and I don't want to be late."

I smile as I watch him walk back toward the eggs and take a second to collect a moment, the first one in this new reality where we fall into step doing the mundane tasks of cooking breakfast, getting ready for work, and loving each other out loud without reservation.

When he realizes I haven't moved, he looks over his shoulder. "What are you doing? Why are you just standing there?"

"Just admiring the man I love," I say as I make my way toward the bedroom, only to pause when I get to the hallway. "Don't forget the ketchup."

"You're here," Stormy says, somewhat shocked when she sees me behind the counter in the team shop.

"I am. I'm not working today. I'll be out there watching the game. Reece is working."

"Yeah, I know. I'm working the first half of the game with her," she says before hopping onto the counter to sit. "Are we still surprising Everett with a party at Connor's after the game?"

"Yes," I say as I press print on the report I was working on. I wanted to see what items sold the best this season to identify trends. Did they sell because they were cheaper? Were there sales that helped push the product, etc.? The data will help me in my new venture and aid me in getting Connor set up for next season. "Did Parker mention if Moira and Kipp were still coming to the party tonight?"

After Everett knew I was okay, he searched for Moira, knowing she was hurt when the tent collapsed. Kipp was knocked unconscious when he pushed Moira out of the way of a falling beam. She tripped on the dress she was wearing and took a hit to the head, but it didn't render her unconscious. However, when she sat up, she found Kipp lying beside her, out cold. He didn't clear the beam, and his right leg was caught beneath it.

Apparently, she had a severe panic attack, her mind immediately believing he was dead. She couldn't form sentences because she was in complete hysterics, nor could she walk. The paramedic on the scene was young and gave her morphine, believing she was in shock from pain. That's the part Everett heard when the nurse called. She's doing fine, and the baby is safe. The doctors said the amount she received wasn't enough to cause any long-term effects, but she was already taking it easy before all of that happened. Now, between her high-risk pregnancy and Kipp's injury, they don't leave the house.

"They are both going to try and make it. With Parker and I moving to the West Coast at the end of the month, they want to soak up all the family time. However, I know she let Evan move in two days ago. So, depending on how that's going, they could be a no-show."

"Really? They let Evan move in?"

Everett told me his story and the truth about who his father is. I was shocked to learn all that and felt bad for him. We don't get to choose our parents. I was trying to convince Everett to let him stay at his house since we were living in the RV, but then he told me why Evan had my dad's book. Apparently, he was planning to use it to blackmail Everett if he didn't help him. Everett's done nothing but show him kindness even when it was the last thing he deserved. That move sealed his fate. Evan had already crossed lines with Connor, but Everett continued to give him grace. This time, he went too far. So now he's at Moira's.

"I understand why she's helping him. He's her nephew, but he's old enough to know better, and unfortunately, from what I've seen and the things Parker has shared with me, I think he's one of those people who will never get it until he's forced to. Handouts are only helping him remain the same because he takes them for granted, believing they will always be there. I think the only kind of love that can help him is tough love, but..." She raises her hands. "Not my circus."

I grab my papers off the printer and shove them in my bag. I agree with everything Stormy has said, but she doesn't know the root of Evan's problems, and it's not my place to share, so I change the subject. "I still can't believe Parker got an offer, and not just for a feeder team. He's going to be playing for San Diego," I squeal in excitement.

"Yeah, we're going to stay with his cousin who lives there until my tiny house is ready. We've already found some great parks we want to stay at."

One of the things I love most about Parker is that he's a simple man. He's signing a contract next week that would more than allow him to afford a number of nice houses, but he doesn't want them. He wants to live the nomad lifestyle with Stormy. My only hope is that celebrity doesn't change him.

"Well, you know you always have a place to park here."

"I'll probably be taking you up on that when we come home for Christmas."

A hand pounding on the doorframe steals our attention. "It's go time! Operation create-a-distraction-for-Everett has commenced," Mackenzie says before adding, "Come on, come on, let's go."

I snatch my bag off the counter as Stormy slides off. "Wait, I thought you already gave Connor everything he needed to hand out to the team for the game."

She jiggles a bag at me. "No, they just delivered."

"How much time do we need?" I say as I follow Mackenzie down the breezeway.

"I don't know… twenty, thirty minutes. I guess it depends on if they're dressed yet." I roll my lips as I think of a plan. "Is that going to be a problem?"

I smile big. "Nope. Just make sure Connor has no reason to come upstairs for that time." I shoot off a quick text.

Cameron: Can you meet me in the office?

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