Page 114 of Until I Find You

“This is Liam,” Sonia says.

Camilla leans her face down, smiling. “Hello, Liam. Aren’t you a little heart breaker.”

My heart threatens to explode.

Liam reaches out a hand, the beginnings of a toothless smile on his face.

“He is trying to grab your hair, but trust me, that can turn painful fast. He’ll be just as happy with your finger,” Sonia says. “But just a friendly reminder, if you give it to him, he won’t let go.”

“That’s okay with me.” Camilla holds up her finger to Liam. “Here you go, little guy.”

His eyes go big. He reaches out and grabs her finger, letting out a joyful gurgle.

“Aren’t you the sweetest?” She smiles. “This is an amazing greeting. I can already tell you and I are going to be good friends.”

Sonia holds Liam to Camilla. “Here, mind holding him for a second, please?”

Camilla’s eyes widen as her smile almost tears her face in half. “Really? I’d love to. Come here little one.”

She picks him up very carefully and lays him on her free arm, letting him still hold her finger, both looking in each other’s eyes as if lost to the world in their own little bubble.

If Camilla wasn’t already pregnant, I would absolutely make it so tonight. Seeing her with a baby is setting off all my primal instincts.

Sonia finally pays me mind with a bright smile. “Long time no see, Jack.”

“Yeah, sorry, been busy.”

She opens her arms for me, doesn’t press or give me shit like my siblings would. We hug. Her embrace is tighter than usual. “Well, we’ve missed you.”

That’s code for, “Your dad misses you.” I just know it.

“Me too. Hopefully, Camilla can make up for time lost.”

Sonia smiles. There’s a tinge of sadness in it which I don’t love. “Your dad’s in the kitchen.”

“Still cooking and doing the nesting thing, huh?”

Sonia laughs. “Doesn’t stop just because the buns are out of the oven.”

“Welp, now’s as good a time as any,” I say with a heavy sigh. “Cami, you want to…”

She’s swinging Liam around in her arms, face pressed to the top of his head. “Do I have to? He smells so good.”

She’skillingme. I can only picture her in a few months with our baby in her arms, being as tender and caring as she is now. Loving our baby unconditionally.

Sonia goes to her and touches Liam’s nose. “The smell will be there when you’re done. Not to mention, we have double the babies, double the smells.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing,” I say.

Sonia guffaws. “Good point. Regardless, it is the truth. Here, let me have him back. It is time to reunite him with his sister anyway. These two can never be apart for too long.”

Camilla passes Liam to Sonia, but I notice her eyes linger on him for a second before she turns to me and smiles, her eyes shimmering.

I take Camilla by the hand and lead her into the kitchen.

This is it. The moment I have been dreading for the past couple of months.

This could go any number of ways, but I’m hoping having Camilla here will help tame us both down.

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