Page 89 of Curious
I lean into that affection like a purring cat.
“I’m really glad I had that roofing job last summer,” Cam murmurs in my ear. “I’m not going to say that breaking my ankle was the best thing to happen to me, but everything that happened after that led me to the love of my life. And to understanding more about myself.”
“Both of those things are important,” I agree.
“But the most important thing I learned is to keep showing up for you every step of the way.”
I smile. “And I’ll do the same for you.”
“Sounds like we have a new deal,” he says, and kisses me again.
Epilogue—Camden
“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!”
I tug Shelby to me as our friends and a throng of others loudly count down the seconds to midnight. We’re in the middle of the dance floor at One, holding our breath for the clock to change.
“Three! Two! One!”
“Happy New Year!” Shelby and I both shout.
Shelby tilts his head up, and I lean down to kiss him hard. As confetti swirls around us, balloons drop, noisemakers sound, and couples around us kiss.
I’ll never get used to how good he tastes or how much I love kissing him.
I hoist him up, and he wraps his legs around my waist. Now that I’m fully healed, this is my favorite way to hold him. I grip him by the ass and ignore all the activity around us, focusing only on making out with my husband. We’re still going hot and heavy as we hear other couples around us starting to sing “Auld Lang Syne.”
We’re both hard and panting, but I’m not stopping, and neither is he. I suppose we should find somewhere more private, but I really don’t care. I’m sure worse has been done on this dance floor than a dirty kiss.
When we finally break apart, I mutter in his ear, “I’m so fucking glad it’s the New Year and we’re still together.”
Shelby grins and hugs me even closer. “Yeah, this was going to be our deadline.”
“No more. We have no deadline. I want forever with you. I said until death do us part, and I meant it.”
“Me, too.”
Still carrying him, I make our way through the crowd to an open booth, where I sit down with him straddling me. He drops his lips to my ear, tickling me. “I love you, Camden Cooper.”
“I love you, too.” I smile at him. “Now what would you like to do?”
He grins. “I think we have the rest of our lives to figure that out. But for now, how about continuing to make out with your husband.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan.”
* * *
Two weeks later, Shelby’s acting like a little kid, and it’s adorable. We scan our tickets and go through the turnstiles, heading under the bridge and down to Main Street, USA.
“We’re going to have so much fun today!” he gushes. “What do you want to go on first?”
“Pirates of the Caribbean,” I say. “You?”
“Adventures in Gardening.”
I furrow my brows. “What’s that?”
“The boats in Storybook Land. Everyone laughs at me because I like all those little houses and the topiaries, but…” He shrugs unapologetically, and I love that he feels safe telling me about something other people mock.
