Page 67 of Becoming His Perfect Daddy
He smiled, his body relaxing, telling me I made the right choice. “I work at a marketing agency. We basically create pressreleases, proposals, marketing collateral, anything our clients need to get the word out about their business or themselves.”
I could tell he loved it by the way his eyes were sparkling. “That sounds fun.”
“It is, most days.” He grinned. “How about you? Besides the writing, I mean.”
I smiled gently, reminded again of how much he knew about me. Hopefully we’d correct some of that imbalance soon. “I have some bookkeeping clients on the side, but I’ve been upping my marketing efforts, ads and stuff, and building out my backlist. I think I’ll be able to do it full-time soon.”
His entire face lit up, and I felt like I was being warmed by the sun. “That’s amazing, Cameron! I’m so excited for you. You deserve it.”
I blushed, but hopefully he missed it in the semi-darkness. “Thank you.”
He took a sip of his lager and surveyed the scene in front of us before turning to me. “You must come here often.”
I nodded, my fingers playing around the base of my glass. “Yeah, mostly because our club meets here every other week.” Thoughts of S.M.C., of Sam, of our encounter at said club meeting swirled into a garbled mess in my head. “But you already knew that.”
He nodded, the mood between us changing instantly. “Yes. About the email . . .”
I lifted a hand between us, wanting to clear the air right away. “Sam, it’s okay. I promise.”
He stared at me for a moment. “It . . . it is? Then why didn’t you reply?”
I glanced down at where I was wringing my hands in my lap. “I . . .” I exhaled. “First, I was angry. Of course. But I’ve been angry for a while, so that’s not exactly news.”
I took a chance and glanced at Sam, whose lips twitched as if he was fighting a smile. But he didn’t say anything, so I kept going.
“Then I realized—tonight, actually—that I owe you both an apology and an explanation.”
His mouth dropped open. “An apology for what? I’m the one who lied to you.”
I shook my head. “You never lied, Sam. You were open with me from the beginning about not being able to share things about yourself. You shared what you could at the time, and I completely understand why.”
Sam’s eyes glistened in the undulating multicolored lights. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I mean, of course I am.” I flipped imaginary hair over my shoulder, making him laugh. Then I sobered. “But Iamsorry, Sam, for treating you the way I did. For accusing you of stalking me, for yelling at you. You didn’t deserve any of that.”
He smiled again. “Thanks for saying that, Cameron. I know all those coincidences could’ve felt deliberate. You were just trying to protect yourself.”
I nodded once. “That’s exactly it. I was trying to protect myself from men, from a relationship, from you. I wanted you after I’d sworn off love completely. And that terrified me.”
“Why?”
My heartbeat thumped in time with the driving beat of the dance music pulsing around us. “I’ve been hurt. A lot. It felt like too much to put myself out there again. To risk my heart.”
His face softened again, and the love in his eyes took my breath away. He reached for my hand, still in my lap, and I let him take it. He held it between us. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, and I can understand that. I haven’t exactly had the best relationship history myself.”
I nodded, remembering the things S.M.C. had confessed to me. “I know. I’m sorry, too.”
He smiled tenderly, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb. My breath caught, and my heart beat faster as my skin tingled at his touch.
“As for the explanation . . . Sam, Idowant you. I actually love that you’re S.M.C., too. Because I . . .”
Was this too much to confess? I stared into his gorgeous eyes, ones I couldn’t see well in the flashing lights but that held me in place so completely that I knew I’d found my soul’s match. And I resolved right then to go all in.
“Because I’ve been falling for both of you all this time. I wanted you both. Iwantyou both.” I took a deep breath then laid it all on the line. “If you’ll have imperfect me?”
Sam’s beautiful eyes teared up, and his free hand came up to cup my cheek. “You’re perfect for me, baby. And there isn’t a scenario that could ever exist in which I wouldn’t want you.”
My cheeks were wet before I realized I’d started crying, and I launched myself into his arms, straddling his lap and pulling him into me. I could feel him shaking beneath me, and I wondered if he’d started crying, too.
