Page 55 of Thomas
Thomas paused, staring at him, and Cameron’s eyes widened because he’d surprised even himself.Where the hell didthatcome from?“Wh-what I mean is,” Cameron stammered on as Thomas sat there, batting his heavy lashes in quiet bewilderment, “you… um, you remind me of snowdrops.” He reached up with his palm to massage the back of his neck. God, he was making an utter mess of things. Why was he so terrible at this?
“Snowdrops are resilient flowers,” Cameron went on, not daring to meet his eyes. “They break through the murky soil and are the first bright signs of life after the bareness of winter. They brave the harshest elements as the season turns—dips in the temperature, violent winds and torrents of rain. And yet they withstand it all and are ethereal and elegant. You… you remind me of that.”
Chancing a glance, Cameron shifted his eyes over to him. Thomas’s mouth had been agape when he’d made the initial proclamation, but it was closed now. There was a slight upturn of his lips.
“Thank you, Cameron.”
“I am not trying to accost you, to be clear.”
Thomas’s smile widened. “I didn’t think you were.”
“Because that would be obscene. I just meant that your resilience is beautiful… to me.”
A soft knock at the door surprised them both and made them turn their heads. The door cracked open. Two small vampires in matching cozy pajamas came bursting inside. The pattern covering the pajamas was a familiar series of playful and cutesy foxes smiling and tumbling around. Cameron had bought them as a gift not too long ago.
“Uncle Cam Cam!” Robby, the youngest, charged forward, and Cameron stood to receive him. The moment he was within reach, he grabbed him by the waist and lifted him high overhead. The boy screamed with delight, as always, while Cameron twirled him around.
“Me next, me next!” Heath danced impatiently beneath Cameron, the top of his head reaching to just above Cameron’s wait. He’d grown a little taller since Cameron’s last visit.
Cameron growled like a bear as he set Robby on the floor, then switched to lift and twirl Heath. Both boys shrieked in merriment.
“You always come and hide in here when we have parties—you’re so predictable,” Rachelle teased, sauntering forward with Henry at her side, their palms clasped.
Haphazardly tucking Heath sideways and underneath his arm, Cameron turned to Thomas. “These are my nephews.” He pointed respectively with his free hand. “Thing One and Thing Two.”
“Don’t introduce our children that way!” Rachelle snapped, attempting to pull the giggling Heath from underneath Cameron’s armpit. Henry laughed, and Thomas did as well.
“That’s what they looked like when they were born,” Cameron explained, relinquishing his hold on Heath and letting Rachelle set the boy upright. “Little, squirmy vampire things. I’ll always think of them that way.”
“You’re despicable.”
“Thomas.” Henry politely cut into their usual sibling banter. “This is our eldest son, Heathcliff, and our youngest, Robert, whom we affectionately refer to as Heath and Robby… unless you’re Cameron, of course. Heath will be six this year and Robby just turned three.”
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Thomas said, crouching down to the boys’ shorter statures. “My name is Thomas. I’m your uncle Cam Cam’s partner, like your mom and dad.”
Heathcliff marveled at this, his eyes brightening. “Does that mean Uncle Cam Cam is going to have kids someday, too?”
Cameron didn’t know what his expression looked like in that moment, but Rachelle slapped his bicep in a fierce and quick motion. “Fix yourface,” she scolded. For Cameron, the thought of having and being responsible for children was akin to the thought of having and being responsible for worms in his ears.
Henry laughed, well accustomed to Cameron and Rachelle’s antics. Thomas smiled… fondly?
“The boys wanted to see you before you snuck away,” Rachelle said. “And I want to have a private word with Thomas.”
Cameron tensed. “What?Why?”
She frowned. “Because he’s my new brother-in-law and we should be allowed a moment alone together to talk.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Cameron protested. “To talk about what? What on Earth is there to discuss?”
“Now, now,” Henry chimed in calmly. He stepped over and took hold of Cameron’s elbow. “Come help me put the boys to bed, and—” Henry paused, sniffing. “Did you have a cigar in here?”
“We did,” Cameron said, shrugging. “We opened the window. Thomas likes the 1964 Anniversary Maduro.”
“Ah, then I know what to give you for a wedding gift,” Henry said, pulling Cameron along. “Come with me. Rachelle has already decided on her gift.”
“Whatgift?” Cameron said a little hysterically. He was being dragged away by Henry and the two boys and it was all happening too quickly. He didn’t want to leave Thomas alone with his bossy, pain-in-the-arse sister for fear of what she might say to him. Especially after the very emotional moment they’d just had.
“It’s alright, Cameron, I’m fine,” Thomas said reassuringly as he turned to re-latch and close the window. “You don’t need to worry.”
