Chapter One
Riley
Camden and I had a pretty exciting relationship. Kiss Cams, basketball games, bachelor auctions, Skee-Ball, Batmobiles, halftime proposals—there was hardly ever a dull moment. So was I surprised when he sent me a text message with only an address and a note that said Be there at seven? No, I was not. But I was curious. And no matter how many sexy, pouty selfies I sent him, he wouldn’t respond. Jerk.
My GPS took me through the heart of Portland and eventually spit me out in the Laurelhurst neighborhood. Right after college, I used to take the bus to that part of town to walk through the parks and look at the gorgeous houses. Laurelhurst was an older neighborhood, so all the houses were thoughtfully built, none of that cookie-cutter bullshit. They all looked intentionally different, and they were all beautiful.
The navigation alerted me that my destination was approaching, and I couldn’t have kept my jaw off my lap if I’d tried. I pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous two-story, gray colonial with a red door. Cam’s Batmobile was also in the driveway, but an unfamiliar SUV was parked in front of it.
I had barely stepped out of my car when the front door opened and Cam waltzed out, perfect sexy smile on his face. I couldn’t help but smile back—until a leggy blonde followed him out.
“Riley,” he said as he approached. “This is Julia. She’s a real estate agent.”
“It is so nice to meet you. Camden here has been telling me all about you for the last twenty minutes.” She held her hand out to me and I gave it a polite shake.
“Nice to meet you too, Julia. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of you, so you have me at a disadvantage.” I shot Cam a glare and narrowed my eyes at him.
“She’s here to show us this house,” Camden said, putting his arm around me and tucking me into his side.
“What do you mean?”
“This is a 1942 colonial. Three bedrooms, two baths, a finished basement, fenced yard, updated kitchen, and tons of charm. It just went on the market this afternoon, so we’re the first to see it. This is an extremely competitive market, so this house will likely be sold by tomorrow night, if not sooner. Let’s go inside.” She turned and walked toward the house, but as Cam went to follow her, I grabbed his arm and turned him to face me.
“What’s going on, Camden?” Obviously, real estate Barbie wasn’t going to clue me in, and technically, as my fiancé, it was Camden’s duty to tell me these kinds of things. Especially if I had an inkling he was trying to pull a fast one on me. My eyes wandered over to the incredible house, and in the back of my mind I knew it would look just as incredible inside. But this was not what we’d been talking about. “I thought we were going to rent a house. You know, until after the wedding.”
“And we can still do that,” he said as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “There’s no harm in looking. This is a great house, babe.” He cupped my cheek and I couldn’t help but lean into it a bit.
“It looks really expensive,” I whispered.
“Well, Portland is one of the most expensive cities to live in. Housing rates are only rising, so the longer we wait, the more we’ll pay.”
“But Cam, we don’t need all this.” I waved my hand toward the perfect house for emphasis. “We can live farther out from the city, get a smaller place, something more affordable.”
His eyes darted back and forth between mine as he held my face in his hands, and I just knew he was trying to read my mind. More than likely he was doing a pretty damn good job too. I could never keep my thoughts well hidden, especially from him.
“We can afford this,” he replied softly.
“No, you can afford this. We agreed to a 70/30 split. I cannot afford 30 percent of this house. I can, maybe, afford the little patch of grass between the sidewalk and the road.”
His sexy lips flattened into a straight line. “Just look at it with me.” He bent down so our eyes were level and stared me down.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.” At my submission, he placed a fast kiss on my lips, then took my hand and pulled me toward the porch. “I’ve always wanted a house with a red door,” I said offhandedly.
He pushed the door open and then held it for me, forcing me to brush past him as I entered. “I know,” he whispered in my ear as I scooted by.
I turned back and shook my head at him. “You play dirty, Camden Rogers.”
“No, I remembered a key piece of information and then might have used it in my decision-making, knowing it could possibly help sway you. There’s nothing dirty about that. It’s completely fair.” He shut the door and took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. I held back a groan as Lawyer Camden made an appearance. I’m not sure what I was thinking, agreeing to marry a lawyer, but there were times—like the one I was living through in that moment—where I questioned my own decision-making skills.
“You’re lucky you’re so good in bed.”
“You’re lucky I’m so good in bed” was his quick retort. I’d walked right into that one.
“Are you ready for the tour?” Real estate Barbie was back.
“Do you mind if we just wander through on our own?” Camden asked, his voice gentle and sweet. Manipulative, even.
She looked surprised by his question, but then her professional mask slid right back into place. “Sure, that’s fine. I’ll just wait here and check some emails.”
He led me through the house and I couldn’t deny that it was beautiful. Big, open, and perfect. But also way too much space for us at the moment. Camden made sure to point out every beautiful thing we came across: exposed beams, travertine tile, a shower big enough for a dinner party, gorgeous hardwood floors, granite countertops, a walk-in closet even bigger than the shower, and a basement big enough to put almost anything down there.
I, however, was quiet through the whole tour. I was thinking plenty of things, but I had no words.
We walked back down the stairs and he led me out the perfect French doors to the backyard, where the patio boasted an outdoor kitchen complete with a built-in grill and hot tub.
“Well?” he said as he turned toward me and took my other hand in his, holding both between us. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s amazing.” My tone was less than enthused.
“But…?”
“But this is a house you buy after a starter house. Hell, this might be the house you buy after the house you buy after the starter house.”
He chuckled and then moved our hands behind me, resting them on the small of my back and pulling me closer, forcing me to look up at him. “That didn’t make any sense, babe.”
I let out a sigh and leaned my forehead against his chest, loving the way he immediately pressed a kiss to my hair. He was giving me time to formulate my thoughts. After a few moments—and maybe I took a few extra moments because I liked the way he was holding me—I looked back up and met his gaze.
“This house is so much more than I ever imagined living in, Cam. It’s a dream house. And it’s scary.”
“What’s scary about it?” Genuine concern laced his tone.
I shrugged one shoulder and looked away. “It’s a big financial commitment.”
“Yeah,” he said as he bent his knees and captured my gaze. “Most houses are.”
“Camden, this is, like, four houses’ worth of commitment. I wasn’t expecting this. It’s too much.”
“Okay, maybe you just don’t have the vision I do.”
“Ha!” I barked. “I have more vision in my pinky finger than you have in your whole body, including your big head.”
“Well, then let me tell you what I see when I look at this house. I see dinner parties and basketball games. I see a medium-sized dog running around the backyard and going on walks to the parks. I see friends and family on this porch on summer days. I see you riding me in that hot tub,” he added, nodding over his shoulder.
“Camden,” I yelled at him with my quietest threatening whisper, only to watch him smile at my outrage.
“I see you, round with my baby, walking through the house, getting ready to bring home a son or daughter. I see that dog chasing our baby around the backyard. I see Easter egg hunts and birthday parties. I see a life, Riley. Our life.”
I tried to ignore the sting of tears behind my eyes, but his face became all blurry when I tried to blink it away. I pulled my hands from his, slid them around his waist, and pressed my cheek against his chest, letting him take my weight. Just as I knew they would, his arms circled my shoulders, holding me close. “I know you’re afraid of getting in too deep, but you have to trust that I’m going to keep us afloat. Besides, it’s just money.” He said the last part in a way only someone who’d never been without money could.
“What about waiting to buy a house until after the wedding? A wedding and a house is a lot to take on all at the same time.”
“Did you hear what Julia said? This house will sell by tomorrow evening. If we want it, we have to make an offer now. In a year this house will cost a lot more.”
Stepping back, putting some distance between us, I looked out at the stupidly perfect landscaping. “Okay, well, that’s not a good reason to just buy a house on impulse. Plus, people don’t just buy the first house they look at. What if we look around a little and we find an even better, possibly cheaper, house? This is crazy, Camden.”
“Let me make the down payment. I’ll put enough down so you can manage 30% of our mortgage payment.” His voice had moved from light and playful to almost pleading. Camden wanted this house—that much was clear. And thinking back to the last six months I’d spent with him, he’d never really asked me for anything. In fact, he’d done most of the giving and the compromising, always going above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable. Hell, at one point he’d confronted his own stepfather, threatening to cut off communication for me. “Let me give you a home, Riley.”
His words cut deep, right down to my very core. My shoulders sagged with the weight of his words and I took the few steps to him, placing my hands on his chest.
“I don’t need this house. My home is wherever you are.” He opened his mouth to argue but I put my index finger right over his lush lips, silencing him before he got the words out. “But if buying this house will make you happy, then I’ll let you.”