Trystan
Six months later
DRIVING HOME AFTER a long day in court, I find myself thinking about the last several months. Following Aruba, things with Camryn and I have been like a dream come true. After so many years apart, things were finally as they should have always been. Our lives have blended perfectly together. When we got home from the trip, I spent a few days alone with Caleb and gave him the details of what had transpired. His enthusiasm and excitement caught me a little by surprise. He welcomed Cam with open arms, and those two have quickly created a bond with each other. Our friends and my family were elated with the news and have been supportive every step of the way.
Today was a trial for the drug dealers involved in the Rohypnol case. To say I am relieved to put another one behind bars, is an understatement. I have spent more time in court than at the station recently. With that behind me, I am finally heading to Cam’s place. We are still technically living separately, but are almost always together. She spends some nights at my place. And the nights she doesn’t, Caleb and I find ourselves at her house. Caleb actually prefers to stay there. Which shouldn’t surprise me, considering she spoils him rotten. Over the years, he never complained about not having a mother or even questioned it. But he has thrived even more with Cam’s love and attention. He adores her and she adores him right back. When we began spending more time at her house, she allowed him to pick one of the empty bedrooms and decorate it to his liking. Of course, he chose a baseball theme and she went completely nuts making it look like an actual stadium. Two of the walls are painted to resemble a ball park. Another is equipped with several signed jerseys adorning the walls. She even managed to acquire real lockers to hang up, with some help from Jackson. When Caleb saw the finished product, he lost his mind. With that, she became his favorite person. I tell her not to indulge him too often, but in typical Cam fashion, she flashes me a smile and tells me he is a good kid, who deserves all the nice things. It is hard to argue with that.
Pulling up to the house, I see two ATVs whipping around the yard. I smile to myself, because Caleb and Hunter are often found riding around on them. Sometimes it is impossible to get them off them. They race through the trails, to the Stone’s residence, to my parents’, and back again. That is another reason why my boy loves to come here. There are more ‘toys’ for him to play with. We have a yard at our house, but nothing like the land and acreage here. He has also taken a strong liking to Hunter. I can only imagine it’s because Hunter is like a big kid himself. If they aren’t playing on big boy toys outside, they are usually found playing video games with each other. Laughing to myself I make my way inside to rid myself of this suit and to find my girl. She was always my girl, but being able to say it again, after so many years, brings me a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in many years.
The smell of fresh baked cookies immediately assaults my nose as soon as I walk through the door. My Sunshine, has developed a fondness to cooking and baking. She loves being domestic and taking care of all her boys, as she often refers to us. My disappearing abs are proof of her new found love of all things food. Following the delicious scent, I end up in the kitchen. Upon entering, I am immediately overcome with desire, watching Cam shimmy and shake her ass while preparing dinner. Her perfectly shaped ass is moving and swaying to the beat of whatever song is currently playing. She’s singing along and lost in what she is doing; she doesn’t notice me approach her. Caging her in with my body, I move the hair aside and scatter kisses along her neck and collarbone. She moans in approval and arches her back and ass into me.
“Welcome home, Detective.” She turns her head and captures my lips in a kiss. “I missed you. How was your day?”
“Missed you too, Sunshine. My day was good. Things will be slowing down now that this case is just about wrapped up. Less hours, more time with you and Caleb. And for the record, my day just got exceedingly better as soon as I saw you. How was your day, darlin’?”
“Good, busy actually. I met with Declan to go over some paperwork for Hunter’s restaurant. Almost everything is finalized with that, and I think he is finally coming to terms with the fact that I bought it for him.” She pauses for a moment and a look of apprehension crosses her face. “I had a doctor’s appointment. Got Caleb from school. Then I came home and baked cookies. And now cooking dinner. I hope you’re hungry.”
She’s rambling and that tells me she has something on her mind. Turning her around to face me, I lift her chin up so her eyes meet mine.
“Spit it out, Sunshine. You’re rambling, and that means you are nervous about something. Or something is on your mind. And what doctor? I don’t remember you mentioning an appointment. So what’s going on?” I question.
Groaning, she replies, “Damn you for knowing me so well. Okay, you may want to sit for this one. How about we go to the front porch? The swing, maybe?” She turns off the burner and grabs my hand, leading me back to the front porch. The swing is her favorite spot when she wants to talk about something important.
My nerves are shot with her declaration that I need to be sitting for her news. Tugging my tie, I loosen it, because it currently feels like it is choking me. Sweat begins to appear on my temples.
“You’re scaring me, Cam. What’s going on?”
Once we get settled on the swing, she pulls out her phone, and begins to play a sound that I can’t quite make out. Confused, I grab her phone and bring it closer to my ear. Is that thumping? Or could it be a heartbeat. No. It can’t be. Lately, I have been pushing the idea of wanting to have a baby with her. We are not getting any younger. I talk about it often, and she has been nonchalant about the conversation. Basically, she tells me if it is meant to happen, it will, and that we shouldn’t force the issue.
“Is that what I think it is? Please tell me it is.” The excitement is evident in my voice.
A huge smile lights up her face, as she stands up and faces me. Grabbing my hands, she places them on her belly and whispers, “Well, according to my doctor, you’re gonna be a daddy again, Trystan.”
Lowering my head, I lift up her shirt and place kisses all over her belly. She hugs my head close to her stomach. Pulling back, I kiss her stomach some more. “Hi, little nugget. This is your daddy, and I can’t wait to meet you.” Tears fill my eyes.
“Did you just refer to our child as ‘nugget’? Like a chicken nugget?” she asks with a laugh.
Getting to my feet, I grab her in my arms and spin her around in excitement. “We’re going to have a baby? I can’t fucking believe this. Do you know how happy I am right now? You, pregnant with my baby will be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
“Less spinning, Detective, unless you want puke on your nice suit and all over my porch,” she gasps.
Immediately, I stop rotating and set her back on her feet. “Jesus, I am an idiot. I didn’t even think about that. How are you feeling? So it is safe to say a few weeks back, you probably didn’t have the stomach flu? How far along are you? Why didn’t you call me at work?” I fire question after question at her.
“Slow down there, Detective,” she chuckles, while placing her hands on my chest. “I actually feel pretty good. But doing pirouettes doesn’t sit so well with me or the the baby. The doctor thinks I am about eight weeks along or so. And I didn’t call you at work, because I knew you would act like this and figured home was a safer spot for the crazy to come out. Truthfully, I just wanted it to be us when I told you.” Her voice is thick with emotion.
“As always, you’re beautiful and so damn smart. You waiting makes perfect sense. When can we tell people? I didn’t get to experience any of this with Caleb, so to say I am excited is an understatement. You need plenty of rest and shouldn’t be on your feet much.”
She slaps her hand to my chest, “Whoa, let’s not get crazy. No need to be a caveman. I can be on my feet as much as I want, and the doctor said to rest if I feel tired, but otherwise I am good to go. And as far as telling people, they say it is best to wait until three months in, just to be safe. After the first trimester.”
“So this will be our little secret for now? Do you know how deliriously happy you make me? This is all going to my plan. Possibly out of order a bit, but hey who needs an order?”
“What plan is this you speak of, huh?” curiously she asks. She sits back down on the swing and I join her. Grabbing my hand, she entwines our fingers.
“Well it is a multi-layered plan, actually. Have you fall back in love with me, check. Have a baby, almost check. Next up will be living together, getting engaged, and making you my wife, finally.”
“Look at you with it all figured out,” she teases. “For the record I never stopped loving you, but my brain never got the memo from my heart. And as far as the rest of your plans, everything will fall into place as it should. Having you, Caleb, and now this baby, makes my life so full. Everything else is just a bonus. My only wish is that Gigi was here to be a part of it all.” The honesty in her tone, makes me pause for a minute.
Something fluttering causes me to look up. I see a dragonfly fluttering around. A gasp comes from Camryn when she notices it too. It flies over toward us and lands on our entwined hands.
“She’s here, Sunshine. She’s with us right now,” overcome with emotion I choke out the words. Just as quickly as it landed, the dragonfly takes off. But the meaning and emotion behind what just happened will stay with us.
In that moment, sitting with the love of my life, her pregnant with my child, watching my son and Hunter whip around on the quads, I feel peace like I have never felt before. Gigi always told me we made a swerve off our intended path but would someday find our way back to each other. She was right.
The End (for now)