Page 106 of I Loved You First

“Grammy showed me the drawing you made at camp today. The boy in the picture looks pretty sad.”

Brady nodded as he stared at his half-built tower. “Yeah.”

“Why is the boy so sad?”

Brady’s little chin started to quiver as his eyes grew teary. “Because he misses his best friend who lives in Seattle.”

Cam’s heart broke all over again as he scooped Brady into his lap, hugging him tight. “I’m sorry you’re so sad, buddy.”

Brady sniffled as he hugged him back. “You’re sad, too.”

He nodded, knowing he’d been a fool to think Brady hadn’t noticed. “Yeah, I am.” He kissed Brady’s forehead. “But I think I know how we can both feel better.”

Brady snuggled against him. “How?”

“We can pack some clothes into a suitcase and fly on a plane to Seattle.”

Brady blinked as he looked at him. “We can go see Fiona at the Space Needle?”

He nodded. “If you want to.”

Brady beamed as he nodded enthusiastically. “I want to!”

Cam chuckled as he hugged Brady again, thrilled to see the happy light back in his little boy’s eyes. “I know the plan was to build blocks together, but if we want to go to Seattle, I need to buy us plane tickets and put clothes in our suitcase.”

Brady scrambled off his lap. “I’ll get my clothes. I need underwear and socks.”

Cam grinned as he stood. “Yes, you do. If you count out five pairs of each, that would be a super big help.”

Brady ran over to his drawers. “Okay.”

Cam grabbed Brady’s Seattle book, finding Fi’s business card tucked among the pages. Because he would need that. “I’ll go see about our flights.”

Brady smiled. “Okay.”

Heading toward his bedroom, he immediately began searching on his phone for the first available flight to Seattle. He had things to take care of here in Maple Ridge before they could leave, but it was time to lay it all on the line. It was time to fix the mess he’d made.

twenty-eight

Twenty-six hours later, the elevator doors opened twenty-four stories above downtown Seattle as Cam let Brady out of the car before him.

“Wow!” Brady’s gaze darted around the upscale space where thriving plants and gorgeous furnishings complemented the massive windows and excellent views. “This is where Fiona makes her parties?”

Cam nodded, pulling their rolling carry-on behind him as they walked on premium-quality herringbone laminate to the black marble desk. “Stay right next to me. And we have to use our indoor voices.”

Brady beamed, still buzzing with excitement after hours of travel, including a couple of significant delays. “Okay.”

The pretty blonde wearing a black power suit looked from Cam to Brady and back as she sat in her fancy leather chair, sending Cam a polite smile. “Can I help you?”

“Hi.” He sent her his best grin, well aware that he wouldn’t get anywhere if Laurier Group’s gatekeeper didn’t like him. The fact that he and Brady were both dressed in athletic shorts and T-shirts in such a swank setting didn’t rack up any points in their favor. “I’m hoping you can let Fiona Willis know that Cam and Brady are here.”

The woman raised her brow. “Is she expecting you?”

Cam shook his head. “It’s sort of a surprise.”

The woman looked at her computer screen. “Fiona’s currently in a meeting. I’m not sure how long she’ll be.”

His shoulders relaxed a little. Because at least she was here. “We can wait.”