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CHAPTER FOUR
"What's your favorite thing to eat? What's your favorite thing to drink? What's your favorite painting? Where do you go for fun? Isn’t Ed Sheeran the best? Do you know him?"
The questions kept coming at a fast pace and Adrianna was amazed that Cam didn't lose his patience. He answered all of them, rarely taking his eyes off Bronwyn. He was under their child's spell. Adrianna understood. Bron had bewitched her from the moment she’d laid eyes on her after twenty-three hours of active labor.
She kept her gaze on them as she worked on dinner. Her own inner turmoil was hidden behind the hectic stirring of her spaghetti sauce.
She’d pictured this reunion at least once every day. In none of those scenarios, or her wildest dreams, did she see Bronwyn proudly showing her father her artwork displayed in their family room.
Cam praised it, told her it was impressive, and Adrianna smiled. He too recognized it for the masterpiece it was. She had it mounted on floating frames and hung in the most visible place in the room, over the fireplace.
"I don't know. My wings don't look as good as yours did in yourFaceless Angelpiece."
Cam’s gaze snapped to Adrianna. She smiled and nodded. "She actually does know all your published pieces."
"Yours are very good, Bron. You just need to work on making your strokes longer and dragging them out."
The little girl began to practice the movement with her right hand and he took it in his and guided it.
"Will you show me how to do it on canvas?" Bronwyn asked him.
"Of course. I will give you anything you ask me for," he answered and when his eyes drifted to Adrianna, her heart slammed against her ribs. For a second, she thought the offer wasn't solely for their daughter.
Don’t be ridiculous.
She went back to her panicky stirring, hoping to hide the way her hands shook.
They didn't get the chance to really talk until long after dinner. Bronwyn asked Cam a million more questions. She got him to talk about winning the World Series, how to hook your wrist to throw a curveball, even more painting, and the technique he used to sketch wings.
She also filled him in on the people in her life, her cool aunt Lauren, and how much fun she had with her uncle Nathan, whom she missed like crazy since he’d joined the Peace Corps. Her aunt and uncle always bought her things, took her to great places, and watched shows with her. She also told him about her best friend, Ayla, and her school nemesis, Suzanne, who probably—she whispered—snitched on her to the substitute teacher today.
Adrianna got her ready for bed way past her bedtime.
When she was dressed in her pajamas, she came out of the bedroom and sat by Cam on the couch. She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek.
"You'll be here tomorrow, right?" she asked, uncertainty betraying her tone.
He brushed his hand over her hair and tucked it behind her ears, "I'll be here."
Adrianna’s stomach sank lower through the whole scene. Her daughter was sweet and affectionate, but she was that way with the people she knew. Why the sudden affection for Cam?
She lay on the bed next to her daughter, and Bronwyn cuddled her head on her chest, with her arms around her. It was their nightly ritual, one Adrianna refused to part with, though her heart was thundering and her insides shaking.
"You like Cam a lot, huh?"
Her little girl nodded emphatically and yawned. "He's nice and not thatAbad word the girl on TMZ said he is. He stares at me a lot."
"That's because you're so beautiful," Adrianna said, pinching her daughter’s nose.
Bronwyn looked up and put her little hands on Adri’s face. "He stares at you a lot, too."
Adrianna sidestepped the statement. "Why do you like him so much?"
Bronwyn gave her a sleepy smile. "That's personal, Mom."
•••
Cameron listened from the door and rushed back to the couch when the bed shifted and soft footsteps tapped on the hardwood. By the time Adrianna came out of the room and closed the door, he was rifling through the magazine on the coffee table, Bron’s school catalog. She looked around the room, her hands clasped together like she couldn’t figure out where to sit. He could look at nothing else but her.
