AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter15
Cameron
And you’re the baby daddy.
Her words play on repeat in my head as I drive, unable to wipe the goofy grin from my face.
Glancing over at Izzy, who is asleep beside me as we head up I-95 to Connecticut, I can’t think of a woman who is more suited to motherhood.
She has a cute little baby bump now, but I’m anxious to see her belly round and swollen with my—ourchild.
I picture our son or daughter running home from school to be greeted by a mom who’s crocheting or sewing or cooking or doing anything other than shooting poison in her veins like mine did.
By the time we arrive, the sun is setting. Fortunately, the twilight just before dusk combined with tonight’s full moon and the street lamp on the corner provide ample illumination.
I’m uncharacteristically nervous all of a sudden. What if she doesn’t like it? I’m a corporate shark in a boardroom—or I used to be—yet this small woman beside me reduces me to mush. I’ve never cared about anyone’s opinion as much as I care about hers.
“Izzy.” I lean over and kiss her forehead. “We’re here.”
“Huh?” Yawning, she sits up and stretches. “Where are we? What’s going on, Cameron?”
All I told her when I said I needed her to come for a ride with me was that I wanted to show her something. I asked her to trust me.
“We’re in Connecticut.” I slide out of my McLaren, walk around to open her door, and help her out.
We stand on the sidewalk in a quaint residential neighborhood. Across the street, a young couple is strolling hand in hand. Two doors down, a dad is gathering a tricycle and a few other kids’ toys from his front yard, and at the end of the block, a teenager is walking a playful French bulldog puppy.
Izzy spins in a 360 to take it all in. “Why are we here?”
“Remember when I told you that if I cared about a woman, I’d buy her a gift myself?”
“Um, yeah?”
“Well, I bought you a gift. From my heart.”
Her face contorts in a mask of confusion.
I’m screwing this up.
“The house, Izzy. You said you wanted a family, and a house with a white picket fence, a wraparound porch—”
“Beige shutters and a red front door.” Her eyes widen as she stares at the house.
“It’s kinda dark out here,” I say, “but the shutters are beige and the door is—”
“Red. I see that.” She turns to face me, her brow furrowed. “You bought me a house?”
“Uh…yes. Yes, I bought you a house.”That I hope you’ll let me live in.“The local schools are excellent, and the community is tight-knit and friendly. I researched it.”
She looks at me, then at the house, and back at me.
I have a feeling I’m completely fumbling the ball here.
Taking her hand, I lead her through the gate, up the front walk, and onto the porch where I drop the keys in her hand. “Let’s take a look inside.”
She unlocks the door mechanically, and we enter the foyer of the five-bedroom colonial. I follow Izzy as she walks from room to room, exploring the house without saying a word. She seems almost in a state of shock, and I’m beginning to second-guess myself.
I, Cameron Steele, ex-CEO of the third-largest transport conglomerate in the world, am second-guessing myself.
