Hometown Holiday Reunion (17 page)

“That happens to all of us at one time or another,” he continued in the same conversational tone, deftly including himself in the lesson. “We put together goals and make lists of what we need to do to achieve them. We work and study hard in an effort to have a good life. And then—” He smacked his hands together loudly, making the people closest to him jump in their seats.

“Something comes along to derail all our carefully laid plans with an accident, or an illness or some plain old misfortune. These things knock us off our stride, and they have the potential to destroy a family. Oddly enough, they also have the potential to bring a family closer together. Because during those difficult times, if we keep our heads up and our eyes on the Lord, we discover the great strength He has to offer His children. As all good fathers do, He will lead us out of the darkness we find ourselves in, if only we'll let Him.”

After that, Cam vaguely heard the mellow drawl but not what it was saying. It was as if a pastor who'd never met him had found him in the crowded chapel and delivered the kind of encouragement he'd been needing for months. And to his amazement, some of the bitterness he'd carried around for years began to lift from his shoulders. It was as if the faith he'd turned his back on so long ago had started rustling inside him, hunting for a way back to the surface.

If it hadn't been for Erin and Parker agreeing to escort his mother today, Cam knew he'd never have voluntarily come to this service and heard those inspiring words. Not for the first time, it struck him just how much his life had changed since their unexpected reunion outside the Oaks Café. She'd been in his face—and on his mind—pretty much constantly, but at some point over the past several weeks, their encounters had evolved from barely civil to being the favorite part of his day. In fact, he realized suddenly, when he and Parker were working on the store or the biodiesel project, he looked forward to seeing her.

Not long ago, he would've brushed away his increasing fascination with Erin in favor of keeping his independence fully intact. But now, he found himself wondering if, as the pastor had suggested, God had been guiding him in her direction all along.

Chapter Nine

“W
hat on earth is going on in there?” Erin demanded for what even she knew was at least the tenth time. Wheeling to look at Cam, lounging casually in his chair leafing through a parenting magazine, she snarled, “How can you be so calm?”

“No choice,” he responded in the measured, logical tone she detested when it was directed at her. The fact that he was right wasn't what bothered her, it was that his view of the situation was far more adult than hers.

“Since when did you get to be so patient?”

His gaze lifted to hers, and he frowned. “Since I came back here to take care of a woman who was completely independent just a few months ago.”

He carried all that responsibility so well, she sometimes forgot he'd given up everything to help his family. Better than any lecture, his levelheaded demeanor pierced through her angry haze. She'd blown off most of her steam pacing, and she dropped into the chair beside him, letting out a sigh of surrender. “I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just worried about Parker being with her all this time. I know the guards are there, but what could she be saying to him that's taking so long?”

“She hasn't seen him in almost a year,” Cam pointed out. “Maybe she wants to hear what he's been doing.”

Something in his tone got Erin's attention, and she turned to face him. “Is that how it is when you and your dad get together?”

“He just about talked my ear off yesterday after church. He's interested in
everything
,” Cam complained, but after a moment or two, his disapproving look mellowed into the half grin she'd come to appreciate as part of his personality. “But Mom likes having him pop into town once in a while, and he's in love with his granddaughter, so it's not all bad.”

“What about you?” she pressed, grateful for the distraction from counting the seconds as they ticked by on the institutional wall clock.

“It's weird to be in touch with him after writing him off when I was a teenager.” He paused, as if he was deciding whether or not he should keep going. When she nodded for him to continue, she was stunned by what she heard next. “Believe it or not, you've made it easier for me to get my head around the whole thing.”

“Me? How?”

Those dark eyes met hers with a look that was equal parts confused and grateful. “By listening to me rant, helping me work through this mess. After that sermon the other day, I realized that half the reason I couldn't get past what he'd done was I kept trying to pretend it didn't matter. After a while, I convinced myself that I could handle whatever life threw at me on my own and I didn't need anyone. Including God,” he added in a rare show of humility.

His confession sparked a hopeful feeling inside her, not only for him but for the possibility that what had been building between them might be real enough to encourage him to stay. Their time together on Sunday had brought out emotions that she'd been trying to ignore, but every time he looked at her, they bubbled a little closer to the surface. In all honesty, she didn't know what she was going to do if he held to his original plan and returned to Minnesota. Not long ago, she couldn't wait to be rid of him. Now, she knew she'd miss him terribly.

Unwilling to give away what was going through her head, she covered her reaction with a thoughtful nod. “And now?”

“I'm rethinking that one.” Reaching over, he took one of her hands and held it loosely in his. “I guess if someone was determined to keep interfering in my life, it wouldn't be so bad if it was you.”

“Stop it, now,” she teased, fanning herself with her other hand. “You'll turn my head.”

“I'm serious, Erin,” he insisted somberly. “I know it's crazy, but I think we should give it a shot.”

The last of her misgivings evaporated before he was even finished speaking. Still, she didn't want him thinking she'd turned into a pushover. She knew perfectly well what he was getting at, but the girly part of her wanted to hear him say the words. Putting on her best clueless look, she asked, “Give what a shot?”

“You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?”

“Absolutely. Face it, Cam. You're divorced, and I don't have the best track record when it comes to men. What makes you believe for one second that we could make a relationship work?”

Cradling her cheek in his calloused palm, he leaned in and brushed a gentle kiss over her lips. He hadn't said anything more, but to Erin the intimate gesture felt like a question. Beyond that, she was pretty sure it made her heart skip a couple of beats. Anything coherent she might have said went straight out of her head, and she blinked in astonishment. “Umm...okay.”

A slow grin drifted across his rugged features, and he lightly kissed her again. “Good answer.”

The sound of efficient footsteps coming down the hall ended their very interesting encounter, and Erin pulled away from him in an effort to regain her usual composure. She had the distinct feeling that her face was the color of a magenta peony, but there wasn't much she could do about that.

When a guard appeared in the doorway with Parker beside her, Erin offered up a silent prayer of thanks. Striving to appear calm, she stood and in a casual tone she said, “Hey there. How was your visit?”

“Fine. Can we go now?”

The terse response took her back to those first awful weeks with him, when he barely spoke a handful of words at a time and refused to look her in the eyes. A quick escape suited her, too, so she quickly signed the visitors' log and handed him his jacket. After he pulled it on, he did something he'd never done before.

Without comment, he slipped his hand inside hers and gazed up at her with the most solemn look she'd ever seen on a child. His chin trembled a bit, and she knew he was making an attempt to be brave. Instinctively, she put her arm around him and hugged him close as Cam opened the door for them to leave. If they never had to come back to this awful place again, that would suit her just fine.

Parker climbed into the middle of the bench seat of Cam's truck, staring blankly out the windshield while they settled in on either side of him. Cam looked over at her as if waiting for instructions, and she simply said, “Let's go.”

After about twenty minutes, Parker finally broke the silence with a sigh so deep, Erin felt it in her bones. “My mother's a criminal.”

Erin saw no point in refuting his assessment, but she searched for a way to take some of the edge off. “That's true, but she made a decision to break the law, and now she's paying for it. None of that has anything to do with you.”

To her surprise, he gazed up at Cam. “My dad left, too, just like yours. Did you ever think it was your fault?”

Cam muttered something under his breath and pulled onto the shoulder. When he swiveled to face Parker, for the first time Erin saw raw, heartfelt emotion on his face. “Yeah, I did. I thought if I'd gotten higher grades or was better at sports, maybe he would've wanted me. When I got older, I realized that the problem wasn't me, or my mother or sister. It was all him, and nothing could've kept him at home with us when he didn't want to be there.”

“So it was his fault.”

“That's right, because he had a choice, and he chose to leave.”

“I never met my dad,” Parker confided for the very first time. “I don't even know who he is.”

“You don't need to,” Cam said in a gentle but firm tone that carried the weight of absolute conviction. “You had lousy parents, but you're a fantastic kid, and you've got a great life now. That's what really matters.”

Parker took a few moments to absorb that, and Erin held her breath waiting to see what came next. Apparently satisfied, he turned to her with a slightly more upbeat expression. “I'm kinda hungry. Can we get lunch somewhere?”

Relieved that his ordeal hadn't ruined his appetite, she smiled. “Sure, honey. You can even pick where we go.”

“And it's on me,” Cam added as he pulled back onto the road.

Erin didn't want to give him the impression that their romantic exchange had morphed her into one of those helpless leading ladies with stars in her eyes. “I'm more than capable of buying lunch.”

“My truck, my rules.”

He punctuated that with a shameless wink, and she shook her head in defeat. “Whatever.”

Her phone rang, and when she saw their social worker's name, out of habit her stomach launched itself into her throat. “It's Alice.”

“Tell her I said hi,” Parker said innocently, punching buttons on the old-fashioned radio while Erin answered the call.

“Hello, Alice. What can I do for you?” After listening for several seconds, that fluttery stomach feeling escalated into the stratosphere. “You're kidding. Really? Of course I can be there. Thank you.”

She hung up and gave Parker a quick squeeze around the shoulders. “Guess what?”

He shrugged, completely uninterested. “I don't know.”

“First off, your mother was very proud to see what a fine young man you're growing into.”

“That's nice.”

Reminding herself to keep the life-changing legal reference simple enough for him to understand, she continued. “And she signed the paperwork we need so I can adopt you.”

Parker quit fidgeting and looked up at her with joy lighting his blue eyes. “She did?”

“Yes. Isn't that awesome?” she added, borrowing one of his favorite words.

“So I don't have to go away and live with her? Ever?”

“Not ever. You'll officially be my son, just like Abby is Mike and Lily's daughter.”

Erin couldn't begin to describe how she was feeling, and she could only imagine how excited Parker must be. After so many months, it was mind-boggling to think that with a few signatures, his temporary stay in Oaks Crossing would become permanent.

“You should call your mom,” Cam suggested as he slowed down to take the next off-ramp. “She'll be thrilled to hear the news, and then she can tell the family.”

“Actually, I'd rather tell them in person, all at once,” Erin responded, angling a look at Parker. “Does that work for you?”

“Sure. Cam, do you think you could be there, too?”

“I'd love to.”

Laced with emotion, the mushy response was very unlike the reserved, coolly logical man everyone—including her—had assumed him to be. When he met her surprised look with a you-can-count-on-me grin, she had no trouble smiling back.

In that moment, they became more than three people in a truck going to lunch. What they were, exactly, she couldn't say, but it felt so right that she knew they were headed in the direction God meant for them to take.

They pulled up outside a diner that promised mouthwatering food and lots of it. While Parker was in the bathroom, Erin nudged Cam's menu down to get his attention. “You were right.”

“About Lynn Smith's circumstances?”

Keeping her voice low, she replied, “Last week, the parole board upheld her original sentence. By the time she's eligible again, Parker will be in middle school.”

“So she ended up doing what was best for him. Gotta admit, I wasn't sure she had it in her.”

“Me, too. I know we didn't talk to her for long, but she didn't strike me as the generous type.”

“Maybe the chaplain convinced her that it was the right thing to do,” Cam suggested. “Whatever the reason is, I'm glad this whole thing's over for you and Parker. Now you can get on with opening your store and raising your son.”

Her son.

Hearing those words out loud made Erin want to cheer. Since they were in public, she muted her reaction to a delighted smile. “That sounds good to me.”

“Y'know, I've been thinking about something,” Cam said as Parker slid in to join them. “And I'd like to get your opinion on it. Both of you.”

“Shoot,” Parker piped up, making Erin laugh.

“You sounded like Drew just now,” she chided. “I'm not sure I like that.”

“Maybe I should spend more time with Cam,” he suggested, mischief lighting his blue eyes.

“Actually,” the man in question offered, “I was thinking the same thing.”

Stunned by the revelation, Erin stared at him openmouthed. “What about Minnesota? Remember that job you love, and skiing and Vegas with your bachelor buddies?”

“That was fun for a while, but it's time for a change. I've got the hang of running the restaurant again, and I can take the rest of my design classes online if I want to finish my degree. There are no ski lodges here, but I like fishing and camping, and there are plenty of spots for those.”

“I could go with you,” Parker chimed in, clearly delighted by the prospect of Cam sticking around. “We'd have a blast.”

“What about me?” Erin protested in a mock whine. “I like outdoor stuff, too.”

“Sorry, Mom. No girls allowed.”

The offhand comment whizzed by so fast, she almost missed it. When she registered what he'd said, it felt as if the bustling dining room came to a halt, leaving only the three of them in motion. “Did you just call me mom?”

“Yeah. You said Alice approved all your paperwork and I was going to be your son. Is it okay to call you that now?”

Indescribable joy welled in her eyes, and Erin swallowed hard around the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “It's very okay. Honey, I can't tell you how much that means to me.”

“You're not gonna cry, are you?” he asked, obviously not thrilled by the idea of any impending waterworks.

Blinking away tears that would only make them all uncomfortable, she forced a grin. “Of course not.”

Leaning over to Cam, he whispered, “Yeah, she is.”

“Girls get like that when they really care about something,” his buddy told him with a wink. “Ya just gotta let 'em be who they are.”