Love At Last (Lily's Story, Book 3) (14 page)

When I opened the door and watched Cameron’s reaction to my clothes, I could tell he liked the way I’d put myself together.

“You look beautiful.”
 

His words made me glow. “Thank you.” He’d changed into a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt, which he left unbuttoned at the neck. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” I held out my room card. “Can you keep this in your pocket? I don’t have anywhere to put it.”

He took it from me and a moment later we left Haley with Natalie. As soon as the door closed behind us, Cameron took my hand. The touch of his hand enfolding mine brought back the memory of his kiss that afternoon, and I smiled in anticipation of spending the evening with him.

“There’s a different comedy show tonight,” he said. “Do you want to go see it before we go dancing?”

“Sure. I enjoyed the one last night.”

“Me, too.”

When we arrived at the comedy club, we saw Ty and Alyssa sitting on one of the couches, and we walked over to them.

“Hey,” Alyssa said. “Sit with us.” She patted the seat next to her.

I sat next to her with Cameron on the other side of me.
 

“You look gorgeous, Lily,” Alyssa said, then leaned toward Cameron. “Doesn’t she, Cameron?”

I laughed. “Stop.”

Cameron squeezed my hand. “Yes, she does.”

My heart swelled. I hadn’t felt this beautiful and appreciated in a long time. Though Marcus was always sweet to me, he’d firmly kept the friendship barrier up, never stepping over it to say things like that. And of course it had been a long time since Trevor and I had been in that stage of our relationship. Thinking of how Trevor had been before I’d committed to marrying him—generally treating me well— made me pause, wondering if Cameron was acting like he was for show, or if he really meant it.

I bit back a frown, upset at Trevor for making me doubt every man’s motive. Would there always be a layer of suspicion between me and any man I dated? Though unhappy that the answer was yes, I thought maybe it was better that way, at least until I learned to trust my instincts.

The comedy show started, and Cameron only released my hand when he put his arm around my shoulders instead. At the end of the show, Alyssa asked if we were going dancing.

“Yes, do you want to come?” I asked, hoping Cameron wouldn’t mind.

Alyssa looked at Ty, and he nodded. The four of us walked to the dance club, and I was excited to be able to spend time with Cameron, but with Alyssa and Ty too. Their wedding was the next day and I didn’t know how much time they planned on spending with the rest of us afterwards, so I wanted to spend time with Alyssa while I could.

When we walked in to the dance club, a slow song was just starting, and Cameron took my hand and led me out to the floor. I felt more comfortable in his arms than I had just the night before, and relished the naturalness of our closeness.

“I hope you don’t mind that I invited Alyssa and Ty to come with us,” I said, leaning away from Cameron to look at his face.

He smiled down at me. “Not at all.”

“Good.”

He held my gaze for a moment, then guided my head to his shoulder. I didn’t resist, enjoying the warmth of his strong body pressed against mine. We swayed to the music until the last note sounded. After dancing to several fast songs, he took my hand and led me to a table.

“Would you like something cold to drink?” he asked.

“Sure. A diet soda with extra ice would be great.”

Alyssa joined me at the table a moment later as Ty went to get her something to drink. “Looks like you’re having fun,” she said.

“Yes, I am. What about you, lady-who-is-getting-married-tomorrow?”

Her face lit up. “I know. I’m so excited.”

“You’d better not get to bed too late. You don’t want to be tired on your big day.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”

The men came back with the drinks and sat next to us.

When it was time to call it a night, Cameron walked me to my room. He stopped outside my door, and when I held out my hand for the room key, he grinned. “Not yet.”

A slow smile spread across my face. “Why not?”

He leaned toward me so that his mouth was next to my ear, sending a thrill of pleasure through me. “It would be a little awkward to kiss you in front of Haley,” he whispered.

My heart hammered in anticipation and I smiled, then whispered. “Who said I want to kiss you?”

He pulled back with a look of surprise, but when he saw from my expression that I was joking, he smiled. “You had me going for a minute.”

“I don’t want you to think I hand out kisses casually.”

He stared at me for a moment, his face suddenly serious. “No, Lily. I would never think that.” He reached out and stroked my cheek. “After what you’ve been through, I imagine you’re very careful about who you trust.”

My heart contracted with overwhelming attraction toward him.
He really gets me
.
But does he deserve my trust?
I gazed at him and silently nodded.

With his thumb touching my face, his hand curved around my neck and he gently tilted my face upward. My eyes locked on his, and as his mouth descended toward mine, my eyes closed and my lips parted, and a moment later his lips touched mine. His other arm slid around my waist, pulling me against him, and my arms went around his neck. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and I eagerly tasted him, our breath mingling.

My heart pounded as my desire skyrocketed, but I wasn’t ready for my feelings to become so powerful. I unwound my arms from his neck and placed them on his shoulder, then gently pushed back, forcing us apart. His pupils were dilated and I could tell he wasn’t ready to stop kissing, but I was. As much as I enjoyed kissing him, I felt unexpected panic at the strength of my yearning, and I feared things getting out of control—and out of control meant the possibility of having my heart broken. He leaned toward me again, clearly wanting another kiss, but I moved back a step. “I need to check on Natalie.”

He stared at me, obviously not understanding, but after a moment he took the key card out of his pocket and handed it to me. Without looking at him—I felt a mixture of embarrassment at my reaction, along with a need to control my desire—I slid the key card into the slot, then pushed the door open.

Haley had fallen asleep on the bed again, and I gently woke her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then groggily walked toward the door. I took my purse out of the room safe and pulled out some cash, then handed it to her and thanked her.

“Ready, Haley?” Cameron said, not looking at me.

I stared at him, waiting for him to tell me good-night, but he ignored me. Hurt by his reaction, I didn’t know what to do. He opened the door and I called out, “See you tomorrow, Cameron.”

He glanced at me and nodded, unsmiling, then shut the door.

I stared at the door, confused about what had just happened.

Chapter Fifteen

When I woke the next morning, I smiled, remembering that Ty and Alyssa would be married that day. Then I thought about the way Cameron had left the night before and my smile turned into a frown. Was he upset with me because I’d backed away from his kiss? Had I hurt his feelings? Did he think I didn’t like him enough to kiss him?

I sighed, not sure what to do. I didn’t know him well enough to guess his thought process, and I didn’t think guessing was the right way to go anyway. I decided I would find some time to talk to him about it and explain why I’d pushed him away.
 

Natalie was still asleep, so I took a quick shower and got dressed. After she woke, I fed her, then took her out on the balcony. We’d arrived in Skagway, Alaska and I wanted to get a look. A wooden train filled with passengers sat on tracks on the other side of the pier. I looked down at the people walking along the pier between the ship and the train, and was excited to go down there and explore after the wedding.

My gaze was drawn to the mountain on the other side of the train. Trees grew between large boulders, and I noticed that most of the boulders had writing on them. It almost seemed like graffiti, except they were more like rock paintings. The sky was overcast and the air chilly and I snuggled Natalie closer, then took her inside.
 

I put her in her stroller and headed to the Lido deck for a light breakfast at the buffet. The wedding was scheduled for ten o’clock, which gave me plenty of time to eat and then come back to my room and get ready. As I entered the Lido deck area, I scanned the crowd to see if anyone in our party was there, but I didn’t see anyone I recognized.

After I gathered my food, I held the tray with one hand and pushed the stroller with the other, then made my way to an empty table. Natalie wanted out of the stroller, so I held her on my lap while I ate, and kept my eye out for someone I knew. No one appeared, and I assumed everyone was getting ready for the wedding.
 

Thoughts of Cameron filled my mind as I ate, and I tried to frame my explanation for what had happened the night before. I didn’t look forward to telling him that his kiss had sent powerful waves of desire through me, and I’d panicked. Why
had
I panicked, anyway? I took a bite of pastry as I examined my feelings. What was I afraid of? I could think of a couple of things—fear of getting into a relationship that would end up like the one with Trevor, or like the one with Marcus. Neither had brought me happiness. Maybe that was it. I was afraid of getting hurt.

More confident about my reasons, I finished eating and took Natalie back to our room. I changed into the dress I’d bought for the wedding, did my hair, and put on my make-up, then dressed Natalie in a cute outfit I’d gotten for her—a frilly dress, complete with a bow for her hair. At a quarter to ten, I headed to the chapel where the wedding would be held.

As I walked in, a mix of feelings rushed through me—good memories of my own wedding, sadness that my marriage had failed so quickly, and excitement for Ty and Alyssa. Not surprisingly, I didn’t see Alyssa, but I saw Ty chatting with his family, and standing nearby was Cameron. My heart fluttered as I observed him in his suit. He looked so handsome and confident. The memory of his kiss went through my mind and fresh desire flooded my body, making my face flush.

He hadn’t seen me come in, giving me time to observe him. He was talking to Ty’s mother, his face relaxed and smiling. After a moment, Katherine’s gaze went to me and she smiled. Cameron turned to see who she was looking at, and when he saw me, his relaxed manner changed to something I couldn’t read. Ty tapped him on the shoulder and he turned away from me, leaving me feeling oddly bereft.

I moved to one of the benches and held Natalie on my lap, and a short time later the wedding began. First, Alyssa’s older brother escorted Barbara to her seat, then Cameron escorted Katherine to hers. As he passed me, my eyes followed him, appreciating his clean good looks. Once Katherine was seated, he walked to the front and took his place next to Ty. Next, a teenage boy I hadn’t talked to, escorted Haley to the front, where she stood waiting for Alyssa.

Then the wedding march began and we all stood and turned to see Alyssa on her father’s arm. She looked stunning in her wedding gown and I felt tears spring into my eyes, my happiness for her overwhelming me. Her father escorted her down the aisle and she glanced at me and smiled as she passed. I hugged Natalie closer, so grateful I had decided to come on the cruise, and watched as Alyssa’s father placed Alyssa’s hand in Ty’s.

A moment later, the officiator began speaking. I half-listened, my mind going to the memories of my wedding to Trevor, and when I was able to push that out of my mind, I gazed at Cameron, who stood next to Ty, and thought about new beginnings, and how thankful I was that I could have a second chance.

I focused on Ty and Alyssa exchanging their vows, then exchanging rings, and finally being pronounced husband and wife. I smiled through a veil of tears as Ty pulled Alyssa into his arms and kissed her with obvious passion. Everyone laughed, then clapped, then Ty and Alyssa walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.

All of those attending followed them to a nearby room where we congratulated them and had a light meal.
 

“You look gorgeous, Alyssa,” I said, giving her a hug. “And so happy.”

“Thank you.” She paused, beaming. “I am happy.”

“Congratulations, Ty,” I said, hugging him as well.

“Thanks, Lily.”

I chatted with them for a few minutes, then brought Natalie with me to the food table and picked up a glass of ice water. Trying not to be obvious, I looked around the room to see what Cameron was doing and saw him talking to his friends. He glanced my way and our eyes met, but I looked away, my feelings in such turmoil after vividly recalling my own wedding less than two years before.

I carried Natalie to a chair, and sat, observing the happy conversations in the room. A short time later Ty and Alyssa cut their cake and we all had a slice. Then Ty called for everyone’s attention.

“I just wanted to thank all of you for being here,” he said. “I know it was a sacrifice for a lot of you, and I want you to know how much it means to both Alyssa and me that you were able to come.” He paused. “Today is our first day in port and I hope you all have a great time exploring Alaska. It’s true that this is our honeymoon.” He gazed at Alyssa, then looked back at the group. “But we hope to spend time with all of you over the next few days too.” He held up the glass in his hand. “To family and good friends.”

Half an hour later I noticed people starting to leave and decided it was a good time for me to take Natalie and explore Skagway. The ship wasn’t leaving the port until nine o’clock that evening, so I had plenty of time. As I pushed Natalie’s stroller toward the door, I felt a little sorry for myself. Everyone else had others they had made plans with, and excursions they’d signed up for, whereas I hadn’t planned anything and was just going to explore the town.
 

Loneliness washed over me as I walked toward the exit. I glanced back at Ty and Alyssa, and smiled at their happiness, then saw Cameron watching me, that same unreadable expression on his face. My lips turned up in a small smile as our eyes met, and he smiled back, but made no move to come talk to me. I turned away, my brows creased, and left the room. We’d talked about going whale watching together, but that wasn’t until we got to Juneau, which would happen the next day. I hoped I would have a chance to talk to him in private before then.