Ask Me Why (3 page)

“We're so happy to have you here for such a wonderful occasion,” Molly said. “We couldn't love Cameron any more if she were one of our own.”

Patrick directed a warm smile at his daughter. “She turned out pretty good, despite me.”

“You probably had something to do with it,” Molly said.

“Not as much as I should have.”

With no desire to dwell on the past during such a happy occasion, Cameron said, “Is anyone hungry?”

“Famished,” Lincoln said, “and my mouth is watering at whatever smells so amazing.”

“Our very own lasagna with garlic bread and salad,” Cameron said.

“Sounds delightful, honey,” Molly said. “What can I do to help?”

“Absolutely nothing. It's your night off.”

The five of them enjoyed the meal and a conversation full of laughter and stories about Lincoln and Patrick's years at Yale.

“Before this weekend gets away from us,” Patrick said, raising his glass of cabernet, “I'd like to propose a toast to Will, Lincoln, and Molly, who have made my daughter feel so at home here and welcomed her into the family she always dreamed of having, even if she thinks I didn't know that. I miss her in the city, but I sleep much better at night these days knowing she is here with you, that she is happy and well loved and has all the things I ever wanted for her, even if I didn't always do a very good job of telling her that. And to you, my beautiful, amazing, accomplished daughter, may you always be as happy as you are right now, and may your lives together be filled with all the joy and happiness the world has to offer.”

“I'll drink to that,” Lincoln said as Cameron and Molly mopped up their tears.

Will leaned in to kiss Cameron. “Me, too.”

WITH HER DAD
tucked into the loft, Cameron stepped into the room she shared with Will and shut the door, leaning back against it for a second to reflect on the evening they'd spent with their parents. Her dad had shocked the hell out of her with the toast, the laughter and his relaxed demeanor, not to mention the generous gift of paying for their honeymoon.

Will came out of the bathroom wearing flannel pajama pants she'd never seen before and a long-sleeve T-shirt.

Cameron started laughing the minute she set eyes on him. He always slept in the nude, no matter the season or the temperature. Once the laughter began, it overtook her in a fit of giggles unlike anything she'd experienced in recent memory.

“What is so funny?”

“You are.” She wiped the tears from her face and crossed the room to him. “If you think all these clothes are going to keep you safe tonight, you're sadly mistaken.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. We have a guest. Of course I'm wearing clothes to bed.”

“No, you're not.”

“Yes, I am.”

Cameron tugged at his T-shirt, trying to get it off him.

He fought back, pulling it down. “Knock it off.”

Sensing his determination, Cameron decided to fight fire with fire. “Fine. Be that way.”

“Fine, I will.”

While he got into bed, she went to the closet where she'd stashed the lingerie she'd gotten at the shower Lucy and Will's sisters had recently thrown for her. She sifted through the silky, frothy fabrics until she found the one that Will's sister Charley had given her “as a joke.” Except this was not a joking matter, and since she'd be spending tomorrow night with her bridesmaids while he camped with the guys on Colton's mountain, Cameron was determined to break his resolve tonight.

With the outfit bunched into a ball in her hand, she scooted into the bathroom and shut the door. How to adequately describe the sluttiest thing she'd ever seen? Thinking about the laughter at the shower when she'd pulled this one out of the gift bag had Cameron giggling all over again. She'd had no intention of ever wearing it, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

It was black and entirely see-through with open holes over her nipples, a single snap at the crotch, a thong in the back and not much of anything else, except for the matching garter belt and sheer thigh-high hose that attached to the belt. Cameron had never before donned a garter belt, so it took some doing to get it just right. All she needed was a whip and five-inch spike heels to complete the ensemble, but she only wanted to seduce Will, not give him a heart attack.

She brushed her teeth and hair, put on the darkest red lipstick she owned and dabbed perfume in a few critical places. Once the giggles stopped, the nerves set in and she was reminded of the night they first made love. This felt like that all over again, and she tried to forget her dad was sleeping in the loft above them. She turned off the bathroom light and stepped into the bedroom where Will was engrossed in a thriller he'd been enjoying the past few days.

She cleared her throat.

He glanced at her, and she would never—for the rest of her life—forget the look on his face when he saw what she was wearing. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull, his mouth fell open, and the book dropped into his lap and then onto the floor with a dull thud. “What. The.
Hell
.” His rough, sexy whisper did away with any remaining nerves, reminding her of all the many ways she loved him and couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him.

With that in mind, she moved toward the bed, crawling across the mattress to him.

“Cameron . . . I don't know what you're up to, but this is not going to happen with your dad sleeping ten feet from us.”

As if he hadn't said a word, she straddled him and was gratified to feel the hard press of his erection between her legs. Despite what he said, at least one part of him was fully on board with her plan.

“Cameron . . . come on. I told you—”

She didn't wait to hear how that sentence was going to end. Rather, she leaned forward and kissed him, using every trick in her arsenal to persuade him. She bit his bottom lip and then soothed the sting with her tongue, drawing a deep groan from him.

“Shhh,” she said, reminding him they had to be quiet.

When he cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her protruding nipples, she knew she had him. “You're the devil, you know that?”

She smiled. “You love me.”

“Desperately.”

“Show me.”

“Not with him here. I can't.”

She rotated her hips over the obvious proof to the contrary. “Yes, you can,” she whispered in his ear. “I need you tonight. I've got to sleep a whole night without you. How will I survive if you don't make love to me tonight?”

“You're evil,
and
you're the devil. And where in the name of God did you get this outfit?”

“Your sister gave it to me at my shower.”

“I don't even have to ask which sister.”

“No, you don't. I believe she intended it to be a joke gift, but I'm not joking right now.”

“Does knowing your dad is in the house turn you on or something?”

“
No!
Knowing you think nothing is going to happen
because
he's here is what turns me on.”

“Evil.”

“Guilty as charged.” She tugged again at his T-shirt, and this time he let her remove it. “There's my favorite chest in the whole wide world.”

“I'm always powerless where you're concerned, and then you come in here looking like a vixen . . .”

“Ohhh, a ‘vixen'! I love that word.”

“What else did you get at this shower of yours?”

“You'll find out in Fiji.”

“God, I can't wait. How much longer till we get there?”

“About seventy-two hours.”

“I don't know if I can make it that long.”

“Then you'd better make tonight count.” She kissed him again, and this time he participated fully, his tongue tangling with hers, arousing her to the fevered state of need she'd only ever experienced with him. His hands were everywhere, caressing and stroking her, feeding the fire inside. “Will,” she said, gasping as she broke the intense kiss. “Please . . . I want you so badly.”

“You have me. Hook.” Kiss. “Line.” Kiss. “And sinker.”

Cameron smiled as she kissed him, loving him more than she'd ever known it was possible to love anyone. She tugged on the flannel pants she hadn't even known he owned. “Lose 'em.”

“Are you secretly a dominatrix?”

“I might be. I'm rather enjoying this.”

His eyes heated with lust that only added to the desire beating through her. “I can see that.” He reached between her legs and gave a tug to the snap holding her outfit in place. And then his fingers were inside her, bending and curling to find the spot that always drove her wild. Tonight was no exception.

She would've cried out if his mouth hadn't found hers in time to muffle a sound her father surely would've heard if he were still awake.

“Shhh,” Will said, laughing softly. “If you're determined to have your way with me, we have to be quiet. I'll never be able to look him in the eye again.”

With her lips pressed against his ear, she said,
“Pssst.”

“What?”

“He knows we have sex.”

“Not with him ten feet from us, we don't!”

Cameron rotated her hips, which drove his fingers deeper into her. She let her head fall back in bliss that she endured silently when she'd usually be letting him know how much she liked everything he did to her. Then his teeth were clamping down on her nipple and she had to bite her lip—hard—to keep from crying out again.

“So hot,” he whispered. “So beautiful, so smart and talented and loving and sweet and all mine. Mine, mine,
mine
. How'd I get so lucky?” His thumb circled her clit, which was all it took to detonate the orgasm that had been brewing since the minute she'd donned the outfit.

He collected her moans and gasps in another searing kiss that, combined with what he continued to do with his fingers, had her climbing again before the first one had even ended.

She opened her eyes to find him on top of her, looking down at her with the beautiful golden eyes that had held her captive since the memorable night she met him, the night that had changed both their lives forever.

Cameron raised her legs and wrapped them around his hips, encouraging him to take what she offered.

Never one to need an engraved invitation, Will entered her in one long stroke that filled her to overflowing with love for him, for the life they shared, for all the days ahead they had to look forward to together.

“God,” he whispered against her ear. “It just gets better and better and better all the time.”

“For me, too. Don't go slow, Will. I need you so much.”

“Be. Quiet. You hear me?”

She giggled softly. “I'll try.”

“One sound and I'll stop.”

“I'll behave. I promise.”

He kissed her. “That'll be the day.”

She squirmed under him while squeezing him tightly from within.

“Vixen,” he said on a gasp, but her tricks did the trick. He began to move faster, giving her what she wanted in deep thrusts that made her see stars.

Her hands traveled down his back to cup his ass as he made love to her. She squeezed, and he groaned, loudly.

“Shhh,” she said, teasingly.

“Stop doing stuff you know is going to make me groan.”

She squeezed again, and he picked up the pace. Lost to him, Cameron raised her hands over her head and grasped the slats in the headboard, letting him take her hard and fast, the way she loved it best. He knew exactly what she needed and gave it to her every time.

Coming silently, with Will deep inside her, was one hell of a challenge, but Cameron bit her lip and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close as he let go, too.

“God, that was hot,” he whispered.

“Mmm,
so
hot.”

“I didn't stand a chance against you and that outfit, which of course you knew.”

“What was I to do when you came to bed wrapped in flannel?”

Laughing softly, he said, “You're quite proud of yourself, aren't you?”

“
Mmm hmm
. Quite proud.”

“Love you, Cameron Murphy-soon-to-be-Abbott.”

“I love you, too, and I can't wait to be Cameron Abbott.”

THE FESTIVITIES BEGAN
late on Friday afternoon with the rehearsal at Will and Cam's house, where Regan, the cheerful, energetic wedding planner, ran things with the precision of a boot camp drill sergeant.

“She's kinda scary,” Will whispered to Cameron as they watched Regan give marching orders to the wedding party. Petite and curvy with shoulder-length dark hair, her voice carried when she gave orders with the kind of authority no one dared to question.

“Scary in a good way. This would be a hot mess if we'd tried to do it ourselves.”

“She's even got Lucas and Landon hanging on her every word.”

Will's younger twin brothers were known for their comedic misbehavior at most family events, but he was right. Regan had them rapt with attention as she went through the sequence of events that would transpire the next afternoon.

“Where're our bride and groom?” Regan called.

Will took Cameron's hand and led her into the fray. “Here we are.”

“Will, I need you up here with Colton—and Patrick, in the house with Cameron.”

Before they parted company, Cameron put her arms around Will's neck and kissed him as their guests whistled and hooted at them to get a room. “See you soon.”

“I'll be waiting.”

Cameron released her fiancé and took the outstretched arm her father offered her. They walked together across the yard to the cabin. Outside the front door, the wedding party was being arranged according to Regan's instructions. First came Lucas and Landon, who would accompany their mother.

Then Emma and Troy, Ella and Max, Hannah and Hunter, Charley and Wade. Lucy, who would walk in with Simone, their flower girl, came next. A flower arbor and chairs would be placed on the lawn tomorrow. For now, they were left to imagine the aisle that would run between the chairs.

“Are we ready?” Regan asked.

“As ready as we'll ever be,” Cameron said. “Let's do it!”

Beaming, Molly was escorted by her sons. Waiting for her at the end of the imaginary aisle were Lincoln and Elmer, who would perform the ceremony. She hugged them both and then broke loose to hug Will.

Cameron loved the way he laughed at his mother's infectious joy. When she was done with Will, she hugged and kissed Colton, too.

Emma and Troy were given the go-ahead, followed by the others in staggered pairs.

“Here we go,” Lucy said, turning to smile at Cameron before she accompanied a giddy Simone with her imaginary basket of rose petals.

Patrick rested his hand over his stomach. “I feel like I'm going to be sick, and this is only the rehearsal.”

Cameron laughed at the tormented expression on his face. “Stop it. This is the moment you've been preparing for all my life.”

“And I've been thinking about it for thirty years that went by in a flash. How can you be all grown up and getting married when I still picture you as this itty-bitty thing in a tutu, dancing around the apartment like a tiny sprite?”

Cameron brushed at an unexpected tear. “Is that how you picture me?”

“I have a million pictures of you in my mind, but from now on, the one I'll always have in my mind is the way you look right now.”

“How do I look right now?”

“Absolutely, positively beautiful.”

Cameron hugged him, clinging to him long after Regan gave them the signal to proceed. “Let's do this, Daddy.” She hadn't called him that in decades, but it seemed to fit the occasion.

They broke apart, and Patrick used his sleeve to wipe his face. “If I have to.”

“I'm afraid you do.”

He tucked her hand into his elbow and then covered it with his hand.

Cameron never took her eyes off Will as she walked through the yard on her dad's arm. If the rehearsal was this overwhelming, she couldn't imagine what tomorrow would bring. Will watched her intently, never blinking as she came toward him. As always, he gave her his full, undivided attention.

A hundred images spiraled through her mind in the few minutes it took for them to cross the yard: from the moment she first laid eyes on him, ankle-deep in the freezing Vermont mud with an angry moose standing between them, straight through to the night he proposed to her in the exact same spot with the exact same moose serving as their witness.

She almost expected Fred to come busting through the trees to make it official.

And then she was standing before Will, and he was extending his hand to her. Cameron turned to her dad, hugged him and kissed him and whispered, “I love you,” in his ear.

“Love you, too, baby.” He shook Will's hand and stepped back.

Will picked up Cameron and swung her around, bringing her down with a passionate kiss that had her blushing while everyone else laughed. “Thought you'd never get here.”

She hugged him. “I've been right here, waiting for you to make an honest woman out of me.”

Smiling, he kissed her again. “In that case, we really ought to get married.”

“Best idea you've ever had.”

Into her ear, he whispered, “I've got a couple other ideas I'm saving for Fiji.”

Cameron's entire body heated at the thought of two weeks alone with him in the South Pacific. She wasn't one to wish her life away, but she was excited to be completely alone with him, away from work and able to spend day after day together. As much as she was looking forward to the wedding, she couldn't wait for the honeymoon.

“Let's practice the recessional,” Regan said, clapping her hands to gain the attention of the rowdy wedding party.

Will and Cameron led the way. Halfway to the cabin, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way home.

*   *   *

LINCOLN
and Molly served an Italian feast for the rehearsal dinner. As she loaded her plate with ziti, chicken, pasta, salad and bread, Cameron wasn't thinking about fitting into her dress. Rather, she wanted to enjoy every minute of this once-in-a-lifetime weekend, surrounded by the people she loved best.

Cameron had never seen so many people at the Abbotts' home at one time, but the spacious barn in which they'd raised their ten children was more than up to the occasion.

Joining the party for dinner were Hannah's husband, Nolan, Hunter's fiancée, Megan, Mary from the store, Patrick's assistant, Maggie, who'd driven up from the city, and Lucy and Emma's dad, Ray Mulvaney.

Molly moved through the gathering refreshing drinks, taking plates and making everyone feel welcome. Cameron had loved her future mother-in-law from the first time she met her. In Molly, Cameron had found the mother she'd never had, as her own mother had died giving birth to her. As the wedding approached, Cameron had missed what she'd never had more than ever.

Molly had been right there to fill the void, doing double duty as the mother of the groom and stand-in mother of the bride.

Cameron followed Molly into the kitchen. “Everything is wonderful, Molly. Thank you so much for this.”

“Oh, honey, it was completely and entirely my pleasure. Such a wonderful, happy occasion.” She hugged Cameron. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

“So ready.”

“Will is, too. I've never seen him this excited about anything.”

“I've never been so excited, either. I've pretty much felt that way since the night I met him. Or, well, I guess it was actually the next day when he stopped being mad at me for coming to town to build a website he didn't want.”

Molly laughed. “He was instantly taken with you. Linc and I knew right away that you two were going to be something special. I've never been so happy to be right about anything.”

A loud whistle came from the big great room in the middle of the barn.

“That'll be Linc looking to make a toast.” Molly extended her arm to Cameron. “Shall we?”

“Absolutely.”

They walked into the room full of loved ones. “There's the blushing bride,” Lincoln said. “Come on up here with your future husband and let me embarrass you both for a minute.”

“Do we have to?” Will asked.

“You bet.”

Will's brothers pushed him forward, and Cameron caught him as he landed right where Lincoln wanted him. Will put his arms around Cameron from behind and held her against him.

Lincoln extended his hand to his wife and then put his arm around Molly when she joined him. “It's such a pleasure to welcome you all here tonight for this happy occasion. This has been an incredible year in which we welcomed Nolan, and now Cameron, to our family, as well as Lucy, and Megan, who'll join us before too much longer. When you have ten children, people think you've maxed out your capacity for love. But then someone new comes into your life, and you realize your capacity expands when the right people come along. Cameron, Molly and I couldn't be more delighted to welcome you into our family. We knew you as a little girl and thought you were adorable. You grew into an amazing, loving, caring woman who has made our son so very happy, and we love you very much.” He held up his glass. “So I'd like to propose a toast to Cameron Murphy, who will become Cameron Abbott tomorrow, and to Patrick, who becomes an honorary Abbott when our kids get married. Our family is lucky to have you both. And to Will, who is the most wonderful son any parents could ever hope to have. Thank you for bringing Cameron to us.”

“Wow.” Cameron mopped up tears while Will did the same behind her. Then they hugged and kissed his parents. “You know how to get a girl.”

“May I?” Patrick asked Lincoln, who gestured for his old friend to proceed. “Thank you for those kind words, Linc, and for this wonderful dinner and evening. I'd like to propose a toast to Will, the man who has won my little girl's heart and quite possibly the only person in this world who could make her prefer the wilderness of Vermont to the wilderness of New York City. After spending time in Butler and at their home in the woods, I can see why Cameron loves it here. And I can certainly see why she loves Will so much. Linc, I've wondered what the heck you were doing out here in the boonies all these years. But tonight, surrounded by your incredible family, I can see you've been doing something right in your barn in the boonies. You certainly did something right with Will, my son-in-law, a man most worthy of my little girl. Congratulations. To Will and Cameron.”

Will dabbed at his eyes. “Cripes. The dads are on fire tonight.”

“Weddings do that to parents,” Elmer said. “And grandparents. I'd also like to raise a glass to my beloved William, who has been a joy to me—and his late grandmother—from the day he was born. You were always a happy little fellow, who grew up to be a man anyone would be proud of. And then Cameron came crashing into town, and we got to watch you two fall in love. I couldn't be happier to be celebrating this occasion with both of you, and I'd like to thank you for the honor you've bestowed upon me by asking me to officiate. When I became a justice of the peace, I thought it would be something fun to do in my retirement. It never occurred to me that I'd get to perform wedding ceremonies for my precious grandchildren. That has been the ultimate side benefit.” He raised his glass to them. “To Will and Cameron, I love you both, and I'm looking forward to being a great-grandfather to your children.”

Laughing through their tears, Will and Cameron hugged his adorable grandfather.

“Do we get to give toasts, too?” Lucas asked.

“Absolutely not,” Molly said.

“Aw, come on, Mom,” Landon said. “That's not fair.”

“It's absolutely fair. This is a rehearsal dinner, not a roast.”

“How does she always know what we've got planned?” Landon asked his twin.

“She has ESP,” Will told his brothers.

“I know you guys,” Molly said. “And I don't trust you for a second.”

The wine continued to flow, along with the laughs and several kinds of cake. Cameron was blissed out on alcohol, sugar and happiness when Will joined her to tell her it was time to go their separate ways for the night. She hated the idea of spending even one night without him, but they'd agreed weeks ago to spend this evening apart.

The guys were camping up on Colton's mountain while the girls took over their cabin.

“So tomorrow,” Will said, leaning in to kiss her. “You'll be there right?”

“Wild horses couldn't keep me away.”

“Me either.”

“Don't be late.”

“Couldn't have dreamed this,” he said, “so I wouldn't dream of being late to make it official.”

She took his hand and led him into the mudroom, the one place in the house that wasn't overrun with people. With a minute to themselves, Cameron hooked her arm around his neck and drew him into a deep, passionate kiss.

“This time tomorrow,” he whispered against her lips, “we'll be making our big escape.”

“
Mmm
, can't wait for all of it.”