Love in the Falls (14 page)

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Camden could really absorb his words.

“I love you too, Sam. I don’t even know how to describe how much in words…” she said.

He rolled onto her and kissed her passionately. Their tongues began darting in and out, jockeying for position. Sam slid down to her chest and tickled her breasts with his long wavy hair. His mouth explored the valley between her breasts before his tongue broke loose to encircle one of her nipples.

Camden allowed a moan to escape her mouth as she arched her back. He held his right arm around her waist as he maneuvered ever downward until he was working on the mound of nerves between her legs. She had never felt such intensity or passion, and she couldn’t hold herself in any longer. A long, luxurious wave of release overwhelmed her as she sank ever deeper into the ground.

When she was finished, Sam rolled onto his back and stared at the sky. Knowing she was on birth control and Sam had been tested for everything under the sun at the hospital, she had no worries of giving herself to him right then and there. Before he could sit up, she slid onto his lap.

“You really are a lap girl, aren’t you?” he said laughing. His laughter turned to seriousness as she slid him into her and began to rock her hips over his.

As she leaned down to kiss him, her breasts pressed against his chest, exciting him more. Moments later, he filled her with a power that she could not have expected. She joined him, and then fell lifelessly onto his strong chest.

Rolling onto her side, she smiled at him. His eyes were closed, and his chest was heaving.

“Wow,” he said.

“Yes. Wow. That was…”

“Intense,” he said with a grin.

“See?”

“What?” he asked.

“You are all the man that I will ever need, Sam Steele.”

And he was.

As they finally exited the corn maze, it was sunset. Camden gasped as they looked at the sky. Filled with a mixture of blue, gray and orange, it looked like it was on fire. She could only see the dark silhouettes of the trees that lined the property. Horses ran across the field as the cold November wind cut her to the bone.

“We’d better get inside before you get too cold,” Sam said.

“You warmed me up pretty good back there,” she said turning to kiss him.

“God, I love you, Camden,” he said hugging her into his chest.

“I love you too. I have never felt this way about anyone. Ever,” she said.

“But you were engaged…”

“I was engaged because I caved to my parents’ pressure. It wasn’t for love. I thought it was enough, but my heart knew better.”

“You know, I would love to have my left hand as strong as it once was, but if it meant getting you in my life I would cut it off,” Sam said with a laugh.

“Well, let’s not do that…” she said giggling as they walked toward the house.

***

That night, Camden slept in Sam’s room. They made love several times with a fire roaring in the fireplace in front of the bed. They talked about life and love and the struggles they had been through and the struggles to come.

When morning fell, they slept in each other’s arms. Shortly after 9 AM, Camden heard voices downstairs. They sounded awfully familiar to her. She woke Sam, and they got dressed. Apparently, Irene had let some guests into the house.

Camden could not believe her eyes when she walked to the stairs and saw her parents standing there in the foyer. She wanted to run back into the bedroom, but there was no escaping when they saw her too.

“Mom. Dad,” she said as she started walking down the stairs.

“Camden. Happy birthday, darling,” her mother said as she walked to hug her at the bottom of the stairs. She couldn’t help but notice her mother looking all around at the home. She knew that she was in shock over the surroundings.

“Thank you. This is Sam,” she said pointing behind her as Sam wobbled down the stairs for the first time since being home. She felt terrible for him.

“Hello, Sam. I’m Lillian and this is my husband, Paul,” she said. Sticking out her hand, Sam shook it and she stared at him in the eye for a moment. Her mother, although thick with a Southern drawl, could be very scary when you first met her.

“Welcome to Steele Farms,” Sam said. “Would you like to sit down in the living room?” he asked pointing to the room next to them.

“Sure,” she said. Her heels clicked across the hardwood floors as Sam put his hand on Camden’s lower back for support.

They sat down, and the room held an eerie silence for a few moments. With a fake smile firmly planted on her face, Lillian Lane looked around.

“Have you ever been up this way, Mrs. Lane?” Sam asked.

“No, I haven’t actually. It is very… quaint… up here,” she said.

“Dad, it’s good to see you,” Camden said looking at her uncomfortable father. She could tell he wanted to be anywhere but here. “Would you like to see the stables, Dad?” Camden asked.

“That would be great, Cammie,” he said.

“Do you mind if I show Dad the stables? I will be right back,” Camden asked Sam. He nodded in agreement. As soon as she left his side, she realized that she had left him with the Southern piranha herself.

A few more moments of silence, and Lillian broke the quiet again. After asking about his farm and business, she had bigger questions in mind.

“Sam, may I ask you a question?”

“Certainly,” he said staring her straight in the eye.

“What are your intentions with my daughter?” Her eyes firmly planted on his, she intended to get a straight answer.

“My intentions?”

“Yes. I mean, certainly you realize that she gave up everything for you?”

Sam stood up with the help of his cane and stared straight at Lillian.

“Mrs. Lane, with all due respect, your daughter is a grown woman. She is the best person I have ever met. She loves hard, just like I do. She would give someone the shirt off her back, just like I would. We are cut from the same cloth. She gave up a life in the city, that is for sure. But, the life she gave up was not hers. It was your dream for her. Don’t you want your daughter to have the life she actually wants?” Sam was steely eyed and angry.

“I will not have you talking to me like that!” she snapped as she stood up.

“You are in my home. In Camden’s home. You will not come here and start trouble for her or for me. She protected me when I needed her most, and I will protect her for a lifetime. Do you understand that?”

Lillian stood in shock as he set her straight. She slowly sat back down and looked up at him.

“I love your daughter, Mrs. Lane. And I intend to take care of her as long as I have breath in my body. If that is what you mean when you ask my intentions, then there is your answer,” he said.

Camden walked up behind Sam and put her hands on his waist. She had heard most of their conversation, as had her father.

“Lillian! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, woman!” he snapped. Camden and Sam were both shocked.

“Excuse me, Paul?” she said with her eyes bugging out of her head.

“Keep your nose out of their business. You have no right. Camden is happy, and that is all I care about.”

Lillian looked down at her designer shoes.

“Mrs. Lane, would you like a tour of the place?” Sam asked. “I am sure Camden would be glad to show you around.”

Lillian smiled graciously as Camden started to lead her up the stairs. Sam stood at the bottom smiling. Paul shook his hand and said, “I really do wish you both a lifetime of happiness, Sam. She obviously adores you. I want her to be happy, and Preston didn’t make her happy.”

“Mr. Lane, I will do everything in my power to make her happy. I can guarantee that.”

***

Sam and Camden watched as her parents drove away later that afternoon. To her astonishment, they stayed around a few hours looking at the farm, the corn maze and even the pumpkin patch. Her mother laughed as her father carried her over a mud puddle, and Camden was amazed. The country sure did funny things to people, she thought. Before they left, her mother gave her the papers necessary to access her trust fund.

As they walked hand in hand back to the house, Sam stopped and looked at her.

“You know I invited them to Thanksgiving, right?”

“What? You’re a nut, Sam,” she said smiling up at him.

He laughed and scooped her into his arms for a long, tender kiss. She couldn’t imagine ever getting tired of those lips… those kisses.

On a warm spring day, as family and friends gathered at Steele Farms, Camden and Sam said their “I do’s” right there on the front porch. Rocking chairs flanking them on both sides, Camden promised to grow old with Sam sitting side by side. Pink and red roses wrapped around the porch to form the most beautiful scene for a wedding.

Her life had changed so much in recent months. With massive rehab, Sam had regained a lot of his strength on his left side. He was able to move quicker and do more work around the farm that he loved. Camden had gotten a job working as an ER doctor at the local hospital that had cared for Sam, and she was loving the small town life.

As evening fell, the sky was painted with a magical sunset much like they one they enjoyed after their corn maze escapade. They slow danced to their favorite song, “The Dance” by Garth Brooks. Natalie was her maid of honor, Drake his best man. Her father gave her away, and her mother helped choose her dress. Even Preston had sent his well wishes via a card. Rebecca and the kids flew in to be with Sam and Camden on their special day.

When everyone went home, Sam had one more surprise in store for Camden. They walked up the stairs to their home, and he stopped her.

“What’s wrong, Sam?” she asked.

“This is…” he said as he picked her up and carried her across the thresh hold into their new life together.

He was a new man, maybe not as strong as before, but completely remade inside. As he put her down on the floor, she gazed at her new husband and wondered what would have happened if Natalie hadn’t convinced her to hike the falls on that fateful day. They had saved each other in the end.

“I have one more surprise for you,” he said.

“I thought my surprises were up there in that bedroom,” she said grinning.

“Oh, they are. Trust me. But, I need to do one more thing before this story can be perfect,” he said.

“What’s that?”
 

“Will you hike the falls with me tomorrow before we leave for our honeymoon?” he asked.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I need to know that I can do it,” he said.

“Then we will do it… together,” she said smiling.

With that, Sam and Camden Steele walked up the stairs of their old home into their new life ready to start the family that they had both dreamed of for a long time.

Hello, readers! I wanted to add this special note to the story to tell you how I actually came up with this plot. Back in October of 2003, my family and I decided to hike up to a waterfall in the north Georgia mountains. My husband, myself and our three kids (who were toddlers and infants at the time) hiked up and came back down a little while later.