Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Cameron was just about to kiss her, but her words stopped him short.

Did she just say...?

A smile broke slowly over Julie's face. "You heard me," she said, apparently reading his thoughts. "I said I love you."

Unable to find his voice, Cameron could only blink back at her in stunned silence.

I love you. She'd said it just like that, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. No hesitation in her voice, no uncertainty in her eyes, just... I love you.

"Cameron?" Julie's voice scattered his thoughts, and she eyed him with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? I mean, yes! Yes, I'm fine. I just—" he stammered, struggling to pull himself together. Finally, the right words came. "I love you, too."

She grinned. "You do?"

"I do," he said, with more certainty now that he'd finally recovered from the shock of her saying it first. "I think I have for a while now, but I didn't fully realize it until last night, when I opened the door and saw you standing there."

"Yeah, that must have been a sight," Julie groused. "I don't cry pretty like other girls do."

"You looked beautiful to me," Cameron said, meaning it. "You always look beautiful to me. I wanted to tell you so last night, that and so much more, but I didn't think you were ready..."

"I didn't think so, either," she confessed, resting her forehead on his. "But I guess my heart has a mind of its own, huh?"

"Apparently so," he agreed. "Although I'm a little disappointed that you beat me to the punch..."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her brow furrowing as she pulled back to face him.

"I guess I just figured that I'd be the first one to say it," he admitted with a sheepish shrug. "Saying it second just sounds so...insincere, don't you think? Like an automated response or something."

Julie threw her head back and laughed, then wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips squarely to his. After a long moment, she pulled back just far enough to see his face, her brown eyes sparkling with joy.

"Anyone who feels that way about it must be sincere," she decided. "And I promise, there will plenty of opportunities in the future for you to say it first."

She kissed him again, and Cameron willingly surrendered to her touch.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," he warned, his words spilling into her mouth. 

"Mmmm," she murmured, smiling against his lips. "I certainly hope so."

Cameron slid his hands beneath her hips and pulled her toward him. She eagerly complied, her tongue teasing his as she slid off the stone heart to straddle his lap. Despite the layers of clothing between them, he could feel the sultry heat of her against his crotch, and his body instinctively responded.

Julie pulled back, her eyebrows raised. "Well, hello there," she teased, gyrating her hips just a little and nearly driving him mad in the process.

"You know, I'm trying to be virtuous here..." Cameron informed her drolly.

Julie grinned wickedly. "Fuck virtue," she said.

Cam pretended to be shocked. "Naughty girl," he chided, setting her on the stone hearth and then rising to his feet. "I knew you were going to be trouble the first time I laid eyes on you."

Julie smiled up at him. "Are you complaining?"

"Definitely not." He crouched down and trailed his fingertips along the line of her jaw. "It's good to see you smile."

"It's good to have a reason to smile," she said, taking his hand and pressing her lips to his palm. "You have no idea..."

Cameron thought that he might, but didn't say so as he stood and held out his hand to her. She allowed him to pull her up and then circled her arms around his waist.

"I'm going to need the day off today," she said, resting her chin on his chest as she tipped her face up to his. "I've got some things to talk over with my son."