Page 52 of Keep

The call didn’t take long. I got the news I was hoping for and when I returned to the party room Cami was admiring Cassie’s new ring.

There was a repetitive clinking sound as Curtis stood in the middle of the room and tapped his water glass with a fork. Curtis was really not the type who enjoyed giving speeches but he raised the glass and toasted everyone in the room.

“Thank you all for being here today,” he said. “It means the world to me and to Cassie.” He paused and stared directly at his brother Tristan.

“But most of all,” he continued, “I want to thank my beautiful wife for marrying me. Cassidy, you’re my everything. You inspire me. You amaze me. You’re a gift that I don’t know what I ever did to deserve. I love you.”

There were some tears in the audience now and when I felt Cami at my side I put my arm around her.

Cassie was a bit tearful as well. “I love you too, Curtis Mulligan.”

The handful of other guests in the pizzeria seemed bewildered over all the noise we were making as we followed Curtis and Cassie outside. Cassie’s parents had given the couple a week’s stay at a quiet resort up in Sedona and they were leaving tonight. Cord assured them he and Saylor would look after Brecken and since they both worked for him it was easy enough to get the time off.

“Look what the boys did to Curtis’s truck,” Izzy Gentry pointed out to her cousin, Zoe.

Zoe wrinkled her nose. “How tacky.”

Cami leaned back into my chest. “Was that your work?”

I circled my arms around her. “Chase and Kellan were the architects. I was merely following orders.”

She laughed and we watched Mr. and Mrs. Mulligan drive away amid waves and shouts and a honking horn. Several of the pastel balloons that had been tied to the back bumper came loose and floated in the air.

I leaned forward to whisper in Cami’s ear. “I believe I still owe you something.”

“The rest of your life?” she guessed.

“Yes,” I said. “But I was thinking of a honeymoon.”

She craned her neck to look up at me. “We’ll have one.”

“Then let’s start today.”

“Today?”

“Sure. I made a call and arranged to rent a cabin in the mountains for a week. Just like we planned.”

“What about work?”

“They can spare me at the field. Can they spare you at the paper?”

Cami pressed her lips together in thought and I could see she was getting excited. “I think so. I can call in some favors.”

“Do that.” I ran my hand through her hair. “Let’s just go. One week. Just you and me.”

“Just you and me,” she repeated, sounding dreamy. She looked around. The Gentry family had witnessed another beloved daughter find her happy ending and now they were beginning to disperse.

“When can we leave?” Cami asked.

I couldn’t contain my grin as I took her hand and started leading her away.

“We can leave right now, Camille.”

THE END