The Paid Bridesmaid(93)
Camden picked up the first one. “You.”
Then the second. “Are.”
“Going,” he read, then got another. “To.”
“Be,” he said. “This is taking a really long time.”
“It’s how you asked me to marry you,” I reminded him.
“Right. But will you marry me is only four words. This is like a novel.”
“Keep reading,” I said.
He unrolled the sixth one. “A. Okay, I feel like you could have added another word to this one and used less paper.”
I pointed to the seventh rolled-up piece of paper. “Just open it, wise guy.”
“Father,” he read, and it was like it didn’t register at first.
To be honest, I was more than a little bit nervous as to how he’d react. We both definitely wanted kids, but we had decided to wait. Until things calmed down a bit for us professionally. We’d been married for only a month and this didn’t figure into any of our plans.
But I’d already learned long ago that I had to let go of trying to stick to a plan and let life happen, and I was beyond thrilled to be having a baby. It was one of the best things that had ever happened to me, and I hoped he would share in my joy.
The timing wasn’t great, but I knew we could get through anything because we were a fantastic team.
“I’m going to be a dad?” he asked, sounding bewildered.
I nodded, both worried and excited, all at the same time.
Then he came over to me and picked me up, holding me against him. “Are you serious? You’re pregnant?”
“Yes. Are you okay with it?”
He kissed me. Then he kissed me again. And again. “Okay with it? I’m deliriously happy! You’re having my baby! You are going to be the best mother ever.”
I was so relieved and so happy. “And you will be a great dad.”
It was like I got a little glimpse into our future and in my mind I could see Camden running and laughing with a toddler, lifting her up into the air while she giggled. He was going to be such a fun and loving father.
He put me down and looked around, and then dived onto the couch. It took me a second to figure out what he was doing. He had grabbed my phone.
“Ha!” he said. “I get to call your mom.”
“She’s my mom,” I reminded him, but he didn’t seem to hear me. That was probably due in part to the fact that my parents had basically become his parents, too. I suspected they might like him better than me. The dogs certainly did.
“I want to be her favorite son-in-law.”
“You’re her only son-in-law.”
“Which means I can be her least favorite, too.” He had such a pleading look in his eyes that there was no way I could tell him no.
“Fine. You can tell her.” It honestly didn’t matter which one of us it came from. She was probably going to have a heart attack when she heard.
He grinned and turned on my phone, dialing the number. “Mom? Hi! Guess what?”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you for reading my story! I hope you liked getting to know Camden and Rachel and enjoyed them falling in love as much as I did. If you’d like to find out when I’ve written something new, make sure you sign up for my newsletter at www.sariahwilson.com, where I most definitely will not spam you. (I’m happy when I send out a newsletter once a month!)
And if you feel so inclined, I’d love for you to leave a review on Amazon, on Goodreads, with your hairdresser’s cousin’s roommate’s blog, via a skywriter, in graffiti on the side of a bookstore, on the back of your electric bill, or any other place you want. I would be so grateful. Thanks!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
For everyone who is reading this—thank you. I can’t tell you how much your support means to me—it is often quite literally the thing that keeps me going when the writing is hard. Hoping that you will enjoy and laugh and swoon and that for a short, brief amount of time, I maybe made your burdens a little easier to bear.
A huge thank-you to Alison Dasho—I’m so grateful for all of your support and input and the way you always guide me in the best possible direction. I’m beyond thankful that I get to work with you and the entire phenomenal Montlake team (Anh Schluep, Lauren Grange, Kris Beecroft, Leonard Sampson, Jillian Cline, Andrew George, Erin Calligan Mooney, and Jessica Preeg). As always, thank you to Charlotte Herscher, whom I wish was sitting next to me when I was writing this manuscript the first time so that I could have added your and Alison’s brilliant suggestions.
Thank you to the copyeditors and proofreaders who find all my mistakes and continuity errors and gently guide me in the right direction (Kellie Osborne, Sarah Vostok, and Tara Whitaker). A special shout-out to Philip Pascuzzo for this absolutely delightful cover. It captures the book perfectly!
For my agent, Sarah Younger—you are simply the best and make everything in my professional life better. Thank you for letting me complain and fret and always cheering me on. Every author should be so lucky to have an agent like you!
Thank you to Dana, Julia, and Hailey of Dana Kaye Publicity for everything you guys do and the way that you keep me on track and for all the great advice.
My Facebook readers’ group—I’m so grateful for the support and kind words and all the reviews you leave for me. You guys help me out so much when I’m doubting myself!