Precious Consequences(20)

“You ready for bed, monkey?” I ask Ari, smiling at her pajama’s with all the Disney Princess’s on it.

She yawns and rests her head on my shoulders. I kiss her forehead, which feels a little warmer than usual, and lay her down on her bed, tucking her in.

“I love you,” I whisper.

She turns, giving me a shy smile. “I love you, mommy,” she whispers back.

I watch her close her eyes and switch on the night light next to her bed. I leave the door open slightly and head downstairs. My grandmother is drying the dishes when I walk into the kitchen.

“You look beautiful, Hayley,” she says warmly.

“Thank you,” I reply. “But I’m nervous.”

“I can tell,” she chuckles. “You look about ready to throw up.”

I look down, staring at my feet. My grandmother’s hands lift my face and she looks at me, her eyes shining bright with love and understanding. “You’re worried about telling him about Arianna,” she states. I forgot that this woman sometimes has a direct line to my thoughts.

I nod, biting my lip.

“Hayley, honey, you have to be honest with him, and if he’s the man God chooses for you and Arianna, then you’ll know. It will take a special kind of man to open his heart to both of you and when you meet him, your heart will know.”

I sigh. “But Gama, what if I want him to be that guy?” I ask earnestly.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way, sweetheart. Sometimes the people we want are not the people chosen for us. But you never know, he might just surprise you.”

Just then the doorbell rings.

“Enjoy your night, darling girl. And whatever happens, let it. You deserve this night out.”

“Thank you,” I breathe, swallowing back my urge to cry. I’m scared but I don’t have the courage to admit it out aloud.

I open the door and feel my heart jump into my throat.

“Wow,” Cameron says. “You look amazing.”

I blush at his compliment.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I reply. I peruse his body slowly. His whitewashed jeans fit him perfectly. They’re a sharp contrast to the cargo shorts he had on earlier. His navy blue button down shirt shows off his chest and the sleeves, rolled up to his elbows, accentuate his forearms and show off the hint of the tattoos that are showing. The navy blue also makes his eyes look brighter.

“Are you ready to go?” he asks.

I nod and grab my purse, shutting the door behind me. He rests his hand on the hollow of my lower back and leads me to his truck. He opens the door, helping me inside and then walks around to the driver’s side. He starts the ignition and pulls away from the curb.

“So, where are you taking me Mr. Argent?” I’m curious and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting the ‘fancy restaurant’ cliché.

Cameron grins, looking at me from the corner of his eye. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you Miss. Tanner. And that would be a crying shame, especially with you looking so gorgeous tonight.”

Again, his compliment catches me off guard and even though he’s laying the charm on thick, I like how it makes me feel. Tonight may be the only night like this that I get with him so I’m going to enjoy it, live it and store it in my memory box, to look back on and remember.

Smiling shyly, and say, “Thank you,” and look away.

“We’re here,” Cameron states. If I’m not mistaken there’s some excitement in his voice.

We’ve stopped outside a palatial sized house and suddenly I’m the one overcome with nerves. Is this his house? Am I about to meet his parents? Oh dear, this can’t be happening.

He hops out and meets me on the passenger side of his truck, taking my hand and helping me out. Wordlessly, he leads me to the front door and unlocks it. The foyer is huge, with two matching marble staircases on either side. There’s a long passage to my left, and ahead of me is a cinema-sized living room, with plush leather couches that fill the large space perfectly. It is exquisite to say the least and while I’ve been privy to seeing the inside of houses much like this in my old life, as I like to call it, this house oozes warmth, and hominess. It is obvious that this house is lived in and houses an actual family, instead of ‘occupants’. Cameron locks the door behind me and then continues to lead me further into the house until we’re in the kitchen. My feet cement themselves to the tiles floors when I see that a dinner for two has been set up on the island in the center of the kitchen, complete with candles and beautifully laid out silverware.

“Wow,” I breathe. “This is…” I trail off.

“Surprised?” Cameron asks next to me. The look of worry on his face is faint, but I see it.

“Very,” I reply. “But I love it.”

He grins, revealing those sexy dimples. “Good.”

We walk into the kitchen until we’re standing next to the island. “Are your parents home?” I ask nervously. I find it strange that he’d bring me home and introduce me to his parents on first date but I’ll just go with it.

He chuckles, saying, “I don’t live here.”

Oh. Now I’m very confused. “But I thought…”

“No,” he replies, shaking his head slightly. “This is Hannah and Noah’s house. They let me use it for our date tonight.”