Page 32 of Landry (Bayou Brotherhood Protectors #7)

“Right answer.”

Silence stretched between them.

“Who was she?” Landry asked.

Although Marceau took a moment to answer, he didn’t feign ignorance of the question.

“My wife.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out.

“We had twenty-four years together. Most of them, I was away, fighting somewhere in countries I’d barely heard of before I landed in them.

She held down the fort and welcomed me home each time with all the love she’d saved up over the deployments. ”

“You miss her,” Landry noted.

He nodded. “We didn’t have nearly enough time together. Even if I had known up front she’d die of cancer, I would’ve married her anyway. Every minute we shared left memories I’ll hold for the rest of my life.”

Landry couldn’t imagine his mother or father having the same sentiment. They barely tolerated each other. Marceau’s story gave Landry hope that not all relationships were like theirs.

The ambulance carried Camille to a trauma center in New Orleans, where she was rushed into the operating room.

Landry sat in the waiting room, his clothes soggy, his boots still full of water and his heart so heavy he could barely breathe.

He made several calls to follow up with the team and with Hank and Swede. Rafael called from his home to report on Ava. Calls completed, he alternated between pacing and sitting, time dragging by.

Two hours later, a doctor walked into the waiting room, still in his scrubs, surgical cap and booties. “Family of Camille Catoire?”

Landry stood.

“Are you related to Ms. Catoire?” the doctor asked.

Knowing the man couldn’t release information to someone not related to her, Landry blurted, “I’m her fiancé.”

The doctor nodded and spoke. “She came through surgery just fine. She was lucky. The bullet missed the vital organs. We were able to find the source of the bleeding and stop it. She did lose a lot of blood, and she suffered a concussion. We want to keep her overnight for observation to ensure we haven’t missed anything.

She should make a full recovery. A nurse will be by soon to let you know when you can see Ms. Catoire. ”

Landry thanked the doctor and waited for the man to leave the waiting room before he sagged with relief, his eyes filling with moisture. Was this what it felt like to love someone?

If it was…

He pressed a hand to his chest.

It hurt.

Enough to walk away?

Oh, hell no.

Landry paced the waiting room. Now that he knew she would be all right, he wanted to see her, just to make sure.

A nurse entered the waiting room, her gaze going straight to Landry. “You must be Landry,” she said with a smile. “Ms. Catoire said you were tall, blond and gorgeous.”

“How is she?”

“Awake and asking for you.” The nurse turned. “I’ll take you to her.”

Landry followed the nurse to the recovery room.

“She’ll be here for an hour. If all her vitals are good, we’ll move her to a private room.”

“Thank you,” Landry said and brushed past the nurse to enter the room.

Hooked up to an IV and a monitoring machine, Camille lay, her face pale, her dark hair a stark contrast to her skin and the white sheets cocooning her.

As he came to stand beside her and took her hand in his, she opened her eyes.

He smiled down at her. “Hey, beautiful.”

She snorted softly. “Hardly. I’m still covered in swamp water,” she said, her voice hoarse, her cheeks still sporting spots of soot. Her brow twisted, and her hand tightened around his. “Billy Ray?”

“He’s fine and seems to be over his sickness.” Landry’s lips twisted. “Not only did he save your life, but he also managed to save Fuzzy Bear. Gisele handed Fuzzy over to her grandmother Madam Gautier to work her magic on the old stuffed animal.”

“I can’t believe a ten-year-old saved me from that burning shack. He shouldn’t have worried about Fuzzy. His life was more important.”

“He knew how much the bear meant to Ava.”

Camille nodded. “He’s a good kid.”

“Agreed,” Landry said. “I left him with Simon, Valentin and Rafael. I’m sure they’ll teach him all their bad habits before we have a chance to get back to him.”

“We can’t let them take him back to the foster family,” Camille whispered.

“Hank’s working on that.”

“I’ll take him in as a foster parent, if they’ll let me.” She coughed and lay back, closing her eyes. They opened a second later. “Ava?”

“Sound asleep at Gisele’s, blissfully unaware of all that happened tonight. Oh, and your pie won first place. Amelie said to tell you she wants your recipe. Sadly, your pralines came in second to Nadine Dumond.”

“I need to hire Nadine. No use competing with perfection.” Camille smiled. “And Amelie can have the recipe. I’m a candy maker not a baker.”

Camille closed her eyes again. “You’ll have to fill me in on everything else when I’m more coherent.” Her eyelids fluttered and stayed closed. “Will you be here when I wake?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You don’t have to protect me anymore.”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” He bent and kissed her forehead.

“Like it better on the lips,” she whispered.

Landry chuckled and kissed her lips. “More later, when you’re feeling better.”

She nodded and whispered. “I love you, Landry.”

His heart swelled so much he was sure it would burst free of his chest. “I love you, too, Camille,” he said and knew it was true.

“I’m not going to remember this when I wake up, am I?” she said, her voice almost too faint for Landry to hear.

He chuckled. “I’ll happily remind you.”

“Good.” She sighed. “I was afraid I was dreaming.”

“You’re not. You’re alive. Billy Ray’s alive, and Ava will be thrilled to see her mama.”

Camille’s lips curled upward in a faint smile. “She loves you, too.”

Landry’s heart swelled. “Ava is an amazing little girl. I’m honored.”

For a long moment, Camille lay still, her chest rising and falling slowly.

Landry stared down at her, sure she was asleep and beyond grateful she was alive.

Camille’s eyes opened. “You’re still here?”

“I’ll be here until you leave the hospital.”

She drew in a deep breath and let it go on a sigh. “Does this count as going on past your assignment?” The question came on a breath of air.

Landry nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I never wanted strings again.” Camille lightly squeezed his hand.

Landry’s chest tightened. How could she love him and not want strings?

“Until you,” she added.

He let go of a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Thank goodness. Because you have me tied up in knots.”

Her brow wrinkled. “Is that bad?”

“Only if you untie all the knots.”

“We haven’t known each other long.”

“I knew all I needed to know when you popped that chocolate into my mouth.”

The lines in her forehead eased, her eyelids drooped and a smile curved her beautiful lips. “Same.” Then her brow dipped. “I’m a two-for-the-price-of-one package deal. If you can’t love Ava as much as she loves you, it’s a deal-breaker. Ava will always come first with me.”

Landry raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “That’s one of my favorite things about you. You’re a loving mother, willing to do anything for your child. Not all mothers are like that.”

Camille tugged on his hand. “Come here.”

He smiled gently and bent closer.

“Your mother didn’t know what she had in you. You’ll make an excellent father.”

“To Ava?” he asked, a niggle of doubt making his heart beat faster. “What if I’m not very good at it?”

“You already are.” Camille’s lips curved gently. “But maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”

“Right.” He straightened. “You and Ava need time to get to know me.”

“And you need time with us to understand what you’d be getting into.”

“I already know all I need to know,” he said.

“You’re passionate about your daughter, about the life you’ve built for you both, and you don’t need a man to mess it all up.

After we get to know each other, you can determine if you want to take it to the next level.

I can tell you now, I want more than a step.

I want to go the whole nine yards and then some. ”

Her eyes filled with tears, gutting Landry.

“Oh, sweetheart.” He pressed her palm to his face.

“No pressure. I’ll give you all the time you need to learn to love me enough to eventually include me in your beautiful family.

I’ll do my very best to prove I’m worthy of Ava’s and your love.

I’ll figure it out with you as my role model. I’ll be a better man.”

She slipped her hand from his cheek to behind the back of his neck and pulled him closer.

“You already are a good man. You risked your life for your country, and now, for me. In my heart, I know you would be the perfect addition to our family. The only person we have to convince is Ava. And she’s already halfway there. ”

Landry leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Then I’ll show her how much I care for her. I’ll shower her with?—”

Camille touched a finger to his lips. “Please don’t say toys.”

Landry kissed her finger. “I was going to say experiences. My parents gave me things instead of their time and love. I would have traded all of those things for some of their time and any scrap of love.”

“I love you, Landry,” Camille said. “You’ll be a good father.”

“I hope so. I never thought I’d say it, but after avoiding commitment and even the thought of children, I find myself wanting it all...with you and Ava.”

Her brow scrunched. “I know we’re going to spend time getting to know each other, but is it too soon to ask if you want more children?”

Unexpected joy rushed up inside Landry. He laughed out loud and kissed Camille soundly before answering. “Yes!” He sobered, his brow dipping. “I’d love to make a baby with you. I’d love for Ava to have a sibling. I never had one.”

“Neither did I,” Camille said. “I always knew I wanted more than one. I didn’t want Ava to be an only child.”

“We can have as many as we want and still have time and energy to give them all the love and attention they deserve.”

Though her face was pale and she had dark circles beneath her incredibly blue eyes, Camille’s happiness shone in her smile. “I’m not talking just about babies. How do you feel about fostering a ten-year-old boy? Maybe even adopting?”

He grinned. “Hank and Swede are looking into what it would take for me to foster Billy Ray.”

“There might be a better chance if he went to a home with two parents.”

“Agreed,” Landry said. “But that might take longer. I don’t want to rush Ava or you. At the same time, I don’t want Billy Ray shipped back to people he doesn’t know or who really don’t care about him. My team is working on the legalities.”

“Chrissy and Alan Broussard could take on Billy Ray for the time being. In between having six children of their own, they’ve fostered children on a temporary basis and have jumped through all the legal hoops.”

Landry’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re not high on painkillers?”

Camille laughed. “Why?”

“You’re saying all the things I want to hear, and they’re big revelations for someone who has just had surgery and is hyped up on drugs.

You want more children. You want to give Billy Ray a home.

..and you love me.” He shook his head. “Now, I know you’re going to forget all of this by the next time you wake up. Frankly, that scares me.”

She snorted softly. “You’re a Navy SEAL. Nothing scares you.”

His heart squeezed hard in his chest as an image of Camille lying unconscious beneath the burning shack flooded his memory. “Almost losing you scared me more than anything I’ve ever experienced. I don’t want to feel like that ever again.”

“You won’t,” she said. “It’s too hard to find a good one. When you do, you have to hold on tight.”

Landry nodded. “A wise old Marine gave me that same advice. I plan on holding on with both hands.”