Page 1 of Only in Our Dream (Moonflower Cove #15)

Prologue

Melanie

M elanie Wright had no idea why she was nervous.

It wasn’t like she was waiting for a date to arrive.

On the contrary, she was waiting for her new friend Emily Beauchamp to meet her for drinks at Olive or Twist. The two quickly became friends after Melanie was Emily’s nurse a few weeks ago.

They’d kept in touch and Melanie had promised the first round of drinks would be on her whenever Emily felt up to it.

Thankfully, Emily hadn’t waited long to text her that she was ready to get out of the house. Not that Melanie could blame her. Being postpartum was hard enough, but being a surrogate had to be even harder for Emily. Melanie was glad she could give her a little fun after her crazy surrogacy journey.

Melanie had been a labor and delivery nurse for over half her life.

She loved the excitement and unpredictability that came with the job.

There were few things in life Melanie loved more than being there for women and their partners at their most vulnerable moments.

She was made to be a nurse, that much Melanie knew.

Stirring the straw around in her ice water, Melanie looked toward the door of the speakeasy.

Well, speakeasy was probably the wrong word.

It was a bar that was also a makeshift library.

Books lined the walls, and patrons were free to check them out at their leisure.

Melanie loved the low-key vibe of the place, and although she didn’t frequent the establishment, she vowed to change that each time she walked through the archway of the bar.

Her phone lit up on the table, and Melanie reached for it, assuming it was a message from Emily. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised to see it was from her wife, Cameron.

The smile on her face grew wider as she read Cameron’s message.

Hey, babe. I’m running late as usual, but I promise I’m coming! Order me a drink and I’ll see you soon!

Will do, babe. I know what you like. ;)

Melanie felt like a giddy teenager as she texted Cameron back. Despite her fifty-third birthday looming, Melanie loved that Cameron still made her feel so high school.

Placing her phone back on the table, Melanie took a sip from her water glass as she glimpsed Emily by the door.

She was dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt—she looked more comfortable than Melanie felt in her scrubs—with a gorgeous brunette trailing behind her in yoga pants and an oversized sweater.

Sophia Beauchamp smiled and waved at Melanie as their eyes met across the room.

She tapped Emily’s shoulder, pointing in Melanie’s direction.

Emily’s eyes lit up as Melanie waved at them.

“Hey, friend,” Melanie stood and hugged Emily tightly, “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, Mel.” Emily sat in the booth across from Melanie as Sophia slid in beside her. “Where’s Cameron?”

“Running late, as usual,” Melanie chuckled. “I don’t honestly know the last time she was on time for anything.”

Emily waved her off with a laugh. “Hey, be nice to your woman.”

“Oh, I’m sure she is, love,” Sophia added with a wink to Melanie. “I can’t wait to meet Cameron.”

“You mean you haven’t already met her?” Melanie furrowed her brow in confusion. “This is Moonflower Cove. Every queer person knows every other queer person.”

“I didn’t know you until you had your hand up my vagina.” Emily’s comment made Melanie snort a laugh while Sophia rolled her eyes. “So, we clearly just run in different circles.”

“Way to subtly call me old ,” Melanie joked, sticking her tongue out at Emily.

“You’re not old,” Emily and Sophia responded in unison.

Emily’s eyes sparkled, making Melanie believe she wasn’t done joking with her just yet. “And besides, I love older women.”

Melanie blushed as she picked up her glass of water for another sip. While she wasn’t attracted to Emily, Melanie had always struggled to take any compliment. Even ones that might just be a joke.

“But seriously,” Melanie leaned onto the table slightly, “I know you know Cameron. Cameron West. Vera’s friend.”

“Wait,” Emily gasped, “Dylan’s mom?”

“Yes.” It was Melanie’s turn to laugh. “She’s my wife.”

“You’re married?” Emily slammed her hands on the table dramatically. “Melanie Wright, you’ve been holding out on me.”

“No, I wasn’t,” she nervously laughed. “I promise. I just don’t make it a habit to talk about my personal life with my patients. But I had assumed you knew her since you worked with Dylan before maternity leave.”

“I did, but honestly, the kids at work just hang out with each other and don’t let us old people in on their conversations, so I never put two and two together.”

“Emily’s never been good at math,” Sophia chimed in with a smirk.

“Oh, like you knew who she was. I can’t believe I didn’t know this. I don’t remember Dylan ever mentioning her parents, honestly. Granted,” she shrugged, “I was pregnant for most of the time that Dylan and I have worked together, so it might not have clicked.”

“Pregnancy brain really got to Emily.” Sophia’s playful jabs at Emily made Melanie realize how perfect they were for each other. They loved each other so much, and that love radiated from everything they said and did.

As they ordered their drinks, Melanie wondered if she and Cameron were the same way. The two had been friends for decades before finally admitting their feelings for each other. Melanie loved Cameron and their kids with every fiber of her being.

And when her eyes caught Cameron’s across the room as she entered the bar, Melanie felt her heart flutter.

Cameron was wearing a black, form-fitting dress with a V-neck that left little to Melanie’s imagination.

Not that she had to imagine what Cameron’s chest looked like.

Her lips had been all over her breasts just the night before.

But there was something about seeing Cameron in her post-board meeting attire that made Melanie want to skip drinks and take her home.

Across the table, she caught Emily’s eye. She smiled and winked at her, and Melanie knew the love was evident between her and Cameron, too.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Cameron slid into the booth beside Melanie and quickly kissed her. She tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and sighed. “Board meetings never stick to a schedule.”

“It’s okay, babe.” Under the table, Melanie put her hand on Cameron’s thigh. “The only time Cameron has ever been on time was at our wedding.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Cameron sarcastically rolled her eyes. “I am sorry I’m late though. I’ve been looking forward to tonight for days.”

“Me, too,” Melanie smiled. “And I’m glad you can finally officially meet Emily and Sophia Beauchamp.”

“It’s so great to meet you both.” Cameron shook both of their hands, her smile wide the whole time. “Mel has talked so much about you. And I think what you did for Callie and Arden is so amazing.”

“Thank you.” Emily blushed, looking down as Sophia put her arm around her shoulder. “It was hard, but worth it.”

“And you look amazing for just having a baby a month ago.” Cameron turned slightly in her seat to face Melanie. “Doesn’t she look great?”

“She does.”

“She most definitely does.” Sophia gently tucked Emily’s hair behind her ear as they looked into each other’s eyes. Melanie’s heart melted at the sight, remembering how they had been the same way while Emily was in labor.

“Thank you.” Emily’s blush subsided as she took a sip of her water. “And I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been working with your daughter for a year and didn’t realize you were her mom.”

“And proud of it.” Cameron beamed with pride anytime she talked about her kids. “Dylan has loved working at Straight to Ale. I hope she and Ellie aren’t too bad to work with.”

“They’ve honestly been amazing over the last few months while I was on maternity leave. They helped me out so much by stepping up. I’m very proud of them.”

“Me, too,” Cameron’s chest puffed out slightly, making Melanie stifle a laugh.

After the server brought their drinks and a basket of cheese fries, they fell into casual conversations about life and family.

Emily and Sophia told them how they met and how Sophia’s daughter had come into their lives.

Melanie checked in with her about postpartum life, which Emily seemed to be handling well.

Picking up a fry, Emily leaned onto the table and pointed it back and forth between Melanie and Cameron.

“So, how did you two meet?”

As Emily popped the fry into her mouth, Melanie and Cameron looked at each other and laughed.

“That’s such a long story.”

“Hey,” Emily’s voice was stern, but still teasing. “You told me after I pushed a seven-pound baby out that you would tell me.”

“Are you going to use that excuse forever?”

“Yes,” Sophia snorted a laugh, “she will.”

“Oh, come on, babe.” Cameron bumped her shoulder into Melanie’s. “Tell them. It’s my favorite story.”

“Yes, and only mildly Hallmark-esque.”

“Filled with divorce and years of pining.”

Emily scooted closer to Sophia, who put an arm around her. “I’m hooked.”

“Where do we start?”

Melanie dramatically motioned for Cameron to go on. “The floor is all yours, babe.”

“The beginning?”

“No,” Melanie chuckled, shaking her head. “They don’t have time for us to unpack thirty years.”

“So, fall 2018?”

“The perfect place to start.”