Page 20 of Only in Our Dream (Moonflower Cove #15)

Melanie

D espite hours of shopping with Palmer for the perfect outfit to wear on Christmas, Melanie was still debating it with less than an hour to spare before she needed to be at Cameron’s house.

Palmer had assured her multiple times in the store she looked hot, and Vera agreed when Melanie had showed her the purchase.

But now, standing in front of her full-length mirror, Melanie was doubting herself.

Was it too simple?

Too much?

Melanie had no clue.

All she knew was, like Palmer and Vera said, her ass looked amazing in the skin-tight jeans. Melanie turned around in the mirror, looking over the rest of her outfit.

The skinny jeans were tucked into brown boots with a slight heel, purchased at the insistence of Palmer.

They were cute, sure, but they weren’t Melanie’s sneakers either.

Palmer had paired the simple white button-up blouse with a chunky plaid scarf, adding a bit of Christmas flair to the outfit.

Melanie had curled her hair after her shower that morning, leaving her with soft waves around her face.

She looked good. Melanie wasn’t too proud to admit that.

What she was afraid to admit was how much she was overthinking the entire day. She knew the general layout of the day. Pancakes, gifts, pizza, movies. But she didn’t know details, and Melanie loved details.

Melanie didn’t know what Cameron was wearing or what the kids were wearing. Did they have matching pajamas like the Mackenzies or did they have their own traditions that Melanie wasn’t aware of?

There was only one way to find out.

Looking over herself once more in the mirror, Melanie grabbed her phone off the nightstand and headed into the living room.

Hank and Lucy were lounging on the couch, where they’d undoubtedly spend most of the day.

They were both house trained and Lucy had access to the backyard via the doggie door along with plenty of food and water.

Melanie gave them each kisses before gathering her bag.

“Okay,” she sighed, going over a mental checklist.

Pets? Taken care of.

Presents? Loaded in the car last night.

Bottle of wine?

Melanie hesitated. She’d purchased Cameron’s favorite fancy wine on a whim. Cameron didn’t treat herself to it often, but Melanie wanted to have it for one of the gifts she planned to give Cameron. Because if any gift needed an accompanying bottle of wine, it was the one she had for Cameron.

She’d barely been able to contain her excitement when she wrapped the small present for Cameron the night before. It wasn’t expected to arrive for a few more weeks, so it had the perfect timing. The arrival made it seem like the perfect sign Melanie needed.

Everything truly was working out better than she ever could have anticipated.

How else could she explain getting her divorce finalized the day before Christmas?

Melanie didn’t linger on why it had been so quickly; frankly she didn’t care. Her lawyer had said it would be quick, but it felt like a modern-day Christmas miracle to Melanie. Because now she can finally ask Cameron to be her girlfriend.

And kiss her without feeling guilty.

And… well. Melanie had other things she wanted to do with Cameron whenever they got to that point in their relationship. They just first had to be in said relationship.

Thankfully, the drive to Cameron’s wasn’t long, barely ten minutes. Since it was before seven a.m. on Christmas Day, there were few other cars on the road. Melanie took in the idyllic scenery of the Cove as she drove down Cameron’s road and into her driveway.

Never one to miss decorating for a holiday, Cameron had a large inflatable Grinch on the front lawn along with twinkling lights on the shrubbery.

Two large plastic candles flanked the top of the four steps to the front porch.

Melanie knew they had been passed down from Cameron’s grandma, which made them extra special to her.

Balancing the presents on her arm, Melanie carefully headed up the freshly shoveled sidewalk. She didn’t have to ring the bell before Jonah excitedly opened the door. He was the male version of his mom in so many ways, but especially in a Taylor Memorial Hospital hoodie and sweatpants.

“Hey, Aunt Mel!”

“Hey, Jonah.” Melanie let him help her carry the presents into the house. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas. I cleaned the sidewalk off for you.”

“Aw, thank you.” Setting the presents beneath the tree, Melanie wrapped him in a hug. Her heart ached and smiled at once. He was taller than her now, yet she still remembered the tiny baby he’d been the day he was born. “Your mama raised you well.”

“Hell, yeah, I did.”

Turning her attention toward Cameron’s voice, Melanie felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of her.

Like Melanie, she wore tighter jeans than normal that showed off her curves perfectly.

The green chunky sweater looked beyond adorable on her and her hair.

God, that hair. Melanie had visions of running her hands through the elegantly straightened blonde locks.

“Hey,” was all Melanie could say as she slowly crossed the room and hugged Cameron. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too.” Tenderly, Cameron tucked a piece of Melanie’s hair behind her ear.

For a moment, Melanie thought she was going to kiss her right there by the Christmas tree. And she might have done just that if Dylan hadn’t run down the stairs and squealed Melanie’s name in a tone that sounded more like Vera than Cameron.

“I’m so glad you’re here. And you look stunning .” Dylan smirked, turning to Cameron. “Doesn’t Aunt Mel look stunning, Mom?”

Cameron blushed, making Melanie smile. “She does indeed.”

“You do, too.”

The two stayed lost in their own little world for a few moments before Dylan asked about breakfast. Melanie followed them into the kitchen as Cameron made them pancakes.

She put chocolate chips and M&M’s in them at the kids’ request and Melanie’s delight.

Everything felt so casual and normal that Melanie could convince herself this was something they’d done every year for a hundred years.

Nothing seemed uncomfortable or forced, which Melanie knew was because she had such a strong relationship with the three of them before any feelings became known.

Catching Cameron’s eyes as they ate their pancakes, Melanie resisted the urge to hop off the bar stool, run around the kitchen island, and kiss her. It was a damn marvelous relief to know that her divorce was final and hopefully, she would be doing just that later.

After breakfast, they watched the kids open their presents as they sat under the tree.

Although Melanie had been giving them gifts since they were born, it was different watching them open them on Christmas Day.

She loved seeing their excitement as Jonah opened a new pair of skates and Dylan got more makeup than Melanie would ever know what to do with.

“These were too much,” Cameron put her hand on Melanie’s thigh as she squeezed. Their eyes locked as Melanie shook her head.

“Never too much for the two best kiddos around.”

“You’re too much.”

“Whatever,” Melanie stuck her tongue out at her, revisiting the urge yet again to kiss her.

Get it over with. Tell her the divorce is final instead of waiting for some big moment. Do it now, then kiss her.

Do it.

Melanie tried not to let her inner thoughts get the best of her. She had it all planned out and wanted it to be perfect. But there was no way she could wait until the kids were asleep, as she had originally planned. No. She needed to do it now.

“Jonah, Dylan,” Melanie clapped her hands once to get their attention, “I forgot your mom’s present in the car. Can you help me with it?”

Abandoning their piles of gifts, they nodded and stood.

“It better be a pony,” Cameron called out as the three of them exited through the front door. Melanie didn’t waste time cutting to the chase as they walked to the car.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Dylan, go back inside.” Jonah pointed toward the front door.

“What? No. I can keep a secret.”

Jonah gives her a doubtful stare.

“It’s only for a little while longer.” Melanie stopped at the truck of the car and looked at them. “I want to ask your mom something, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you two first.”

“Yes,” Dylan immediately said, “you can marry her.”

Melanie tried not to look as taken aback as she felt. Had the kids talked about this? Had Cameron talked about it with them? She had no idea, so she tried to shake the questions from her brain.

“Okay, well, we’re not there yet.” Melanie inhaled sharply. “But my divorce was finalized yesterday.”

Slowly, realization landed on the kids’ faces. Dylan jumped up and down slightly.

“So, if it’s okay with both of you, I want to ask your mom to be my girlfriend.”

“Yes!” Dylan squealed, throwing her arms around Melanie’s neck. “Oh, my god. A thousand times yes! Please! She’ll freak out.”

“Like mother, like daughter then,” Melanie laughed, turning her attention to Jonah. “What about you, Jonah? Is it okay with you?”

Jonah seemed to think for a moment, but it wasn’t until a smile spread across his lips that Melanie realized he was just teasing her all along.

“Honestly, Aunt Mel, it’s about damn time you ask her out.”

“Language,” she laughed as she pulled him into a hug. “But thank you both. I didn’t think my divorce would be finalized for weeks, so I didn’t have time to prepare a nice dinner or anything to ask you two this.”

“You have our blessing, Aunt Mel.” Jonah put a strong hand on her shoulder. “Just don’t hurt her, okay?”

Melanie nervously laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good.” Jonah winked at her. “So, do you really have a present in her for her, or was this all a ruse?”

They all laughed again as Melanie opened the truck. She handed the box to Jonah and the bag to Dylan. “Be careful,” she wanted Dylan. “This has her favorite wine in it.”

“ Oooh , the fancy one she saves for a special occasion?”

“Yes,” Melanie felt herself blushing again. “Now come on. Let’s get back inside.”

She ushered them back inside like little ducks.

Taking a deep breath, Melanie pulled the front door shut behind them as she joined Cameron on the couch.

Jonah and Dylan resumed their places on the floor, each keeping the gift Melanie had entrusted them with on their laps.

They looked more like little kids than the teens they were.

“So,” Melanie wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans, “Cam.”

“Mel,” she giggled in response. “Does a pony fit into those boxes?”

“No, but this did.”

Extending her hand to Jonah, she took the box from him. She handed it to Cameron as she slowly opened it. Cameron seemed to take forever to unwrap the silver paper from the box. And it was even painstakingly slower than she took the lid off the box.

Does she know she’s driving me crazy going so slow?

Melanie didn’t have time to ask her questions. She was too busy watching Cameron’s confused look turn to happiness as she realized what the papers in the box meant.

“Mel,” Cameron covered her mouth with her hand as she looked up at her, “is this for real?”

“It is.”

“When?”

“Yesterday.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Mel.” Cameron let out a sound that was part sob, part laugh as she pulled Melanie into a tight hug. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

The fact Cameron took the time to check in with Melanie meant the world to her. And only confirmed what she already knew.

She and Cameron were meant to be together.

Taking the box from Cameron, she handed it back to Jonah. She gently took hold of Cameron’s hands as they turned slightly to face each other.

“I wanted so badly to tell you last night when it happened. But I wanted to wait, because I’ve been dying to ask you something and those papers gave me permission to finally do so.”

Inhaling sharply, Melanie smiled at the kids. She took a moment to memorize the excited looks on their faces as they waited for the question to be asked.

“Cam, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes!” Cameron squealed, pulling Melanie into a tight hug yet again. “Oh, my god. A thousand times yes!”

Jonah, Dylan, and Melanie all chuckled.

“Like mother, like daughter,” Jonah joked.

“What do you mean?” Cameron asked.

“Dylan said the exact same thing when I asked them if I could ask you to be my girlfriend.”

Cameron’s eyes softened. “So that’s why you had to go outside to,” she used air quotes, “get my present.”

“And to get you this.”

Taking the bag from Dylan now, she handed it to Cameron. She seemed to know exactly what it was as she eagerly ripped out the tissue paper and pulled out the bottle of wine. Cameron dramatically hugged it to her chest as they laughed.

“Oh, yes. We’re going to celebrate with this tonight.” Cameron immediately seemed to remember the kids were still in the room. “With our clothes on, of course.”

She winked at Melanie, yet again making her blush.

I love her so much.