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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The following month was a time of change.

I’d given Cameron the best reference letter I could, and it hadn’t taken him long to find a new job at Baltect, a huge media company. Once he’d officially resigned, it hadn’t taken Julia long to find a replacement assistant. Hayley was a recent college graduate, and while she couldn’t completely fill Cameron’s shoes, she was determined and a quick learner. That was all I needed, and it was a relief to not be in love with someone working for me.

On a Friday, at exactly 5:00, I shut off my computer and locked my office behind me, feeling content with the amount of work that I had gotten done. These days I was only at the office during working hours and I always pre-planned what I wanted to get done ahead of time. Even when I didn’t get every single thing done, I didn’t panic.

I no longer worried that I’d be a failure. Firth Marketing wouldn’t collapse overnight. Things would be okay.

Of course, it was still a learning curve. I didn’t let go all of my unhealthy habits overnight, but with Cameron’s support, I replaced work hours with exercise, sleep and socializing.

Besides, I was excited to leave the office tonight. I had a date with Cameron.

As soon as I stepped out of my office building, I saw Cameron parked on the side of the street. I hurried over and slipped into the passenger’s seat, leaning over to peck him on the lips. “Hey, how was your day?”

Cameron squeezed my knee as he drove away from my office building. “It was good. Ready for dinner?”

I nodded, my hand moving to my stomach. “I’m starving. I ate a chicken club earlier, but I’m still hungry.”

“Good. I’m taking you somewhere special tonight,” Cameron replied as he shot me a wink.

I smiled. “Still want to go to the movies tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Cameron said as he took my hand.

Even if we didn’t get to see each other all that much during some weeks, we always made it a point to hang out on the weekends.

Cameron brought us to a rooftop bar and grill with an incredible view of the city. We ordered mixed drinks from the bar and sat at a table near the edge just as sunset painted the sky with beautiful streaks of color.

“This is amazing,” I told Cameron. “Thank you for this. ”

“My pleasure,” he said with a grin.

I sipped my rum punch, enjoying something different from wine or a martini. It was nice changing things up over the past month, even little things like what I drank or my nightly routine.

Emilia and Brooke were also supportive of all the changes I made. I made sure to carve time out for them, and these days we met up for drinks or brunch much more frequently. We even had a girls’ trip planned for early next year. If things went great, it could become an annual thing that we all do together.

“How are things at work? Doing okay?” Cameron asked me.

“We finished up a project early,” I said. “Part of the reason is I’ve been delegating more tasks. If I have less on my plate, I can dedicate more time to the important things.”

“That’s great to hear. How’s the new assistant?”

“Hayley’s great. She’s learning more about how the company works every day, so it won’t be long until she’s an expert,” I said. “How’s work been for you?”

“We’ve just finished up a project too. The client loved the team’s ideas, so it won’t be long until you see the billboards and posters all over the city.”

“That’s amazing! I can’t wait to see them. I’m so proud of you.”

He waved an embarrassed hand. “It’s nothing. ”

“It’s not nothing!” I insisted. “I know how talented and skilled you are.”

He shrugged. “Well, I had you to teach me the ropes.”

We smiled at each other, my heart warm. “They’re lucky to have you. You’re going to blow them out of the water.” I reached over to squeeze his hand.

He grinned, squeezing it back, then picked up his glass. “To new beginnings,” he toasted.

I lifted up my rum punch. “To new beginnings,” I repeated, and we clinked glasses.

This new beginning of our relationship was the best thing that could’ve happened to us. We could learn a lot from our past mistakes, but there was a lot that I wanted to leave behind.

After our celebratory toast, our waitress came by so that we could officially kick off dinner. We enjoyed spinach dip, steak, and baked potatoes, finishing everything off with a slice of cheesecake.

“What do you want to do after this?” I asked him.

Cameron gathered some of the sweet cheesecake on his fork and offered it to me. “Whatever you want. We can take a walk. Watch a movie. Whatever.”

I wrapped my lips around the fork, humming in delight at how good the cheesecake tasted. I couldn’t believe there used to be some days where the only things I consumed were coffee and stale granola bars.

“Is Riko coming by tonight?” I asked him .

“Tomorrow. She wants to make fried rice for us,” Cameron replied. “I meant to tell you that my family is having a cookout this weekend. They told me to invite you.”

“I’d love to,” I said, feeling touched by the invitation. I hadn’t met his family yet, and part of me was nervous, but mostly I was excited to learn more about the man I loved.

Life was so different now. Sure, many things were the same. I had the same job, the same apartment, the same best friends. But now I had a wonderful boyfriend, new priorities, and a brand new way of seeing life.

I was so much happier now, and it made me realize how miserable I used to be.

“After this, let’s go back to your place,” I said.

“You want to sleep over tonight?”

“We might not do much sleeping.”

Cameron grinned and motioned for the waitress to bring us the check. “I like the sound of that.”

Oh, I bet he did.

“I may or may not have bought something new to try on,” I teased him.

Cameron groaned. “Don’t tell me that. You’re killing me.”

Laughter bubbled from me. I was so much less uptight these days.

Once he paid, we rose from our table, but I paused as we stood next to the railing on the edge of the building. I placed my hands on top of it and peered out at the beautiful view of the city at night, a soft breeze coasting through the air. The sounds of the city rang out from below, completing an atmosphere of peace and excitement.

Cameron stepped up next to me, his hand caressing the small of my back as we enjoyed the moment together. He leaned closer to me. “I love you.”

His voice floated on the breeze, tickling my ear and making me smile. I turned to him, my hand resting on his bicep as our eyes locked. “I love you.”

Cameron leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss, the rest of the world fading away around us. I lifted up on my toes, kissing him deeper for a second before we broke apart with breathless smiles. “I’m so glad you interviewed for my company.”

That had been the start of everything. Everything was a domino effect, right? That interview was the first domino that fell, leading to a series of events that produced some of the toughest moments of my life, but also some of the most rewarding. If I was taken back to that first day when he walked in my office for that interview, I would do everything the same.

I wouldn't change a thing because that would alter this moment right now, and it was too perfect to change.

I would go through the pain and the heartbreak and the stress and the exhaustion all over again if it meant finding myself in this moment. That was how in love I was. That was how content I was with my life.

It took forever to get to this point, but things worked out when they needed to.

Cameron kissed the side of my head. “Ready to go home?”

I smiled and nodded. Wherever we went together felt like home, and I couldn’t wait to build a life together. One that was uniquely ours.

THE END