Jonah was sitting at thecoffee table coloring while Cameron held a sleeping Dylan in her arms on the couch. Across from them, Melanie was sitting in the recliner, rocking a baby she and Rob were fostering until the adoption was finalized for the new parents. Although they didn’t foster many kids, Melanie and Rob had fostered several babies over the years. Well, more so Melanie than Rob. Cameron never saw him have much interest in the babies compared to Melanie.
The baby in Melanie’s arm softly cried as Melanie expertly readjusted him. He settled back down immediately against her chest, letting out the sweetest sigh.
“If he didn’t already have parents, I would so adopt him,” Melanie dreamily said as she kissed the infant’s head. She’d said the same thing before about other foster babies, so Cameron knew it was more of a passing comment than anything.
Both Melanie and Rob were more than capable of adopting if they wanted to. Cameron just had a feeling Melanie was more comfortable in the fostering role than the adoption role. Having kids was a huge responsibility and although she knew Melanie would be up for it, she also respected the hell out of her for not putting herself into a situation she might not be fully ready for yet.
“You can adopt me, Aunt Mel.” Jonah’s comment was so innocent, as were his eyes as he looked up at Melanie. Melanie gasped, clutching her hand to her chest as she looked from Jonah to Cameron and back again. “I only have one mommy but I could have two if you adopted me.”
“Jonah,” Cameron chuckled, stepping in to save Melanie, “it doesn’t work that way, sweetie. See, for someone to adopt you, they would have to be married to Mommy. And Mommy isn’t getting married anytime soon.”
“You could marry Aunt Mel. You marry people you love, don’t you?”
Cameron swallowed hard. “Well, yes, but Aunt Mel is already married to Uncle Rob, so I can’t marry her.”
With a shrug, Jonah seemed to be content with that answer. He went back to coloring and Cameron locked eyes with Melanie. Her blue eyes were sad, more so than before. She smiled sweetly at Cameron before looking back down at the baby on her chest.
After that, they never brought up the conversation again. Not even as a joke. Something had changed between them then, even if they had spent the last decade denying that. Because Cameronhad always wondered what would have happened after that conversation if Melaniehadn’tbeen married to Rob then.
But that was just adding anotherwhat ifto the ever-growing pile. At least there was no need to deny their feelings anymore. With Melanie’s divorce close to being final, they would finally be able to act upon all the pent-up feelings from all their years as best friends. That thought made Cameron so happy she could squeal.
Cameron smiled into her pillow, holding in the squeal so she didn’t wake Dylan who was still asleep beside her. Although there were bunk beds in the guest room for the kids, Dylan often wormed her way into Cameron’s twin size bed with her. Not that Cameron minded. She loved that her baby still wanted to be with her.
Rolling over, Cameron cuddled Dylan into her arms. Her heart warmed as Dylan snuggled closer, resting her head on Cameron’s chest. She kissed the top of her head, savoring the time with her baby girl. Cameron knew too soon Dylan would be grown and out of the house and not interested in early morning cuddles anymore. But until then, Cameron was going to soak them all in.
“Are you smelling my hair again?” Dylan mumbled.
“I’m your mother. I’m allowed to smell you.”
“Weirdo.” Stretching, Dylan pulled out of Cameron’s embrace just enough to look into her eyes. “I’m going to tell Aunt Mel how weird you are.”
“Oh, honey, she’s known that longer than you’ve been alive.”
“Yeah, but she’s never woken up to you smelling her hair before.”
“Fair,” Cameron laughed. “But I can’t help it. I love my baby girl so much.”
Pulling Dylan back into her embrace, she was relieved when Dylan hugged her back. Dylan snuggled back into her, twirlingthe end of Cameron’s hair around her finger. It was something she’d done since she was a baby, no matter the length of Cameron’s hair. Cameron loved it and knew it provided comfort for each of them.
“Can we go to the mall today?”
“On Black Friday?” Cameron cringed. “No. Nothing is worth braving the mall today.”
“ButMom,” she whined as she rolled out of bed, “I need new clothes for school. Nothing fits now that the boobs I inherited from you finally decided to come in.”
Dylan dramatically squeezed her breasts under the oversized tee she was wearing. She looked so much like the pictures of Cameron that lined the walls that it was almost as if Cameron had copied and pasted Dylan herself. Sitting up on her elbow, Cameron playfully rolled her eyes at her daughter.
“I think you mean thank you, Mom, for giving me suchamazingboobs.”
“If I looked like that,” Dylan pointed to one of Cameron’s pictures on the walls, “I wouldn’t be complaining.”
“Honey, all we’d have to do is get you a dress and an unhealthy relationship with food to get you lookingexactlylike that.”
Swinging her legs off the bed, Cameron laughed as Dylan rolled her eyes at her comment. She had been very open and honest with both of her kids about her struggles growing up, but she had also reached a point where she could joke about it with them.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, indicating a text. Before Cameron could grab it, Dylan snatched it up.
“Oooh, it’s Aunt Mel,” she giggled.
