“Give me that!” Cameron playfully tried to grab the phone from Dylan, who held it over her head as she read the message.
“Good morning, babe,” Dylan read with a giggle. “I hope you have a great day. I miss you and can’t wait until Monday.” Arching an eyebrow at Cameron, Dylan asked, “What’s Monday?”
“My next day at work.” Cameron finally grabbed the phone from Dylan and reread the message, noticing how Dylan didn’t say anything about the kissing face emoji Melanie added to the end of the text.
“Aka the next day you’ll seeMel.”
“Don’t say her name like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like your Aunt Vera when she knows something that she shouldn’t.”
Dylan dramatically clutched her chest. “Did you really just compare me to Aunt Vera?”
“Well, if the scrub cap fits.” Standing, Cameron playfully ruffled Dylan’s blonde hair. “This is why I sometimes joke that Vera used her egg instead of mine to create you. You’re too much like her.”
“Except I’m literally your carbon copy. You just let her babysit us too much growing up.”
“Fair point.”
“So,” Dylan sat down on the edge of the bed as they turned to face each other, “I think it’s time we had the talk.”
“The talk?”
“About you and Aunt Mel,” Dylan giggled.
“Oh, really now?” Cameron arched her brow, nervously chuckling.
She hadn’t had the talk with her kids yet about Melanie, at least not really. Sure, they knew about Melanie’s divorce and that she and Cameron liked each other, but as far as Cameron knew that was all the kids knew. They didn’t know that it was Cameron’s main goal to not have the kids be hurt. Not that sheexpected that to happen. Melanie loved the kids as much as Cameron did.
And she knew the feeling was mutual. Both Jonah and Dylan adored their Aunt Mel. They had her tied around their little fingers since the moment they were born. It was almost as if they were always meant to be a family of four. But even still, Cameron had wanted to check in with both of them before anything official happened with Melanie. She thought she still had time for that, but apparently Dylan was ready for that conversation now.
Cameron motioned for Dylan to continue. “Go on.”
“I just want you to know that I support it and I’m okay with it.” Dylan’s sweet smile put Cameron’s worried mind at ease. “I love you and I see how happy Aunt Mel makes you. Jonah and I both do. And we want you to keep being happy with her forever. If that’s what you two want.”
Taking a moment to rein in her emotions, Cameron nodded before pulling Dylan into a tight hug.
“Thanks, baby girl.” She kissed her cheek softly. “And I want you to know that no matter what happens, your Aunt Mel will always be your Aunt Mel, okay? She’s not going anywhere.”
“Exceptmaybe,” there was a playful gleam in Dylan’s eyes, “she’ll become Mama Mel.”
Cameron burst out laughing, as did Dylan. “Oh, baby girl, let us go on a first date before you start saying that, okay?”
“What? It’s not like the date is going to go bad. You two are perfect for each other.”
“Perfect relationships don’t exist.”
Dylan shrugged. “Have you met Isla and Vera? Perfect relationshipsexist. You can’t deny that.”
“Isla and Vera are the exception, though, not the rule. There’s a reason I’ve been single for so long.”
“Yeah, because you’ve been waiting forMelanie.”
Grabbing the pillow from behind her, Cameron playfully hit Dylan with it as they both giggled. The door to the bedroom opened, interrupting their silliness. Wilma Dean stood in the doorframe, her hands on her hips.
“What are you two still doing in bed so late?
