Reunited... With Child Part 13

"h.e.l.l, no. In fact, I'm thinking about you even more often than before. I can't for the life of me figure out why I let you go two years ago," he said.

"You were a fool," she said. She wished that he would have kept in touch or that she hadn't let her pride keep her from contacting him. Because the future-Cam's, Ty's and hers-would be a lot easier to navigate if she had.

"I was."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, but I was only kidding," she said.

"I wasn't. I don't know why I couldn't see you for the gem you are," he said.

Her heart melted a little bit. "I think it goes back to the guy thing where you just think about s.e.x."

"Probably. Maybe fate stepped in to give us a second chance," he said.

"How do you figure?" she asked.

"It gave us Ty."

The more she got to know Cam, the more she really liked him. When the time came and she found the words to tell him that she had fallen for him again, she hoped he'd believe her and react like the man of her dreams.

Cam hung up the phone with Becca. He wanted to get something for her. But he'd already sent her flowers, and he really didn't have any other ideas.

He walked through the club and heard samba music playing in the rehearsal room. He paused and debated for a minute if he should interrupt Jen to talk to her. Finally he decided it was okay and opened the door. Jen danced around the rehearsal room. His new sister-in-law smiled at him as he entered the room.

"Are you here as my boss or brother-in-law?" she asked.

"Brother-in-law," he said. "I need some advice."

She hit a b.u.t.ton and the music stopped. "What's up?"

"I need...what kind of gifts does a woman really like to get?"

"I think it depends on the woman," she said. "I like music and things related to dance. But I suspect that Becca might like something different. What does she like?"

Cam thought about it for a minute before he had his own idea. She liked art and drawing, and finding the right gift for her would be easy now that he knew what direction to go in.

"Thanks, Jen. That was exactly what I needed to know."

"I don't think I said anything worthwhile," she said.

"Yes, you did," Cam said. He hugged her and then turned to leave the rehearsal room.

"Why are you hugging my wife?" Nate said, coming into the room.

"Because she's brilliant." Cam walked over to Nate, who was scowling in the doorway.

"I know that. That's why I hug her," Nate said.

"I thought you hugged her for a different reason," Cam said.

"So did I," Jen said, laughing. "Did you come to help me learn my new dance?"

"No, I stopped by because I missed you. Why were you hugging my brother?"

"He needed some advice on a gift."

"What gift?"

"None of your business," Cam said. "Go hug your wife."

"I will. And I'm going to talk to her about letting just anyone hug her," Nate said.

"I'll leave you two to discuss that," Cam said, heading toward the door.

"Sounds good. I wanted some alone time with my wife," Nate said.

Cam walked out and couldn't help smiling. At this moment his brother was very happy. Nate's romantic past hadn't been so rosy. He'd been dumped by his fiancee when he'd been injured and had to leave pro baseball. And that had cemented in Cam's mind the fact that most women were only out for what they could get from their men.

Jen seemed different, and she made Nate happy, so Cam was hoping for the best. Was Becca cut from the same cloth? He thought so. She was sweet and s.e.xy and seemed as honest as the day was long now that she'd opened up to him about Ty.

She'd changed over the past few weeks, or maybe he was just getting to know her. He had found that Becca was just the woman he needed. She was very good at creating a family bond. Each morning, they had breakfast by the pool and then every evening she cooked them an early dinner and they ate with Ty sitting at the table. She asked questions about his day and made a point to let Ty babble on in his baby talk so he had a chance to talk, as well. It was...something unexpected.

He wanted to find a gift for her that would let her know how important she was to him. When he thought of Becca and art, he thought of Chagall with his romantic abstract images. The perfect painting came to mind.

He called Val Martin, a friend of his from college who was now an art dealer. "How quickly can I get a framed lithograph of Chagall's Les Trois Cierges? Les Trois Cierges?"

"I might have one. Let me look through the catalog. Does it have to be that picture?"

"Yes," he said. He wanted Becca to have that picture. He wanted it hanging in her home.

The scene was colorful with a big green tree dominating the top of the painting. It had pretty white blooms on it and angels flew under its branches. A sleepy little town painted in a warm reddish brown could be seen in the distance. Three candles-from the t.i.tle-were in the front left corner. But it was the couple on the right that had him convinced this was the right portrait for Becca. The man had dark hair and wore a brightly colored coat and held the woman tenderly in his arms. She wore a white flowing dress and her head was tucked on his shoulder.

"Do you want it framed?"

"Yes, that would be perfect. It's a gift, Val. So it's important that I get it as quickly as possible."

"I don't have one for sale in my shop but I do personally own a number of Chagall prints," Val said.

"I know. That's why I called you."

"I have a litho of Les Trois Cierges Les Trois Cierges that is number 3 in the limited 450-print run, but it is one of my favorites." that is number 3 in the limited 450-print run, but it is one of my favorites."

"Would you be willing to sell it to me?" he asked. "I know that you have a ton of art work and can easily move another print or painting into its place. And who knows, maybe this will make room in your collection for another Chagall."

There was silence on the phone while Val thought it over. "Okay. I will sell it to you for $1,700. That's a bargain."

"Thank you, Val," he said. He would have paid double that to get the perfect gift for Becca. "How soon can I have it?"

"How soon do you need it?"

"I'd love to have it today," he said.

"If you want to come by my condo in Miami Beach, you can have it today."

"Thank you, Val. I'm on my way."

"Why is this so important to you, Cam? You've never been a big collector before."

He didn't want to share the details of his personal life with anyone, even an old college friend. "It's a gift for someone and I need it today."

"Someone? You mean a woman?" Val asked.

"Yes, a woman. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter. I will be at your place in forty minutes."

He pocketed his cell phone and went to deal with other details at the club. Little things that needed his attention-made him realize that this time he wanted every detail of his relations.h.i.+p with Becca to be perfect. He was realistic enough to know that they weren't going to have smooth sailing, but he wanted to make up for the way he'd let things end between them before.

The Chagall print would do that. In his mind he could see the image of the man holding the woman in his arms, and he hoped that Becca would never feel alone once she had it hanging on her wall. That Becca would know that he was always right there for her.

He left the club and got in his Tesla. He put the top down and drove out of Little Havana toward Miami Sh.o.r.es. He was a man who was very used to making things happen, and this was no different...Becca was no different. He was going to make her his completely. And if he made any missteps this time, he would make it up to her. It was important that Becca realize this time he was back in her life to stay.

He drove the hour or so to Val's house, handling business on his Bluetooth headset as he wove in and out of traffic. He arrived at her condo and parked, sitting outside for a few minutes while he finished up a call with Justin. Finally he got out of the car and went to Val's door. She had the painting all wrapped up and he handed her a check.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome. I'm always happy to see a piece go to someone who will appreciate it."

He picked up the painting and put it in the trunk of his car. Val didn't ask too many questions, and Cam was glad. He wasn't ready to talk about Becca with anyone. What he felt for her was too private to be shared.

Ten.

When Cam got back from picking up the picture, he walked the short distance between Luna Azul and the Mercado. Now that Justin and Selena had returned to Manhattan, he had to oversee more of the marketplace project than he had previously. But that sat well with him because he liked to keep busy.

He had to remind himself that just because Becca had come back into his life, he wasn't going to change the basics of who he was. Today had reinforced that. He had no idea if she was aware of how much she shook him up. But he was determined to control his reactions to her and to keep her in just one corner of his life.

He liked the fact that they were going to be able to work together, and he hoped her designs for the Mercado were acceptable to the shop owners. But he knew that, in his personal life, he had to ensure that she was...what?

Cam was interrupted in his thoughts by Selena's grandfather, lead shop owner in the Mercado project. "I'm glad you are here. The construction company is insisting on tearing down the sidewalk leading to my Cuban Grocery Store," Tomas Gonzalez said as he approached. "How are my customers going to get into the store if there is no sidewalk?"

He shook Tomas's hand. "We'll figure it out. Who is in charge?"

"Junior. And that boy never did have any sense. I'm tempted to call his father," Tomas said.

Cam bit back a laugh. Working on a project in a community where everyone knew everyone else, it was inevitable that emotions ran high. "I'll take care of it."

"Good. I knew you would do right by me," Tomas said. "We are family now."

"That's right, we are. Why don't you go back to the grocery store and I'll come and find you when I'm done talking to Junior."

Cam was given a hard hat by the work site foreman, and Junior Rodriquez met him halfway across the lot. "That old man is making me crazy. The sidewalk is cracked and a safety risk. I'm tempted to not let my men go in there to buy lunch."

"We need to figure out a solution that will fix the sidewalk and keep his store open to customers."

"He won't even talk about anything, Cam. He just wants his store left alone."

"That's why you and I are going to work this out. Can you do it tonight after the store closes?"

"It would mean overtime and I would go over budget," Junior said. "I pride myself on bringing jobs in on time and on budget."

Which was one of the things that Cam appreciated about Junior. He was a hard worker and he did the job right the first time. "Okay. I will pay your men in a separate contract to do the sidewalk tonight. You tell me the rates and we'll do it. Just the part in front of the store-the rest of it you can do tomorrow during the regular workday."

"Let me talk to my guys. I will get back to you in ten minutes or so," Junior said.

Cam left the other man and walked out of the construction area just as he saw Becca walking toward the shopping site, holding Ty on her hip. Seeing her with their son never failed to stir strong emotions in him.

He had already admitted to himself that he cared for her and he wasn't going to deny it now. There was something about Becca that made him want to be a better man. And he realized he wanted a relations.h.i.+p that was more real than his parents' had been. He didn't want to have his own independent life...he wanted to be a part of hers.

She and Ty both waved when she saw him. The boy made Cam smile with his sweetness. He'd never been aware of kids before Ty, but there was something about seeing his son that made him think of the future in a way that didn't involve shopping malls or night clubs. Not just plans for a bigger and more profitable Luna Azul, but a personal future that didn't involve his club-a future that included something more than work. A future with Becca and Ty.

"h.e.l.lo," he said, as they got closer. She wore a short pencil skirt that ended just below the knee, a big red belt and a b.u.t.ton-down blouse. The belt drew his eyes to her tiny waist. Her hair was pulled back in a clip, and a layer of filmy bangs fell over her eyebrows. She had on a pair of large black sungla.s.ses, which kept him from seeing her eyes.

"h.e.l.lo. I didn't realize there was so much construction going on," she said. "I would have dressed a little differently."

"I'm glad you didn't. I like this outfit," he said.

"I thought you would but these heels are going to make navigating the parking lot pretty difficult."

He offered her his arm. She slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow, balancing Ty on her other hip.

"We have to tear down a lot of the older buildings because they aren't up to code. So I figured we'd get that out of the way while we were soliciting designers."

"That makes sense. Who did you want me to talk to?"

"Tomas," Cam said. "He owns the Cuban Grocery over there. Come on, I will introduce you."

He held her arm as they walked over the cracked sidewalk at the entrance of the grocery store.

"Some of these places are in a sad state of disrepair," Becca said.

"Yes, they are. But we got a good deal on the marketplace, so we have the money to invest to make this a premier shopping venue."