“I know it did.”
“Even underwater.”
“Baby girl, when are you going to learn,” I say, taking hold of her face. “We were meant for each other. There’s no stopping us.”
She smiles so wide that I make a promise to myself to keep that smile glued there for the rest of our days. Forever.
“There’s not a woman on this planet who stands up to me the way you do. Do you realize how much that turns me on, and impresses me at the same time? Do you realize how much that makes me respect you above all other creatures on God’s green earth? Do you understand how you make me a different man, how you make me want to be the best man I can, for our freshly conceived children?”
“Freshly conceived, Daddy?” she laughs. “I don’t think it works that way.”
“Everything works when it comes to us. We just work differently than everyone else.”
“But you said freshly conceived children, as in more than one?”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t just feel what I felt. There was so much seed in that eruption that I’m surprised you didn’t shoot up to the ceiling, pregnant with twins.”
“Daddy!” she says, splashing me yet again.
“That’s exactly what I am and don’t you ever forget it,” I remind her, kissing her hard and pulling her tiny body into my massive frame. “Mine,” I growl holding her right where she belongs…here with me. Always.
9
Camila
Seconds turn to minutes and minutes seem to turn into an hour, not that I’m keeping track of time.
“I’m getting prune hands,” I giggle, moving my head from Carter’s chest and showing him my hands. We both smile and he kisses me once again.
“I’ve got something else to show you this morning. I know you’re going to like it.”
“Do the surprises ever stop with you?”
“I told you I know how to spoil
a little girl.”
“A little girl?”
“My little girl,” he says, helping me out of the tub and kissing me on the top of the head. “Ready for this?”
I nod, rolling my top teeth across my lower lip as he presses a button and the sun blocking curtains pull back.
My eyes scan across the horizon to a huge billboard that reads SCAB.
“It’s for you.”
“For me?” My head jerks back.
“Just think, Camila. This will set the record straight from your past, show everybody who came out on top.”
“You…” I freeze, realizing he has my complete file. What he didn’t get from the interview he probably just made a call and got, or actually asked my references. What did they tell him? How much did they reveal?
“Scab?”
“Yeah. It probably won’t make sense to everyone, but I know how we can build around it,” he smiles.
“Are you kidding me? Are you that insensitive? Are you really that much of a Type A that you didn’t think this…bringing this up…digging up the past wouldn’t…” I bury my head in the nook of my shoulder as best I can and run toward the bedroom.