I wanted to believe that she was on the road to recovery, but I no longer trusted her to tell me the truth. It created a stressful living situation and one that put both Liz and I on edge. I knew it couldn’t last for very long.
Liz found a job working at the diner where we'd spent so much time studying, and she loved being able to shoot the breeze with the wide range of customers. The constant movement helped her stay focused on what was important and her co-workers knew her challenges, so they treated her like a family member and kept a close eye on her. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than she'd been in a long time.
We'd talked about what had happened at the apartment the day Victor had almost killed us both, but Liz never wanted to talk about what had happened before that, and I didn't ask. I figured that she'd talk about it when she was ready. She did, however, tell me about the day she cheated and how she'd unintentionally implicated me when she'd done it. She'd apologized, and once I'd accepted the apology, we tried to move past it, though it was hard for me to trust her.
Once cleared of any wrongdoing, I moved forward with classes and my internship. Violet and the girls backed down and left me alone once they knew that Cam and I were a couple, and that his firm was running her father's security detail. I'd graciously thanked them for their kind thoughts after the incident, and then proceeded to do what I'd always done -- ignore them.
Mrs. Rikka watched me like a hawk when I returned to my rotation. I think she thought I was going to have a breakdown or something, but Leslie assured me that she was simply trying to ensure that I didn't get overwhelmed or overly stressed as I processed what had happened to me. I was required to attend counseling sessions to deal with the stress and process what had happened, but overall, I hadn't been traumatized by the incident. The therapist was not surprised, and told me that I might have some issues later when other stresses in my life surfaced. She let me go after ten sessions with the reminder that if things got stressful or overwhelming, I should come back and talk with her.
I passed my final exams with straight As and prepared to graduate. We would be walking across the stage at the Chicago Theater, and I wanted everyone who'd supported me to attend, so I asked for extra tickets and handed them out. Cam wanted to include Danny and Leo, so we invited them as well. Liz and I shopped for a dress for me to wear under my gown and finally found one in Nordstrom's on Michigan Avenue where we also let a pretty young woman do our makeup and convince us to buy the products she'd used. All in all, it was a time of celebration.
The only downside of things was when, two weeks before graduation, Cam, Liz, and I were called to testify in Victor's trial. It was unsettling to see him again after all the damage he'd done, but when the verdict came down and the judge sentenced him to life in prison for kidnapping and attempted murder, we were all relieved. I watched him being led away in handcuffs and felt sad that he hadn't been able to find another way to deal with his rage and frustration.
"You okay?" Cam asked as I stood in the doorway of the courtroom staring at the empty stand.
"Yeah, fine." I nodded as I took his hand and turned my back on the past.
Chapter Forty-Three
Cam
It took me until Alex's graduation to make it through rehab, and even after the physical therapist pronounced me in tiptop shape, I wasn't sure I wanted to return to the fire department. I had developed a new perspective on life and I wasn't sure I wanted to spend my days running into burning buildings anymore. It was hard to admit, but once I told Alex how I felt, she encouraged me to explore other options.
Leo was adamant that I come work at CSC and help him deal with the surge in new business. I agreed to try that for a while, but I wasn't sure that's where I wanted to spend the rest of my time. Yet, I wasn't sure what other options I had. I'd spent the past decade running from what had happened to Quinn, so much so that I hadn't spent much time focusing on doing what would make me happy.
"You should think about doing home renovation," Alex said two nights before she was to graduate. "You did such an amazing job with this place and there are tons of homes that need updates and overhauls. This neighborhood alone would give you enough business to keep you hopping for the next five years!"
"I'll have to consider that," I said as I poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her. I raised my glass and toasted, “Here’s to you and your nursing degree!"
"It's hard to believe it's over," she said as she sipped her wine. "But it's nice that I'll be working at General in the ER. I like it there."
"I like having you there, and I'd like to have you here, too," I said as I looked at her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small box that I'd been saving for the right moment, and this felt like it was it. I dropped to one knee next to her chair opening the box and said, "Alexandra Pierce, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Cam?" she said, completely caught off guard. "What? Oh my God! Yes!"
"Hmmm, interesting response. Not exactly the one I was expecting, but the affirmative will work." I laughed as I pulled the ring out of the box and placed it on he
r finger. It fit perfectly, and she stared at it for a moment before she threw her arms around me and kissed me.
I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply. It had been a long time since we'd had sex even though the doctor had cleared me for it a month before. We were both a little scared of what might happen.
Alex pulled back and looked at me expectantly, and I nodded. Taking her hand, I led her to the bedroom where I slowly removed her clothing stopping to kiss every inch of bare skin that I exposed. When I finally pulled her lacy panties down to her ankles, I looked up at her in wonder. This beautiful woman had agreed to marry me, and I wanted to show her just how happy I could make her.
I gently pushed her back onto the bed and spread her legs as my fingers traced a path around her nipple down to the warmth between her legs. She moaned softly and pushed her hips up as I teased her outer lips before sinking my fingers between them and stroking a path from top to bottom.
"Cam..." she moaned as I found the center of her pleasure and pressed on it before letting up and circling it over and over. "Oh my God..."
"Mmm, feels good, doesn't it?" I whispered as I leaned down and kissed her lips while my fingers dove deeper and stroked her inner walls. Alex lifted her hips and moved to the rhythm of my long lazy strokes while I used my other hand to unzip my own pants. I let them drop to the floor as I pulled my fingers out, much to Alex's chagrin.
"Don't stop," she whispered as I moved on top of her and slid my swollen shaft up and down coating it in her slick warm wetness. And then, in one swift thrust, I was inside her, feeling the tightness and heat encircling me as I slowly pulled back and then thrust forward again.
Alex moaned more insistently as she gripped my shoulders and pushed her hips up to meet my thrusts. I could feel her naked skin sliding against mine as we climbed higher and higher searching for the release we'd been aching for. I braced myself as I felt a twinge, and when Alex saw the brief wave of pain cross my face, she pushed me sideways and rolled me onto my back so that she could straddle me.
I held my breath as I watched her move on top of me. She looked so beautiful rising above me like a nymph as she moved her hips back and forth. I held my breath as I tried to stave off the inevitable climax, but it had been too long to wait, and in an instant I felt it all come crashing down on me as I came, crying out her name. Alex kept moving as she raced toward the same conclusion. She leaned forward and ground herself against me as she found her own orgasm. I watched as she fell forward burying her face in my neck as our bodies jerked and moved in the throes of intensity neither one of us could deny.
I held on to her tightly as we waited for our breathing to return to normal and felt like I was the luckiest man in the whole world.
Chapter Forty-Four