TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 270

Two hundred and seventy

Lisa pov

Cameron and I stayed in each other’s arms. I had no idea how long we stood there. We kissed, I cried, and every emotion I could possibly feel crashed over me. Shock. Relief. Joy. Love. After everything we’d survived, he was finally standing here, and he was truly mine.

“It’s real,” he said, cupping my face as he laughed. He kissed my forehead, my cheeks, the corners of my eyes, wiping away my tears between kisses. “I still can’t believe it. Somebody pinch me.”

I pinched his arm.

“Ouch.” He laughed even harder and pulled me back into his arms. “I walked right into that one.”

I smiled through my tears.

“I love you, Lisa,” he said. “I love you with everything in me. And I can’t wait to show you off to the world.”

I looked past him.

Mom and Kieran stood near the foyer, smiling quietly as they watched us. Their hands were linked together.

Then Cameron stepped back.

Before I could ask what he was doing, he dropped to one knee.

I stared at him.

“Cameron…”

He looked up at me with a smile.

“We don’t have to rush into anything you’re not ready for. I know that’s a journey of its own, and I don’t want to put any extra stress on you before our son’s here.”

He reached into his pocket and took out a small velvet box.

“But I want you to know, in front of the two people we love and respect most, exactly where my heart is.”

He opened the box.

A ring rested inside.

“I’ve loved you long before I understood what love really was. I chose you before I knew you were my mate, and I’d choose you again every single time.”

Fresh tears blurred my vision.

“So…”

He smiled.

“Will

you marry me when all this is finally behind us?”

I laughed through my tears.

“You really think you still have to ask?”

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the nunc and and eventy

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“I’d rather hear you say it.”

I held out my hand.

“My answer is yes. It was always going to be yes.

He slipped the ring onto my finger, stood, and pulled me into another kiss.

I wrapped my arms around him and smiled against his lips.

Every doubt I’d ever carried disappeared, and whatever waited for us after today, I knew one thing with absolute certainty that I loved Cameron. And I would spend the rest of my life making sure he never had to question that again.

Three months later.

The first contraction hit at four in the afternoon.

I stopped halfway across the room and grabbed the edge of the table. At first, I blamed the noodles.

Mom and I had just finished eating the ramen noodles we’d both been craving. She was in her first trimester and had suddenly developed an obsession with anything spicy.

“Mom…”

She looked up. I managed a smile.

“I think it’s time.”

Another contraction hit, stronger than the first. Mom rushed upstairs for her phone.

“Stay where you are.”

I nodded.

After that, everything blurred together.

By the time I could think straight again, they were wheeling me into the delivery room.

Cassidy and Joanna were already there, speaking quietly while Cassidy collected the bag we’d packed weeks ago. They helped me onto the delivery bed. I looked around. Shelves lined one wall, filled with bowls, herbs, bottles, clean towels, and medical supplies.

A knock sounded.

Cassidy opened the door as Cameron and Dr. Harry hurried in. Cameron came straight to my side and took my hand while Dr. Harry scrubbed his hands and pulled on a pair of gloves.

“We’re going to check the baby’s position,” the midwife said.

The room suddenly felt crowded.

Normally, I would’ve wanted everyone out, but I wanted every single one of them to stay.

I couldn’t stop wondering if I would survive this.

I looked at Cameron. He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles before pressing another kiss into my palm.

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Tae-hundred and seventy

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“I’m here, my darling. You’re not doing this alone.”

Joanna snapped her fingers and the heavy doors swung shut and metal bolts slid into place. She walked around the room, drawing strange markings across the doors with white chalk.

There were no electric bulbs inside. Several lamps were lit instead. Thin streams of fragrant smoke curled into the air from clay bowls.

Another contraction ripped through me.

“It’s coming!” I cried.

Cameron stayed beside me, talking softly while I crushed his hand between both of mine.

The contraction bent me forward. The midwife waited until it eased before examining me again.

“How much longer?” Cameron asked.

“If babies answered that question, we’d all retire, “the midwife said with a laugh, causing some people to chuckle

The laughter hadn’t even faded when something slammed into the outside wall.I looked toward the door.

“What was that?”

“Stay with us, Lisa,” Cameron said.

Mom rubbed my leg. “We’re all here.”

Joanna didn’t turn around.

“They’re here.”

Rain hammered the roof as another impact rattled the building.

Fear settled over me. Joanna walked to the center of the room carrying a long wooden staff. She planted its base firmly against the floor.

“You’ve come a long way,” she called toward the door as another crash shook the walls. “And you’ll leave exactly the way you came.”

Silence answered.

“You’ve spent generations stealing what was never yours. This child isn’t yours.”

A voice echoed from somewhere beyond the walls.

“Hand over the vessel.”

I cried out as another contraction hit.

“No.”

“She belongs to Meridian.”

“No.”

The voice came again.

“You cannot protect them forever.”

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Two hundred and venty

Dear Readers,

+15 Bghus

This isn’t the end of Lisa and Cameron’s story. Their journey continues in Book Two, and you’ll get to watch them navigate marriage, parenthood, and the mystery surrounding their son, Wesley.

While Book Two isn’t as long as Book One, I promise there’s so much more waiting for you. You’ll also meet anew set of characters whose stories will make you laugh, ache, hope, and fall in love.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I truly believe you won’t regret coming along for the next chapter. It’s a story about choosing love, every single day, and discovering what it really means to fight for the people who

matter.

To every single reader who has stayed with me, thank you!!!

Writing this book while pursuing my master’s degree hasn’t been easy. There were days I was exhausted, days I questioned myself, and days I simply didn’t feel like writing. But every time I remembered that people were waiting to see what happened to Lisa and Cameron, I came back. Your support reminded me that this story mattered to someone. 1

The truth is, you chose my book out of thousands on this app. I’m not claiming to be the best writer or to have written the greatest story ever told, which makes your decision to stay with me even more meaningful. I will never take that for granted.

I wish I could mention everyone by name because so many of you have been incredible. But I’m afraid I’d leave someone out, especially those of you who read quietly without commenting. Please know that I appreciate every single one of you.

If you’ve enjoyed this journey, I’d love to ask one small favor. Please consider leaving a comment on the book’s front page. Every comment and every bit of engagement helps the book reach more readers, and it also helps me earn enough to keep writing the stories I love to share with you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in me, Lisa, Cameron, and this world we’ve built together. I hope you’ll continue the journey with me in Book Two. I promise it’ll be worth it.

日

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