"Cam." Betsy stretched her arms a little and yawned, turning around slowly to face her boyfriend.
"Yeah baby." he mumbled, his eyes still closed.
She smiled warmly and kissed his cheek, thinking that he was hers and only hers. She didn't know when and how she finally gave in and started to trust other people, but she did and now she had a family, something she had missed since she was seven.
"That's it, Cam. Tomorrow we'll officially leave for college!" she was feeling so excited about it, about this new part of her life that was beginning. It made her feel older, almost an adult. But, strangely, it didn't scare her. It simply made her see a new side of her life, something she always considered a dream, an impossible aim, a stupid thing that would never belong to her. But now, at seventeen (going on eighteen) she was happy and optimistic.
She crashed her lips onto his, a gesture that had the power to wake him up completely.
"You're beautiful." he told her, pulling her as close as possible and inhaling her natural scent. "I am so happy to have you, Bets."
"Trust me Cam, I am the one to be considered happy." she answered with a bright smile. "Come on, get up! We have to do a lot of things today!"
Cameron groaned as he sat up straighter on his bed, knowing the most of the things Betsy had to do were spending the day at the hairdresser and buying more clothes than he could ever imagine.
"So," the girl continued, pulling a long white t-shirt over her head. "We're having breakfast with your parents and grandparents downstairs, and then we'll finish packing your stuff. Hopefully your dad will help. I promised Addison and Kevin we'd eat lunch at this new place Addison loves... we gotta be there at half past twelve. My hairdresser appointment is at three, but I'd like to spend a few hours with Henry if you don't mind." she zipped up her black jeans and took her hairbrush out of her purse. "I should be done by five maximum... Do you want to hang out with me and Addison?"
He rolled his eyes as he watched her put her makeup on. "No thanks. I'd rather spend some time with Evie and my parents before we live... but you have fun."
Betsy rolled her eyes as well, impressed by how much her boyfriend could hate shopping.
"So we'll have dinner together? Or we just see each other tomorrow morning."
"I don't know babe, we'll see." he got up and lovingly pecked her lips."Mmm, nice lip gloss."
They laughed, holding each other tight.
"I'm happy." Betsy said, kissing Cameron's neck and caressing his nape.
"I'm happy too."
When they went downstairs a few minutes later, Cameron's mother Hailey had just placed breakfast on the table where Evelyn, Micah and Cameron's grandparents Audrey and Simon were sitting.
"Hi Betsy!" Evie waved at her with excitement, and Betsy returned her smile with a wink.
"Good morning." Micah greeted them before taking a sip of orange juice.
"What would you like to eat, sweetie?"
Betsy sat down between Evie and Cameron, holding back a chuckle. Hailey was always so kind to her, even kinder than Addison could be. "I'll have some cookies and coffee, please."
"Here you are. Sugar?"
"Yes, two, please. Thank you." she took the mug and sipped the hot coffee, savoring its taste with her eyes closed. If there was a thing she needed in the morning, that was coffee.
"How are your parents, dear?"
"They're good." she smiled at her boyfriend's family. "They have their hands full with little Henry and they're going crazy about me leaving, but apart from that, they're good."
"I bet my son has something to do with your father going crazy." Micah winked.
"You're right." Betsy laughed, exchanging a quick glance with Cameron. She didn't exactly tell Addison and Kevin that she was sleeping at Cameron's house, although she was pretty sure that they at least suspected it. Saying goodbye to her friends from school before college had been a great excuse, but the look Addison gave her as she walked out of the front door the previous evening told her she knew the truth. She still had to figure out why she was allowing her to do it – it hadn't been so much time since their last big fight after all, just less than a year – but she was glad she could now rely on her adoptive parents without worrying about who was going to start the yelling.
"I have something I'd like you to give them, Betsy." Micah stood up and picked up a box with several bottles in it.
"I produced that wine with the grape I have in my vineyard, girl." Simon added with his hoarse voice. "It's the best you can find in this state."
Betsy nodded. "Thank you. They'll appreciate it so much. I wish I had something to give you in return."
Hailey put her hand on hers and gave her her sweetest look. "Loving my son is the best thing you could ever give me."
x
"Hey, here you are!" Betsy put her sunglasses on the table and lowered to give Henry a kiss.
"Hi, honey. Cameron."
"How are you?"
Cameron sat in front of Kevin, who was trying to hide his jealousy for his daughter's sake. "I'm great, thank you, Mrs. Nelson. What about you?"
"We're good." Addison squeezed Kevin's hand and moved her gaze towards Betsy. She looked radiant, happiness was now a constant part of her. "We missed you last night, sweetheart. Violet and Pete stopped by with Lucas and he asked about you."
"Lucas?" Cameron asked with questioning eyes.
"He's the son of Addison's colleagues Pete and Violet. He's about ten years old now, right?"
"Yeah he is." Addison nodded.
"So, are you ready for your big day?" Kevin studied Cameron over the menu. Deep down he knew he was a good guy and great – not perfect though, he suspected – for Betsy, but after all the girl had been through in her life, especially after Dell's death and before they adopted her, he felt over-protective and extra-cautious when she couldn't be. Plus, he was a cop.
"I'm excited. UCLA is really close to where I've always lived, but staying at the campus and not at my parents' house makes me feel more mature and surely this is the start of a new phase of my life. Our life." he turned his head towards Betsy and took her hand in his, smiling at her in his usual bright smile. "I'm glad I get to spend the next years of my life beside your daughter."
Cameron didn't say the word forever in his speech, but everybody at that table knew that he meant to stay with Betsy for the rest of his life.
x
The next morning, after the four parents had helped Cameron and Betsy to fill the car with their stuff, they all reunited in front of the Nelsons' house to say their goodbyes. Some guys from the practice were there too, excited to see Dell's daughter leave for college.
Addison, now unable to hold back her happy tears, pulled Betsy into a tight hug and caressed her hair sweetly. "We'll come and visit in the weekend." she whispered in her ear. "We'll take Henry with us, alright? And..."
"Addie, I'm not going to the moon. We'll still be in the same city, I'll simply be at the campus of UCLA instead of our home."
"I know, I just..."
Betsy smiled at her. "I'll visit soon, give me the time to settle in a little and plan a routine and then I'll come and visit."
"Alright." Addison nodded and let her go; Kevin instantly claimed her.
"Don't let that guy hurt you, Betsy. He may seem a good guy, but-"
"He is, Kevin. Just, you know, accept it." she smiled at him, running her hand on his arm. "I'll be good. I'm not exactly far away from here, we'll see each other so often that after a while it also might become annoying." she smirked, then placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Don't worry, okay?"
Kevin nodded. "Call as soon as you arrive."
"I will."
Betsy took Henry from Cooper's arms and held him tight for a moment, before giving him back to him with a last kiss. She ruffled Lucas's hair and winked at Evelyn; waved at her parents' friends and politely said goodbye to her boyfriend's parents.
"Ready." she told Cameron, who kissed her on her temple before giving his mother one last hug and getting in the car.
"Goodbye!" Betsy yelled as the car started moving, and she waved from the open window. The last thing she heard was Addison's voice, screaming 'I love you!'
A/N: And so chapter 21 is over. I felt a little sad as I wrote the goodbyes scene, because this means the story only has two chapters left, including the epilogue. I'm surprised at how much Betsy changed during the course of the story, although I was the one writing about her. I hope you enjoyed my story considering how rare the updates became over the summer.
For next chapter I had this things planned, which was a letter written by Betsy to Addison and Kevin while she is in college and has no time to go visit them, but now that I got to that point of the story I'm not sure I like it anymore. I could write something else, like Betsy going to a party with her new friends, or Betsy talking to her old friend Melinda after years of nothing, or Betsy and Cameron fluff, or again Betsy remembering about her childhood. I don't know, I'd like to write something different from all the other chapters, but I want you to choose. If you have other suggestions, as always, I'll be more than glad to hear them.