Derek

"Mommy, there's a SWING SET!" Riley shrieked, flying out the back door and out into the yard. She hopped into the swing and immediately started pumping her legs.

"Be careful, Riley!" Camryn called after her, shaking her head and laughing.

"So was I right?" I took her hand, spinning her around to face me. "Do you like this place even more?"

"It's incredible. This is where your grandparents lived?"

I nodded. "Once they were gone, I couldn't bear to part with it. Cole brings his family up here sometimes to vacation, but mostly, it just sits exactly how they left it."

That was how I liked it. It was the perfect cabin nestled deep into the woods. There were a few houses close by, but most of the neighbors were wildlife. I used to love sitting on the giant wrap around deck with my binoculars, spotting eagles and moose and sometimes even bears. The yard was completely flat with lush grass and lined with a rainbow of wildflowers. When we were young, my grandpa always used to pick a bunch to bring in to my grandma, and she'd always act surprised no matter how many times he did it. There were dense trees on one side, and a miles-wide lake on the other. It went so far you couldn't even see land on the other side.

There was a large sandbox by the swing set Riley was on, and after it rained, they'd fill it with coins and had us convinced the rain would bring them magically. We'd spend hours digging them up and then take our earnings to the Candy store. My grandma was always baking something, and the house smelled incredible every time you came. Sometimes I still caught a whiff of her banana cake when I walked in. They didn't have cable or Internet when I was growing up and we were forced to play outside and use our imagination. Although we'd added those things now, I still loved the sentiment. Cole and I played pirates and astronauts and built about a hundred forts in these woods. It had been years since I'd been back, but it still felt so fresh in my memory. I had so many special memories here and to see Camryn and Riley in this place was surreal.

"Well, it's incredible. And Riley is making herself right at home." Cam smiled, glancing out into the backyard again. "You're sure we're safe here?"

"This is probably the safest place in the world for you right now." I assured her, grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses. I led her out to a couple of rocking chairs on the deck. "The roads we took to get here aren't on a map, and most of the locals just keep to themselves. There is a security fence four-hundred yards out in every direction. It's so sensitive that sometimes mosquitoes set it off. Plus, I've got Tyler and his team posted up all around if need be, and I can press a button and steel, unpenetrable plates cover every window and door in the entire house. No one is getting in or out of this place without my approval."

Her eyes got wide as I handed her a glass of wine. "Is it weird that I find that both terrifying and relieving?"

I chuckled. "I would be worried if you weren't a little terrified of me, Cam."

"Oh, I'm not scared of you." She smirked, arching her eyebrow. "The whole smart house thing has always terrified me. What if it malfunctions and locks us in?"

I let out a sharp laugh. "Okay yeah. You're right. That is pretty scary."

We're sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping our wine and watching Riley play in the yard. She was having the time of her life, and so was I, just sitting up here watching her mother.

Cam was fucking gorgeous, and something about the fresh mountain air only amplified that. Her brown hair was tucked back by her sunglasses and a few loose curls framed her face. There was already a slight blush to her cheeks from the wine, and a smile tugged at her lips as she watched Riley. Her love for her daughter made her absolutely glow. She had one leg propped up in the chair and the other dangled down as she wiggled her painted red toes every few minutes. Her jacket hung off of one shoulder, exposing her bare skin, and all I could think about was the masterpiece I'd see if it fell a little lower.

I could see the sunset reflecting in those deep chocolate eyes and it literally was taking every ounce of my strength not to grab her and carry her inside, where I could have my way with her. I wanted to so fucking bad, but I knew that was something I had to approach delicately, reminding myself I was following her lead. I could envision a lot of cold showers in my future, especially if she was always going to be looking like a smoke show.

"When was the last time you were up here?" She asked, drawing me out of my thoughts. It was a good thing, because my hard on was making it painfully obvious where my head was at.

"It's been years. Probably since my grandma's funeral." I sighed, talking a gulp of wine.

"Why stay away so long if you love it so much?"

"Life just gets in the way. I've been busy and needed a good reason to come back, I guess." I shrugged. I really should never have let it go so long. This place was like a slice of Heaven and had such a calming effect on my soul.

"Well, I'm glad we could give you that good reason." She smiled, reaching over for my hand.

Every time Cam initiated a touch or kiss between us, I was elated. I loved when her guard came down and her true personality crept out. She was so fiery and vibrant under the layers of hurt and trauma, and getting a glimpse of that was becoming one of my new favorite things.

I wondered what she was like before she has been broken by her years with Robby. Someday, I'd have her completely uninhibited. Back to the girl she was before, with no more walls and no more fears and no more apprehension. I couldn't wait to see that version of her, because I was already falling fast and hard for the little pieces I was seeing now.

She looked a million miles away, lost in her own thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I don't want to ruin this." She said. "This is so peaceful and beautiful and it will just put a damper on things."

"I don't care." I said. "Sometimes talking things out, even if they're hard, can be helpful. I want to know."

Cam bit her lip. "Honestly, I was thinking about that woman that you tried to help before me."

I tensed up. That was an answer I wasn't expecting. I thought she would say she was thinking about Robby or worried about someone finding us or something like that.

"What about her?"

"What makes me different from her? Why did she go back to her husband?" Cam pressed her lips together tightly.

"She wasn't ready. From the very beginning, I could tell she wasn't committed to it and I should never have started the process until she was." I ran my fingers through my hair.

I fucked up. I wanted to help her so badly, but she didn't see what a dangerous situation she was in. When we got down to the nitty gritty of it, she was hesitant. And it was that moment of hesitancy that got her killed. It still haunted me, and why I had almost refused completely when Cole approached me about this. Jesus, I was glad I had agreed, though.

"But you thought I was ready?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah. I had sworn up and down I was never going to get involved in anything like this again, but Cole convinced me to meet with you. And that day we met at the restaurant, I could see it in your eyes. You knew that if you stayed, he was going to kill you both, even if you didn't want to admit it out loud. Even if you still don't. I know that, in back of your mind, you believe that. And you were willing to do whatever it took to keep your daughter safe. That's why this is different. Why you're different."

"I couldn't have ever done it without your help, though."

"Of course you could have. You did for years. The bullshit you dealt with in the name of keeping the peace around there is incredible. You let that son of a bitch beat the shit out of you so that there was never a chance he would hurt Riley. You were keeping her safe long before you met me. I'm glad we met though, because now I can help shoulder some of that for you. You don't have to worry about it on your own, and you don't have to put up with what you have for so long."

A small smile crept across her lips. "You certainly have a way with words."

"Wait until you see what I can do with my hands."

Her smile only grew. "I can't wait."

The wine made her bold, and I was loving every second.

Riley came bounding up the stairs a few seconds later, and we headed into the house to all start making dinner together.

I grilled some steaks and nearly burnt them as I was distracted by the girls inside. Camryn was teaching Riley how to cut tomatoes for a salad, and it was about the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. Both of their giggles filled the air, and it was music to my ears. For years, I watched my brother with his family, knowing it was something that I could never have. This was new and premature, but for the first time in my life, I was starting to feel like it might be a possibility. Not just any family, though. I wanted the two of them.

We ate dinner and Riley played in the yard some more. It stayed light here for a while and, by the time it was her bedtime, she was exhausted, but not the least bit interested in sleeping. I loved spending time with her, but I was eager for some more alone time with Camryn.

She put up a small fight, but she was so tired she quickly fell asleep and Camryn came back out into the living room.

"Out like a light." She sighed, throwing herself down onto the couch next to me. I had the fire going and had brought out another bottle of wine while she was putting Riley to bed.

"You're not tired, are you?" I asked, refilling her glass. "I thought we could watch a movie or something. I always feel a little wired after a day of traveling." We'd only come a few hours from the apartment in Vancouver, but I was using any excuse I could to put off the two of going to our separate rooms for the night.

"A movie, huh?" She pursed her lips. "I was kind of thinking about something else."

My heart nearly stopped as she smirked, seductively batting her eyelashes at me. I didn't want to assume anything, but I was praying to God she meant what I thought she did.

Cam leaned forward, gently brushing her lips across mine. "What was that you were telling me about your hands earlier?"

That was all the invitation I needed. She was driving me fucking wild. I had been waiting for this for so long and, if she felt good about it, I wasn't going to wait another second.

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***If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence of any kind, please reach out to someone in your community. In the US, that number is 1-800-799-7233**