Chapter 10
TEN
Camden
Lymric groans, shifting beneath the sheets, her head buried under the pillow like she’s trying to block out the entire world.
I smirk from where I’m standing, leaning against the doorway with my arms crossed. She’s a mess—her hair tangled, her makeup smudged, her body curled into a tight ball like she’s trying to disappear.
"Too bright," she mutters, her voice rough and hoarse.
"You’re hungover," I say, stepping into the room with a bottle of water and two aspirin. "That’s what happens when you drink your body weight in tequila."
She groans again, her arm reaching out blindly, fingers wiggling for the bottle.
"You’re not allowed to sound so smug right now," she grumbles, her voice muffled against the pillow.
I chuckle, crouching down beside the bed. "Drink."
She peeks one eye open, wincing like the act of moving even that much is painful, and takes the water and aspirin from my hands. She swallows them down with a wince before flopping back onto the pillow with a dramatic sigh.
"I think I’m dying," she declares.
"You’ll live," I promise, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Though I can’t say you don’t look like you fought in a war last night."
She groans louder, pulling the blanket up over her head. "Why did you come get me?"
I roll my eyes, tugging the blanket back down so I can see her face. "Because you called me."
She blinks up at me, her expression sleepy and unfocused. "I did?"
"You don’t remember?"
She scrunches her nose, obviously sorting through the haze of last night. "I mean… kinda? I remember talking to you. I just don’t remember why I called."
"You called because you needed me."
She exhales slowly, her expression unreadable. But something shifts in her—her body relaxing, the tension easing from her face.
"Thanks," she whispers.
"Anytime."
For a long moment, neither of us speaks. She stares at me, her lips slightly parted, like she wants to say something but isn’t sure how.
Then she swallows, her fingers gripping the edge of the blanket. "Camden, we need to talk."
I knew this was coming.
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, we do."
She pushes herself up so she’s sitting against the headboard, pulling the covers tightly around her. "I love you."
The words hit me straight in the chest.
Even though I knew she felt it. Even though I’ve been waiting—aching—to hear her say it.
I cup her face, brushing my thumb over her cheek. "Say it again."
Her breath shakes, and her lips curve into a small, nervous smile. "I love you, Camden."
Everything in me settles at those words.
But then she bites her lip, hesitation flickering across her face, and my stomach clenches.
"I love you," she continues, "but I also love my job. I love traveling, I love working, I love everything about what I do." Her fingers twist in the blanket. "And I don’t want to give that up."
I frown. "Who the hell said you had to?"
She blinks, clearly caught off guard. "I just thought?—"
I shake my head, climbing onto the bed beside her. "Baby, I was never going to ask you to stay here if you didn’t want to. That’s not who I am, and that’s not who we are."
Her lips part, her brows knitting together.
I take her hands, squeezing them tightly. "Listen to me. I don’t care where we live. I don’t care if we’re in Wolf Valley, or Los Angeles, or some tiny island in the middle of nowhere. As long as I’m with you, I’m home."
Her throat bobs. "But what about your job?"
I shrug. "I’ll figure it out. I can help out at Semper Fly when we’re in town, maybe pick up contract work here and there. I can find something new, something flexible. I’ve got options."
"But—"
I cut her off by leaning in, pressing my forehead against hers. "The only thing I don’t have an option on is you, Lymric. I’m not letting you go."
She inhales sharply, her fingers gripping mine tighter. "You’d really do that? Just… pack up and come with me?"
"In a heartbeat."
She blinks rapidly, like she can’t quite believe what she’s hearing. "I thought—I was so scared this was going to be an impossible choice. That I’d have to pick between you and my career."
I shake my head, running my thumb over her knuckles. "Baby, the only choice you ever have to make is to be with me. Everything else? We figure it out together."
She exhales a shaky breath, her whole body relaxing.
And then—before I can say another word—she launches herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she buries her face against my shoulder.
I hold her tight, my fingers sliding into her hair as I breathe her in.
"You’re really mine?" I murmur.
She pulls back, cupping my face in her hands. "I was always yours," she whispers. "I was just too scared to admit it."
I smirk. "Not scared anymore?"
"Terrified," she admits. "But I love you more."
My chest aches in the best way.
I tilt my head, brushing my lips against hers.
It starts slow—soft, sweet, her breath mixing with mine.
Then she presses closer, and I groan, deepening the kiss and pulling her into my lap.
She’s mine.
Finally, fully , mine.
And I’ll follow her to the ends of the earth to keep it that way.