Chapter Forty Two
Hunter
The road stretched out ahead, headlights carving a tunnel through the dark. The hum of the truck was steady, the quiet between us broken only by the occasional shuffle as Camille shifted in her seat, tugging at the hem of her top in an attempt to make herself smaller.
I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to.
That she didn’t need to change a single thing to fit into my world.
But I knew her well enough by now to understand that silence wasn’t indifference, it was nerves.
She was probably overthinking everything.
What my friends would think. What their wives would say. Whether she’d measure up.
She didn’t see what I saw: a woman who held her whole world together with both hands and still found room for me in it.
I glanced at her, curls framing her face, lips pressed tight like she was holding back a storm.
“You okay?” I asked softly.
She gave me the world’s smallest smile. “Define okay.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Is that your response to everything today?”
Her laugh had a nervous edge to it.
The truth was, I was just as nervous as she was.
Not about her, never about her, but about me.
Because tonight she’d see me in a version of myself that was different than the man she’d been spending time with.
Around my old unit, I defaulted to the easy mask: the Marine who laughed too loud, threw back beers, and dodged real talk.
The man who kept things surface-level, because digging deeper meant facing what I’d buried.
But with her, I didn’t want to be that guarded version anymore.
I wanted her to see the real me, the one I wasn’t sure I even knew how to show.
Part of me worried I wouldn’t measure up.
Not just to her, but to the idea of who I was supposed to be.
Could I balance the world I left behind, all the discipline and walls I’d built, with the warmth she offered so freely?
The fear sat heavy, whispering that maybe I’d never quite fit in either place, that I’d end up letting her down in ways I couldn’t even name.
To lighten the air, I grinned. “So… just a heads up. The guy hosting? His wife makes these insane brownies. But I call dibs on at least two.”
She snorted, covering her mouth. “Oh, I’ll fight you for them.”
“There it is,” I teased, pointing at her. “The competitive streak. You only hid it at mini golf.”
Her laugh was easier this time, shoulders dropping as the tension bled away. And in that moment, with her laughter filling my truck, her hand brushing mine, the night unfolding ahead of us, I felt it again. That dangerous, thrilling thing I’d been trying not to name. Hope.
By the time we pulled into the driveway, laughter and music spilled out into the night. The house glowed with porch lights, silhouettes moving behind wide front windows.
Camille stiffened beside me, her hand twisting in her lap. I could almost feel her thoughts buzzing. I killed the engine and reached over, brushing my thumb across the back of her hand. “Hey.”
She looked at me, wide-eyed.
“You don’t have to prove anything to them,” I said quietly. “You’re with me. That’s all that matters.”
Her lips pressed tight, but her shoulders dropped a fraction. “You make it sound easy.”
I grinned. “That’s because it is.”
???
Inside, the smell of barbecue hit me first, followed by the familiar sound of a couple of my old unit guys laughing too loudly, competing to tell the best story. For a second, I was back on base, surrounded by my brothers. Only this time, I wasn’t alone.
“Bennett!”
Mike’s voice cut across the room before I even saw him. He barreled through the crowd with a beer in hand and the same grin he always wore. He clapped me on the back hard enough to rattle my teeth. “You actually showed up!”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I said, steadying myself. “Brought someone I want you to meet.”
Camille hovered close, her curls catching the warm light, eyes wary but steady. I slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her in. “This is Camille.”
Mike’s grin widened. “Nice to finally meet the woman who tamed him.” He said, slapping me on the back.
Her cheeks flushed, and I felt her stiffen, but I squeezed her side gently. “Ignore him,” I murmured. “He thinks he’s funny.”
She glanced at me, lips twitching. “I’ve noticed you keep those kinds of friends.”
“Occupational hazard.” I teased.
One by one, the guys filtered over: Nick, with his dry humor and that knowing look that always felt like a quiet check-in; Logan, tall and solid, a little quieter now that life had slowed him down, his daughter Harper tucked against his shoulder.
Nick raised an eyebrow as he reached us. “Well, hell. Bennett’s domesticated.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nice to see you too.”
Camille held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Camille.”
Nick took it with a grin. “We’ve heard plenty. Glad to see you’re real. We were starting to think he was lying.”
Logan chuckled. “Yeah, man’s been smiling at his phone like a teenager.”
Camille laughed, the tension in her posture melting away as she glanced at me.
“Camille,” Logan said, shifting Harper into her arms. “This is my daughter, Harper.”
Harper blinked at Camille, then reached out to touch her necklace, fingers tracing the tiny pendant.
“Pretty,” Harper said solemnly.
“Thank you,” Camille whispered, her smile so soft it hurt to look at.
Logan’s eyes met mine over their heads, a small grin tugging at his mouth.
“She’s good with kids,” he said later, low enough only I could hear.
“She’s got three,” I said. “Good ones. You should bring Harper by sometime. They’d love her.”
Logan nodded. “Yeah, we can do that.”
Across the room, Nick whistled. “Listen to you — already making play dates. Guess you’re officially one of us now.”
I smirked. “You’re just jealous I get to sleep past six a.m.”
Nick laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Give it time. You’ll join the club soon enough.”
We drifted toward the kitchen, the noise growing louder as beers were cracked open and stories got taller. It was comfortable…too comfortable, maybe.
I wasn’t standing outside looking in. I was in it. Surrounded by laughter, music, people I trusted, and Camille right in the middle of it all. Glowing in a way that I couldn’t stop watching.
Somewhere between Mike’s bad jokes and Sarah’s brownies (which I only got one of, because Camille beat me to seconds), I realized the truth.
This wasn’t just about proving she fit into my world. It was about me realizing she had already been a part of it.
Later in the evening, as the room was buzzing with stories and laughter, I noticed Camille had wandered toward the kitchen, drawn into a conversation with one of the wives about school. She was smiling warmly, curls catching the light.
And that’s when Sean slid in.
Sean, the kind of guy who thought charm was currency and didn’t notice when it ran out. He wasn’t a bad man, just one who’d never learned the line between friendly and flirting.
He leaned in close to Camille, his hand braced casually on the counter near her hip. She laughed politely but in a careful way that told me she wasn’t sure how to brush him.
Jealousy wasn’t something I let myself feel often.
In the military, it was pointless. But standing there, watching another man angle toward her, stirred something primal in me.
The jealousy didn’t feel ugly. It felt clarifying, because tonight, with her by my side, I wasn’t guessing anymore.
I knew I couldn’t let anyone else have her.
She wasn’t just a date I brought. She was mine.
Nick, standing next to me, caught my shift before I even moved. “Uh oh,” he muttered, half amused. “Here we go.”
I set my beer down slowly.
“Sean doesn’t mean anything by it,” Nick said.
“Doesn’t have to,” I replied.
Logan’s brow lifted, a ghost of a smirk forming. “Man, I haven’t seen that look on you before. You about to take him down or just glare him into submission?”
I ignored them both and crossed the room. My steps were easy, but my pulse wasn’t.
Camille saw me coming, relief flickering in her eyes just before I reached her.
I slipped an arm around her waist, the move natural, unforced — like muscle memory I didn’t know I had. “Careful, Sean,” I said lightly, but there was steel beneath it. “You’re talking to my girl.”
Sean froze mid-laugh. “Hey, no offense, man. Just talking.”
“Well, now you’re done,” I said easily, smiling like it was a joke. But I didn’t move my arm.
Camille leaned back into me, allowing her body to be soft against mine while her hand found its place resting on my chest. Her cheeks flushed, but her eyes gleamed with something that looked an awful lot like trust.
I leaned down, murmuring just for her, “You look too damn good tonight to expect me not to notice when someone else does.”
She nudged me with her elbow, whispering back, “Play nice, Marine.”
“Always.”
Sean laughed it off, moving on, but I didn’t miss the look Logan shot me from across the room, both half-teasing and half approving.
Later, when the laughter died down and the kids were half-asleep on the couch, we all sat out on the deck. The night smelled of smoke, beer, and fresh California air.
Nick cracked open another bottle, leaning back in his chair. “You know,” he said, nodding toward Camille inside, “You did good, Bennett.”
Logan nodded. “Yeah. She fits.”
I stared through the sliding glass door at her laughing softly with Sarah, her hands moving as she spoke, that light in her eyes I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of seeing.
“She’s it, boys.” I said quietly.
Nick smirked. “Careful, man. That’s how it starts. Next thing you know, you’re buying a minivan.”
I snorted. “Not a chance.”
“Uh-huh,” Logan said. “That’s what Nick said too.”
We all laughed, but then the quiet settled again, the kind that said more than words could.
“You good, brother?” Logan asked, finally.
“Yeah,” I said, meaning it. “Better than I’ve been in a long time.”
Nick nodded. “That’s all that matters.”