Chapter 6
SCOOP
T he sun was just beginning to make its morning appearance, casting a soft golden glow across the cabin walls, and still, I hadn’t moved.
Camille was curled against my chest, one bare leg tangled with mine, her breath warm and steady against my collarbone. My arm was tucked beneath her, and my other hand rested gently on her lower back, fingers splayed across soft skin I couldn’t seem to stop touching.
Camille.
Her name drifted through my head like a prayer. Like something sacred. And I couldn’t stop staring at her.
Last night, I’d touched every inch of her body. Heard her cry my name. Felt her come beneath me, then wrap herself around me like I was something good. Something safe.
And somehow, this part—watching her sleep—was the thing undoing me. She looked peaceful. Beautiful. Mine.
My chest tightened at the thought. I’d spent so long avoiding all these feelings—connection, responsibility, and vulnerability. I’d pushed women away before things could get serious, convinced I’d only let them down eventually.
But this woman had changed all that in one night. From the moment she called the fire station trying to order pizza, she’d gotten under my skin. But it wasn’t lust. It wasn’t even the way she looked at me like I was someone worth trusting.
It was her. Her wild, curious spirit, fighting its way out after a lifetime of being caged. Her bravery, despite the nerves. Her voice in the dark, whispering my name like it meant something.
And it did. Because I’d never felt more like myself than I did when she said it.
She stirred then, her brow scrunching slightly as she shifted in the sheets. Her leg slid a little higher over mine, her fingers curling lightly against my ribs. I watched her eyes flutter open, sleepy and soft and still a little dazed.
“Morning,” I said.
Her lips curved. “Morning.”
“Sleep okay?”
She nodded, tucking her face back into my chest. “Better than I ever have.”
God help me, I wanted to hold her there forever. But she tilted her chin a second later, her green eyes locking onto mine.
“You stayed.”
“I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Her smile widened, slow and sweet. “Good.”
It should have scared me, how right this felt. How fast everything had moved. But it didn’t. Because whatever this was, it wasn’t temporary. I’d never been more certain of anything.
“You hungry?” I asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
She groaned playfully. “Only if it involves more grilled cheese.”
“I can work with that.”
I leaned down and kissed her, soft and slow, just because I could. Just because she was mine to kiss now.
And when I pulled away, she looked at me like I’d given her the world. That smile…it undid every last defense I’d built up over the years.
It didn’t terrify me. It reassured me. It changed me.
“Stay in bed,” I told her. “I’ll bring breakfast in.”
“Mmm. A man who cooks and puts out fires? I’m keeping you.”
I kissed her one more time before slipping out from under the sheets and tugging on my pants. Even though I had my back to her, I felt the heat of her stare on my backside. I couldn’t hold back a smile, knowing she was watching me.
The morning passed like a dream. I made her another grilled cheese—this time with a fried egg tucked inside—and she made coffee.
We ate side by side on the couch, wrapped in the same blanket, stealing bites from each other’s plates and laughing when she spilled egg on her leg and I licked it off without a second thought.
After, we lay on the floor in front of the fireplace, our limbs tangled, her head on my chest. “I don’t want this to end,” she whispered.
“It doesn’t have to.”
She looked up at me, wide-eyed.
“I mean it, Camille. You don’t have to go back to your old life. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. Stay in Wildwood Valley. With me.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “You’re serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”
She blinked fast, like maybe she was trying not to cry. “You want me to move here? Permanently?”
“I live ten minutes from here. I make decent money, between my work with the fire department and helping out on the local logging crews on weekends. I can wait for you while you’re finishing school, and after that, we’ll figure it out.”
Her hand crept up my chest, pressing flat over my heart. “You’d do all that for me?”
I shook my head. “Not for you. With you. I want this, Camille. I want you. And I know you’ve got plans. Grad school, fall semester, all that?—”
“It’s online,” she said quickly. “I could stay here and still do everything. Classes, practicum hours—it’s all flexible.”
I exhaled. “Good. Because I wasn’t about to let you drive out of this town without fighting for you.”
She smiled through watery eyes. “You won’t have to.”
And I know it’s fast, and I know people will say we’re crazy, but I don’t care. This feels right. And I’m not walking away from it.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she smiled through them. “You really mean it.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I do.”
She curled into me, her cheek against my chest, and I felt her whole body relax. Like she’d finally found somewhere safe to land.
And she had. With me. For the rest of our damn lives.
We spent the rest of the day wrapped around each other, napping, touching, talking, laughing.
And that night, as we lay tangled in bed again, I pulled her close and whispered, “You’re not just the right girl. You’re the only girl. The only one I’ll ever want.”
She kissed me, slow and sweet. And in that moment, I knew it with absolute certainty. This wasn’t just a spark. This was forever.