Page 58 of Camden

I never thoughtI’d end up here, with the love of my life laying across my chest, on the couch, as I played with her hair absentmindedly.

When I got home from my run, I immediately called my mother to see if she’d be willing to help me out for a second time. I knew I wanted to make Stephanie feel special before I told her how I felt. What I’d been feeling for a while. I never expected to walk back into my house to see a crying Stephanie talking to my mother. I swear to God, my heart stopped when I saw her face. But then I heard what she said, and I lost my breath.

She stole my breath.

My heart broke when she talked about her past. How she thought I could see her as anything but incredibly strong was beyond me. My vision blurred, and my fist clenched as she told me what he did. The jackass was damn lucky that he lived almost twenty hours away. I’d kill him if he came anywhere near her again.

I still had so many questions about her past and we’d get there, but for now, I was content to hold her. The stove timer went off an hour ago. We sat together and ate dinner before I pulled her close to watch a movie. I hadn’t watched a single second. My mind continued to race about everything she’d revealed. How this beautiful, smart, amazing person could have gone through what she did and come out even more amazing was mind-boggling.

“You’re nothing like him, you know?” she whispered. Her voice sounded raw, I assumed, from crying. She’d been quiet for so long, I thought maybe she’d fallen asleep.

“Of course, I’m not. I would never in a million years hurt you like he did. You’re my world now, Stephanie. I hope you understand that.” I kissed the top of her head before she pushed up to look at me. Her hand laid right above my racing heart as she rested her chin on her hand. “I want to marry you. Watch you grow with my babies. I want to watch our family grow as I grow old with you.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I want all of that with you, too. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Good. I promise you it will happen.”

She pressed a kiss to my chest. “I wasn’t talking about Jax, though.” My jaw reflexively clenched at the sound of his name. I never wanted to hear it from her beautiful voice again. Mentally, I stashed the name away so I could pull a background report on him. I’d do everything in my power to keep Stephanie safe, which included keeping tabs on him. Maybe, if we were lucky, he’d fuck up enough to get thrown in jail.

“I was talking about your dad. You’re nothing like him.” I froze for a minute before I continued playing with her hair. “Your mom told me about him. About what he did. She’s amazing, you know?”

“She’s one of the most amazing people I have ever known,” I said.

“Do you know what I find the most inspiring about her?”

“That she survived living with a monster?” My nostrils flared at the thought of my father. Thankfully, he was still locked up.

“That is one thing,” Stephanie agreed. “But, it was actually that while living in that hell, she still kept her children safe and loved. You are an amazing man. She told me it was one of your fears. That you were worried that I was going to be afraid of you. It doesn’t matter if you’re related to him. You, Camden James, are the best man. You could’ve easily seen how he treated women and thought it was normal. Natural. But you didn’t. You protect those that can’t protect themselves. You put yourself on the line every day.”

“Is that really how you see me?”

“Of course it is. I love you, Camden. I love that you overcame the influence your father placed on you. I love that you helped your mother escape a life she didn’t think she could get out of on her own.”

My brow furrowed. “She told you that?”

“No. But I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about it?”

I stroked her back. “I don’t think you need to hear that story.”

“I want to. I want to know everything about you, and that includes the darkness. You have seen my dark place. You offered to help me carry some of my load, just by asking about it and standing beside me. Let me carry some of yours.”

Fuck. My lungs tightened. I was in awe of her. Stephanie might have had darkness in her past, but she was full of light.She was my light. “You are amazing,” I told her, and her face softened with love.

“I know.”

My cheek twitched. Inhaling deeply, I began telling the story I tried to shove into the past.

The memory I wanted to permanently delete.

“I joined the force when I was eighteen. I was young, but I wanted out from underneath my father’s hold. I wanted to make enough money to get myself out of that situation and eventually my mother as well. Luckily, Stacey had already moved into the dorms. One night, after having dinner with ma, Stacey drove my dad to the liquor store. She called me, freaking out. Said dad had taken his hunting knife into the store. She had a terrible feeling about what was going to happen, and she was worried that she would somehow have been an accomplice to whatever he was going to do. I was on shift with Mason. We called in for backup and headed over to the store. Stacey had moved her car across the street and locked her doors like I instructed her to do on the phone. I stood with her as Mason and two others arrested my father. He had stabbed the clerk in the arm as he was attempting to rob the store. He was drunk and high. Thankfully, the clerk made a full recovery, but they charged my dad with armed robbery and attempted murder. He’s currently sentenced to thirty years without the possibility of parole. My sister, Mason, and I all had to testify against him in court.”

Understanding filled her features. “So, if it weren’t for you, your dad might still be out. Still hurting your mother.”

“Possibly. I’d like to think I would’ve gotten her out before any more damage could be done. It wasn’t the first time he had attempted to rob a store. The first few times, he didn’t use my sister as a ride. He didn’t have a weapon. He would usually end up leaving with nothing. I don’t know what made him snap and resolve to using force. Maybe drugs or desperation.” I shook my head. “But I’m glad they caught him. I’m glad that he’s behind bars. I don’t feel any regret or guilt for putting him there. Does that make me a bad person?”

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