He glanced at Dani and my mom, both smirking behind me as co-conspirators. “Thank you for talking her into this.”
“Oh, she owes us.” Dani quipped.
“Big time,” my mom added with a wink.
I groaned. “I hate you all.”
As Hunter opened the passenger door and held it for me, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Because even with the guilt, the nerves, the insecurities, and the endless doubts, I wanted to see his world.
I wantedhim.
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’dbeen 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.
