Inside was a picture of Kamp’s smiling profile.
Kamp expelled a breath and his shoulders sagged. Remi couldn’t look at his face right now or she would lose the battle with the tears welling up in her eyes.
“Can I hug you?” he asked. He looked up at Sophia. “Can I hug him?”
Two tears streaked down Sophia’s face and she sniffed, then nodded.
Raider moved first. He wrapped his little arms around Kamp’s neck, and Kamp pulled him into his lap, held him close, and rocked him. “I never thought I would get to see you.”
“I’ll be back to get him tomorrow morning,” Sophia said thickly, turning on her heel. Her shoulders were shaking as she made her way to the trail that led to the parking lot.
Raider watched her go, his eyes round as saucers. Everyone watched her leave. Only Kamp spoke. “Sophia! Thank you.”
Remi stood there with her hands over her mouth, completely shocked with what was happening.
“You get to stay with me?” Kamp asked.
Shyly, Raider nodded. “Mommy said you’ll help me be a good lion so it doesn’t hurt so bad.”
“Okay.” Kamp looked around at the Crew and back to his son. “Okay,” he repeated. “Are you hungry?”
Raider nodded. Were his eyes somehow getting bigger? He looked like a cute little wood sprite if she ignored the growl that rattled his throat.
Remi stepped forward and knelt down beside them. “Hi, Raider.”
“I remember you.”
“Wait, you know her, too?” Kamp asked.
“Yeah, she was at Mommy’s flower shop. Is that a game?” he asked, pointing to the taped-up Cornhole boards.
“Yeah, do you want to play?” Rhett asked.
Grim now stood next to Beaston, right on the edge of the trees, his arms crossed over his chest. They were talking too low for Remi to hear, and then both retreated into the woods and disappeared like fog.
Raider handed Kamp his backpack and bolted for Rhett, who tossed him a beanbag. Raider missed it, and the giggle that bubbled up from him changed the makeup of the mountains. That sound… Remi couldn’t fully explain the impact it had on her soul. Like she’d been waiting her whole life to hear that little laugh. Her bear was quiet and watchful, practically purring when the boy got close to throwing the beanbag in the hole on the first try.
Beside her, Kamp helped her to her feet and asked, “Did you do this for me?”
“I went to see Sophia when I left. I had this plan to go back to the city afterward, but I wanted to fix your life before I disappeared from it. I wanted to give you a shot at happiness.” Her voice broke on the last word.
Kamp nodded over and over, his eyes roiling with emotion. He cupped her cheeks. “I love you, Remi Novak. You know that, right?”
A soft sob left her lips. She gripped his wrists, nuzzled her cheek against his hand. “I love you, too.”
He pressed his lips to hers, let them linger there before he eased away. A smile illuminated his face right before he called out to Rhett and Raider, “Do you two want to play doubles?”
With Remi tight against his side, one arm draped around her shoulders and his cub’s little blue backpack dangling from his fist, he led them toward the others.
And as she watched Kamp teach Raider how to toss a beanbag, she knew it was time.
He’d asked her once to choose a moment when she was proud of him and wanted to ask for his claiming mark. She would never forget this moment, watching her mate beside his boy. Feeling his happiness, watching his easy smile, hearing his deep laughter intermixed with Raider’s giggles.
Her father had asked her if Kamp made sense to her, and she’d only nodded because she hadn’t been able to find words big enough to answer.
She’d been in a wide, dark hole when she had shown up here, desperate to distract herself from her own pain. And she’d found medicine. She’d found Kamp. She’d found a balm to her aching soul. He made her feel like more than enough. He’d given her a Crew. And yeah, they were a mess, all broken in their own ways. They were a Crew of old rusted blades, their edges all chipped and jagged, but they worked. He was giving her a boy-of-the-heart, as her father had put it. She had purpose here, a drive, a happy future. Kamp had given her a place. He’d given her a home. 1010. Trust. Love. Devotion.
The only thing he hadn’t given her was a claiming mark.
As Rhett took a turn, Kamp’s attention arched to her. Standing next to his cub, he gave her the biggest, happiest grin she’d ever seen on his face.
“I’m ready,” she murmured just loud enough for him to hear.
Ready to be claimed, ready to be paired up, ready to grow her roots deep, right here in these mountains with the man she loved.
Oh, he knew exactly what she meant. She could tell in the way his smile changed. How it softened. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her—with all of her imperfections and baggage. She’d found the man who appreciated all of her.
This man not only made sense to her.
He made her whole life make sense.
Epilogue
Kamp looked down at the dead bunny on his front porch and sighed. Fucking Reaper wouldn’t stop leaving them here. He only did it on the weekend’s Kamp and Remi had visitation with Raider, so he was pretty sure the psycho was bringing his son presents, in his own slightly disturbing way.
Rhett was striding right for him, and Kamp viciously fought the urge to step back inside and close the door. It was too early for whatever Rhett was holding in his hand.
“I’ve brought a gift for the lad,” he said grandly.
Kamp bit back a sigh. “Why does that box have air holes?”
“Because I spied on you one time and heard Remi say mice are lucky, so I got a pet for Raider.”
“You got him a mouse?” Kamp whispered, trying not to tip off his son and Remi, who were eating breakfast inside.
“No. I got him something even better.” Rhett took the stairs two at a time and shoved the cardboard box into Kamp’s chest. The sound of scratching claws sounded from inside. Great.
Kamp opened one of the flaps carefully and gritted his teeth at what he found. Inside, there was a hideous, little hairless rodent. “Is that a mole rat?”
“Yep. Raider! I got you a pet, man. Come see your new childhood best friend.”
“For fuck’s sake, Rhett!” Kamp said as Rhett pulled the creature from the box. “Are those even legal to have as pets? Where did you steal it from?”
Rhett cuddled it against his chest. He tried to nuzzle it with his cheek, but it bit him, and Rhett flinched. Served him right. “Never you mind.”
“Remi said a nice mouse with giant nuts is lucky. That looks like a female, and she seems rabid.”
“Females are the better sex,” Rhett said with a shrug as he tried to pet the little bald creature’s nose. When it bit him again, he yelped and flinched back. “Plus, it’s funny to have a female pet that looks like a wrinkly dick. Raider-man! Come here!”
“Coming!” came his son’s little squeaky voice from inside, followed by the echo of little footsteps.
Kamp was going to kill Rhett. “Remember when I said no pets for him yet?”
“No. You said I couldn’t get him a wombat, a golden eagle, or a cobra. You didn’t say anything about mole rats.”
“I hate you,” Kamp muttered just as Raider rushed out the door and past his legs. He was wearing Kamp’s yellow hard hat that kept slipping around his head. “Boy, don’t touch her. She bites.”
“Like every girl,” Rhett said with a bright smile as he knelt down to show Raider the little monster.
“What is that?” Remi asked from the open doorway, looking horrified.
“Say hello to…wait, what should we name her?” Rhett asked Raider.
“Waffles with Peanut Butter!”
Okay, Kamp now had to work to hide his smile. Remi had made Raider his favorite waffles smeared with peanut butter for breakfast.
“Good choice, buddy,” Kamp said, ruffling his hair.
Rhett flinched his hand back again and whispered, “I want to love her, but she’s just so angry.”
