Buck made Mila a plate and handed it to her as she sat next to him.

"That was a good hike today. I can't believe we lucked out with those laurels," Jackson said.

Buck stayed quiet, the shadow of his baseball cap blocking his expression.

"The weather has been good, too," Audrey added. "Although it's starting to get a bit chilly. I might change."

"Yeah, maybe I'll put on sweatpants instead of jeans," Jackson said.

Mila watched them disappear into their tent. She picked at her plate.

"Eat your food," Buck said, a low rumble.

She didn't respond, biting a carrot with a snap. She pieced together her thoughts.

"I get why you're upset," Mila said. "I should've told you as soon as it crossed my mind. I'm sorry."

Buck said nothing. Her heart raced in her chest, threatening to drop to her stomach.

"You're silly to think I don't need you. Where would I be if it wasn't for you?" she asked. "You've made me whole again, not a shell."

His head finally lifted. "You've done all of the work on your own."

There was a relief to hearing his voice.

"Don't be mad please," she whispered, bottom lip trembling, but she bit it back so hard that she tasted blood.

"I'm frustrated. I'm failing. I don't feel like you are comfortable talking to me. Mila, I don't even know about your life before me."

"You're right. You deserve to know, and I need to talk about it." She wanted to move on with her life, but a part of her would always be stuck in the past if she didn't open up and confide in another person. "You're not failing, though. Not at all."

"All of this over a fucking tent," he grumbled, before reaching for her. He took her hand. "We can finish talking about this when we go home. I know you were excited for this trip, so let's not waste anymore time."

He ran his thumb along her lip, releasing it from the grip of her teeth.

"Can't we talk now? Please? I don't want to deal with this anymore."

He nodded, and they headed for their tent.

She helped him make their bed, piling sleeping bags and blankets. The silence was tangible.

He sat, so she sat next to him. She took a deep breath.

"My dad beat my mom every single day. I think that's why Dave, my brother, beat me." she mumbled, cringing at the turmoil the memories brought up. She could throw up, it made her that upset.

He placed a comforting hand on her leg.

"My mom got sick. She passed away, and my dad left. I have no idea where he went. My whole life, I've only seen things one way. I blamed the test because that's the only thing I could blame."

Her tears fell quickly, faster then she could control them. She had never talked about this. It made it too real.

Buck lifted her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her securely. She hid her face into his shoulder.

"I am so sorry," she cried, muffled by his shirt. "Please don't be mad anymore."

"Shh," he cooed, running his hand along her back and calming her down. "I was being an ass. I shouldn't have ignored you. I'm sorry, Mila."

"I'm glad that you are able to deal with things on your own, but you don't have to. Please just talk to me," he murmured.

"I will," she said. She meant it. She never ever wanted to go through another incident like tonight ever again. She wanted to grow and move on, and she could do those things if she continued to be open to Buck.

They sat together, wrapped in each other's arms, until they heard Jackson and Audrey shuffling outside. Their tent was quite a ways away from the central area they had set up.

"I think we've made this awkward enough for them," Buck said and Mila nodded. "You didn't eat enough."

"Neither did you," she said.

"Let's go get a snack. A s'more?" he asked. She shrugged, not quite wanting to move from his hold.

He released her. She protested a bit, rubbing her eyes. He shuffled in his bag, pulling out a hoodie. He pulled it over her head.

"Just one more minute," she said, holding out her arms.

He gave in, wrapping her up tight. Buck hated the stress this had put on her, but there was an obvious relief to finally opening up. He hoped they could finally move on. He loved her.

---

"I like the marshmallows black," Audrey giggled. She was a giggling, stumbling mess that Jackson had to keep from hurting herself.

"I think that's gross. I just like a nice light brown," he said to Mila. They were talking about marshmallow preferences.

Buck said he preferred black unless it was on a s'more, maybe a little less color then.

He showed her where to hold the marshmallow so it didn't catch on fire. It was a mess, sticky and sweet, but so much fun.

She was glad she didn't ruin the trip. It was fun to sit around the fire and talk. She could see the stars, and there was a cool breeze. She felt like she could breathe better, like there was less weight pressing on her chest.

Everyone turned in for bed. Mila was beyond drained and exhausted. She felt Buck give her a kiss, and her eyes opened to look at him.

He adjusted her head so it rested on a pillow, wrapping her tightly in a blanket. He laid beside her and she reached for him, tangling her legs with his.