"Today was the very best day ever, ever... ever..." Riley yawned as I carried her into the apartment building. She was nesting into my shoulder, hardly able to keep her eyes open but not wanting to miss out on a single thing.

"I'm glad you had fun." I smiled as all three of us climbed into the elevator. We'd been gone for hours. Since we weren't in much danger of being recognized here, we'd taken advantage of the nice weather. First, I'd taken them up in my plane and we'd been able to fly to a little cove and see a huge pod of orcas. Riley was spouting off every single fact she remembered from National Geographic with the biggest smile on her face. She wasn't the least bit scared to be up on the plane. Her mother, on the other hand, was a different story.

Cam eventually calmed down and enjoyed herself, but every time I turned to look at them or took a single finger off of the wheel, she turned sheet white as if she was about to have a heart attack. I had no idea she was scared of flying, but by the end of our excursion, she couldn't contain her smile, either. And she looked damn cute in the headphones I gave her so we could all hear each other. The sight of her sitting next to me with a cautious grin on her face and the gorgeous mountains in the background made my heart skip and would be etched in my mind forever. It was pure perfection.

After we were back safe in the ground, I took them down to a small farmers' market that sold all kinds of fresh flowers and foods. We all picked something to eat for lunch and had a little picnic in the park, and I made sure to sneak some flowers into the car so I could put some up in the apartment for Camryn. Her reaction to the first bouquet caught me off guard and I wanted to do whatever I could to dissolve the association she had with flowers and being hurt by that bastard. It was typical he'd try to lavish her with love and gifts after he beat the shit out of her. Robby was the scum of the earth, as far as I was concerned.

We spent the afternoon at the beach on the bay, and Riley swam for hours. She was a little fish and never seemed to run out of energy. It was good, though. It seemed like she was distracted enough that she wasn't worried in the slightest about what was actually happening here. This day had been a far-off dream of mine, back when I actually thought I might settle down and have a family of my own. I always imagined showing my own kids some of things I did here when I was younger, and today I'd gotten to live that out. Riley was an incredible little girl, and no matter what happened over the next few months, she'd always have a special place in my heart.

Cam and I kept our distance from each other for most of the day after the incident in the kitchen this morning. I'd come damn close to kissing those sweet lips of hers, but that would have been a mistake.

She was vulnerable, and grieving for a life she thought she had. It wasn't fair of me to take advantage of that. I respected that with every fiber of my being, but the more time we spent together, the harder it was to keep my distance. Once we crossed that line, things would get messy. And I had no clue if that was what she even wanted. She'd been caught off guard and I put her in a bad position, and I'd been kicking myself for it all day.

Cam yawned herself when we got to the top floor. Riley fell asleep during the ride in the elevator, and I held her in one arm as I unlocked the door. We headed down the hallway and I gently laid her down on the bed. Cam took her shoes off and grabbed a pair of pajamas out of the dresser. I got Cole's help when I was stocking the apartment for our stay and it was chock-full of clothes, toys, books, and all kinds of kid friendly food.

"I'll meet you out there." I whispered to Camryn.

I sat down on the couch and took my phone out. I'd been enjoying myself too much today to check it much. The first few texts I had were from Will, and when I saw the last one, I was elated.

They're arresting Robby.

It came through a few hours ago and it was too late to call now, but I pulled up a few news articles, and sure enough, Robby had been arrested that afternoon. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony. I spent the afternoon at the beach with his wife and daughter, and the motherfucker was heading for a jail cell. With any luck, he'd get remand and never see the light of day again. I had a lot of friends on the inside and with my very last breath, I'd make sure his life was a living hell.

"Well, she is completely worn out." Cam smiled, coming out to join me. "Hopefully, she'll sleep until noon tomorrow."

"You both could probably use that rest." I set my phone down again.

"I slept better last night than I have in years." She sighed, plopping down on the couch. "It really was an amazing day. Thank you for doing all of that for her."

"She's an amazing little girl. She deserves every second."

Cam's eyes wandered, and I could tell she was sifting through memories. "What are you thinking about?"

She hesitated, shaking her head. "It's not important."

"I have some good news for you." I smiled, changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah?" She arched her eyebrow.

"Robby was arrested this afternoon. Charged with tampering with evidence and by tomorrow morning, when he goes to arraignment, he'll be charged with murder."

Cam's eyes got wide. "You're sure?"

"Will called me while we were out this afternoon."

"Wow." She sighed, biting her lip. I could tell there was a flood of emotions in her mind. How could there not be? He was the father of her child. The man she promised to spend her entire life with. She loved Robby at one point, but he'd turned into a monster over the last few years. That was a lot to reconcile. "So, this is really over?"

"For the most part." I took her hand. "The trial could take several months, and it still won't be safe for you to go back for a long time, if ever. But hopefully Robby is in jail for good, and you never have to worry about him coming after either of you ever again. He's going to get everything he deserves."

She pressed her lips together, almost in shock. "I don't even know what to say. I've waited for this for so long and it never would have happened without you. I'll never be able to repay you."

"Cam, I didn't do this because I thought you could repay me. I did it because what he was doing was wrong. You don't deserve the way he treated you. You've always had the courage to leave. I just gave you the means."

"You certainly have a lot of confidence in me." She laughed anxiously. "I'm pretty exhausted, and that's a lot to think about. I think I'm going to head to bed, too."

"Before you do, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about..." I trailed off. We couldn't avoid it any longer. "What happened earlier, the... when I... and you... in the kitchen..." Words were completely failing me. Had I forgotten every word in the English language? "Would that have been okay with you?"

Her cheeks flushed. "You mean would it have been okay if you kissed me?"

"Yeah." I let out a sharp laugh. "That's what I was not so eloquently getting at."

"Yes, it would have been okay with me." A smile tugged at her lips. "And if the opportunity ever arose again, it would still be okay with me."

I tried not to let my face show how thrilled I was to hear her say that out loud. I had no delusions about how muddy all of this was, but heading her say she felt it, and wanted it, too, was everything to me. This was uncharted territory and my main priority was making sure she always felt safe and comfortable. I didn't want to rush things.

Cam leaned forward expectantly, and it was all I could do not to grab her and smash my lips into hers. I'd been thinking about it all damn day and now that I knew she wanted it too, a fiery desire burned in my chest.

I put my hand to the back of her neck, tangling my fingers in her dark curls and pulling her closer to me. She was nervous, but the second that our lips connected, every inhibition disappeared. Cam's kiss was velvet, those sweet lips brushing against mine with a slow, but intense burn. The spark between us was electric, pulling me in and enveloping me like quicksand. My tongue slid across her lips, and she opened them, letting me inside. Pressing even deeper into the kiss, Cam let out a gentle moan, her entire body melting into mine as we laid there on the couch, the only light coming from the crackling fire.

My entire body ached for her, but I pulled back before it went any further. I had to be careful to respect her lines.

"Goodnight Camryn." I whispered, brushing my lips one last time against her forehead. "Sleep well."

"Goodnight Derek." She stood up and headed into her bedroom.

I'd had nearly a hundred first kisses, but none had overwhelmed me quite like the kiss I just shared with Camryn. It was sweet and sensual, and all too brief, but it left me with a brutal itch I couldn't scratch and I knew I'd be thinking about it all night. The feel of her in my arms, the boldness in her eyes, the shock wave that hit my system when our lips finally connected.

My mouth was still tingling as I watched her disappear behind her bedroom door, and I was left wondering if she felt the same.

Every bit of me was consumed by her, and not in the usual want-what-I-can't-have sort of way. In a way that all I cared about was making her feel comfortable and cared about. Making her feel in control and respected.

I wanted her with every bone in my body, but she had to take the lead here. Everything about us had to be on her terms, no matter how slow that was.

Apparently, I was going to be taking a shit ton of cold showers in the coming weeks.

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***If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence of any kind, please reach out to someone in your community. In the US, that number is 1-800-799-7233**