Chapter 10: Midnight Guest

“What the hell?” I muttered under my breath.

James’s grip tightened on the fishing rod, his knuckles turned white. His expression darkened with anger as he glared at the kids.

I watched as Sophia unzipped our tent. Her hands rifled through my clothes with careless abandon. Each item she tossed aside felt like a violation.

Beside her, Ethan had managed to pry open a bear-proof container. His hands greedily snatched up our food and devoured it. Watching him eat our food made me even angrier.

But it was the actions of Liam and Noah that made me want to scream horrible things at them. They were here simply to destroy our stuff. They kicked over a chair so hard that I thought it might break. Assholes. They didn’t give a shit about our things. They had no respect—for themselves and others.

They hadn’t seen us yet.

“Stay here,” James instructed tersely. His tone left no room for argument as he pushed the fishing rods into my hands and strode purposefully toward the intruders.

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched from a distance. What was he going to do? What was going to happen? I didn’t want a fight to break out. I didn’t like fighting.

“What do you think you are doing?!” James’s voice boomed across the campsite. The loudness of it cut through the air like a whip. His sudden appearance startled the intruders.

Liam and Noah’s faces twisted in a mixture of surprise and fear as they scrambled to gather their bearings.

Sophia leapt away from my clothes.

Ethan dropped the food container.

James advanced toward them. His steps were purposeful and his eyes ablaze with anger. The kids took instinctive steps back. Their bravado faltered.

“You better not have stolen anything!” James said. “If you did, I’m going to kick your asses!”

The group of kids turned tail and fled. Their hurried footsteps sounded through the quiet of the late afternoon as they disappeared into the trees. It was a small victory, but one that filled me with a sense of relief nonetheless.

James didn’t chase after them.

The adrenaline of the confrontation began to ebb away. I was so glad that James was here with me. No one could make me feel as safe as he did.

James returned to my side.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” I said.

As I scanned our campsite, my eyes narrowed in suspicion. I searched for any signs of theft or vandalism. But it didn’t look like they had broken or taken anything. I don’t think they’d been here for long before we arrived. Then again, it was getting dark and I couldn’t really tell what they had done.

“What were they doing?” I muttered aloud, my voice tinged with confusion as I turned to James for answers.

“Snooping. Looking for stuff to steal. Causing trouble,” he admitted. The muscle in his jaw jumped, showing me just how frustrated he was.

A bitter taste rose in my throat as I thought back to the confrontation with the kids. Their actions reminded me all too vividly of how James had once been when we first met—brash, impulsive, and quick to resort to aggression. Stupid bullies. My heart was heavy with disappointment.

“They’re bullies. But maybe they’ll grow out of it—like you did.”

James’s expression darkened with shame as he caught my gaze, the realization of his past behavior sinking in.

“Was I really like that?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he grappled with the truth of his own actions.

I reached out to squeeze his hand.

“You’ve changed since then,” I reminded him gently. “You’re not a bully anymore. You’re kind, caring, and protective.”

A flicker of amusement danced in James’s eyes as he met my gaze, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“Thank goodness for that,” he quipped, his tone lightening as he attempted to ease the tension that hung between us.

“You’ve grown too,” he pointed out.

“Have I?” I quirked an eyebrow.

“Yes. You’re stronger now. Tougher.”

I felt a warmth spread through me at James’s words. I loved how he viewed me.

“Yes,” I replied. “You're right.”

The realization settled over me. No longer was I the timid girl who shied away from conflict. No longer was I a girl who let bullies walk all over me. I had found my voice, my strength, and my courage.

“You're more confident,” he observed, his eyes alight with pride. “And you're brave enough to speak your mind.”

His words struck a chord deep within me. For so long, self-love had been a foreign concept to me—something reserved for others, but never for myself. But now I realized that I had finally begun to love myself, flaws and all.

Gone were the days of self-doubt and insecurity—in their place stood a woman who was unapologetically herself.

Everything was perfect.

Now, if only these kids would leave us alone…

“What is it?” James asked, sensing my shift in mood. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, not at all!” I said quickly. “I was just wishing that those kids would stay away from us.”

“Let’s forget about those troublemakers for now. I’ll let the campground ranger know that they’re bothering us.”

I nodded in agreement, grateful for James’s proactive approach to handling the situation. I should just stop thinking about the kids and allow myself to focus on the simple pleasures of the evening.

“It’s still cold…” I changed the topic. There were goosebumps all over my arms.

“Get dressed while I go and talk to the ranger,” James said. The ranger’s house was only a short walk away. With that he walked off, giving me time to change.

I changed into a comfortable T-shirt and tights. But underneath I wore a red, lacy bra with a matching thong. It wasn’t the kind of underwear that I usually wore… It made my stomach flutter, although James hadn’t even seen me in it yet.

I reminded myself it was dark and he probably wouldn’t be able to see much in the tent anyway… With that I left the tent and sat down on the pineapple camp chair. I waited.

He returned, “I saw those kids’ campsite. They are just past the ranger’s house.”

“Oh,” I said. They were so close to us…

James changed into dry clothes. I don’t know if I’d ever get used to seeing his body. He was sculpted to perfection. Once he was dressed dry, James set about cutting firewood. His muscles flexed with each powerful swing of the axe. I admired the way he looked—strong, capable, and undeniably attractive. I loved watching him work.

Once the wood was stacked neatly inside the pit, James started the fire. We settled down to enjoy the crackling flames and the soothing warmth.

“I want to make s’mores,” I announced, a grin spreading across my face as I rummaged through our supplies for the marshmallows.

James watched me assemble the ingredients for our sweet treat.

“I love you and your sweet tooth,” he teased.

I felt heat creep into my cheeks. I don’t know if I would ever get used to hearing him say that.

“I love you too,” I told him.

I got the Nutella, cookies, and marshmallows out of a bag. James picked up two long sticks that we could use to toast the marshmallows with. We made the s’mores together, one after the other.

And then there was only one marshmallow left.

He reached for it. But before he could stab it with his stick, I swooped in. I snatched it out of his hand.

“Hey, no fair!” James protested, a mock pout forming on his lips.

But before I could revel in my victory, James moved with lightning speed. He pinned me down with a playful grin as he leaned in close. With a triumphant smirk, he pressed a tender kiss to my lips. His touch sent a shiver of delight down my spine.

He held me in place and kissed my neck. Then my collarbone. Then his lips made their way down.

A gasp escaped my lips and I let go of the marshmallow.

James immediately let go of my hands and took it.

“I’m sure that counts as cheating!” I told him. I sat upright with a warm face and a fast-beating heart.

“Does it?” James asked as he began roasting the marshmallow. He kept it over the flames until it was golden brown and gooey. He then spread a generous dollop of Nutella on a cookie, topping it off with the perfectly toasted marshmallow. It looked perfect.

He then handed it to me.

“For you,” he said.

Grinning from ear to ear, I accepted it. I ate half and gave him the other half.

“You don’t need to share,” he said.

“But I want to,” I countered.

James opened his mouth and I popped the half-eaten s’more inside. He chewed before he put out the fire and switched on a lantern. James and I retreated to our cozy tent. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I settled into my sleeping bag, the anticipation of spending the night under the stars filling me with a childlike glee.

“Too bad we can’t see the stars in here…” I said.

“We could sleep outside, but it will be very cold,” James warned.

“Let’s stay inside then,” I said, snuggling up next to James. The warmth of his body was comforting and familiar. James’s arm wrapped around me in a protective embrace.

I think we were talking about something… But then I was asleep.

A rustling outside the tent jolted me awake. My heart pounded in my chest as fear coursed through my veins. Did those pesky kids return? With a trembling hand, I shook James awake.

“James!” I said.

James grumbled in annoyance. His sleep-addled mind was slow to comprehend the urgency of the situation.

“James! I think the kids have returned.”

His eyes snapped open. I could tell from the look on his face that he was about to give them an earful. He unzipped the tent. But as the tent flap fell away, what we saw outside left us frozen in shock and disbelief. It wasn’t the kids…

It was a massive black bear!