THIS BOOK OR ANY PORTION THEREOF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION. THE SCANNING, UPLOADING, AND DISTRIBUTION OF THIS BOOK VIA THE INTERNET OR VIA ANY OTHER MEANS WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER IS ILLEGAL AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.
Henry assisted Granny with breakfast while his mother slept soundly in their tent. He'd felt her tossing and turning throughout the night.
Walking upon his mom wrapped in a man's arms didn't sit well with him. He looked up and watched Robin and Roland eating together.
It may be because his own father fell short, but he didn't trust him. Something about him hovering around his mom made him uneasy. The pit of his stomach felt tight to think of him hurting his mom.
At the age of ten, he was smarter and more self-sufficient than most kids his age. He'd seen more than any kid should. The dark marks on his mother's skin, the permanent fear in her eyes.
Every time they had to pick up and move because his father got wind of their destination. It was constant uprooting and never feeling like he belonged. Now, in Camden, he wished that could change.
He liked his new name, his friends, and he finally felt like he was home. It didn't feel like another house or another town. They were putting roots down and making plans. Well, he was.
There was no blaming his mother for her paranoia. Though, when he watched her, he could see there was a change. She smiled more here. Relaxed when she was working or when they were out shopping.
It was a nice change from looking over her shoulder and holding his hand like he was a baby. He was glad to get to go to spend time with Carl and Penny without her demanding to tag along. He didn't mind texting every hour if that meant his independence.
Thinking to himself how happy he was here; Granny grabbed his attention. "Alright, here are six more plates. You run these out to the men and I'll have more when you come back."
"Yes, ma'am," he returned. Taking the plates, he silently moved through camp. The sun was barely peeking through the trees and warming the ground. The day was only starting. A light mist hung in the air and the smell of breakfast settled in his stomach.
It was innate in him to help and he'd felt more useful when he could contribute. When he delivered the food, the men were thankful. They'd appreciated the breakfast and Henry hurried to get more plates.
Soon, nearly everyone was fed, and he sat down with Carl and Penny to scarf down the food he'd been craving since he'd awoken.
Robin helped clean Roland up and dropped him off with Ashley and Belle. When he walked away, Roland and Alex were giggling and climbing into a tree.
With a smile on his face he caught up with Granny, "Can I be of any assistance?"
With her rosy cheeks and pale eyes, she nodded, "You can be on trash duty. Henry already dispersed the meals. Most are awake and moving around. I think we have a winner." Her head gestured forward, and he turned to see Henry helping kids put their plates in trash bags.
With a smile, he agreed, "I think we have. I was going to recommend him last night, but I was distracted."
"I know you are." She tried to mask a smirk but the wink she threw was obvious. It wasn't lost on him that she knew of his attraction to Regina. With little success, he tried to shrug her off.
"I'll get to cleaning up," he mumbled and turned to grab a box of trash bags as he avoided her stare. He heard her laugh and felt his shoulders tighten. It wasn't proper to be this involved with a woman who wasn't his wife.
It surprised him how quickly he'd stopped thinking about Marian after the papers were filed and signed. It took a few weeks for her smell on the pillows of his bed to disappear. Her vanity in the bathroom was bare. Her clothes neatly put into a trunk at the foot of his bed.
For all people knew, she didn't live in their home anymore. To protect his heart and help Roland adjust, he'd nearly rid the house of reminders. The only evidence was the family pictures framed on the walls.
The necklace she'd given Roland hung over his bed like a mobile. Many nights he'd seen his boy sleep with the necklace locked in his tiny fists. It saddened him to see him miss his mother.
Robin opened the first bag and started moving from camp to camp to gather the breakfast trash. As he moved around his mind wandered. Marian had failed to call, Roland finally stopped asking about her, but he felt it was only a matter of time before he'd bring it up again.
Regina's agreement to let Roland spend the next weekend with her and Henry had been hard to decline. It surprised him she'd offer in the first place. There was something in the way she'd accepted. It didn't seem like she genuinely wanted to open her home to him.
When Robin came closer to her tent, he noticed the flap of her tent was still drawn closed. To avoid waking her, he moved on. Looking around he met Henry's gaze. The boy was watching him.
Raising a hand, he waved and gave a nod of acknowledgment. Henry only turned away to his task. It wasn't lost on him that the boy didn't seem to like him.
Robin took a deep breath and let his eyes close. He could hear birdsong, the hum of conversation, kids giggling, and the echo of fire crackling. The breeze shuffled the leaves and left the air smelling sweet.
Camping always made him feel closer to nature and he enjoyed the peace he felt out here in the woods. That peace was interrupted by a high-pitched scream. The hum of conversation died as he whipped his head to the direction of the sound.
It was a distressed scream almost blood curling. Glancing around he saw people averting their attention and standing to see where it was coming from. Henry rushed past him and toward the tent, his hands gripping the flap back and crawling inside.
Robin dropped the trash bag and rushed to see what the commotion was about. "Is everything alright?"
"We're fine. Go away!" Henry sounded angry in his response.
"Regina?" Robin knelt and got the first glimpse of her. What he observed made his stomach twist. Her eyes were wide with shock, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she was shaking violently.
Henry whipped his head up, "I said we're fine." Robin looked at the boy closely and saw that his stern tone was a cover. The boy was shaking nearly as much as she was. His hands were gripping her tightly. His eyes didn't look of shock but were full of sadness.
Robin stood and announced, "Everything is fine, everyone. Granny will be gathering everyone near the trucks in thirty minutes to announce this year's Camden Camper. Enjoy your morning."
People gave apprehensive glances, some exchanged looks unsure, but they all went back to their tents. A few lingered to make sure all was well. Robin waited until the last few stragglers walked away before he turned back to the woman and her son.
Henry was whispering in her ear, he couldn't make out what he was saying. Regina seemed to be taking deep breaths, her eyes were closed, and she looked less pale than he'd seen her a few minutes ago.
Against his better judgment, he knelt and asked, "Bad dream?" He tried to keep his voice calm but still saw her body jerk when he spoke.
"No, I…" Her voice was weak and breathy, but she opened her eyes to meet his. Her eye makeup had worn off in the night. Her red lips were naked, a clean-faced Regina was more attractive than the paint she used to hide under, but he didn't comment on it.
Henry was nearly glaring at him, so he asked, "Your mum must not do well sleeping on the ground. You wanna go get her some water?" the boy looked to his mother and she nodded as if to tell him she was fine.
"I'll be back, deep breaths, thumb on the inner part of your hand. Press lightly and rub." His directions were directed toward his mother who waved him off.
"Yes, I know. Thanks. Go on, I'm okay." Henry gave him a look and stomped off. Robin watched the boy retreat before he turned his attention to Regina.
"He doesn't seem to care for me much," he said evenly. He wanted to break the ice before he asked her what was wrong.
"Henry is a bit overprotective of me. It's not you," she said softly. Her eyes were darting behind him and she crossed her arms over herself. To ease her discomfort, he moved from the tent opening and sat.
"Are you alright?" She was embarrassed by her outburst, he thought. Not making eye contact and a slight blush crept up her cheeks. "Regina…"
What could he ask that he hadn't before? It was a risk to have her withdraw again. Instead, he asked, "How about some breakfast?" The apprehension disappeared, and she smiled.
"That would be nice, thank you." He reached out and rubbed her shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"It's my pleasure. Here's your boy, I'll bring you some food. You drink up." With a comforting smile, he watched her color turn back to normal. Robin stood and came face to face with the boy who still looked uneasy.
"You do a good job of taking care of your mom, that's to be admired. I'll bring her some breakfast. I'll see you for the ceremony?"
Henry shrugged, "Okay."
Robin took that as a win regarding the boy and went to fetch her breakfast. With one last look, Henry was handing his mother a water bottle and cuddling into her side.
Two peas in a pod, he thought. He wished they weren't so guarded. There was something hidden underneath their presence here and he couldn't help but wonder what that was. Whatever it was, it was enough to scare the shit out of her.
In his entire life, he'd never seen anyone that scared before. The look in her eyes when he came upon them wasn't just full of fear. She looked petrified. It made him ache to wonder who or what could've caused it.
Standing among the group of Camden residents, Regina tried to ignore all the stares and glances she was receiving. It was hard to hide that she'd clearly had a nightmare. This one was vivid and shook her to her core.
When she made eye contact with anyone, she smiled to hide her unease. It had been a year since her last nightmare involving Simon. A year. It was unclear what brought it on, but she felt bone-deep fear when she was roused from her dream.
Looking around, she dipped her head to avoid any more awkward stares. She'd been getting enough of that from her son. Henry hadn't let her out of his sight, and it was increasingly apparent he was worried.
Granny grabbed everyone's attention and she felt safe to look up.
"Thank you all for joining us in another successful Camden Camp out. This year was bigger than it has ever been. Let's give each other a round of applause for a great turnout." The applause was grand and littered with a few whoops and calls. One older man whistled with his fingers in his mouth.
"Alright, that's quite enough. As you know, we are awarding the Camden Camper, but before we do that, I'd like to turn it over to Roland."
Regina watched the boy take his place in front of the crowd with a dark blue bowl in his hands. He yelled to make his voice carry. "We have prizes to award so please pull out the tickets I gave you."
His command was so cute and to be admired. His dimpled cheeks deepened when he smiled. "The first winner is…" He reached in and spread the tickets around before grabbing one and handing it to Granny. She whispered the name in his ear, and he turned to us and announced, "Ms. Ashley!"
She clapped her hands excitedly and went up to pick a prize among the table's contents. "I've been dreaming of the spa!" With a grin, she leaned down to kiss Roland on the cheek. It was funny to watch him wipe his cheek and grumble.
"Our next winner is…" He repeated the process and called names out for winners. They went up one at a time and picked a prize of their desire. Then he thanked the crowd and ran back to his dad. Robin grabbed him up into his arms.
Granny turned her attention back to the crowd. "Congratulations to all the winners. I hope next year we will expand and have more prizes to award. Now for the big event!"
Robin put Roland down and reached behind him in the bed of a truck for a large trophy. He held up the Camden Cup and everyone cheered. Henry squeezed her hand and snuggled closer to her side.
"This year, we are awarding the Camden cup to someone who was the most helpful, had the best attitude, and displayed qualities of respect and resilience. There were many contenders but only one stood out from the rest."
A hush came across the crowd and she said, "This year's Camden Camper is awarded to…" For dramatic effect, she paused with a smile on her face. "Henry Mills!"
Regina turned and looked down at her son with a smile. Henry looked surprised and looked at her with a blank stare. "It's you!" With a laugh, she urged him forward and he went to the front of the crowd. "Go on."
Henry walked slowly and met Robin. Regina watched Robin give him the trophy and raise his arm high into the air. The crowd erupted with more applause and shouts of congratulations. It warmed her heart to see her son smile. A true joyful smile and when he turned to direct it at Robin, something inside her melted.
Robin looked to her and smiled with bright eyes. It seemed for the first time, she allowed herself to be swept away by the moment. Walking forward, she put a hand on her son's shoulder.
She stepped forward and let Robin kiss her on the check. "Your boy is brilliant." She nodded in agreement.
"I know," she beamed.
Robin went to grab Henry and lift him on his shoulder. A flicker of fear entered her son's eyes but changed when he was lifted and bounce up and down. Everyone seemed happy that he was chosen. A joyful beginning to a great day.
In the cover of the darkened forest, he watched his son raised high in the air by a man. He had to look closely to make sure it was him. Everyone was celebrating him. Simon stayed close to the ground covered in layers of camo and leaves.
It had taken him months to track her down after finding her list of aliases. Months of moving from city to city to cover his tracks. To be seen in places he never stayed in. Moving around to find the wife who'd escaped him and taken his son.
His eyes moved through the crowd trying to see where his wife stood. It was hard given the number of people huddled together. It had been 4 years since he'd seen her in person.
Anger still filled him to know she'd told lies about him to make their last day together worse than it was. Sure, he'd hit her harder than he meant to, but it wasn't any worse than the times before. She knew the rules. Yet, she broke them daily. How was that his fault?
His wife had been subservient, listened to what he said, followed the rules, and loved him. When they married it had been perfect. The two of them met, dated, and he had her all to himself. He was her whole world.
Then, she started teaching and spending more time with her students than at home. It angered him and she started to rebel. He gave her the rules and consequences if she broke them. Which she did, often.
His eyes stopped on a woman with blonde hair and thought for a moment, he'd found her. Upon closer inspection, he dismissed her and kept looking. When the man holding his son put him down, he struggled to keep his eyes on them. There were too many people.
Laying low, he waited for an hour. Falling in and out of sleep. His travels were wearing on his energy. When he rested, he awoke to the sounds of people ushering about. Looking around, he saw people gathering bags and taking down tents.
With confidence he didn't normally feel, he rose his head from his canopy of leaves and looked from person to person desperate to find her. He knew she'd changed her appearance and could look like anyone. Closely, he observed each and every woman with scrutiny. His eyes were peeled for his son. He'd grown, he observed.
His son was taller and looked like his grandmother. A sense of pride built inside him to know his son was growing strong. His eyes landed on his son walking through the trees with a younger boy at his side. Behind them, the man he'd seen holding his son came with a woman at his side.
The boys started picking up the camp. When he looked closer at the woman, his blood began to boil. The woman was smiling at the man and deep in conversation. Her hair was different, makeup too heavy, and her body leaner.
Sabrina, he thought. His wife was standing less than twenty feet from where he lay hidden and he wanted nothing more than to lash out and grab her. Instead, he watched, and he started to plan.