Camping

Chapter 138: Camping

ETHAN

The drive to the cemetery was silent. Mia stared out the window, her fingers playing with the hem of her sweater. I knew she was deep in thought, maybe even trying to find the right words to say when we got there.

I reached over, placing my hand over hers. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

She exhaled, nodding slightly but didn't look at me.

When we arrived, she hesitated before stepping out of the car. The cemetery was quiet, the only sound being the rustling of leaves in the wind. I followed behind her, giving her space as she walked up to her father’s grave.

She kneeled, tracing the name on the tombstone with her fingers. "Hi, Dad," she whispered. "It's been a while."

I stayed back, leaning against the car, letting her have her moment.

She wiped her eyes. "We won, you know. We got him. Smith Cole is going to rot in prison for the rest of his miserable life. Uncle Greg made sure of it." She let out a shaky breath. "But it doesn't bring you back. It doesn’t fix anything. I still wake up thinking you’re here, only to remember you’re not."

I clenched my fists, wishing I could take her pain away.

After a long silence, she whispered, "I miss you, Dad. I'll come to visit you again soon."

Then she stood, her expression unreadable as she turned to me. "Can we go?"

I nodded, opening the car door for her.

Instead of heading straight home, I took a turn down a winding road through the woods. The sun was beginning to set and the sky looked beautiful. Mia finally spoke after a while.

"Where are we going?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

I glanced at her and smirked. "You’ll see."

She sighed, leaning back into the seat, but she didn’t argue. That was progress.

After a few more miles, I pulled up to the edge of a cliff that overlooked the valley below. The view was breathtaking—trees stretched for miles, their leaves swaying with the wind, the horizon glowing under the setting sun.

"Come on," I said, stepping out.

She hesitated but eventually followed.

I lifted her up and sat her on the hood of my car. "Sit here."

She raised a brow. "Are you trying to be romantic or something?"

I chuckled. "Just trying to get you to breathe."

She looked out at the view, hugging her arms around herself. "I don’t know how to breathe anymore, Ethan. Everyone thinks I should be fine now because we won, because Smith is locked up, but it doesn’t feel like a victory."

I leaned beside her, staring at the sky. "I get it."

She scoffed. "No, you don’t."

I turned to her. "I do, Mia. I know what it’s like to lose everything. To feel like nothing will ever make sense again." I sighed. "Losing your dad… I can’t make that pain go away. But I can be here, however long it takes."

She looked at me then, her eyes softer than before. "I'm grateful for this Ethan."

"Always my love."

Silence stretched between us until… I heard a ‘Plop!’

A bird pooped right on my shoulder. Mia gasped before bursting into laughter. Real, full laughter.

I groaned, looking at the mess. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

She was laughing so hard she nearly fell off the car. "This is the best thing that’s happened all week."

"Glad my suffering amuses you."

Still giggling, she wiped her eyes. "Maybe it’s a sign."

I arched my brow. "A sign of what?"

"That things don’t always have to be miserable. Maybe… just maybe, I can laugh again." She sighed, going back to her previous mood.

I smirked. "Then, I guess I’ll take one for the team."

After wiping off my unfortunate incident, we decided to set up camp for the night. A small fire crackled in front of us, casting flickering shadows on Mia’s face as she poked at it with a stick.

"I used to go camping with my dad and Marvin," she murmured. "I hated it at first, but then I started to love it."

I smiled. "I can imagine John making you do all the work."

She chuckled. "He did. And then he’d steal all the marshmallows."

I watched as she got lost in the memory. At least she wasn’t drowning in sadness, then we heard a rustle.

I turned my head sharply. "Did you hear that?"

Mia tensed. "Yeah."

Suddenly, a hissing sound came from the bushes.

I grabbed a flashlight and aimed it in the direction of the noise. A snake slithered into view, its body coiling.

Mia screamed, "Ethan…"

Before she could panic, I grabbed a nearby branch and hit the slimy thing, which sent it flying into the trees. It didn’t move again.

She clutched her chest. "Holy shit."

I smirked, grabbing her close. "Guess I just saved your life."

She exhaled. "I really thought I was gonna die."

I stared at her. “Die? You can't die on me.”

Then, she shook her head. "No. I won't." She looked down at her hands. "I thought I wanted to die, but now… I know I don’t want to."

I placed a hand on hers. "Good."

To shake off the snake incident, I suggested a swim in the river nearby.

Mia hesitated. "I don’t have a swimsuit."

I shrugged. "Your underwear works."

She rolled her eyes but eventually stripped down to a black lace bra and matching underwear. When she stepped into the moonlit water, I nearly forgot how to breathe.

Damn. My girl is fucking sexy.

I quickly dived in before she noticed me and my dick staring.

The water was cold, but the way she moved, the way the moonlight reflected off her skin, made me think of different positions I could put her in. But I immediately shook my head, she was still grieving and I was thinking about sex.

She floated on her back, sighing. "This feels nice and the scenery is beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." I wasn’t talking about the water.

She turned her head. "What?"

"Nothing." I smirked and splashed water at her.

She gasped. "Oh, you’re so dead, Ethan Blake!"

Laughing, I swam away as she chased after me, her laughter echoing through the trees.