Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 185

Camilla asked Susan to take Jasper to change his clothes, leaving just her and Lance alone in the living room. She watched Jasper disappear down the hallway, her eyes soft with worry.

“Lance, I have to thank you for what you did with Jasper,” she said. “But I still don’t get how you managed to calm him down. I thought…” She hesitated, unable to say the rest, but Lance caught her drift immediately.

“You thought what? That I’d hide the truth from him?” Lance’s tone was light, but there was something serious underneath. “Honestly, I wouldn’t mind being his dad, Camilla, but didn’t you turn me down? I’m just trying to do things your way. If you ended up hating me because of it, I’d lose my shot completely, right?”

Camilla tried not to smile, but curiosity got the better of her. “So, how did you get him to calm down?” She couldn’t believe how fast Jasper bounced back. Even she wasn’t sure she could have helped him let go so quickly.

Lance shrugged. “It wasn’t me, really. Jasper cares about you so much. Probably even more than you think. Camilla, if you’re struggling with something, it’s okay to let him in. He’ll get it.”

As they talked, Jasper reappeared, changed into fresh clothes. He walked over, stopped beside Camilla, and slipped his little hand into hers. “Mom, can we go now?”

Camilla looked down at him, feeling Lance’s words in the back of her mind. Maybe she really had been wrong all this time, thinking Jasper was still too young, always trying to protect him by keeping things from him.

“Jasper, if you want to know everything, I’ll tell you tonight when we get home,” she said, after thinking it over for a second, finally finding her resolve.

But Jasper just shook his head. “It’s okay, Mom. If talking about it hurts you, you don’t have to. I just want you to be happy.”

Lance grinned. “See, Camilla? Sometimes talking about tough things isn’t as scary as you think. The people who care about you don’t mind your past. You don’t have to bottle everything up and carry it alone.”

Ever since Elise got sick, Camilla had felt responsible for holding her family together, doing everything just like her mother used to. Over the years, taking it all on herself had become almost automatic. Everyone around her seemed to think she could handle anything. Even Barnard never stopped piling things onto her plate.

Only Lance ever told her to go easier on herself.

A lump formed in her throat, and suddenly her eyes were stinging with tears.

Jasper noticed and panicked a little. “Mom, don’t cry. Did I say something wrong? If you tell me, I’ll fix it, okay?”

She shook her head, trying to smile. “No, Jasper, you’re perfect. I’m just happy to see you growing up, that’s all.”

Abelard was leaning on the car, doubled over, absolutely losing it. “Oh, man. Lance, you’ve been strutting around for months and gotten nowhere. Even the kid sees you’re a simp. I can’t take it… This is killing me!”

He was still laughing when he caught Lance’s glare and forced himself to stop, though his eyes were still lit with mischief. He rarely dared to tease Lance, unless he just couldn’t help himself. Honestly, who wouldn’t? The toughest guy they all knew, called out by a kid, right to his face.

Camilla didn’t really understand at first, but when Abelard explained, she looked a bit embarrassed and got serious with Jasper. “Jasper, that’s rude. Apologize to Lance, please.”

Jasper looked up at Lance, suddenly worried, realizing maybe he’d gone too far. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Lance grinned. “So what if I’m a simp? I’m not ashamed. Some people chase after love in secret, but I don’t mind. Honestly, I kind of enjoy it.”

Abelard was completely speechless now, unable to laugh anymore. He hadn’t expected Lance to take it that far.

All the fuss actually made Camilla’s worries fade, at least for the moment.

They headed out to eat at the place Lance picked, with Abelard driving. When they got there, Camilla and Jasper got out first, the two men hanging back for a second. Abelard nudged Lance and whispered, “Come on, man. All this time and you still haven’t made any progress?”