Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 201

All the bears in their brown costumes looked exactly the same. Camilla scanned the line, but she had no idea which one might be Lance.

After everyone had chosen their teams, families started stepping up for the game. One by one, mothers and their kids tried to spot their person in the lineup, but with four families already gone, no one had guessed right. The crowd, which had been excited and chatty just moments before, suddenly went quiet. Moms huddled with their kids, whispering strategies, and nobody seemed eager to take a chance anymore.

The host brightened his voice, trying to hype up the room. “Looks like we made things tricky this time. Any other families feeling lucky? If not, we’ll break down the teams again and make it easier to guess, but the prize won’t be quite as big.”

A few parents looked at each other, weighing the odds. Spurred on, two more families went up to try, but it didn’t help—the results were just as disappointing.

Jasper leaned over to Camilla and asked in a low voice, “Mom, did you come up with a plan? Should we try?”

Camilla didn’t feel all that confident. She hadn’t spent enough time with Lance to really know his habits or little tics. Even with smaller groups, she probably wouldn’t have a better shot. But with everyone distracted and the room still buzzing, maybe now was her best chance. She decided to risk it.

She took Jasper’s hand and stepped forward, but instead of going directly toward the bears, Camilla paused and raised her hand just a little. The gesture was barely noticeable, but she watched closely for any reaction.

Most of the bears stood stiff and silent, as if they were statues. Only one bear, in the group who claimed to hate cilantro, dropped his head just a little. He corrected himself right away, but she caught it. That was all Camilla needed. She led Jasper right up to him. “We choose this one.”

The host’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”

Camilla nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.”

The host checked something on his clipboard, scanning names and locations. A second later, his face broke out into a big grin. “Congratulations to this mother and son—they found their family in the very first round! Okay, Dad, you can take off the head now.”

Lance pulled off the massive bear head, and there he was—hair a little messy, a bit of sweat on his forehead, but somehow the costume had only made him look more carefree and handsome.

Camilla knew he was coming to play this game with Jasper, but seeing him actually pop out of a bear suit still made her heart flutter. She couldn’t help herself.

The host handed her the mic with a smile. “Since you were the first mom to find your family, you and your husband must have a great relationship. Any tips for all the other families?”

She realized that not even Barnard, who once tried so hard to fake being a model husband, ever did anything like this for Jasper. Now, real gratitude was blooming in her chest, and she couldn’t tamp it down.

Lance smiled. “Alright. If you and Jasper get tired of the crowd, go ahead and wait for me outside. I’ll be quick.”

The restaurant buzzed with noise and bodies, and the air felt thick. As soon as Jasper had picked out his toys, Camilla took him outside.

Abelard stood near the door, phone clutched tight, an anxious look on his face. As soon as he spotted Camilla, he hurried over. “Is Lance still inside? His grandfather’s been blowing up his phone. Can you get him to call back?”

Abelard looked exasperated, like he’d reached the end of his rope. Lance had fallen head over heels and, right after signing off on a big project, ditched everything else for a parent-child activity. All the follow-up had landed squarely on Abelard’s shoulders.

Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But today, Darwin had suddenly decided to check in at the company and had picked up on rumors about Lance playing dad in public. Now he was demanding answers, and Abelard was stuck in the middle.