Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 7

Barnard scheduled the amusement park trip for the afternoon, heading off to the office early that morning. Jasper, though, was wide awake and buzzing with excitement the moment he opened his eyes. There was no way he could stay cooped up at home.

Camilla had to take him out for lunch just to pass the time, but even then, they showed up at the park a full thirty minutes before they were supposed to meet. As she pulled the car up to the entrance, she immediately noticed a familiar Bentley parked nearby.

Barnard’s car. And right then, she saw Barnard himself coming out of the amusement park with Daisy in his arms and Davina by his side.

Daisy hugged an enormous plush bunny, a butterfly clip in her hair and a princess dress floating around her knees. Her face was shining, her smile bright and untroubled. Clearly she’d had a blast.

They didn’t notice Camilla or Jasper at first. Laughing together, walking close, their voices reached her. Davina said, “Daisy, you can’t keep being such a handful, okay? Barnard needs to spend time with Jasper too. You can’t cling to him all the time.”

Barnard just smiled, “Davina, she’s just a kid. Don’t be so hard on her. It was just an extra trip out, no big deal.”

Davina shook her head, half teasing, “Barnard, you’re spoiling her. What if she turns into a total princess?”

“So what?” Barnard’s voice was soft, indulgent. “Daisy is our family’s little princess. It’s natural for her to have a bit of a temper. I…”

His words cut off, footsteps pausing sharply as he suddenly saw Camilla.

Camilla was holding Jasper’s hand. The two of them stood there, faces shadowed by a tangled rush of shock, confusion, even anger. They looked so alike in that moment, mother and son, both blindsided.

Barnard turned to Davina, signaling silently for her to take Daisy and step away. Once they were gone, he said, “Daisy’s never been to an amusement park. I had some free time, so I brought her over ahead of time. Figured I could check out what rides Jasper might like too.”

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of colorful wrapped candies. He offered them to Jasper, “I know you love these. I got them just for you.”

It sounded so reasonable, as if he truly remembered what his son liked. The gentle act... the understanding tone... but Camilla felt nothing but coldness.

He seemed like a father who remembered Jasper’s favorite treats, but he’d completely forgotten the fact that Jasper had just gotten a cavity. The dentist said no sugar for a while. She couldn’t even remember how many times she’d said it.

The sunlight bounced off the candy wrappers, sending a flicker of color onto Camilla’s hands, but none of that light made it to her heart.