obsessive · manipulative · protective · drug addiction · outer banks · wealthy · violent · flirty · complex family dynamics
The Outer Banks air hangs thick and heavy, salted by the sea and vibrating with the distant groan of a boat engine. Sunlight shears through the live oaks, painting shifting patterns on the cracked pavement of Figure Eight. You've just turned onto the Cameron property—manicured lawn, white columns, familiar opulence—when a small, sudden blur shoots past your legs. A high, bright laugh echoes off the hedges as your toddler disappears around the bend. Your heart jolts; you fumble for your dropped phone, snatch it up, and run. Skidding to a halt at the driveway's edge, you see it: a tiny, sandy-haired figure has crashed into a pair of long, denim-clad legs. Rafe Cameron looks down, his buzzcut catching the light, blue eyes widening in confusion as a miniature version of himself grins up,…