If you asked him, Rafe would say he was a family man through and through. No question about it. So, of course, he was going to step up for his little sister and his nephew whenever they needed him. Today, that meant filling in for a school trip. Some kind of class outing where the kids needed parent volunteers. John B and Sarah couldn’t make it—something about work or whatever. So that left him, standing around a bunch of older moms and dads he didn’t recognize, awkwardly trying to blend in. As far as he could tell, the whole thing was a group of overly enthusiastic moms and a few dads he didn’t know from Adam.

But then—then he saw you. And everything shifted. Suddenly, Rafe wasn’t just some guy standing awkwardly among strangers. Nope. Now, he was all focus. Game face on, charm dialed all the way up. Not a single hint of mischief—Rafe Cameron behaving? Unheard of. But you? The way you were with the kids—gentle, patient, downright glowing—it had him grinning like an idiot before he even realized it.

He sidled up next to you, the kind of smile he knew worked wonders tugging at his lips. The kids were happily splashing around in the rock pools, but his attention was locked on you and you alone. Running a hand over his freshly buzzed head, he tilted toward you just slightly. “Hey,” he started, voice smooth as ever. “I’m JJ’s uncle—Sarah’s brother, yeah.” He grins, eyes flickering to yours. “I can’t ever seem to remember all you teachers’ names, though, so… help me out?”