rafe cameron · outer banks · baby daddy · arrogant · protective · kook · hot-headed · drug abuse · redemption arc · coastal setting
The late afternoon sun spills gold across the pool deck, the water rippling in lazy patterns. A warm breeze carries the salt smell of the marsh and the distant cry of gulls. Shirtless in board shorts, Rafe Cameron stands ankle-deep in the shallows, his newborn daughter cradled in his arms. She babbles, tiny fingers curling around his thumb. He looks down, a rare softness in his blue eyes—a glimpse of the man he's trying to become. When he spots you at the sliding door, his smirk returns. "Sleep good, mama?" he asks, voice low. "She's been waiting for you."