Page 29 of Single Glance

We stood at the edge of the family and friends’ zone outside the team locker room, waiting for Cam to join us. He’d played a great game, especially with that one stellar catch in the fifth inning. My throat still scratched from how loud I screamed in disbelief he’d made the catch.

I monitored the door as the other players trickled out, hugging the people waiting for them. Ollie and Parker had already left, stopping at her place to grab some things before they went out for the night.

Where was Cam? Many players had already left, and the crowd was thinning, leaving only a few of us still standing. Every moment that ticked by, anxiety thrummed in my chest, unsure how I’d handle seeing Cam after the game. If I thought the wink was a one-off, I was wrong.Every time he made a play, Cam looked right up to the box, giving Emilia a wave before finding me again. There’d been a couple of comments about keeping his head in the game, but Cam proved them all wrong. It was easy to see why the coaches pulled him up from the minors. Not even halfway through the season, and he was making a name for himself.

I toyed with my nails, unable to stand still with all the tension racing through my bloodstream. Cole must have noticed, because he turned and smiled softly down at me. “Don’t think I’ve ever said thank you to you, Hadley.”

My eyes widened as I blinked at him in surprise. “For what?”

Cole gave me a knowing look. “We both know Tori’s not good at putting herself first. Without you, she never would have had the courage to take this trip.” He placed his free hand on my shoulder. “So thank you for being there for my sister, especially when I couldn’t be. She’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

I nodded, unable to form words. Guilt almost made my knees buckle. Oh yeah, Tori’ssolucky. I’m supposed to be watching her kid. Instead I’m sucking face with her ex.Go me.

Cole stared at me, probably able to read my crestfallen expression. I tried to fix my face, forcing my lips to curl into a half-smile. Luckily, he dropped it, but my chest still pounded, needing to clear the air with Tori. As much as I wanted to convince myself otherwise, last night did not seem like a one time thing. Instead, it was an eruption, years of built-up tension igniting both Cam and me. Now that we’d unlatched the box, there was no shoving ourfeelings back inside.

We needed to stop before this got any more complicated. At least, that’s what I wanted to say. I wanted to bury these feelings deep in the back of my mind and never reveal them again. But there was a block there, one that wouldn’t let me slam the door closed, no matter how hard I tried.

Cam only made it worse when he strode out of the locker room, and his dark eyes instantly met mine. Every fiber of my body called to him, wanting him to hold me and make me forget about the guilt knotting my stomach.

He walked up to Cole first, running his hand over Emilia’s back. “She’s really out, huh?”

“She tried to fight it,” Cole answered. “She was cheering her little heart out, but the moment the game was done, she passed out in my arms.”

“I’ll take her.”

As Cole handed Emilia over, one of the other players walked over to Cam and clapped him on the shoulder. Damien, I think, was his name. His sister and her wife joined us in the box tonight. Mariana was a character, full of life and hilarious, while Angie was much quieter. I couldn’t blame her for soaking it in. They had five girls, all under the age of ten, which made their house wonderfully chaotic. Mariana joked the stadium was their “quiet” night out.

Damien chuckled as he looked at Emilia curled up in her dad’s arms. He rubbed her back before turning to Cam. “Got the good news?”

“Yeah. You knew, didn’t you?”

Damien shook his head. “Not for sure, but Benny’s smart. He’ll make moves if something’s not working.”

I glanced between the two men, my brow furrowing. “Is everything okay?

Cam nodded his head, then shifted to face me. “Yeah,it’s good news. Benny wants me to start next game. Keeping me in left field for now, but he might switch up the infield.”

“Told you, kid!” Damien whooped. “You’re going to be a goddamn all-star if you keep this up. Now youhaveto come out to celebrate.” He turned toward me. “Help me out here, Hadley. Tell this guy he’s gotta go out and celebrate tonight.”

“Nah, man. Gotta get my girls home.”

My heart stalled at his words, unsure if Cam realized what he said. Girls.Plural. Was he including me in this little group? When his eyes met mine with a sly smirk, though, I knew it wasn’t a mistake. “Ready to get out of here, menace?”

My blood heated at his deepened tone, his insinuation clear only to me. We’d made no promises last night that we’d continue what we started, but the look in his eyes left little room for argument. There was a part of me that expected him to shut down this simmering tension, for him to throw back up those walls between us and pretend nothing occurred. But from the way his eyes kept darting to my lips, Cam was clearly not going to let this go.Good, a little voice called out in the back of my mind. I wanted this—wanted him.

“I can take her,” Cole said from our sides. We both jumped apart, forgetting we had an audience, one that included my best friend’s brother. How could I get so swept away? Had Cam done some sort of magic on my libido, making me impervious to everyone but him?

“I can’t ask you to do that, Cole.”

“I’m offering,” he insisted. “We haven’t gotten Emilia for an overnight in a while, and I know Alex is dying to see her. I’ll bring her back tomorrow.” He nodded over to me. “I can drop you off at thehouse if you want, Hadley.”

“Oh…” I glanced over at Cam for an answer. The smart move would have been to go with Cole, to leave this confusion in the stadium and away from our everyday lives. But before I agreed, Damien interrupted my thoughts.

“She’s coming out with us,” Damien said. “I insist.”

My mouth dropped open, unsure if it was a good idea. But when I looked at Cam, he beamed back at me, as if he wanted me there with him. “Yeah, Hadley, come. It’ll be a lot of fun, and the guys have been asking about you.”

My heart pumped an unfamiliar rhythm. This was a bad idea. Acolossallybad idea. I should get as far away from Cam as possible, especially tonight. I couldn’t trust my judgment, not after a full day of studying him on the field. His body was a machine, finally honed through years of dedication and practice. It was the biggest aphrodisiac—him mastering his game. Every single cell in my brain screamed, begging me to go home before I did something I couldn’t take back.

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