Page 38 of Single Glance

For years, I’d assumed I knew her, that there was nothing hidden under Hadley’s surface. But after the last few weeks, she’d opened up to me, and there was so much I’d missed. Now that I knew what it was like to have her in my arms, there was no erasing the impact Hadley had on me.

Last week, I’d let her push me away, knowing her issues had less to do with me and more to do with her loyalty to Victoria. It was difficult to walk away from her, especially after what we’d just shared. But I was willing to—for a time.

Emilia’s breathing evened out as she laid in my arms, but I just stared out at the storm, watching for those brief glimpses of the house in the distance. When I finally closed my eyes, Hadley was the last thing on my mind, wondering what secrets hid behind her infectious smile.

The next morning,my whole body ached—not just from the grueling practices and games, but from the physical assault my daughter launched in her sleep. I didn’t know what the fuck she dreamed about, but the girl landed some serious hits in the middle of thenight. There were going to be bruises I didn’t want to explain to the guys.

Rubbing my hand over my face, I sat in bed, finding Emilia laying sideways, her feet resting against my chest. At least it was the weekend, and she could sleep a little longer.

Don’t get me wrong—we’d gotten really lucky with this kid. She was well-tempered and kind most of the time. But mess with her sleep, and she became a grizzly bear no amount of sugar and glitter would soothe. With my game tonight, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to cage that beast.

After kissing Emilia’s forehead, I headed down the stairs. Fuck, I needed a strong cup of coffee. Give me an injection of the stuff at this point. Nothing else would erase the exhaustion fogging up my brain.

I dug through the cabinets, making myself right at home in Victoria’s kitchen, but there was a voice in the back of my head, reminding me not to get too comfortable. As much as I appreciated her hospitality, this would all be ending soon. While I wouldn’t miss the house itself, I would miss seeing Emilia every day. The last year had been tough, going from seeing my kid every day to having her only on the weekends.

We’d figure something out, especially for the off season. I’d love to have more time with her, and if finding a place in town was what it took, I’d do it without hesitation.

When the coffee machine pumped out my drink, I shifted over to the sink, looking over the damage left by last night’s storm. It raged into the early morning hours, long after Emilia and I fell back to sleep. Luckily, the property looked like it was in good shape. A few trees lost their branches, and water covered the driveway, but everything seemed to be in working order.

At least, until I spotted Hadley rushing up the yard, her pajamas drenched and her cat clutched in her arms. My blood ran cold. I dropped the cup down on the counter and ran outside. When I got close enough to touch her, I scanned her over, checking for any injuries, something to make sense of her appearance.

Hadley glared at me, but I couldn’t feel her usual anger in it. It was more like she was internally seething, and I was the closest target.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her face fell. “The carriage house…not so much.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that,” I said, moving closer to her. “You sure you’re okay? You’re not hurt?”

Her sapphire eyes jumped up to meet mine, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of emotion lurking under the surface. She might hate that she wanted me, but she wanted me all the same. But as fast as it came, it faded. “I promise. The storm must have damaged the roof last night. I thought I left a faucet on because there was the annoying dripping sound, but when I got up to check it out, the roof above my bed collapsed.”

“Shit, Hadley!” I ran my hand over my hair. “You could’ve been killed!”

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m more mad than anything. Not only is Tori and Adam’s hard work ruined, but the leak ruined most of my stuff.”

“It’s just stuff.“ I moved closer and took the pissed-off cat from her arms. “You can replace it.”

“Easy for you to say,” she scoffed under her breath. Hadley’s eyes tracked her cat as she settled in my arms, purring contently, like this was her plan all along. “Okay,seriously. How did you get Laila to like you? She hates everyone except me, and I’m barely tolerated.”

I shrugged, petting the back of Laila’s head. “Might have had something to do with the tuna I fed her last time she came up.” I turned, walking over to the main house. Hadley grumbled as she followed me, muttering traitor or something similar under her breath.

THIRTY

So much for avoiding Cam while I tried to sort out my feelings. Standing in the wreckage of my former bedroom, it was hard to see much of a silver lining. I’d spent all morning on the phone with Victoria and Adam, profusely apologizing for what happened to their hard work. They insisted it wasn’t my fault, but the guilt overwhelmed me. It was like the house knew I didn’t belong here, and it wanted to force me out against my will.

At least we were safe. Laila already made herself at home in the main house, napping in the dining room, when I left to see what I could salvage. It wasn’t much. The water had destroyed most of my room, especially my closet. Hopefully, I could get some pieces cleaned up, but I’d have to go shopping if I didn’t want to live in pajamas for the foreseeable future.

There went my road trip fund. Probably for the best. I’d avoided setting down roots for a long time, and maybe the universe was showing me it was time. Most of my friends had started their own grown-up lives. The dream oftraveling around the country might be just that—a dream. One I pictured but would never quite grasp.

“What else do you need?” Cam asked from my side. I sucked in a sharp breath, unsure of what to say. Tears were dying to come, but I pushed them back, trying to remind myself it was just stuff. I was okay. My cat was okay. That was all that mattered in the end. It still stung, knowing I’d be throwing away so many pieces of my home. Yes, it had been temporary, but for a while, this space was mine. I’d decorated it, made it cozy, done all the things I’d dreamed of doing since I was a kid. Now, all of it was gone, thanks to one fucking storm.

Cam moved through the destruction, grabbing whatever he found and putting it into a box for me. He’d called the team manager and told him what happened, insisting on staying home with me, which meant he’d miss his game. I hated that he’d done that for me, especially during his rookie season. He’d worked so damn hard to get there. Every game offered a chance to prove himself, especially now that he was a starter.

I held out my arms, motioning for me to hand over the box. “You should go,” I said solemnly. “If you leave now, you can get a warm-up in before the game. I’ve got this.”

Cam placed the box at his feet and shifted toward me. “No. I’m not going anywhere, Hadley. Stop telling me to leave.”

“This is ridiculous,” I shouted. “There’s nothing we can do right now! You shouldn’t have to miss out on your life because of my issues. You should be on that field, not digging through all my crap.”

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