Page 61 of Single Glance

“She’s coming back,” I said to Emilia. The words might not have been the full truth, but it was the one I held on to. I wasn’t giving her the option. Hadley McKay stole my heart, collecting the different pieces until she held the whole thing in her hand. “She’s going to come back to us.”

“Because you love her?” Emilia smirked up at me, too much awareness in her expression for a six-year-old.

“Yeah, baby. I love Hadley.” I ran my fingers through her thick brown curls. “Almost as much as I love you.”

“Mommy says if you love someone, you should always tell them.” She narrowed her gaze at me. “Have you told Hadley you love her?”

I chuckled as I shook my head. “Not yet, Em.”

She shook her head. “Oh, Daddy. First, we’re getting ice cream. Then, we need to make a plan.”

I furrowed my brow as she climbed back into her booster seat and buckled herself in. Looking back in the rearview mirror, I stared at my daughter, whose brow creased again in deep concentration. “A plan for what?”

She shook her head, as if I was trying the last bit of her patience. “For you to tell Auntie Hadley youlove her.”

Later that night,after I tucked an exhausted Emilia into bed, I headed down the stairs. Sleep had eluded me over the past week, my bed feeling cold now that Hadley wasn’t lying next to me. As I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, someone stepped up and tapped my shoulder. I almost jumped out of my skin as I turned to find Victoria behind me. “Shit, Vic. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry, I called out to you, but you seemed too distracted to hear me.” Her brow furrowed as she took in my tired expression. “Heading outside?”

“Yeah.” I ran my hand over my eyes. “Can’t get to sleep just yet.”

“C’mon.” She nodded over her shoulder. “I’ll keep you company.”

As we stepped out onto the back porch, I let out a long exhale, taking in the world's beauty. With summer officially started, the sky was taking its time turning to night, leaving behind lines of dark reds and pinks across the valley. Victoria settled onto one of the Adirondack chairs while I took the other, letting the tranquility wash over me.

Victoria turned and stared at me. “Do you want to talk about it, or are you going to keep brooding?”

I closed my eyes and dropped my head back. “I’m not brooding. I’m…contemplating.”

“Ah, is that what we’re calling it now?” Victoria let out a little huff. “Have you talked to Hadley?”

“For about ten seconds. She called earlier, but she needed to talk to her mom’s doctor. Tried to call back, but it went right into voicemail.”

Victoria hummed at my side. Her fingers tapped along the side of her mug, a rhythm to accompany her thoughts. We sat easily in the silence, the kind forged by years of friendship, love, and everything in between. Once, I was sure Victoria was the love of my life, but now that I’d been with Hadley, I knew the difference. Victoria was a cozy comfort, the kind you sought on a cold winter’s night. Hadley was a raging wildfire, consuming every part of me until all I saw was her.

Victoria and I slipped easily back into the role of friends, like that was always what we were meant to be. With Hadley, there was no way I’d ever be able to be her friend, unable to stand at her side without holding her close.

“I don’t know what to do, Vic.”

My shaky voice broke the silence between us. She turned and smiled at me, the soft kind, filled with empathy. “Has Hadley told you about her mom?” I nodded. “I don’t want to speak out of turn, but the woman did a real number on Hadley. She made her think she ruined her life, that Hadley caused all her pain. She doesn’t trust that someone can love her—at least, not the authentic version of herself. Hadley hides a lot behind smiles and sunshine because she doesn’t believe she’s worth the effort.”

“She’s worth more than that.” My voice took a hardened turn, grateful I hadn’t gone to the hospital with Hadley. There was no way I could look at that woman, after everything she’d done to the woman I loved, with a smile on my face.

“You and I both know that, but it takes time with Hadley.” Victoria leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Do youlove her?”

“Yes.” I answered without hesitation, without an ounce of fear. “Pretty sure she’s it for me, Vic.”

“Then you need to prove it, and not just with grand gestures, though, trust me, Hadley would love those too. She needs someone who is going to see her, who will support her even when she doesn’t ask.” She smirked over at me. “And remember—if you hurt her, I will have to kill you.”

I grinned. “You’re supposed to defend me, Vic.”

“Eh.” She shrugged. “You might be Emilia’s father, but Hadley’s my soul sister. She’s the other half of me, and if you were to mess this up, I’d have to seriously consider murdering you.”

I thought about her words, running through all the stuff Hadley had confided in me without asking for help. But there was already a list in my head of ways I wanted to help, wanted to make sure all her dreams came true. An idea from last week wiggled into the front of my brain, and I turned toward Victoria. “Hey, what can you tell me about Sunshine Academy?”

FORTY-SIX

After five days of sitting in the hospital room, I was going out of my mind. Every time I thought my mother might get discharged, something else came up, whether it be her blood pressure, her temperature, or another ailment. I hated that she still wasn’t back to her full health, but another part of me hated watching her fawn all over the doctors, only to act like I was an ungrateful brat the moment the door closed.

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