Page 64 of Single Glance

I clicked on the first one, a photo of me doing karaoke back in college. The team decided we’d all dress up on Halloween and hit up a bar in Austin. Victoria even tagged along, leaving Emilia with family for the night so we could all hang together. We’d dressed up as Sonny and Cher, me wearing the long, black sequined dress and her rocking a seventies style mustache. But in this picture, it wasn’t thetwo of us. Instead, it was of the moment I fumbled on the stage, too nervous to get the words out despite the number of shots I’d had beforehand. In true Hadley fashion, she’d jumped up onto the stage with me, belting out the words without a hint of shame. My cheeks may have been dark red, but I watched her, smiling wider than I had in a long time.

As I shook my head, I read the caption.Because you never back down from a challenge.

Hadley. It finally clicked she’d tagged me in all the photos, linking our two accounts. When I’d posted the photos of her, a part of me worried I was going too far, but I couldn’t hold back anymore. I wanted to claim her for the world to see, wanted everyone to know that somehow, this beautiful girl was mine, and I was completely and utterly hers. Even if it all blew up in my face, I’d always belong to Hadley.

I kept scrolling through the pictures Hadley tagged me in. I couldn’t help the wide smile across my face. They were pictures of our lives together—when we were friends, when we hated each other, and when we’d finally fallen for each other’s charms.

And they were all captioned with simple phrases: because you know how I take my coffee, because you’re the best dad in the world, because you always make me smile.

By the time I reached the end of the photos, my heart was incredibly full. Hadley had laid out all the reasons she loved me, even without saying the words themselves. My head bolted up, my eyes instantly finding the clock on the wall. Only forty minutes until game time. Normally, I’d be deep in prep mode, trying to relax before I stepped out onto the field. But right now, I couldn’t relax, couldn’t think of anythingelse but getting to Hadley.

I jumped up. “What the fuck am I doing here?”

No one answered, but it didn’t matter. I might not be able to get to Boston right now, but if I left right after the game, I’d get there before the sun came up. At least then, I’d be able to tell Hadley in person how I felt. Until then, though, I needed to call her, needed to hear her voice.

I pushed open the doors of the clubhouse, clutching my phone in my hand as I stepped into the hall. Before I pressed her contact card, someone cleared their throat in front of me.

“Another reason I love you? You have impeccable timing.”

As soon as my eyes connected with Hadley’s, I dropped my phone, rushing forward to scoop her into my arms. I held her close, inhaling the sunshine and honey scent I’d come to depend on. Hadley held me just as close, and in that moment, I knew it was all worth it. The fights, the stress, the doubt—everything had led Hadley into my arms, and there was nothing I wanted more than to keep her forever.

I pulled back. “I love you, Hadley McKay. I love you so much.”

She smiled brightly back at me. “So much, huh? I thought I was just a menace.”

“You are.” I leaned forward and captured her lips, sealing us together. Hadley’s fingers knotted in my hair, and I groaned at the sensation. “You’re my menace, Hadley. And I’m going to need you to keep tormenting me for a long, long time.”

She grinned up at me. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I love you too, Cam. Besides…” Her blue eyes twinkled with mayhem. “You still owe me a date.”

FORTY-EIGHT

THREE WEEKS LATER

“You let a guy blindfold you one time in the bedroom, and suddenly, he’s dragging you all over the city with a mask over your eyes.”

Cam chuckled behind me, his firm hands guiding me inside what I assumed was an apartment. At least, I hoped it was. Ever since I got back from Boston, we’d been inseparable, only spending nights apart when he went on the road. Luckily, Cole, Victoria’s brother, was well-versed in construction, so he repaired the carriage house’s roof one weekend. It ended up being perfect timing, because Adam returned from Australia two days after I moved back in, but this time, Cam joined me.

And as much as we loved being close to our family, Cam and I were ready to find a place of our own. The goal was to have two places: one apartment in the city and a house closer to Tori and Emilia.

With the break for the All-Star game coming up, we figured it was the perfect time to hunt for a new home. But everything we’d seen so far had been toosmall or too far from the rest of our friends. When Cam told me he had a surprise waiting for me today, I’d crossed my fingers, praying he’d found us somewhere to call our own. Even though Cam’s season was only half-way over, I was off for another five weeks—enough time to get settled before the new school year started.

Despite my initial hesitation, I’d taken the maternity leave position at the school. Victoria and I had been talking more about our early childhood center, and it seemed like we were taking more steps toward making it a reality. With her wrapping up her MBA in the fall, the stars were finally aligning, and our dreams might just become a reality.

There were still a lot of steps to be taken, but at least we were taking steps forward. We’d eventually have to find a place, especially if we wanted to update our business plan to reflect the local population. For now, though, we were working more on the internal workings of how we’d want our center to run.

I reached up to itch my nose as we walked further into the space, and Cam wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “Are you trying to peek, menace?”

“If I was, what would you do about it?”

He inhaled sharply, his nose pressing against the length of my neck. “Don’t tempt me right now, baby. The listing agent’s going to be here soon, and I can’t have her walking in on us.” Cam kissed the side of my neck. “But if you’re a good girl, I’ll make it worth your while later.”

“I like the sound of that.” I turned to face him, looping my arms around his neck. “As much fun as this blindfold has been, can you take it off now?”

“Impatient, menace?”

“You know it,sarge.” I let out a little sigh. “I’d love to have a place before your break ends. That way, we can come straight home after the games.”

“You have no idea how much I like the sound of that, Hads.”

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