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He laughs, handing me a napkin. I press to my upper lip squeezing my eyes shut against the burn.

“That was the least princess-ey thing I’ve ever seen you do.” Then he pauses as if remembering. “Except for when you fell off the float… and tripped over air.”

“It’s all your fault.” I blow my nose into the napkin, and he hands me another. “I’ve never had such a time until you showed up. I’m a total mess.”

“You’re welcome.” That dimple’s back, and I narrow my eyes playfully.

Itisnice to relax for a little bit.

Then he shifts gears, leaning forward and giving me a serious look. “Tell me about your work. I’ve asked you a few times now, and you always dodge the question. I really want to know. What has you so consumed in the lab every day of the week.”

“It’s not every day.”

“Quit stalling, Bradford. Tell me.”

Clearing my throat, I slide my dark hair behind my shoulder. “Okay, I’ll tell you.”

8

Gavin

Ialready knew Hayden Bradford was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, but tonight, watching her light up from within telling me about her research project… It adds a dimension I never expected.

She’s amazing.

“Imagine if a virus could fly around the world on air currents alone.” Her blue eyes sparkle, and her hands are spread wide in excitement. “If a disease could spread without person-to-person contact. No sneezing in your face or on a surface, which you then touch.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“It is, but if we could show a correlation between the wind storms blowing into Japan from China every fall and the resultant outbreak of Kawasaki disease, we could protect more babies and potentially even stop the disease in its tracks.”

“Damn.” I say the word on an exhale. She’s had me onthe edge of my seat since she started talking about it. “That’s really cool.”

“It’s not as cool as figuring out the actual cause of the disease.” She leans back with a sigh. “But think of how many children we could save.”

“Why would anyone call what you’re doing a hobby? You’re saving lives.”

She holds up both hands with her fingers crossed. “Not yet, but one day. I hope.” Then she seems a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I’ll go on and on once I get started.”

Reaching across the table, I cover her hand with mine. I can’t seem to stop touching her.

“It’s incredible. Is that why you went to UNC?”

“Not really. I always wanted to live in North Carolina. It has a fun, cultural vibe, and they have a great STEM program. What about you?”

“I grew up in Wilmington.”

“Still, it’s a basketball town.” She gives me a playful nudge I kind of love. “You were being a rebel.”

“UNC wasnotme being a rebel.Hockeywas everything my parents didn’t want me to do, but I loved it.” I exhale a chuckle. “My dad couldn’t understand why I didn’t join the military like him. He would always say, ‘if you want adventure, join the guard.’ My mom Elaine made me promise I wouldn’t fuck up my teeth. Only my mom Kenny seemed to understand.”

“Wait…” Her brow furrows, and she blinks at me a few times before grabbing my arm and pulling me closer. “Your parents are in a throuple?”

“What?” It takes me a second, then I break into a real laugh. “No, hell no. My parents were never married. Dad married Elaine, but my mom Kenny was always a part of my life.”

“Aw!” Her pretty head tilts to the side. “That’s so sweet! And how very evolved of them.”

“Dad and Kenny were always really good friends. It was one of those drunk accident kind of things. Lucky for me, they decided to keep me.”