Page 14

THIRTEEN

The drive back to the house was drastically different from our ride out to the stadium. Hadley animatedly asked me everything about the game, wanting to understand every single play. It made me smile, knowing she not only enjoyed herself but was getting invested in baseball.

Victoria was the same way, taking in each game and always wanting to debrief afterward.

But Hadley brought her usual spark to the conversation, and it made me smile.

I used to pray Hadley had an off-switch, that she’d keep quiet for five seconds, but when she’d gone quiet on me during the ride out to the stadium, I hated it.

Hadley’s fire brought out my own, making me even more proud of the game I played. It was a close one. We’d given up a few too many runs, and there were a couple of plays that should’ve gone smoother, but we were starting the weekend off on a good note, and that was all I wanted.

The majors had been my dream for so long.

I still had to pinch myself every time I walked out onto the field.

But now that I was starting to make a name for myself, it was even better.

When the announcer called my name and I walked out onto the field with thousands of fans shouting my name?

That was a highlight of my life. There was no better feeling than the fans’ support.

At least, until I found Hadley in the stands, screaming for me. I usually tried to ignore the crowd, knowing it would only add to the mounting pressure resting on my shoulders. Yet, every time I took my position, my eyes instantly found her.

She looked like she was having the time of her life, even making friends with the other family members cheering us on. Not that it surprised me—no one was immune to Hadley’s charms.

Apparently, not even me.

“And that last catch?” Hadley said. “Pure fucking magic, Cam. I didn’t even see the ball! How the hell did you do that?”

“Practice,” I smirked. “It’s a lot of muscle memory. That, and the coaches make us do drills all day.”

She rolled her eyes. “This whole humble thing doesn’t work for you, Cam. You were incredible on that field. Own that shit.”

“Own that shit?” I shook my head. “Always poetry out of your mouth, menace.”

She laughed as she settled back into the passenger seat.

Her legs curled underneath her, and for a moment, I wanted to yell at her.

It wasn’t safe to sit like that. But then, the hem of her dress drifted a little higher, exposing a swatch of her smooth, toned thigh.

My mouth went dry, and I had to squeeze the steering wheel a little tighter to resist reaching out.

It was the oddest shift in my brain. For years, I couldn’t stand this girl, trying to spend as little time with her as possible.

But was that even true? Could I not stand being around her, or did I like it a little too much?

Looking back, Hadley always made me laugh, pulling me in with her spirit and determination.

She wasn’t just beautiful—she was ferocious and used her voice to help others.

There was a lot to admire about Hadley McKay’s spirit, but this was the first time I was letting myself admit it.

Fuck. I couldn’t think about Hadley like this.

There were plenty of other girls out in the world—ones who weren’t best friends with my ex.

Even if Hadley felt the same way, there was no way we’d ever cross that line.

Victoria might not have cared, but I would.

Too many strings tied us together, and with one wrong move, I would burn all of them to dust. I couldn’t do that to Victoria or Emilia.

My daughter loved Hadley, thought of her like an aunt. I’d never be able to live with myself if I put that relationship at risk.

No, any simmering feelings for Hadley were just because we spent time together, nothing more. I had to get my head together, to shove Hadley back into that friends column.

“Hey Cam, are you alright?” Hadley asked, reaching out to place her hand on my forearm.

“Yeah,” I pushed out gruffly. “Just thinking about tomorrow’s game.”

“Okay…” she said. “Because you parked the car five minutes ago but haven’t moved at all.”

Shit. I looked out of the windshield. We’d made it back to the farmhouse, and I’d barely realized it, too preoccupied by the spitfire next to me. I shook my head and hopped out of the truck, moving over to open Hadley’s door. She tried to open it, but I cut her off. “Let me.”

She wrinkled her brow as I held out my hand and helped her down. “Look at you, sarge. Didn’t know you had this side of you.”

“My dad had a lot of rules about how to treat a woman,” I said. “Number one, always hold the door open and help her out of the car.”

“I think I’d like your dad.” She smiled up at me. “Although, what would he say about you calling me a menace for almost a decade?”

I let out a loud laugh, and Hadley’s eyes brightened with delight. “He’d understand after spending ten minutes with you, Hadley. He talks less than anyone else on the planet and has more rules than I can count.”

“Ahh,” she said as she leaned against the passenger door. “That’s where you get the whole rigid thing.”

My jaw tightened. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “I guess you’ve always seemed like you need control, need order. Like you have no tolerance for anyone who throws you off your routine.”

I leaned in closer, unable to resist the spark in Hadley’s eyes as she pressed against my truck. “Like you, Hadley?” She swallowed as she nodded. I shifted closer and lowered my voice. “I don’t need control, menace. No one else tests me like you.”

Her blue eyes widened as they met mine. “Why is that?”

My fingers lifted to her soft blonde hair and ran through the front strands. “I’ve been asking myself that same fucking question since the day we met.”

“Cam…” My name was a breath against my skin, and it took everything not to pull her in closer, to hear that same low tone, but this time, I wanted to be holding her, making her eyes brighten for an entirely different reason.

I had so many mixed emotions wrapped up in this wo man.

Frustration. Longing. Anger. Desire. They all jumbled in my mind, making it impossible to move away from her.

My hand shifted, and my thumb traced her lower lip, tugging it lightly.

I cursed at the first touch of her lips to my skin, wishing more than anything to kiss her for real.

Why couldn’t I?

All common sense left my mind when Hadley lifted on to her toes, bringing her face closer to mine. This woman had me in tailspin, and I didn’t care what would happen if we crossed the line anymore. I would give almost anything for a taste of her lips, to have her moving against me.

Just as my hands dropped to her hips, determined to make her mine for a moment, headlights flashed from the end of the driveway. Hadley let out a little shriek, darting away from me with a furious flush over her cheeks.

I stared at the space where she just stood, finally letting my mind snap back into place.

What the fuck happened? Was I seriously about to kiss Hadley ?

Fuck. It had to be exhaustion, the adrenaline, something that made me lose my damned mind for a moment.

She was the forbidden fruit, way too fucking tempting but lethal all the same.

Nights like this couldn’t happen again. I needed to get some space from her, go back to our old routine of avoiding each other at all costs.

Adam’s truck pulled up next to mine, and Victoria hopped out of the passenger seat. She bounced over and wrapped me in a tight hug. “You played so well, Cam. You should celebrate!”

“I will,” I said. “With a long shower and a good night’s sleep.”

“Boring, but I get it.” She smiled as Adam joined us and clapped me on the back.

“Sorry we weren’t there,” he said as he wrapped an arm around Victoria’s shoulders. “Hope you had a good number of fans cheering for you.”

“Yeah,” Victoria added. “Did you find someone to take our seats?”

My jaw tensed, and I resisted the urge to look at Hadley. I didn’t know if she’d want Victoria to know she’d gone to the game tonight, so I shook my head. “Nah, but it’s all good. We had a lot of fans cheering us on.”

“I’m sure you did.” She beamed at me before looking over my shoulder. “Oh my God, Hads! I’m sorry, I didn’t even see you behind Cam. How’s your night going?”

I glanced over my shoulder, and the moment I did, I regretted my lie. Hadley’s smile was tight as she looked at Victoria. “Fine. Nothing special.”

“Well, this actually works out.” Victoria smiled up at Adam. “We have something we wanted to talk to both of you about.” She walked over to the porch, Adam’s arm still around her shoulders. “Come on, I’ll make some coffee.”

As they walked inside, Hadley stormed past me, not even sparing a glance in my direction. Guilt gnawed in my chest as I watched her walk through the doors, trying to remember the oath I just made.

I needed to stay away from Hadley McKay.

No matter what happened next.