Chapter 57
HAYDEN
Istare at her, physically unable to do anything as shock rocks through my body.
She’s really here.
I swallow nervously as reality hits.
She might have come, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the afternoon is going to be how I want it to be.
Somehow, I’m going to have to stop myself from staring at her, something that I’m already failing at. And I’m not going to be able to touch her.
Fuck. She might be here, but this is going to be fucking torture.
My teeth clench, and beneath the water, my hands curl into fists.
But then…
“Hayden?” Her voice washes over me, making my shoulders relax and the knot in my stomach loosen a little.
“Yeah, baby?”
Fuck. Fuck.
I squeeze my eyes closed as I mentally kick myself. She’s been here literally thirty seconds, and I’m fucking this all up already. I’m going to be single again before I leave Coach’s house.
I swear, every set of eyes in this backyard drills into me. My skin burns with their attention. But when my eyes open, I don’t look at any of them. My attention is purely focused on my girl.
But to my surprise, she doesn’t look angry or annoyed by my slip. In fact, she actually looks a little amused. Her eyes are twinkling, and she has the smallest of smiles on her lips.
Then she lifts her hand as if she wants me to climb out of the pool and take it in front of the entire LA Vipers team and their loved ones.
I frown, confused as fuck, but her smile widens before she says, “It’s time.”
My heart practically trips over itself.
Is she…does she…fuck.
I’m out of the pool faster than I thought possible and I race toward her, soaking fucking wet but happier than I think I’ve ever been.
I don’t hold back. Instead, I slip my hand into hers and tug her closer.
There’s barely an inch between us when I drop my lips to her ear. “What are you doing, Hails?”
“Standing up for what I want.”
Oh. My. God.
“And that’s you, just in case it wasn’t already obvious.”
I pull back to look at her, my heart like a runaway train in my chest.
“I’m sorry I bailed on coming with you. I was scared and…well, stupid.”
With one hand locked in hers, I lift the other and cup her cheek, brushing her soft skin with my thumb.
“You’re not stupid, baby. You’re trying to protect your heart, and I understand that. But you don’t have to. I can protect it enough for both of us.”
She nods, her eyes filling with tears.
“Is this it? Are we really doing this?” I whisper, still unable to believe this is happening.
“Kiss me,” she demands, her voice quiet but determined, and I’m powerless but to do as I’m told.
The second my lips collide with hers, cheers erupt around us. But as amused as I am, I can’t break our kiss to laugh.
Instead, I drop my arm, wrapping it around her back and pinning her against me as our tongues collide.
It’s way too heated a kiss, considering there are kids around, but I have to trust their parents to make them look the other way for a few seconds.
I need my girl too badly to hold myself back right now.
“Shit,” I hiss when we eventually part. “You came,” I say, still in disbelief.
“For you. For us.”
“And what about everyone around us?” I ask, aware that she’s terrified of having the world know her business.
“I’m learning to trust people, and I think that I can do that with everyone here. What do you think?”
“You absolutely can. They’ve got our backs, one hundred percent.” A laugh erupts out of me, and I shake my head. “You’re really here.” I hold her eyes for a beat before letting them drop down her body.
She might be wearing a shirt and skirt, but I can see what’s beneath.
“And you’re wearing my favorite bikini.”
“Kind of,” she confesses.
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not letting my ass out for your teammates.”
I can’t help but laugh again. “Good. Not that any of them stand a chance. You’re mine, baby.”
She smiles up at me. “Yeah, I am.”
“Come on, let’s get you a drink. I think you’re going to need it.”
As I tow her away from the spot where I met her, I feel eyes follow us.
“What can I get for you, ma’am?” Coach says as we step up to his makeshift bar.
“Uh, vodka Coke? And please, don’t call me ma’am. Hayden already makes me feel old.”
Coach barks out a laugh. “Just you wait until you’ve got a kid in her twenties. Then you’ll feel old.”
“Monroe?”
“Just a soda, thanks.”
“Ready?” I ask once Hailee has had a sip of her drink.
“I’m not sure I could ever be ready for this. But let’s do it.”
We barely make it two steps before the girls are on her. Casey, Parker, Freya, and Bea all pull her in for hugs. I stand on the periphery and watch with a smile.
“So…is now a good time to confess that Bea wasn’t having a nap?”
“Thank you,” I breathe.
“Nah, man. You don’t need to thank me for anything. And I’m not just saying that, because it was all Bea.”
“Oh, sure you’re not.”
“The fuck, man?” Killer barks as he bounds over. “You snagged Hailee. How the fuck did you do that?”
I cried on her.
“Because I’m better looking than you.”
Killer’s chin drops, but he recovers quickly. “We all know that isn’t true.”
“It’s gotta be his age. All that stamina,” Linc adds, walking over and squeezing my shoulder. “Proud of you, man.”
“Thanks. And yeah, that’s exactly it.”
Once the girls are finished with Hailee, they turn to me and engulf me in a group hug.
It feels incredible. There will always be something missing in my life. A Rylee-shaped hole will be there forever. But with these incredible people around me, it gets a little easier to deal with every single day.
“Hey, baby. You should be relaxing, not working,” I say when I catch up to Hailee, who’s making the rounds.
Her cheeks are burning when she looks up at me.
“What is it?”
“I’m just…making sure this stays within the arena walls for now.”
“Okay,” I say, smiling down at her. “I’m so proud of you. Turning up here like that, announcing our relationship. That took some serious balls.”
“Yeah, well. Haven’t you heard? I’m a badass bitch that everyone is scared of,” she states, popping a hip.
“Trust me, baby. I’ve noticed. Why do you think I always do what I’m told?”
I shudder as she slides her hands up my chest before linking them behind my neck and stretching up on her tiptoes. I groan when she presses the length of her body against mine before she whispers, “Because you’re such a good boy.”
“Fucking hell,” I moan. “Do not make me hard. These shorts won’t hide anything.”
When she pulls back, she’s wearing the wickedest of all smirks.
“Maybe that’s my intention.”
“No one here needs more evidence to ensure they know that I’m gone for you. They’ve been watching me follow you around like a lost puppy for the better part of a year.”
“Put him down, Caldwell. We’ve got a game of volleyball to resume,” Handsy hollers.
“You joining us, baby? I think we’d be great teammates.”
“Yeah, we probably would. But I think it would be more fun to be on opposing teams,” she teases.
“Oh? So I can watch you jumping around in this little top without being able to get my hands on you?”
She takes a step back, letting her nails rake down my bare chest and stomach.
“Delayed gratification,” she mumbles before she turns her back on me and begins stripping down to her swimsuit. The second she pushes her skirt from her hips, I understand what she meant about her bikini not quite being the same as I remember.
It’s still fucking insane, though.
“Monroe, stop fucking drooling and get your head in the game,” Kodie barks, stealing my attention from my girl.
“As if you’re any better,” I scoff before I jump into the pool.
When I come up and wipe the water from my face, Hailee is sitting on the edge of the other side of the net, her legs dangling in the water.
“Caldwell, you’re up front with the kids,” Linc states.
“Hey,” she argues.
“He’s got a point,” Sutton states. “I’m not that much shorter than you now.”
Hailee’s lips part, but she’s unable to argue with Sutton’s observation. Instead, she jumps into the water and swims forward.
“If I had a choice, I’d want to be on your team anyway,” Hailee tells Sutton.
“Yes, girl power,” Sutton says, holding her little fist out for Hailee to bump.
I watch them with happiness oozing from my every pore.
“You’re seeing your future play out before your very eyes, aren’t you?” Rett asks.
“Uh…I’m not…yeah,” I concede. “I think I might be.”
“It’s not as scary as you thought it would be, is it?”
“I was never scared about this. I’ve always known that I’ve wanted a future with the right woman. The house, the wedding, the kids. I’ve already lived through my worst nightmare; nothing else can be as bad as that.”
“Fuck. I wish I was as level-headed as you.”
“Ah, you’re doing better, big man,” I tease.
“Thanks,” he mutters. “I can see it, you know. Hailee wearing your ring, pregnant with your kid.”
I let his words create an image in my head.
“Yeah, I can too.”
“Dude, you can’t put a ring on it before I have.”
“You already have,” I point out.
“Oh, yeah. I did that. I meant get married. Bea wants to wait until the baby is born and she’s lost her extra weight. Which, I already told her, isn’t necessary. She’ll be the most beautiful woman in the room, no matter what.”
I want to agree, because I have no doubt she’ll be glowing the day she finally manages to nail down Everett Donnelly. But in my eyes, Hailee will always be the most beautiful woman in any room that I’m in.
“It’s only been a few weeks. We don’t have any plans,” I say, despite the fact I’ve thought about it more times than I probably should have already.
“We’ve got a game in Vegas in a few weeks. You never know what’ll happen there.”
“Oh, no. I don’t care how desperate I am to officially make her mine. I want to give her the wedding of her dreams, in whatever form that takes.”
“Maybe Vegas is her dream.”
My eyes drift to Hailee as she laughs with Sutton.
“Maybe,” I mumble. But I don’t think it is.
I think she’ll want something small and intimate. Something that only includes those closest to us.
“Are you ready?” Kodie bellows, holding the ball above his head, ready to serve.
“Ready to watch you lose,” Rett taunts.
“You wish, loser,” Sutton counters.
“Dude, you’re getting chirped at by a nine-year-old.”
“S’all good, isn’t it, lil’ Riv?”
We wait for Sutton’s reply, but all she does is roll her eyes, which makes Hailee howl with laughter. Which is my second-favorite sound ever. My first is obviously hearing her moaning my name.