“Yes. I’m fine. Nothing is wrong, but I need to get this off my chest.”
“Sure, Knox and I are headed home. He wants to take another shower there before we head to Baker’s.”
That’s her way of telling me she’s not alone. “Got ya. Okay, well, I’ll just say it, and you can think on it and hit me with your thoughts later.”
Corie laughs. “Sounds good.”
“Baker and I—I don’t know what we are, but we’re something. I think,” I confess.
“Do you have more than that?” she asks me.
“Glances, soft touches, and the three of us slept in Camden’s bed a couple of times, and he held me all night long. Kissed my cheek before he left to go to practice that next morning the first time, and then breakfast and the three of us spent the day together wrapped up on the coach the next.”
“And when was this?”
“The day after Natasha’s and Levi’s funerals, and then again a couple of weeks ago.”
“Sloane!”
“I know. I know that I should have told you, but I assumed he was just feeling vulnerable. Yet, the soft touches and the heated looks… they’ve never stopped. Things like, I’ll be in the kitchen, and he’ll come up behind me, place his hand on the small of my back, and lean around me. He’s kissed my cheek, my forehead, the top of my head more times than I can count. He gives me hugs goodnight, and then tonight happened.”
“What happened tonight?”
“Well, after the game, he took Camden from me, then hugged us both to his chest, and then he wanted to know why I was wearing Knox’s number instead of his. He kind of said that he knows I feel whatever this is between us, too, and I agreed with him.”
“I love this for you,” she says.
I pause. “Really? Corie, I work for him. He’s our friend. My friend. This could mess it all up.”
“Or it could be amazing. You remember when I first started seeing Knox, right? We tried to pretend it was just a hookup, and that got us nowhere.”
“Shhh, Knox is with you.”
“We’re home. He’s already upstairs in the shower.” She laughs. “Baker is a great guy, an incredible father, and he’d be lucky to have your attention. Just know before you dive into this thing, it’s more than just him. He’s a package deal.”
“I know. I love Camden so much. My heart is going to crack wide open when he replaces me.”
“Who says he has to?”
“Come on, Corie. I can’t keep working for him if I’m sleeping with him.”
“You can. But also, what if this turns into more? What if he’s your person?”
“Don’t go putting crazy ideas into my head,” I warn her. But what if she’s right? My heart starts to race, and hope wells inside of me.
“It’s not crazy. I never in my wildest imagination would have thought that I’d be married to Knox, and now, we’re starting a family. He’s my everything, and I never would have gotten to this point had I not taken the chance.”
“So, you think I should let this—whatever this is between us—happen?”
“Do you want it to happen?”
“More than anything,” I answer without hesitation. “But,” I quickly add, “I know that Camden is a part of this, and the thought of not being in either of their lives if this goes bad hurts my heart.”
“You’ve been practically living with him for two months, Sloane. He knows you. You know him. Hell, you all have known one another for a few years now. This isn’t sudden. It’s not like you just met the guy at a bar, and you’re jumping in headfirst. Toss out those fears, and just take it one day at a time. Or you know, one kiss at a time.” She giggles.
“I love you, Core.”
“I love you, too. I’ll see you soon?”
