“I play around with it, nothing serious. I work offshore for a living.”
He grins. “My dad used to work offshore too. Say, you mind showing me something you’ve designed? Just to get ideas for my vacation home.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and show him several projects Mom and I worked on together. Then, I show him my house that the architect of Michael’s firm signed off on and I built.
“The interior isn’t finished, but it’s mostly little design things,” I say, tucking my phone back into my pocket.
“A woman’s touch is needed.” Mason winks. “You’ve got real talent. Maybe you should consider joining your brother-in-law. Speaking of, can I get his number?”
I give it to him and direct him to Michael’s website.
“If situations were different, maybe I’d consider it.” Mom pops back into my mind alongside the memories of us building things together.
“Well, Braxton.” Mason claps a hand on my shoulder. I hold in the wince at the soreness already setting in. “Don’t make my mistake with the ladies. Go get your girl. Make her see you.”
“Thanks, man.” I reach out my hand, and he grasps mine one last time before I gather my water bottle and sweat towel.
I head back up to the room.
The one I’m sharing with Hadley.
Time moves at the pace of a sloth as I ride the elevator up to the room. My skin feels too sweaty. My mind is reeling over Mason’s words:Make her see you.
Finally, in front of the room door, I swipe the key card before creaking the door open.
“You’ll never guess who I met—” I pause mid-sentence as I see Hadley conked out on the bed with a book across her chest. After gently closing the door until I hear the soft click, I tiptoe to the left side of the bed where she’s sprawled out. She looks peaceful, happy. I inhale a deep breath, catching the smell of her coconut shampoo. And is that…pumpkin, I smell? I look around the small room. The sight of a candle burning on the desk she’d claimed as her own earlier catches my attention. I stifle a laugh—the woman truly isbougie(her word, not mine). I blow the candle out, pretty sure they are not allowed in hotel rooms.
I shuffle as quietly as my six-three height will let me to the edge of the bed and slip the book out from under her arms. Agatha Christie…again. Hadley isn’t much of a reader, but when it comes to Christie, she’s read every book twice over. Pulling the comforter blanket up to her shoulders, I tuck her in. My hand travels to her hair. I pause, hovering right over the top of her head. Every inch of me wants to finger through her platinum strands, but I know if I do she’ll bounce awake. I clench my hand into a fist before dropping it to my side.
Grabbing my pillow I had set on my side—I mean the right side—of the bed earlier, I ease onto the floor. It’s not my side because we arenotsharing that bed. I grab my blanket from my suitcase because unlike Hadley, I refuse to use hotel blankets and pillows. A prayer forms on my lips.
It starts silently, as most of my nightly prayers do. But at some point during my prayer, I begin speaking the words flowing from my heart.
“Lord, You see me. You know me better than I know myself. You know what I need, what I want. You know how desperately I want Hadley to see me as so much more than a friend. But she is Your creation. I know she doesn’t know You yet, but I firmly believe and have faith that she will. In Your perfect timing. Until she surrenders to You, Lord, take me out of the way. I don’t wanna be a hindrance, and I know I have been. All of that silly flirting, Lord. I can’t seem to help myself around her. She is breathtaking. Not just her looks, though You surely blessed her there. But her soul. She is the most selfless, smart, kindhearted, caring woman that I know. She reminds me so much of my mom in those ways. Maybe that’s why I feel extra attached to Hadley now. Either way, Lord, these feelings aren’t going away. Bind my heart to You. Tune my heart to sing Your praise. Push me out of the way so that You can work in her life. One day, she’ll be mine to cherish and hold. But until then, she needs You.”
Teary-eyed and satisfied, I pull my blanket over me, and let sleep take over.
Chapter Seventeen
Hadley
Heprayedforme.
I’ve fought tears back all morning while attempting to cover my face in make-up. I don’t know why his prayer is getting to me so much. I haven’t decided if I believe in God, but I know Braxton does. And the simple fact that he was willing to stay up last night in prayer over me… I take a piece of toilet paper tissue to my eyes again.
The moment he slipped the book from my hands, I woke up. I kept my breathing steady, though if I’m being honest, my heart rate picked up a tad knowing he was hovering over me. I’m the world’s lightest sleeper, so I pretended to be asleep.
Why didn’t I wake up to talk to him?
You can blame it on the dream I was in the middle of.
A dream that involved a shirtless Braxton, fresh out of the shower. Very similar to the experience earlier in the hotel room. Except in my dreamland, he kissed me.
And kissed me.
My face grows warm at the recollection of the dream.
So yeah, that’s why I pretended to be asleep. I couldn’t face the real man that I knew would be standing over me looking like a male model if I opened my eyes. I would have grabbed his face and planted one right on him.
