She hissed when I dug my fingers into the dimples above her glutes. I massaged her for a few seconds before stopping. She yawned. “That felt good.”
“You need sleep, baby.” I kissed her forehead before turning off the lamp. “We’ll have time in the morning.”
Charlotte sighed, the contented sound filling me with hope. We could make this work. It’d be tough, but how could I walk away after experiencing this with her? There was no way.
Instead of sleeping, I spent the next hour holding her in my arms and coming up with a game plan. Creating plays was the most important part of my job. I just needed to do the same thing with the girl I’d always had a crush on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHARLOTTE
Morning.”
A deep, raspy voice woke me, and butterflies assaulted my stomach as I cracked an eye open to find Hayden sitting on the edge of my bed. He wore a hoodie and jeans, his usual style, and a huge smile.
“Hi.” I covered the bottom half of my face with the sheet becausehello, morning breath. Have you ever smelled yours right when you wake up? Horrible.
Hayden looked adorable and happy, and he held a cup of coffee in his hands.
“Is that for me?”
“Yes.” He tugged the sheet down and leaned forward, kissing my mouth with a smirk. “I kept you up pretty late.”
“No need to brag,” I teased.
He chuckled and ran a hand over my hair. “I’ve always wondered if you’d have crazy bedhead. You do, and I love it.”
“Stop with the compliments.” I brushed his hand away and pushed up, keeping the sheet around my chest. There was no awkwardness with him, and I had thought there would be. This was almost easy. I didn’t want to jinx it, so I shoved the thought away. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“Of course.” He patted my calf through the sheet as he sighed. “I don’t want to leave this place, but I miss my baby girl.”
My heart about burst. “I’m sure she’s so excited to see you.”
“Char,” he said, his tone serious, “I can’t tell you how amazing this weekend was. Being with you…” He sighed and ran a finger over his eyebrow. “I’m willing to do anything to make it work, but it’s going to be difficult for me to find balance.”
My throat tightened at the hard expression on his face. “I know, Hayden.”
“Fuck, I’m messing this up. You look worried.” He set his coffee on the side table and scooted closer to me. “I had this all planned out in my head, but then you looked gorgeous and sleepy, and it caused my thoughts to jumble.”
I blushed.
“I think I’m pre-apologizing for anything that happens the next few weeks. I’m going to mess up or Gwen is going to make us change plans. I’ve never dated since becoming her dad, so I don’t know the playbook.” He ran a hand over my neck, bare shoulder, and arm. “I’m going to upset you as I navigate through this, so trust me on this. Never doubt how I feel about you. If my life was simpler, we’d be together already.”
My face heated as I almost said the words that had been rooted in my soul for years.I love you.It was way too soon, but that didn’t make it less true. “Gwen is a part of you. I can handle a littlenot simplein my life. You’re worth it. So is she okay?”
He blinked before swallowing hard. His gaze shifted toward the lamp, a torn expression on his face. “My parents say goodbye to us today before moving tomorrow.”
My stomach bottomed out. I knew this was happening, but it had to be hard. I couldn’t even imagine not seeing my parents once a week, and I didn’t have a child. “I’m so sorry.”
“Would you like to come over for dinner with us?”
His tone was off, like he was nervous or something. His jaw flexed as he stared at me with longing and worry. Even his shoulders were stiffer than usual.
“I’d love to.”
His posture relaxed, and any ounce of tension disappeared.
“Were you afraid I’d say no?” I sat up higher, setting my mug down so I could touch him. It still blew me away that I could touch him now. Behind closed doors, sure, but for so many years I had to restrain myself.
