“It’s okay,” I tell her. “It was always meant to be him; I just didn’t want to see it at first.”
“Reed.” She breathes my name.
I love when she says my name.
“You deserve to be someone’s first choice. Someone’s everything.”
I sweep her bangs out of her eyes and brush my knuckles against her cheek.
But I can’t be your first choice, Hailey, my heart says.Somebody’s already taken that place in your life, and I’m not sure you have enough room for anyone else. Especially if she knew that person chose to spend time with me over her.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever be first choicematerial,” I admit.
The fingers of her left hand clutch the back of my neck as she kisses me softly on the mouth.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then she melts against my chest and whispers, “You already are.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
HAILEY
Iwake in the crook of Reed’s arm.
When did I fall asleep?
He brushes his lips against my temple, and for one moment I forget that I’m spiking out with my father and his eighteen-man crew who are all going to witness me leaving this sleeping arrangement.
Nothing happened, but they don’t know that.
“Good morning,” Reed says, curling my soft body into his hard one even more than it already is.
“This is becoming a habit, me falling asleep on you,” I say, unzipping our shared sleeping bag.
He grips my hip and I yelp as he pulls me toward his chest. “I can’t say it’s one I’d like you to break anytime soon.”
I scroll his face in the morning light.
My gosh, this man is beautiful. Even with a shirt on.
I touch the hollow in his cheek, letting the tip of my pointer finger sink into…
The tent walls quake.
What was that?
They billow once like a parachute and then shudder, faster and faster.
The fire.
We wrestle and stumble out of fabric. This sleeping bag was not made for two. Reed tugs at the opening first, his broad frame shielding my body as he yanks at the zipper.
A rush of air tornados through the hole. Dirt, pine needles, leaves, all fly inside our shelter. I can’t see anything. I have no clue what’s making that chopping sound.
