Use your words. Tell me what you want.
I stare at the screen, pulse tripping.
He’s always like this—direct, calm, the kind of sure that makes it impossible to hide behind small talk. I bite my lip and answer anyway, not spelling it out, but not hiding either.
Kate:
You. Here. Tomorrow.In my bed.
His reply comes faster than my heartbeat that I’m trying to slow down.
Cam:
Good. Because I’ve been thinking about that since brunch.
Kate:
Brunch?
Cam:
You kept crossing your legs under the table. Drove me crazy.
A small, involuntary sound leaves my throat.
Kate:
You’re impossible.
Cam:
You like it. I’ll see you tomorrow, Katie.
It’s the same pattern we’ve had for months—this pull, this quiet, reckless wanting. We both know what tomorrow means.
I plug my phone into the charger and flop back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling, breath caught somewhere between nerves and anticipation.
We said we’d keep it simple. We’re doing a terrible job.
Chapter six
Cam
I’ve been useless all morning.
Practice wrapped hours ago, the kids scattered to their cars, and I stayed behind pretending the field needed one more round of tidying. Raking the mound. Straightening helmets in the shed. Locking the dugout twice. None of it cleared the buzz under my skin.
I keep trying to tell myself it’s just leftover adrenaline from drills. But I know it isn’t, it’sher.
Those texts last night—Katie, trying to sound casual while basically asking me to come ruin her bed—have been looping in my head on repeat. And yeah, I kept it together, kept my answers calm, kept the teasing light. But the truth is, the second she typedYou. Here. Tomorrow,my whole brain short-circuited, just like it always does.
So now I’m standing under the locker room shower, water hotter than necessary, trying to get myself to settle. Spoiler: it’s not working. The water hits my shoulders and all I can see is her—crossed legs at brunch, the way I can imagine what shade of pink her cheeks turned when she finally wrote what she wanted.
I towel off, pull on jeans and a T-shirt, shove my practice clothes into my bag, and tell myself to get it together.
This afternoon, she has the house to herself. And she asked for me.
Yeah. No chance I’m settling down before then.
