Page 208 of Risking the Pucking Defense

“Dude, you’re getting chirped at by a nine-year-old.”

“S’all good, isn’t it, lil’ Riv?”

We wait for Sutton’s reply, but all she does is roll her eyes, which makes Hailee howl with laughter. Which is my second-favorite sound ever. My first is obviously hearing her moaning my name.

58

HAILEE

“That was fun,” I say sleepily from Hayden’s passenger seat as he drives us back to my place.

“Yeah, it was. We have good people.”

I can’t help but smile as I think back to all the kind words everyone said when we announced our relationship, all the congratulations, the well wishes and the promises to keep it under wraps from the press. No one judged us, no one questioned what we were doing, and the only mention of the age gap between us was friendly teasing, which I can more than cope with.

The whole thing was incredible, and I felt like I belonged from the first moment everyone looked up and saw me. The Vipers really are an incredibly supportive family who look after their own, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to become an even bigger part of it while standing at Hayden’s side.

“We really do,” I agree before a yawn overtakes me.

“Sleepy, baby?” Hayden teases as he glances over at me.

“I can’t remember the last time I spent that much time in the water. As a kid, I was such a water baby.”

“We should buy a house with a pool,” Hayden suddenly announces, rendering me speechless. “Not right now, of course. But at some point in the future. Once I’ve signed a new contract and hopefully paid off my parents’ debts.”

“That seems like it could be a while off.”

Hayden deflates. “Yeah, I guess. I’d have it all tomorrow if I could.”

“We are going to have it all,” I say confidently. “Just one step at a time.”

“One step at a time sounds perfect to me,” he says, lacing our fingers together and squeezing.

I don’t realize I drift off until Hayden says my name softly.

“Wake up, baby.”

My eyes fly open, and I quickly find myself staring at the wall of my parking garage.

“We’re home?”

Hayden chuckles. “Yeah. We’re home.”

Fuck. That sounds so good.

“Come on, we need to get showered, then you can crawl into bed and go back to sleep.”

“Mmm,” I groan, so ready to have him wrapped around me as I drift off.

Hayden climbs from his car and grabs our bags from the trunk while I try to get my legs to work.

I’m too slow, though, and before I can open the door and climb out, he’s there, holding out his hand and helping me to my feet.

He wraps his arm around my waist and guides me toward the elevator as if we’ve done it a million times before. But just when I think we’re going to walk straight past my car, his steps falter.

“Why don’t you ever drive her?” Hayden asks.

I close my eyes, pain searing through my chest.