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“I know, I just... You did some pretty shitty things to me too, Cameron.”
Her words cut like a knife and my eyes shuttered as I inhaled a deep breath. “You’re never going let me forget, are you?” My stomach sank as I met her eyes once more, scared of what I might find there.
“I’m sure there are ways you can make it up to me.” Lust dripped from her words and my eyes snapped to hers.
“Yeah?” I practically panted, and her smirk grew.
And just like that all thoughts of Toby and Thatcher evaporated.
An hour later, stuffed full of Alley burgers and milkshakes, we’d attracted quite the audience. But I only had eyes for the girl opposite me. With every question I asked, every graze of my fingers against hers, Hailee relaxed. We’d talked about everything: her mom, her dad, how she got into art, her plans for after graduation.
“So, Stamps is an art and design school?”
“Yeah,” she said helping herself to a big spoonful of the sundae we’d decided to share. “It’s part of the University of Michigan.”
“You don’t say.” My heart picked up speed; a plan—albeit a crazy one—unfolding in my mind.
“What will you do if you decide not to play college football?” Hailee turned the spotlight on me.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve always liked numbers, so maybe business or finance or something.”
“And you can do that just about anywhere,” she said. “So you can stay local if your family needs you. Crap, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Hailee.” I covered her hand with mine. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” Was I terrified about what next week would bring? Yes. But I had to trust the doctors knew what they were doing. And with Hailee by my side, everything seemed that much easier to process.
“Have you figured out what you’re going to tell Coach?” She changed the subject.
“Not yet. But I can’t think about the team until after the surgery.”
Giving me a reassuring nod, Hailee smiled. “She’ll be okay, Cameron.”
“I hope so.” I suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore. Because the reality was, I wasn’t thinking past the surgery. The ‘what ifs’ or maybes. Because Hailee was right, Mom would be okay.
She had to be.
After beating me at bowling, twice, I drove Hailee back to my house. The tension between us was almost at breaking point. All night, Hailee had teased me with little kisses and subtle touches. I was surprised how tactile she was with me, given the constant stares and whispers aimed in our direction. But we were both too drunk on each other to care.
When I pulled into the driveway and cut the engine, Hailee turned to me. “Thank you, for tonight. It was perfect.”
“No.” I leaned over, capturing a strand of hair between my fingers. “You’re perfect.”
Hailee lowered her eyes, blushing. But I gently gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Whatever happens next week, it won’t change how I feel about you. I want you to know that.”
“Cameron, I—”
“Wait, just hear me out, okay?” I needed to get this off my chest. “I might get angry and confused and I’ll probably screw this up, but just know that I love you and I’m so fucking relieved I have you by my side going into this.”
Hailee climbed across the console and onto my lap, slipping her legs over mine and looping her arms around my neck. “I’m not going anywhere. You should know by now, I don’t break easily.” She leaned in to kiss me, teasing me with her tongue.
“I never wanted to break you,” I confessed. “I only wanted you to see me.”
Pressing her head to mine, Hailee’s eyes glowed with fierce possessiveness. “I see you, Cameron.
“I. See. You.”
Hailee
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” I said as we sat in Cameron’s truck in the school parking lot. He’d insisted on giving me a ride to school.
