The man pressed his lips into a tight line and sent me an apologetic look. “Please, ignore—”
“Consider it done,” I told him. “We can talk about dates tomorrow after the girls’ game. There was something else I wanted to ask you anyway. But it can wait. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Robbie still looked unsure, so I felt the need to slip into my old self. “The Miami Flames will be happy to have you for a visit, I promise.”
Cameron’s body tensed against mine. It was only an instant, but all the hard muscles I was leaning against flexed and tightened with his breath.
María clapped her hands, recalling my attention. “Yay!” she exclaimed, throwing herself at me without warning. “Celebration hug,” she said against my cheek, and I couldn’t help it. I squeezed her in my arms. Then, as if she wasn’t thinking about it, she let out a soft, “Ah. This feels so good. We should do it more often.”
I hugged her even tighter.
When she released me, she was smiling, and I didn’t know what my face was doing but my chest felt like mush. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Adalyn.” She looked at the man sitting by my side. “I’ll see you tomorrow, too, Coach Campanile.”
Robbie muttered something under his breath.
Cameron let out a chuckle, bringing his arms around my shoulders and pulling me back to him again.
“Oh!” María said, already walking away as she pulled at her dad’s hand. “Don’t forget to give Coach his shirt!” Then, she disappeared around the far end of the long table, dragging Robbie along with her.
“What shirt?” Cameron asked.
I sighed. “That was supposed to be a surprise.” I shook my head. “It’s back ho—” I stopped myself. I didn’t know why, but I did. I cleared my throat. “Back at the Lazy Elk.”
Cameron hummed. “Close,” he murmured, his arm snaking around my waist. “It’s okay, love. I’m not one to give up at halftime.”
* * *
Cameron unlocked the front door of the cabin and stepped to the side.
I looked inside, toward the hallway that turned to the right, leading to Cameron’s room. Right across from what had been mine. My eyelids fluttered shut for just an instant.
I turned around. Faced him. Blocked his way into the cabin. Deep green eyes met mine, and I said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” he said back. His lips twitched, and I thought he’d give me a slow smile, which would dazzle me and perhaps distract me from my thoughts. But instead, he clenched his jaw. I watched his eyes as they roamed all over my face, settling on my lips for what felt like a long time, but was just a second or two, and that giddiness, that anticipation, before Cameron had been so uncharacteristically mine, bubbled up inside.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked him.
He brought his hand to my face, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand. “Several things,” he confessed in that calm, stern tone, as if he didn’t mind I was keeping us from crossing the threshold of the door. “I’m thinking, thank God, that dinner is finally over.” I smiled at that, and the pad of his thumb grazed my bottom lip. “I’m also thinking, Christ, she’s so beautiful in this light. With the full moon shining so brightly over us. Would it be too corny to point it out? Would she laugh? I love her laugh.”
My smile fell, my heart doing this weird thing against the walls of my chest. “That would be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been told.” I wrapped my fingers around his wrist, felt his pulse under my thumb. It was a quick, hurried beat. Was he nervous, too? “I wouldn’t laugh. I would probably stall for a longer time.”
“Stall,” he repeated slowly. “Tell me why.”
I opened my mouth to say something I suspected sounded a lot like: Because it’s you, and it’s me. And I’ve never felt like this. But the answer that left me was, “It’s hard to explain.”
If today—the last days—had proved anything, it was that I wasn’t a seductress. And with Cameron I didn’t mind. It’s me who’s in charge. He said that earlier today. I wanted him to offer again. To take charge. I’d never felt safer, freer, than when he took over for me. And yet… this nervousness made me wonder and doubt myself. What could I possibly have done to deserve this, to earn him wanting me this much. I—
“Try me,” Cameron said.
“I…” I tried, knowing I probably would voice it in a way it didn’t make sense. “I’ve always felt like I never really clicked anywhere. Like, I always needed to make a bigger effort to show everyone that I deserved to be there. And here you are.” I shook my head. “Making me feel like you’d close the gap to get to me. Like, I don’t need to convince you. You—”