“Yeah, that’d be good.” She was quiet for another moment. “I just need to know, so I’m prepared. Was this a one-time deal or…?”
I dropped my fork, letting it clatter on my plate. “Seriously?”
She shrugged. “I’m not going to be someone who assumes—”
I moved in closer to Hadley, taking her mouth in a hard kiss. “How’s that for assuming?”
“Uh…”
“Hadley. I wouldn’t have gone there with you if I didn’t want this. In a very real way. I hope you feel the same.”
If she didn’t, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. I didn’t think I could walk away, but I didn’t want casual, not with Hadley.
Hadley looked down at her plate. “I want this with you. But I’m scared something will happen, and you’ll change your mind. That you’ll freeze me out again.”
I slid my hand across her jaw and neck, bringing her gaze to mine. “I can’t promise you that this will work out, but I can promise to give it everything I have. We fit, Hads. It won’t always be easy, but it always feels right. I feel an ease with you that I’d never felt before.”
“Me, too,” she whispered.
I brushed my mouth against hers. “Good.”
“What about the girls?”
“We ease them into it. I’m not going to maul you in front of them—”
Her mouth quirked. “I would hope you’d never do that.”
I pulled Hadley in closer against me. “I’m not hiding this.”
“I don’t want to hide it, but I also want a minute to be in this with you before we tell my whole family.”
It made sense, but I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. I was ready to scream from the rooftops that Hadley was mine. I hadn’t been the one hurt before, though. Sure, I’d been in pain, but it was something that I’d caused myself by walking away from Hadley. She’d felt left out in the cold.
I squeezed the back of her neck. “I can give you time to trust me, to get used to the idea that I’m not going anywhere.”
“Thank you.” She gave me a quick kiss. “Now, let’s go get the girls.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We broughtmy SUV to a stop outside the house Hayes and Everly had built on their mountain property. As we climbed out, the sounds of all sorts of animals filled the air. I could hear a pig, goats, horses, and who knew what else.
The screen door opened, and Birdie and Sage came running out. “We got to collect the eggs this morning,” Sage called.
“How cool is that?”
“And I got to feed scraps to Petunia,” Birdie said.
I looked questioningly at Hadley. She grinned. “That’s the pig.”
I wrapped an arm around Birdie as she flung herself against my side. “Better you than me.”
“Pigs are cool, Dad. They’re really smart, and they’re actually really clean.”
“She’s right,” Sage agreed, burrowing into Hadley’s side. “Pigs get a bad rap. You shouldn’t judge them like that.”
I held up a hand. “Sorry.”
Everly appeared on the steps, Hayes behind her. She smiled sheepishly. “I might’ve had a few teaching moments with them.”