Page 153 of At First Catch

That’s the thing that destroys me most now. Not the attraction. Not the chemistry. The way her entire face lights up when she sees me. Like I’m the person she was waiting for too.

Emotion presses hard against my ribs.

I reach her a second later, and without hesitation, Hadley reaches for me. One hand slides into mine while the other hooks lightly around my wrist, pulling me closer between her knees.

The simple touch is still intimate enough to nearly wreck me in broad daylight.

“Hey,” she says.

God. The warmth in her voice every time she says that now should honestly be illegal.

“Hey.”

I lean down, kissing her once.

Soft and quick, enough that Hadley smiles against my mouth.

Nothing matters as much as this.

Us.

“You’re late,” she murmurs.

I blink. “I’m two minutes early.”

“You felt late.”

A laugh escapes me.

Christ, this woman.

I settle beside her on the boardwalk railing while keeping one hand tangled with hers. Apparently, I’ve reached the point where touching Hadley constantly feels necessary.

“What are we eating?” I ask.

Hadley points toward a takeout bag beside her.

“Diane, next door, made us sandwiches at Bailey’s request before dramatically announcing she was giving us privacy.”

“Your friends are exhausting.”

“You love them.”

The breath catches in my chest again. It’s the disturbing truth.

I do.

I love this town. Her family. The ridiculous, overwhelming sense of belonging that wrapped itself around me before I fully realized what was happening.

And the center of it all is Hadley. Always Hadley.

She studies my face carefully for one suspended second too long.

“You’re thinking again.”

“I’m always thinking.”

“Yeah, but this is your emotional spiral face.”