Page 127 of At First Catch

The marina noise fades around the edges while sunlight warms our skin, and I kiss the woman who turned this town into home without even trying.

My hands tighten instinctively at her waist. I don’t even know how to imagine my life without her anymore.

The thought hits hard enough that I pull back to look at her again.

Hadley blinks up at me sleepily, lips pink from kissing while the wind moves through her hair. And I’ve never felt a desire so strong to take everything she’s willing to give and make this place a home.

The marina reaches its first full reopening milestone that Friday evening.

Enough is restored that half the western slips officially reopen to the public, charter bookings resume for the season, and tourists flood the docks with enough energy to make the entire place feel alive again.

Music drifts across Back Bay from rented speakers near the fuel dock while locals wander between boats carrying drinks and seafood baskets from the temporary restaurant setup near the marina office.

Lights glow everywhere tonight. String lights overhead. Dock lights reflect gold on the water, and lanterns sway gently in the warm evening wind.

And in the middle of all of it, I can barely focus on the marina at all because Hadley’s here.

That woman is going to kill me someday.

She’s standing near the end of the dock beside Bailey and Ivy, wearing a soft blue sundress that moves around her legs in the bay breeze while she laughs at something Crew says.

The sound carries faintly across the water.

The feeling that crashes through my chest every time I look at her now feels almost unbearable.

Definitely not infatuation.

The shockingly beautiful certainty that loving her is becoming the most natural thing I’ve ever done.

“You should probably blink occasionally.”

I glance sideways.

Walter Greene stands beside me holding a beer and entirely too much amusement.

“I hate this town.”

“No you don’t.”

Walter looks toward Hadley knowingly. “You got it bad.”

I laugh once under my breath.

“Yeah.”

The admission comes easier now because fighting it feels pointless.

Walter studies me another second before clapping one heavy hand against my shoulder.

“Good,” he says.

Then he wanders away before I can process that interaction properly.

Typical.

The marina crowd shifts around me while warm evening air rolls off the bay, carrying salt water, music, and summer. And Hadley looks up, finding me.

The moment our gazes lock, a harsh line etches around her mouth, melting into a gentle curve, and the storm in her eyes dissolves. Like I’m the person she was looking for too.