Page 128 of At First Catch

It’s the very thing that destroys me. Not the chemistry. Not even the kisses. The way she looks relieved to find me in a crowded room.

Hadley excuses herself from the group and starts walking toward me, and the entire marina fades at the edges.

There she is, my favorite part of every day.

“You’ve been working all night,” she says once she reaches me.

I glance down at her. Close enough now to smell her perfume beneath the salt air.

Close enough to touch.

“I own the place,” I remind her.

“Mm-hmm.” One brow lifts. “Yet you’re still overworking.”

A laugh escapes me before I can stop it. I slide one hand along her waist, pulling her lightly against my side while the marina’s lights shimmer across the water around us.

Hadley settles there naturally, right where she belongs.

“How’s the crowd?” she asks.

I look out over the docks. Families laughing near the slips. Tourists taking pictures beside restored boats. Workers finally relaxing after weeks of nonstop rebuilding.

Hope.

The marina feels hopeful tonight.

“Good,” I admit. “Better than good.”

Hadley smiles.

“You did this.”

The words land directly beneath my ribs.

I look down at her carefully.

“We did this.”

Her breath catches.

I’m not just talking about the marina either. I mean all of it. The rebuilding. The life.

Us.

Hadley hears it in my voice. Her hand slides lightly against my chest while the marina celebration continues around us unnoticed.

“You know what I think?” she asks.

“What?”

“I think this place feels like home because you finally let people help you.”

I stare down at her as the lights reflect gold in the water behind us and realize with alarming clarity that I want this forever.

Not just the relationship.

The life.