go to Ollie’s Tee Ball game and then maybe get some takeout with whoever wanted to come back with them.
He hoped this house would one day be a gathering place for both their families.
He hoped it would be overrun with children.
And he knew it would be overrun with dogs. “Jagger’s been a little lonely since Gran took Bowie back,” Hadley had said one night while snuggling up during one of their glider talks. And that’s how Freddie had come to live with them.
The runty puppy was now an adorable, roly-poly sixteen-week-old who’d been taken in by another nursing mother dog thanks to Fuller, who it turned out wasn’t so bad after all. Apparently being fostered was critical to help the rejected puppy learn how to get along with other dogs. It hadn’t taken long for both him and Hadley to fall in love with her. The first of many puppies, Cam feared.
Whatever she wanted.
His heart had never been so full.
As he wandered back to the porch, he found Hadley standing at the door. She wore one of those sundresses he had so much fun helping her out of and her hair was up in a high ponytail.
“There you are,” she said, a little out of breath from running up the path. “You’re late.”
“Sorry, but the decorator gave me a ton of samples,” he said. “She wants us to talk them over, then meet with her tomorrow at lunchtime. Can you make it?”
“Sure.” She seemed a little nervous. She was looking around, checking her watch, shifting her weight from one leg to another.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes. I…uh…maybe we should take the samples over to the restaurant and look at them there.”
“Good idea.” He checked his phone. “But I don’t think we have time before the game.”
“Why don’t we drop them off now anyway? Then we can maybe get takeout and look at them on the way back?”
He drew her into his arms for a moment, not able to go too long without touching her. His want for her was endless.
“How did I get so lucky?” he whispered into her sweet-smelling neck. Jagger wiggled his skinny—but not as skinny as before—body between them, wanting to get in on the affection too. From the kitchen, Freddie barked.
“To get me and this wonderful dog?” She spoke to Jagger, reaching down to pet his head. “You are wonderful, aren’t you?” Jagger showed his agreement by promptly dropping to the floor and rolling over for a belly rub.
“Jagger’s really sweet with the new puppies at the shelter,” she said. “He has a favorite. A fat little brown one that’s so stinking cute.”
Uh-oh. “You know how I feel about getting another puppy.”
“The more the merrier?” she said.
“How about less is best?”
Hadley chuckled. “But I’ve already thought of the perfect name.”
“What’s that?”
“Stevie.”
“Stevie?” Cam said. “That goes against the theme of rock star names, you know.” Cam had felt it was a stretch to name a dog Frederica Mercury but somehow Freddie had worked just fine.
“Actually, it doesn’t.” Hadley rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure I can be with someone who doesn’t get this.”
Cam rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It’s a girl puppy, isn’t it?”
Hadley nodded. “Mmm-hmm. You’re getting warmer.”
“Nicks. Stevie Nicks.” He grinned widely, pleased he’d got it.
She looked pleased too. “Thank goodness. Relationship saved.”
He lifted a brow. “But now I need a reward.”
“A reward for what?”
“Getting you in so many ways.” He tugged her close and started kissing up her neck. Until she sighed and melted a little into his arms.
“We’re going to be late for Tee Ball,” Hadley said weakly, arching her neck so he could have better access.
“Ollie’s four,” Cam said, lifting his head. “Do you think he’ll notice?”
“Please don’t stop,” she said, curling her arms around his neck and tugging his head back toward her lips. “I suppose a little late won’t matter.”
Cam, giving in to her kiss, whispered, “That’s just what I was thinking.”
That made her grin. “I guess we get each other, then.”
* * *
It had been fun to be spontaneous, and Hadley had been watching the time carefully, but now Cam was making her sweat bullets because he wanted to just throw the samples in the car for later instead of drop them off at the restaurant construction site.
And she really needed to get him over there.
When they were in the car, she said, “Cam, I really want to see the samples in the natural light. Let me just run them in, okay?”
“Oh, okay, sure,” he said as he pulled into the old Crab