Healing Hearts (Book 3 Series 2)

Chapter 14 Cameron

It's the next day at work and I can hardly focus on anything other than the previous night. Every time I see Hailey, all I can think about is the way she looked, wearing my jacket and blushing.I try to act normal, to make small talk and go about my job, but I can't shake the feeling of excitement and anticipation. I want to talk to her, to see how she's feeling about us now, but I also don't want to seem pushy or needy.

"you seem like you're in a good mood brother." 

"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty damn good today. Things are looking up, let's just put it that way."

"looking up as in? with Hailey?"

"Yeah, with Hailey. We talked last night... and things are looking up. Actually, things are looking pretty damn good."

"Only talked?"

"Yeah, just talked. But it was... a good talk."

"I'm your older brother, tell me."

"Alright, fine. We didn't just talk. There was... more than talking."

"How was it?"

"It was... good. Really damn good."

"How did the kiss feel?"

"It was... incredible. Better than I've ever remembered. Hell, it may have been the best kiss of my life."

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As the night shift rolls around, I'm feeling an even mix of nerves and excitement. Last night's conversation and kiss have my mind and body in a state of heightened anticipation. I'm both looking forward to and dreading seeing Hailey again. I can't wait to talk to her, to be near her, but at the same time I don't want things to be awkward or for things to backfire again.

The hours drag on and I find myself constantly checking the clock, counting down the minutes until my shift ends. My mind is racing with thoughts of what I'm going to say to Hailey, how things are going to go. I can't even focus on my work, too distracted by my own thoughts and anxiety.

"Congratulations to our power couple Hailey and Cameron." Noah says over the intercom. 

My heart nearly stops as I hear Noah's voice come over the intercom. Did he really just announce us as a couple over the intercom? I had wanted to keep our relationship private, at least for a little while longer, and now here he was announcing it to the whole damn building. It's embarrassing and I feel my face turning red from both embarrassment and affection at Noah's words. I look over to see Hailey walk in and my heart practically skips a beat. My eyes roam over her figure, taking in every curve and contour. She looks just as beautiful as ever and I have to resist the urge to just pull her close and kiss her on the spot.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. How was your shift?"

"Good and stressful."

"Yeah, I bet. Night shift is always stressful. But it's over now. You're off duty."

"About the announcement."

"Yeah, about that... I didn't know Noah was going to do that. I wanted to keep things between us quiet for a while longer."

"Now, I get to show you off."

"Yeah? You want to show me off, huh?"

"mhm." The thought of her wanting to show me off, to let everyone know that I'm her man, makes me feel damn good. I move even closer to her, closing the remaining gap between us. My hand reaches out to take hers, intertwining our fingers.

"I like the sound of that. You want everyone to know that we're a couple?"

"yeah."

"Good. Because I want the whole damn world to know that you're mine. That we're together."