About Us (Formerly Second Chances)

Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1

It only took one phone call and Cam Vorelli was exactly where he always wanted to be, doing exactly what he swore he'd never do. Cam wasn't one for bad decisions. Or impulsiveness. Normally. Throw Hayden Green into the mix and good sense was benched while emotion got a chance to take the field.

Cam twisted the knob and it turned, so he swung the door open and stepped inside the house. Hayden let out a scream and threw the laundry basket she carried at him. Cam took a step back. "You called? Asked me to come quietly?"

Hayden covered her heart with her hand. "You're right. I did." She took a suck of air and placed a hand over her heart. "You're right. I did. Then I forgot I unlocked it."

"Sorry for the scare. Tag home?"

"No." Hayden twisted her hands together. Her face was pale all but the splotches on her cheeks. "We got into a fight. The neighbor called the police and they hauled Tag off to the Blue Fox."

"I thought they hauled people off to jail?"

"When you're a cop and the responding officer is a drinking buddy, he takes you to your favorite bar, not the pokey."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"Yeah well, he'll either find a bimbo to spend the night with or come home drunker and meaner, so I needed to be out of here ten minutes ago."

Cam wasn't shocked to see Hayden packing up in the middle of the night. The day Hayden married Tag, Cam consoled himself with a bottle of whiskey, a hot date, and his gut's assurance the marriage would never last. Once the hang-over wore off and the happy couple was off on their honeymoon, reality settled in. Marriage wasn't an institution the Vorelli's took lightly. It was a life sentence.

He swore then he'd never come between them. Even if he had loved her first. Married was married and he grudgingly accepted that fact. Hayden was lost to him.

Hayden's movements pulled him from his thoughts. She lifted her arms above her head to twist her silky brown hair into a sloppy bun, leaving that small sliver of flesh, the curve above her hips exposed. His imagination, where Hayden was concerned, could run at the speed of light. That simple flash of flesh was just the beginning. It would only take a single step to be close enough to slide a hand across that skin. It would be warm and smooth. She'd move into him, closing the gap between them—

"You okay, Cam? You look pale? Did I wake you?"

"No." He cleared his throat. "I was out."

Hayden wrinkled her nose. "With Shelley?'

He shook his head. He'd been on a few dates with Shelley Ward. She was fun and easy to be around. And best of all, she liked to have plenty of space. As a matter of fact, they were supposed to see a movie tonight, but she sent him a text that she wasn't feeling like dressing and going out. She was spending the night in her jammies and binge-watching Gilmore Girls. Unless he wanted ice-cream and estrogen-soaked television, he might want to find a plan B for the night.

He told her he'd skip the TV drama and shoot pool with friends. She sent him a happy face and a thumb's up. He had considered himself a lucky guy.

Cam realized Hayden was fully dressed- jeans, shoes, and sweater. Hayden was never the sort to spend a minute longer in jeans than she had to. Normally she'd be dressed in yoga pants, baggy tee, and slippers. She always said her feet didn't like shoes, blamed her hillbilly roots.

"Where do you plan to go?" he asked.

"Away from here." Hayden grabbed the laundry basket she'd been carrying and settled it on her hip.