Page 112 of Puppy Love

“Did you check the weather?” she asks, her tone worried. I smile.

“Yes,” I say. “No avalanche warnings.”

Cam nods, but that nervous expression stays glued to her face. “And you’ll text me when you get there?”

My stomach flutters as I answer. “Yes, Cam.”

She looks at me, her eyes scanning mine anxiously. I can see all the gears turning behind them, all the potential possibilities flashing through her mind like a torture device, planted permanently inside her. I grab her hand, not caring at this moment what it might tell her.

“I’ll be safe,” I say. “I promise.”

Cam shakes her head as she leans into me, her cheek resting against my shoulder. Her hair presses against my nose, the familiar aroma of her shampoo flooding my senses. If it were the only thing I’d ever smell again, I would feel privileged.

“You can’t promise that,” she says, and I can almost hear a break in her voice. My hand cups the back of her head as I pull her in tighter, my other hand finding its home against the small of her back.

“Hey,” I say softly. Cam’s eyes flick up, those beautiful brown irises dancing in the fluorescent lights. “I’m a better driver than you.”

Cam tries to fight the sweet laugh that slips through her lips, and she pushes me off of her, flipping her middle finger into the air.

“Get out of here, loser,” she shoots back, a glistening smile engraved into her cheeks. I fight my own smile and take a step backward through the door frame as my eyebrow quirks, the metal piercing grazing my forehead.

“That’s boss to you,” I taunt. Then, I turn around and walk out.

The metal latch is cold between my fingers as I pull it open, Reese erratically wiggling as he steps out of the suite.

“Come on,” I say, scratching gently between his ears. “Let’s go home.”

We walk to the lockers, the metal ringing as I pry the door of mine open. My fingers grip the soft brown jacket inside, the fabric like butter and the color like brown agate.

But when I pull it out, something tumbles to the ground. Reese jumps back, startled, then leans down to press his nose against the object. My brows furrow, and I reach down, grabbing a little black box. I pick it up and examine the outside. It’s plain. There’s no bow or ribbon, no text. Just a black box, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. I open it.

Glimmering on top of crinkled teal paper is a pink, heart shaped crystal. A soft gasp slips through my lips, and I pick it up, holding it to the light. Different shades of light pink swirl throughout it, and I don’t need to keep staring to know exactly what it is.

It’s rose quartz, the crystal for unconditional love.

Tears prick my eyes as my grip tightens around the rock. I know who it’s from, that isn’t a secret. Back at the farm, a conversation I can hardly get off my mind, Hayden said Cam had feelings, and he said I would see. Maybe this is what he meant.

Cam likes to be in control of every situation she’s in. She needs to know what’s going to happen, to prepare for it. Maybe, all this time, she was just getting ready. To prepare to tell me she violated rule #2 just as I had.

My eyelashes flutter rapidly when I step into the salon, trying to force the welling in my eyes to go away. Cam’s gaze flashes to me, a wide smile sewn into her cheeks.

“I was wondering when you’d find it.” She laughs, turning back to the clippers in her hand. She scrubs between the teeth with a disposable toothbrush, loose hairs floating in the air around her. I step closer, swallowing down the ache in my throat.

“This is… from you?” I ask, but I already know the answer. Cam chuckles, her back still turned to me as she cleans the tools.

“I’ve been waiting the entire day for you to open that stupid locker.”

My lip quivers, and I can’t understand why she makes me feel so weak.

This is what Hayden meant, it has to be. Cam wouldn’t give this to me unless she meant it. That’s the thing about her. The truth always prevails.

My hands shake, and I’m so scared to say the words coming from my mouth, but I don’t care. I don’t care about the contract, or my job, any of it. All I care about is this. Her.

The first person to really know me.

The first person I’ve ever cared to know back.

“Cam.” My voice shakes, and I step closer to her. Cam turns around, her eyes widening as they land on me. My stomach flutters rapidly, powerful wings grazing the walls inside, trying to find their way out.

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