Page 39 of Love in the Wild

Which category did Gage fall into? The jury was still out on him, but her heart was leaning toward good.

He asked about her today. That had to mean something if he was curious. Still, she didn’t want his slight interest to go to her head.

Gage at least got points for his concern for Thea. Had he protected her when they were growing up?

If only Hadley had a brother. Maybe she wouldn’t have been her dad’s punching bag for so long.

“I know, but I think I messed everything up,” Thea whispered.

Hadley dried off her hands and turned to Thea. “Let’s get you to bed. I’ll text Brett and let him know you’re turning in.”

Thea accepted Hadley’s offered hand and got to her feet. “Thanks. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. I know Brett will be here.”

Thea closed herself in the bathroom just as Hadley got a text from Brett.

Brett: Is Thea asleep?

Hadley: Close. You can come on when you’re ready.

She’d been right about Brett. He’d show up for Thea, even if he was upset with her. That was the kind of devotion Hadley wanted. It would be stupid to settle for anything less than a complete partnership.

At this rate, she might be carrying the load on her own for a while. It wasn’t as if men were lining up at her doorstep. Granted, she hadn’t gotten out in town a lot since she moved here.

Another text came through as she ducked into her own bedroom for the night.

Gage: Are you ok?

Interesting. It was the first text she’d received from him that wasn’t a single word or a plan to meet at the garage.

Hadley: Yeah. You thinkin’ bout me?

She fell onto her bed with a smile as her phone dinged again with Gage’s quick response.

Gage: No. Just wondering why you looked worried when you left.

Oh yeah. She’d gotten the text from Cheyenne about their mom’s blood clot and hightailed it to the hospital.

What did it mean that Gage noticed she was worried?

Her thumbs hovered over the screen, but she didn’t move. What would it be like to confide in him? She wanted to open up her heart, but what if he didn’t care a thing about her heart and broke it?

Hadley: Nothing to worry about.

Gage: You sure?

No, she was not sure at all. She spent eighty percent of her days terrified her mom’s health would take a turn for the worse and she’d lose what little family she had left.

Hadley: I’m sure. Thanks for checking.

She waited a few more minutes, but Gage didn’t reply. It was for the best. She needed to keep her walls up. Gage wasn’t the kind of guy worth risking her heart over.

13

HADLEY

Hadley wiped the sweat off her brow and adjusted her grip on the desk. Even with Cheyenne on the other end, they were making snail-pace progress getting the massive piece of furniture to the Youth Learning Program office.

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