The sky was lit up with streaks of salmon and pink, sunset about a half hour away, and the evening was mild and clear. The urge to walk and walk, sinking her feet into the warm sand, pushed her onward. That and Jagger’s enthusiasm to have free rein to sniff whatever he wanted.
She passed Darla’s gorgeous house but wasn’t ready to stop. Jagger seemed up for more (when was he not?), so she continued down the beach, past the line of modern homes that lined the oceanfront.
Suddenly the houses ended and before her stood the rocky outcropping that marked the end of the beach.
That rocky outcropping. Near the Crab Shack. Near…their place. Hers and Cam’s.
“C’mon, Jagger,” she called. “We’ve walked far enough. Let’s turn around.”
But Jagger apparently was of a different mind, pulling so hard on the leash that it flew out of Hadley’s hands as he took off running across the sand.
“Come back here, stinker,” Hadley called, certain that the usually chill dog had caught the scent of an animal and had torn off in pursuit. Her words faded in the sound of the current.
“Jagg-er,” she called, a little annoyed now. She didn’t want to be walking around the rocks when night was coming. Plus, Jagger always stuck close by—it wasn’t like him to just take off, and it was nearly dark. What if she lost him?
Having no choice, she climbed over and around the boulders until she came to the familiar path that led to the little strip of hidden beach. She definitely didn’t want to be here after dark, especially if there were teenagers sneaking around.
“Hey, is this your dog?” a too-familiar voice called.
She spun around to find Cam standing on the sand, Jagger’s leash in hand, the traitorous dog sitting at his feet, staring up at him adoringly.
And Cam looked…well, a bit on the scruffy side. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and his face was unshaven. He wore an old T-shirt that read NICKELBACK from a concert they’d gone to together in 2005.
Something about his unusually unkempt appearance gave her a heart pang.
And hope. The tiniest little trickle of hope. Because he looked about as miserable as she felt.
“Hi,” she said.
He stopped petting the dog and walked over to her, placing his hands in his pockets. “Hi.”
“Jagger missed you,” she said, suddenly needing to sit down on a rock.
“Oh yeah?” he said, noting the dog following fast at his heels. “How do you know?”
“Well, he looks all over the house for you. Then he jumps up on your side of the bed and looks for you before he settles in.”
“Always an opportunist, huh, Jag?” He ruffled the fur behind the dog’s ear.
“Yeah, but he does seem to feel a little guilty for it.”
Cam put his hands back in his pockets. “My dad says I have issues.”
“Everyone has issues,” Hadley said with a shrug. “Like, I keep picking the wrong men.”
He came and sat down next to her on the rock. “No. I…I’m going to show you that you didn’t.” He turned to her, scanning her face carefully. “If you’ll let me.”
He had her at hi. But she needed to hear what he came here to say. “I thought you were in LA,” she said.
“I was. Long enough to catch another plane back.”
“Oh.” Her heart hammered crazily in her chest. He was here. He was back. For good?
“My first impulse was to do something, anything. I wanted to run from this terrible feeling that I was failing on every level. When it was clear to me you’ve found your place.”
“Not every level,” she said quietly.
“I don’t have everything figured out, but I do know that I’m not a chain restaurant kind of guy. And I don’t want to be in California.”
“Why not?” she asked, her heartbeat pulsing in her ears. “It’s wonderful there. Sunshine. No Nor’easters.”
“Nothing would be wonderful without you.” He grasped her shoulders. “And, Hadley, I’m so proud of you. I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished. And I know you’re just getting started.”
Oh, there went the waterworks.
“I was an ass,” he said. “I’m sorry. I love you. Forgive me.”
“Forgiven,” she said, waving her hand. He was. Because he’d come back. For her. Hearing the I love you was pretty spectacular too.
“I tried not to be as stupid as I was when I was eighteen.”
“I love you back,” she said.
“I told you I missed football. That it was something I loved more than anything. Something I didn’t want to end.”
“It was a hard blow,” she said. “One it’s going to take a while to—”
He took her hands in his. “No, I’m trying to say that I was wrong about that. You’re who I love more than anything. You’re who I can’t live without. Not football. You.”
The tears were streaming freely now. She was completely overcome. “I’ll try to open up more,” he said. “I’ll do my best to figure it out. But I want to do it with you.”
“I want to do it with you too,” she said. “It’s okay to lean on somebody a little. You know what else might help?”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“That little puppy. She’s eating like a horse right now. Want to see her?”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. He was smiling at her, and his eyes were full of warmth and…love. “A little later.” Then he bent his head and kissed her.
She wrapped her arms around his broad back, getting lost in the feel of his lips on hers, of his big arms holding her, and she felt with a certainty that bowled her over like a sudden wave crashing that this was it.
This was where the buck stopped. This was where her search ended.
This was her future.
Somehow they ended up leaning back against a big rock.
Cam kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his chest as the sun performed its nightly color show and the salt-scented breeze blew through and the little waves churned quietly behind them.
“I’ll love you forever, Had,” he said. “I always have.”
His arms came around her more tightly. “I love you too, Tony.”
Epilogue
October
Jagger, no, sweetie!” Hadley pulled the dog out of the patch of petunias running along the old stone walkway of what used to be the Millers’ house. Jagger’s ear and tail instantly wilted as he gave her a stricken look that made her want to tell him he could eat all the petunias he wanted, except she wasn’t sure that was a good idea for a dog. “I know you love your new yard, but doggies don’t eat petunias, okay? Let’s go in and get you a cookie.”
That made him jump for joy. She reached into her shorts pocket and tossed him a dog biscuit to keep him away long enough so that she could lift the sign she was painting on the patio out of reach. But the wind blew off the ocean just then, ruffling the sign, and Jagger, thinking she was playing a game, came and sat right on it, smearing the paint.
“Oh!” Hadley said, biting down on the No! that almost spilled from her mouth. Jagger was a sensitive soul, and she always tried her best not to yell.