When she didn’t answer, he waited for her voicemail to leave a message, but he hung up as soon as the beep sounded. She’d been surprising him all summer long. This time it was his turn to surprise her.
To pass the time and to work off his excess burst of energy, he did his weekly chores, sweeping, vacuuming, scrubbing the bathroom, and then he did a load of laundry before hopping in the shower. When he got out, he shrugged on a pair of shorts and opened up his laptop to check out the road race Hailey was organizing.
There were still spots left. Fifty bucks to run a 5K with all the money going to the children’s leukemia foundation sounded like a worthy donation. He entered his information and printed out the waiver and necessary forms.
The dinner dishes were done, and his bag was packed and sitting by the back door. He’d have to leave by four in the morning to make the nine o’clock check-in. Knowing he wouldn’t sleep without a little help, he took a tablespoon of Nyquil and hit the sheets.
His eyes were at half-mast when his phone vibrated on his nightstand. Hailey. He picked up his cell and glanced at the framed picture Hailey gave him last month. It was of their first kiss, silhouetted by the sunrise at the couples’ resort.
“Hey.”
“You sound tired. Everything okay?”
“Mmhm. Long day tomorrow, so I need my shut-eye.”
“Oh. Okay.” She sounded disappointed, and damn if that didn’t make him smile just a tad.
It wasn’t like he was trying to get back at her, but he’d been on the receiving end of too many yawns over the past two months. Carter liked being in control of this surprise. He couldn’t wait to see Hailey in the morning.
“I love you and can’t wait to see you again,” he murmured.
“I miss and love you too. A few more days and I’ll be home.”
They hung up, and with a smile on his lips, he fell asleep.
It only took one coffee to keep him awake on his drive to Rhode Island. His heart raced with excitement and anticipation in seeing Hailey. Hell, it had been twelve days. The stretch was long, and he was lonely.
No, it wasn’t that he was lonely. He missed her. He loved her. He wanted to spend every day with Hailey, not just a day or two every few weeks.
Forever. He wanted forever with her. If he were in a freaking movie, the camera would have zoomed in on a close up of his face. It was as if his future suddenly became picture perfect, high definition clear.
“I’m going to marry her.” Carter laughed. “Yeah, married. Me. Who would’ve thought?” he said to his empty passenger seat.
During the final hour of the ride, he ran through a mental list of what they’d need to do before their wedding. Pick a date for starters. Wouldn’t the Freemans be happy to hear that was the first thing on his mind.
They could get married at Coastal Vines like all his friends had done. Unless Hailey had another special spot in mind. Maybe Paul and Lenora could turn Acadia Falls Resort into a special wedding resort for them. That’d be pretty cool.
Only they weren’t even engaged yet. A ring. He needed to pick out a ring before he proposed. Hailey didn’t wear jewelry, so what kind of engagement ring would she want? Traditional? Simple? Exotic? He should talk to her parents too.
His GPS told him to get off at the next exit. He couldn’t believe he was thinking about getting married. Married? A smile crept over his face. The thought didn’t give him the heebie-jeebies like he would have expected. Maybe it was because all his friends were married off.
Or maybe it was because Hailey was the right one for him. He hit a line of traffic and slowed down. Families with children and dogs walked along the sidewalk heading toward the event. There were some children in wheelchairs, strollers, and riding the shoulders of their moms and dads.
The turnout was huge, not that he had much experience with these types of events. It could actually be a small fundraiser comparatively speaking. He followed the direction of the volunteers in the bright yellow vests and parked alongside a row of minivans.
Carter shut off his truck and folded his signed waiver, putting it in the front pocket of his athletic shorts. It was a beautiful morning for a run. The sea breeze kept the August air from being too hot and humid.
Immediately, he scanned the area for Hailey’s dark hair. It would be impossible to pick her out of the sea of people. The volunteers wore orange shirts so he honed in on them first on his way to the registration tent.
“Good morning,” the friendly woman said from behind the table. “Last name?”
“Marshall. Carter Marshall.” He handed her his waiver and registration form.
“Welcome. Is this your first time?” She thumbed through a stack of envelopes and plucked his out.
“It is. Thank you,” he said, taking the envelope. “By any chance, do you know Hailey Webster and where she might be?”
“Hmm. Is she a volunteer? There are so many working today, and I haven’t met them all. I’ve participated in this run for the past five years, but it’s my first time volunteering.”
“No worries then. It’s nice of you to volunteer. A beautiful day for it.”
“I thought I’d miss the running part, but I’m getting so much more out of volunteering than I did the run. I can do that anywhere, anytime. Do you have family affected by leukemia?”
He wasn’t expecting to feel like a heel for coming here. He’d used a nonprofit charity run to see his girlfriend. It was a new low.
“Fortunately, no. My girlfriend works for Moving Hearts, and they’re here today. I figured I’d come down and participate. Put my money to a good cause, you know?”
God, he sounded cheesy.
“That’s so sweet of you. I hope you’re able to find her. Have fun today.”
The woman helped the next person in line, and he headed off toward the starting line. After another unsuccessful survey of the area, he opened the envelope and pinned his number on his shirt. He slipped the orange bracelet over his hand and tucked the sticker in his pocket, then tossed the empty envelope in the trash.
Someone came over the loudspeaker, and more people herded in front of the starting line. “Runners, come up front. We don’t need you racers trampling over those of us who plan on a nice morning stroll.” The crowd chuckled while a few people moved up front.
Carter figured he might as well make his run quick as well. It would give him more time to look for Hailey.
The man spoke up again thanking the organization, the volunteers, and the families who took such good care of their children as they fought this disease. He went on to talk about the struggles children face, and the long, painful treatment process. It broke Carter’s heart to see the sad, sunken faces of those who’d obviously suffered a great deal. But there were just as many bright, shiny, happy faces of those who were going through or had gone through treatment.
The children with leukemia had special white shirts with an orange ribbon on the front that said, “I’m a warrior.”
Hell, fifty bucks wasn’t enough. When he got home he’d donate more in hopes someone could find a cure. He made his way to the front of the pack, which wasn’t nearly as crowded as the back section with families, strollers, and wheelchairs.
A man perched up on a platform spoke over the PA system again. “Are you guys ready to roll?” A cheer from the crowd sounded behind Carter. “Hmm. Sounds like half of you are still sleeping. Who’s ready to run-jog-walk-crawl their way to a cure?”
This time, the crowd erupted in loud cheering and whistling. Someone blew an air horn. For the next few minutes the man introduced the event organizers, including Hailey. She gave the crowd an enthusiastic wave and accepted the microphone.
“Hey, warriors!” Again, the crowd cheered. Carter kept his gaze locked on her and waited in anticipation for her to notice him. “It’s my honor to get you warmed up today. How about a little hokey pokey first?”
Hailey sang out the lines, and the crowd chimed in, stretching their right arms in front,
then in back, then shaking it all around. The kids giggled as they followed along. Carter stood out more not participating than if he did the hokey pokey, so he joined in the craziness.
Not once had Hailey looked his way. To be fair, she was focusing more on the children who were further back. For that, he had total respect and couldn’t be offended. After the song and dance, she had them do a few jumping jacks and lunges, and then the guy took the mic.
If Carter was a better man, he would have caught the names of the three other volunteers up on the platform, but he wasn’t. Instead, he watched with a tinge of jealousy as Hailey and the three men laughed and were extremely friendly together.
She picked up her camera and focused in on the kids, picking her head up every few seconds to scan the crowd before disappearing behind the lens again. When the countdown for the runners started, he watched as the camera panned to the front and stopped on what he assumed to be his line.
“Three, two—”
He knew the second she spotted him. Her head popped up, her eyes wide and bright with excitement. Carter tossed her a wink.
“One. Go!”
It was either make eyes at Hailey and get trampled, or hurry the hell up through the 5K and make his way back to her. He couldn’t tell what moved faster, his legs or his heart. While running wasn’t his go-to form of exercise, he’d always been fairly fit and could keep up with most of the crew.
Since it wasn’t a race, there was no one keeping track of time, but he swore he made it to the finish line in less than eighteen minutes. He accepted the headband volunteers handed out at the end, and a paper cup of water as well, and then he scanned the area for his gorgeous photographer.
At least she had on the bright orange shirt, but that didn’t make her any easier to spot amongst the sunset of orange. Without sounding too desperate—and stalkerish—he asked a handful of volunteers if they’d seen Hailey. Finally, he got somewhere.
“She’s the photographer, right? I’m pretty sure she’s near mile marker two at the orange and banana station.”
His first instinct was to run it again and hang out with her at the station, but she was working, and should have been concentrating on the kids and families, not on him. Instead, he milled around and picked up trash when he stumbled across a wrapper or empty water bottle on the ground.
It was nearly an hour before the last stragglers made their way across the finish line where another volunteer had been taking pictures as well. And then he saw her. She held hands with a little girl who was as bald and beautiful as a shining star. They swung their hands and skipped through the finish line together.
Hailey dropped to her knees and hugged the girl, posing for the guy with the camera. “You did it, Lindsey. I’m so proud of you.” She hugged the girl again before standing.
Lindsey put the band around her head. “How do I look?”
“Like a princess,” a man, Carter presumed to be her father, said. “Thank you for walking with her while I took care of the twins.” The double stroller had two sleeping babies in it.
“It was my pleasure. Lindsey is a trooper, and a wonderful big sister, I hear.”
“Yes, she is. Thank you again.” The man hugged Hailey and pushed the stroller to follow his daughter.
“You’re a super star around here.”
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Hailey jumped into his arms, and all the waves of jealousy that had no right to be in his mind melted away as he got lost in the pure vanilla of Hailey. She kissed him sweetly before dropping her arms from around his neck. “While I’d love to stand here and have a make-out session with you, I need to get back to work. Will you stick around?”
“If you want me to.”
“You didn’t come all this way for a quick kiss.”
“If that’s all you can give me right now, I’ll take it.”
“You’re too sweet.” She palmed his cheek and traced his jawline with her fingers.
Such an innocent gesture, but it hit him right in the solar plexus. Yeah, he was totally marrying this woman.
“I’ll be another few hours. Where are you staying tonight?”
He looped his fingers around her ponytail. “I was kinda hoping I could shack up with you.”
“Hmm. Really?” she purred and placed her hands on his chest. “I may happen to have an open spot in my bed back at the hotel.”
“As long as it’s not being used by anyone else.”
“I mean, there’ve been many offers, but I haven’t decided which one to settle on.”
That unfamiliar pang stabbed at his chest again. His shoulders dropped heavily as did his gaze.
“Hey.” Hailey patted his chest. “I’m kidding. You don’t think I’m serious, do you?”
“You’re a beautiful woman traveling with a pack of men. Of course there are going to be offers.”
“Hailey!” a deep voice called from behind him. “We need you.”
Carter lifted his brow in an I told you so manner.
“Dylan’s my boss.” She kissed his cheek. “And he’s married.”
“Doesn’t mean anything these days,” Carter mumbled.
“His husband’s as loyal as he is.” Hailey slipped a key card out of her back pocket. “Room 314. The Holiday Inn down the road from here. You better be warming up the other side of the bed when I get there.” She jogged off to Dylan and two other men.
One nodded toward him and Hailey turned, a sweet smile on her lips as she said something. The guys gave him some serious eye scrutiny before lifting their hands in a quick wave.
He could tap the jealousy back a notch, but the looks they gave him was clear. They weren’t happy with him. Why, he hadn’t a clue. Not wanting to put himself through anymore torture, he turned on his heel and waded through the throng of revelers to his truck.
The drive to the hotel was short. He let himself into her room, took a quick shower, and then changed into a clean pair of shorts and shirt. Hailey’s stuff was draped all over the room. She definitely wasn’t expecting company.
Normally neat and tidy, he laughed at how her suitcase had exploded all over the chair in the corner. And she was the one who gave him a hard time about not putting his clothes away in the dresser at the hotel. Who actually used those drawers? He opened them up and found them all empty.
It made him love her even more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Hailey couldn’t get to her car fast enough. Dylan and Amanda had asked her to go out for their usual after-event-dinner. She politely declined. They told her to bring Carter, but she wanted him all to herself.
By the time she left, most of the volunteers and participants were gone. Another benefit of working these events was being the first there and the last to leave; less traffic. It only took five minutes to get to the hotel, but it was another fifteen before she made it up to the room.
There were a handful of people from the event staying at the hotel as well, and they all wanted to talk about the day. She should have changed out of her orange volunteer shirt, only she hadn’t brought another with her.
Finally, she pressed the button in the elevator for the third floor. She tapped out a cute knock on the door, expecting Carter to whip it open and toss her to the bed in a romantic gesture, but the door remained shut.
“Carter?” She knocked again. Nothing. “Carter?” she called again.
He could be in the shower. She put her ear to the door, but she didn’t hear any sounds. Deja vu’ from the night she waited at his doorstep for twenty minutes flooded her mind. He wouldn’t have gone back to Maine without saying goodbye, or at least sending a text. Besides, he had her only key card.
Hailey took out her phone and called him. She breathed a sigh of relief when he answered. “Hey, are you okay? You’re not here.”
“Shoot. You’re back already? I’ll be there in five minutes. Don’t leave.”
“I guess I’ll wait down in the lobby.”
“I’m on my way.” He hung up be
fore she could ask from where.
Maybe he picked up takeout so they wouldn’t have to leave their room. With a knowing smile on her lips, she made her way back to the lobby and found an empty chair where she had a clear view of the front entrance.
Her eyes grew heavy, so she rested them just for a second. Soft lips touched hers, and she opened her eyes with a jolt.
“Hey, sleeping beauty.”
“Carter,” she murmured, pulling him back in for more kisses. “I missed you.”
“I hoped you had.” He straightened and held out his hand for her. “Let’s go up to your room, so I can show you how much I missed you.”
A woman behind her giggled, and Hailey felt her cheeks heat. “What happened to long, drawn out foreplay?” she whispered as he ushered her to the elevator.
“Newman. What do you think the past eight days were?”
Even though they talked on the phone every day, it wasn’t enough for her. Which was one of the reasons why it took so long to get here. The post-event meeting with Dylan went longer than usual, and she was nervous with how their meeting would end. She was excited to share the news with Carter, but first, she needed him naked.
When the elevator doors closed behind them, Carter pinned her to the wall and ravished her mouth. Hailey sank into his kisses and clutched at his back. The ding of the elevator came too soon. They broke apart in a breathless pant, and the heat behind Carter’s eyes singed her from the inside out.
“Let’s go,” he huffed between breaths and took her hand.
Hailey had to jog to keep up with him, or fall flat on her face. At her door, she gripped on to his hips from behind, lowered her hands to his stomach, and placed little kisses on his neck. It took four tries for him to get the door to open, and she giggled at his frustrated growls.
“That was enough foreplay for me. Strip down, cowboy.” She slid her hands under the elastic of his gym shorts and had them pooled at his feet in a fraction of a second.
“I have to admit”—he whipped her shirt off over her head faster than she had his shorts down— “this Speedy Gonzales thing is growing on me.”
All of You (A Well Paired Novel Book 7) Page 23
