Page 56 of I’d Be Honored

Hayley agreed to stay, and Maddie reminded herself that it was for Gemma, not her. But as they funneled toward the couch with fresh glasses of wine in hand, Maddie felt like she was free-falling—and she knew no net was waiting to catch her. Intentional or not, she hadn’t spoken to Hayley since they’d returned from the Hamptons, and she couldn’t begin to guess at where they stood.

Gemma and Caitlin curled into each other on the long sectional as usual, leaving Maddie and Hayley to sit on the smaller side.

Maddie tried not to overthink each inch between them. But by the time they were halfway through the episode, she felt a shift next to her.

“Is this okay?” Hayley asked, now resting gently against her shoulder.

Maddie could only nod, and Hayley nestled closer, threading their fingers together. Maddie closed her eyes and pressed a soft kiss to the top of Hayley’s head.

The four of them fell into a lighthearted debate for a while about who was Team Lindsay and who was Team Carl. Maddie and Hayley naturally landed on opposite sides, disagreeing even on the cast of a reality show.

When Kyle’s birthday episode ended, Gemma sat up suddenly. “Hay, what are we doing for your birthday? You are the resident elder, after all,” Gemma teased.

“Don’t remind me,” Hayley groaned, stiffening slightly. “And nothing.”

“We have to do something,” Gemma whined, and Maddie mentally agreed with her. She never let a birthday go by uncelebrated.

“No, we really don’t,” Hayley countered. “There’s nothing special about turning thirty-two. We can do exactly what we’re doing now, and that would be perfect.” She relaxed back into Maddie.

They watched another episode, and at some point, Gemma and Caitlin had drifted off to sleep. Against her, Maddie could feel Hayley fighting to keep her eyes open as her head grew heavier against her shoulder.

“Babe, let’s go to bed,” Maddie whispered. The word slipped out before she could stop it, and she froze in fear that Hayley would pull away.

“Okay,” Hayley murmured.

Relief washed through Maddie, and she exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Hayley wanted to stay, and she hadn’t panicked at the accidental endearment. That alone felt like a small miracle.

They woke up Gemma and Caitlin, and the four of them drifted toward their respective bedrooms.

Inside the guest bathroom, Maddie pulled an unopened toothbrush from the bottom drawer where her hosts kept extras for guests. She handed it to Hayley and was shocked when Hayley stepped up to the sink beside her and started brushing too.

Their eyes met in the mirror, and Maddie stuck her tongue out teasingly. These small moments of domesticity were starting to pile up, and she wasn’t sure Hayley even noticed. It made Maddie’s heart lift, only to sink again when she reminded herself that she was the only one living in the fantasy.

They crawled into bed facing one another, and the moonlight slipping through the half-closed blinds lit Hayley’s features just enough for Maddie to drink her in.

“Go out with me,” she blurted. “On a real date.”

Hayley’s eyes widened. “Maddie.” Her voice was barely a breath, and Maddie felt her stomach twist.

“Please. Let me take you to dinner.” Maddie wasn’t above begging, if that’s what it took.

“We can’t.”

“We can. One date, Hayley.” Maddie propped herself on her elbow, needing Hayley to see how serious she was. “I don’t want to just be someone casual to you. I want a shot at something real.”

There was a long stretch of silence, and Maddie’s heart pounded hard against her chest as she held her ground.

“I’m scared,” Hayley finally whispered, so soft Maddie could barely hear her.

“Me too.”

The quiet lingered as Hayley looked deep into Maddie’s eyes, searching for reassurance.

“Okay. One date.”

FIFTEEN

AFTER THE IMPROMPTU ROOFTOP DETOUR AND last-minute trip to the Hamptons, Hayley had buried herself in work, pretending the long hours were necessary, rather than a forced distraction to avoid thinking about Maddie.