Brady was having trouble sleeping. He lay on his back with his eyes closed. The bed was comfortable, he couldn’t blame it on that. He’d played hard at Disneyland and in the ocean, eaten great, and watched the sun set in the hot tub with Hailey. He should be exhausted and ready for another fun day tomorrow, but his restlessness was all his new wife’s fault. With his eyes closed, all he could do was picture her laughing as they rumbled along on Thunder Mountain, teasing him when a wave rolled him viciously in the ocean and he came up sputtering water, blushing when he told her how beautiful she was. Hailey was unreal and perfect, and he was married to her. It felt like he’d won the jackpot, yet he really hadn’t. None of this was real, and someday, much sooner than he wanted to think, the charade would end.

He rolled over and punched the pillow. Did he even dare to hope that Hailey might fall for him and their fake marriage might grow into something different, something amazing? Xavier’s question at the wedding played over and over in his mind. “Why are you so special?”

He wasn’t special. He was a hard-working kid with talent who had risen from very little and was living his dream playing football. But he wasn’t anything special to Hailey. He couldn’t imagine how many football players she’d been around throughout her life. Her insistence that she didn’t date football players rang in his mind. Why not? Simply a way to keep them all from begging her to go out every day, or maybe there was a deeper reason?

“Gage! Gage. Stop!” A wail came from Hailey’s room.

Brady was out of bed and sprinting across the short hall before he stopped to think if it was a good idea or not. He shoved open the door, grateful she hadn’t locked it. Moonlight spilled in through Hailey’s open window, and her long blonde hair was splayed across the white pillowcase. Only her lips were moving, but the sound of the waves rolling in was overshadowed by her screams to Gage. Who was Gage?

Brady sat on the edge of the bed and grasped her shoulders in his hands. She was sweating even though she was only in a thin t-shirt and shorts.

“Gage!”

“Hailey!” Brady didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but he shook her and then said more forcefully, “Hailey! Wake up!”

Her eyes flew open, and she stared at him. Her gaze was full of fear and confusion.

“It’s okay.” Brady wrapped her up in his arms and kind of rocked her like he was comforting a small child. She smelled delicious, like coconut. “You’re okay. You were having a nightmare.”

Hailey’s hands came around his back, and she clung to him. She didn’t say anything and that was almost as disturbing as her screams had been.

“You’re okay.” Brady tried to think of soothing things to say. Maybe she wasn’t quite awake yet. Should he take her outside? Pour water on her head? One of his older brothers had night terrors, and it was honestly terrifying the crazy stuff he would do. None of his siblings had wanted to share a room with him, and his wife had more bizarre stories than anyone wanted to hear. “It’s all right. I’ve got you.”

Hailey pressed her face into his chest and simply held on to him. Brady’s empty platitudes fell away. The only sound was the waves rolling in, crashing on the beach below. He didn’t know if he should say something else, keep holding her, or lay her down so she could go back to sleep.

When the silence was so awkward he didn’t know how to break it, she pulled back. Not looking at him, she said, “Thank you. Sorry I woke you.”

Brady’s eyebrows arched up. He wanted to ask her so many questions. The most important one being who Gage was.

“I couldn’t sleep anyway,” he said.

Hailey scooted even farther away and leaned back against the headboard. Brady missed feeling and smelling her. She finally focused on his face and said, “Why couldn’t you sleep?”

Brady got brave and took the plunge. “I was thinking about you.”

Hailey’s eyes shuttered. “Oh.” She plucked at the down comforter.

Brady scooted closer. Could he ever break through her wall? Was she scared of him or something else? “When I was little, I used to have nightmares, and my older sister would come sing to me.”

“Really?” Hailey caught his gaze again.

His hopes grew. “Yeah. Do you want me to sing to you?”

“Um … sure.” Her voice caught, and Brady hated that she was scared. He wanted to be there for her.

“Lie down,” he said.

“Why?” Her eyes went round.

“In case you fall asleep while I’m singing.”

She swallowed and shook her head. “I doubt that.” But she slid down in the bed until her head was resting on the pillow.

Brady scooted closer. She sat up. “You can’t lie down too.”

His eyebrows arched, but he nodded. “Okay, I won’t.”

“Okay then.” She lay back down, staring up at him.

She was so beautiful with the light from the moon catching her blue eyes and blonde hair. He’d give anything to kiss her again, but this obviously was not that moment. He wondered if he’d ever find that moment again.

He started singing, “I see the moon, and the moon sees me …”

Hailey seemed to be fighting to keep her eyes open, but after he went through “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Jesus Loves Me,” her eyes finally closed. Brady thought she was asleep when he trailed off singing and reached over, gently pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Hailey’s eyes flew open, and her breath came in quick pants. Brady could feel the sweetness of her breath against his lips. He didn’t move any closer, but he didn’t move away either.

“Do you think,” he whispered after a few uncertain seconds, not knowing if he should move forward or retreat, “you’ll ever ask me to kiss you?”

The moment stretched. Her eyes dipped to his lips then up to meet his. She shook her head and turned her head away from him. “Thank you for singing to me.” Her voice was stiff, and it hurt him to know her walls were as strong as ever.

Brady stood. She didn’t need to dismiss him again, and she obviously wasn’t feeling any of the stirrings that were driving him nuts and keeping him from sleeping at night.

He might not have the woman, but he did have some pride. “Goodnight.” He strode from the room, shutting the door a little too forcefully on his way out. It was probably for the best that she was so uninterested in him. He was an idiot to think he could fall for his wife and she might someday return the favor.