It takes me precious minutes to hail a cab. I give the driver my address in Forest Hills, and lean back in the seat. Maddie left twenty minutes ago. She’s going to run into the same traffic as us, but because she’s driving my car, she’ll be less aggressive than the taxi I’m in.

It’ll take her a few minutes to pack. With any luck, I’ll be able to reach home before she leaves.

Then there’s the great X-factor. My father. I’m willing to bet the Porsche that he’s making trouble. To what end, I have no idea. Does he really think that I’m going to forgive what he did if Maddie leaves?

The car inches forward, making excruciatingly slow progress against Toronto’s soul-crushing traffic. Jittery with nerves, I watch the streets, unable to do anything to make the car move faster.

We turn into the side street where I live. I exhale in relief. Almost there. Then I see the taxi in the opposing lane, heading away from my house.

It has to be Maddie.

“Follow that cab,” I tell my cab driver.

He gives me an ‘are you kidding me, buddy’ look in the rear view mirror. I take a hundred dollar bill out of my wallet and hold it up so he can see it. “There’s good money in it for you,” I tell him. “I need to talk to the passenger in that cab. Can you cut it off?”

The guy’s eyes fixate on the bill between my fingertips. “A hundred?” he asks. “Sure, you’re the boss.” Tires screeching, he takes a highly illegal u-turn, and we’re off in pursuit of Maddie.

We’re three cars behind as we turn onto Spadina Road. The steady stream of cars coming toward us makes it impossible for us to gain ground. My cab driver shakes his head in frustration. “He’ll be harder to catch once we get on Eglinton,” he says. “You know where he’s going?”

“The airport, probably.” Maddie’s car is at Drake Media’s parking lot. She won’t be able to retrieve it without my help.

The man whistles. “If he gets on the highway, we’re screwed.”

I pull another hundred out of my wallet and hold it up. “It’s an emergency.”

The second bill doubles my driver’s motivation. “Buckle up,” he mutters. “I’m going to cut them off at this stop sign.”

I wince. I don’t want to live without Maddie, but I hadn’t planned on dying in a fiery car crash chasing her. Taking heed of the cab driver’s suggestion, I fasten my seat belt.

Approaching the four-way stop we speed up and swing into the oncoming lane of traffic. Cars honk and swerve out of the way, and we zoom into the intersection, pulling up in front of the taxi we’re chasing.

I’m out of the car in a second, barreling toward the other taxi full tilt, my cab driver on my tail. “Dude, where the fuck’s my money?” he yells. I don’t respond. I’m staring into the back seat of the car we’ve just stopped, and it’s empty.

“What the fuck is the matter with you?” The driver of the taxi we’ve cut off gets out and advances in my direction, two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle, irritation radiating from every pore. “Are you fucking stupid? Do you want to get us in an accident?”

An SUV inches past the intersection. The passenger rolls down her window. “I should call 911,” she says severely, glaring at both of us. “Toronto traffic is bad enough without idiots like you in it.”

I tune it all out. “She’s not here,” I murmur. “I could have sworn you picked her up.”

“What, that chick with the long brown hair?” The driver in front of me rolls his eyes. “That’s what this is about? She changed her mind, man. She paid me twenty bucks and sent me away.”

My heart hammers in my chest. “She’s still there?”

“Unless she called another cab.” He peers at me curiously. “Was that your car? Nice wheels, dude.”

“Thanks.” I apologize to the guy for cutting him off, then turn to my own cab driver. “I seem to have made a mistake,” I tell him sheepishly. I pull yet another hundred out of my wallet, because I seem to be passing them around like candy on Halloween.

He takes the notes from me and tucks them into his wallet. “Did anyone tell you you’re crazy, dude?” he asks.

“I’m crazy about a girl,” I reply. She’s at home. She hasn’t left. “I’m crazy about Maddie.”

She’s sitting on one of the deck chairs in the back yard. She jumps to her feet when she sees me. “I’m so sorry,” she starts, then falls silent.

“Hi.” My heart hammers in my chest, and I have to force the words out through suddenly nerveless lips. I’m so desperately in love with Maddie. “I’m Cameron.” I swallow. God, this seemed like a much better idea in the cab. “I swim too.”

Her brow furrows. “What are you talking about?”

“Catch on, Mads.” Exasperation tinges my voice. “Big romantic moment here. Let’s try this again.” I stick my hand out in greeting and repeat the words I’d used when I met her for the first time. “Hi, I’m Cameron. I swim too.”

Her lush lips curve into a grin as she figures out what I’m doing. She takes my hand. “I’m Maddie,” she replies, her eyes twinkling the way they had ten years ago. “We’re in a swim meet. I assumed you swim. Tell me something I don’t know.”

Ten years back, I’d told her I thought she had the prettiest eyes. It’s still true, but this time around, I have something better to say. “I can predict the future.”

“You can?”

I nod. “We’re going to fall in love, and we’re going to date for a year, but we’re going to break up because of a stupid misunderstanding.” I look into her eyes. “That’s not the end of the story though.”

“It isn’t?” Her voice is very soft.

“No.” I shake my head and take her hands in mine. “We find each other again. We pretend to be engaged. And,” I look into those beautiful hazel eyes, “I fall in love with you. All over again.”

She makes a noise that’s half-squeak, half-whimper. I take that as a good sign. “I’m absolutely, crazily, madly in love with you, Madison Morland. If you need me to move to Calgary, I will. I’ll do anything. I love you and I don’t want to lose you ever again.”

She steps toward me, her eyes shining. “I love you too, Cam. So much so that I don’t have the words for it.”

I close my eyes and hold her, feel the warmth of her, breathe in her softness. “What happened to the cottage?” she asks. “Is your grandfather angry?”

“Ryder doesn’t want it anymore. I have a feeling things will work out just fine.”

“Good.” She’s silent for a few minutes. “I thought you didn’t want me,” she confesses, her voice soft.

“What on earth?”

“You didn’t say anything.”

She’s right. I mean, I’d argue until I’m blue in the face that actions speak louder than words, and she should have known that I was crazy about her, but now is really not the time. “I love you,” I repeat. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“My father is going to ask you for money,” she warns me. “Your father hates me. This isn’t going to be easy.”

“I don’t care. We’ll handle it. We can handle anything together.”

A yawn overtakes me, and she immediately pulls away, her expression concerned. “You haven’t slept at all. Is someone keeping a watch on Emily?”

“Ryder and Noah.”

“Good. Go straight to bed.”

“Bossy, aren’t we?” I raise an eyebrow. “I’ll go to bed if you’ll join me.”

She mock-frowns as she links her arm in mine. “I know that look,” she scolds. “You need sleep, not sex.”

My hand trails suggestively down her backside. “Are you sure, baby? I’ve got moves, you know.”

Her breath catches when she sees the heat in my eyes. We head upstairs, hand in hand.

Sleep? Sleep can wait. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives and I’ll be damned if I’m going to waste it.