Celine and Hailey curled up under a blanket, chatting instead of sleeping.

Hailey asked, "Celine, have you ever met a man like that?"

"Like what?" Celine asked.

A handsome face appeared in Hailey's mind. "The type that's cool and aloof. He's really good at fighting, which makes me a little nervous"

Celine glanced at the black baseball jacket hanging on the clothes rack. Hailey had been wearing it, but had carefully hung it up afterward. It clearly belonged to the man who had saved her.

Celine smiled. "Is it Declan you're talking about?"

Hailey nodded. "That's him."

Celine winked flirtatiously. "He saved you, so you're planning on rewarding him with your hand in marriage?"

Hailey blushed. "Celine, I'm not going to talk about that anymore."

Celine giggled, but Hailey quickly covered her mouth. "Celine, you aren't allowed to laugh about this."

Adam lay on the bed. Rain pattered against the window outside, while Hailey and Celine's soft voices, gossiping and giggling, filled the small room with warmth. Adam smiled.

Hailey complained, "Celine, you can't make fun of me. I don't know who else to talk to about this; as my cousin-in-law, you're the only one."

In Hailey's eyes, Celine was more than just her cousin-in-law—she was her best friend.

Celine paused. "What cousin-in-law?"

Hailey's heart skipped a beat. She'd forgotten Celine didn't know about her relationship with Adam. Celine remembered Hailey mentioning a cousin. "Hailey, are you talking about that bastard cousin of yours?"

The "bastard cousin," Adam, turned to glare at Hailey. Was she talking about him behind his back again?

Stunned, Hailey stuck out her tongue nervously. "My cousin is every woman's dream. Many women want to be my cousin-in-law, but for me, only one woman deserves that spot!" Those words were for Adam.

Adam remained expressionless. Carly had already complained that Hailey didn't want to be her friend. Hailey had invited Carly to the Lambert residence only to get even with Celine. Hailey's actions proved that she only accepted Celine as her cousin-in-law. Hailey wouldn't interfere in Adam's marriage, but she had chosen her cousin-in-law. What could Adam say?

Celine didn't pursue Hailey's family matters; it wasn't her concern. She thought about Declan instead. She had seen him and he'd made an impression.

"Hailey, do you know what Declan is like?"

"What?"

Celine said quietly, "Declan is like a wild horse. He's from a different world than you."

Hailey felt sleepy. She tugged Celine's sleeve. "No matter what, I need to dry-clean his jacket and return it. Then I want to thank him face-to-face. Celine, I'm sleepy. Let's go to sleep."

Celine nodded. "Alright."

Celine and Hailey quickly fell asleep.

Adam, however, remained awake. He hadn't slept because the women were chatting beside him. He turned to look at Celine. Half her face was buried in the blanket. He pulled the blanket away from Celine's leg. Her left leg was red and swollen; she'd hit a rock but only showed Hailey her uninjured right leg. She hadn't told Hailey.

Before, Adam hadn't understood Celine and Hailey's close relationship; he'd even considered having Carly befriend Hailey. But now, he understood.