Back when I was little, Rafe Cameron used to babysit me. He wasn’t that much older—just enough to boss me around, keep me out of trouble (barely), and leave me with a weird little crush I didn’t know how to name at the time. He was lanky, sun-kissed, and way too cool for my 10-year-old world. He’d sneak me cookies, roll his eyes when I tried to play dress-up with him, and always left with a smirk like he knew something I didn’t.

I hadn’t seen him in years.

So when I spotted him at the party—tall, older, broader, hotter—I nearly dropped my drink.

He was standing near the edge of the firelight, talking to some guy I didn’t recognize, sleeves rolled, hands in his pockets, shirt slightly unbuttoned like he didn’t care how good he looked (but he had to know). His jawline had gotten sharper, his arms stronger, hair tousled just right. I stopped in my tracks.

“No way…” I whispered to myself.

Sarah noticed me staring. “Wait—do you know him?”

“Uh—yeah,” I blinked, still processing. “That’s… Rafe. He used to babysit me.”

Their reactions were instant.

“Shut. Up.”

“That guy? That man was your babysitter?”

“He looks like he stepped out of a perfume ad.”

They were all staring now, wide-eyed and whispering, completely unaware that Rafe had just turned… and noticed me.

He raised his eyebrows, did a slight double take, then that familiar smirk tugged at his lips. He started walking toward me, slow and confident like he had all the time in the world.

My heart jumped.

“Is that really you?” he said when he got close, eyes scanning me up and down with a mix of disbelief and amusement. “You grew up.”

I laughed, nervous. “Yeah, well… so did you.”

He chuckled, head tilting slightly. “Didn’t think I’d ever run into you like this. At a party. Looking like… that.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. My friends were definitely eavesdropping from behind me, practically melting.

“You just ruined my night, by the way,” I mumbled.

He raised a brow. “Oh yeah?”

I glanced over my shoulder at my friends drooling. “They’re all in love with you now.”

He leaned in slightly, voice low and warm. “And you?”