She was silent so long, he finally glanced up from their connected hands. She pulled hers from his hold and cupped his face between her palms. “Oh, my sweet boy. You’ve been so good to us since your father passed. Bein’ the man of the house before you even really knew what it meant.”
“I knew.”
“Ah, you’re right. Course you did. Your daddy made sure of that, didn’t he?” A sad smile lifted her lips, and she brushed her thumbs over his cheeks. “I’d keep you anchored to me and this life forever if I could, but that’s not you. Never has been. You have so much of your daddy in you, and the older you get, the more I see it. He’d be so proud of you right now.”
Hudson’s throat tightened, his heart aching over the loss their whole family had suffered years ago. He just prayed he wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
She dipped her head to catch his eyes. “I’m proud of you too. Even though the thought of you enlisting and being in danger every day terrifies me, I’m so, so proud of the man you’ve become.”
He gathered her into his arms, burying his face in her shoulder and breathing in the scent he’d come to equate with comfort.
“You’re leavin’ us?”
Hudson lifted his head and turned toward the hissed accusation.
Lilah stood at the entrance to the kitchen, her hands curled into fists at her sides. “After everything? AfterDaddy? You know what that’s gonna do to Momma.”
“Now, honey, I’m fine. This is what he wants—”
“Whathewants? Selfish bastard!” She spun on her heel and stormed up the stairs before Hudson could even get a word in.
“Delilah Mae, you will not speak like that in my house!” But Lilah’s footsteps already stomped above them as she flew into her room, the door slamming shut behind her.
“That went well.” Hudson turned back to his mom, who met his look with a wry grin.
“Were you anticipating she’d send you off with a basket of muffins? She’s not mad. She’s scared to death.”
“I know. I’ll talk to her.”
She patted his cheek. “She’ll come around before you leave. I hope. Girl’s stubborn as a mule.” She sat back and folded the letter before placing it back into the envelope. “Speaking of stubborn, how’d Mac take it?”
He hadn’t been prepared for the question and couldn’t even attempt to hide his wince. He figured she’d take it about as well as his sister.
Momma gasped and smacked his head with the welcome letter. “Hudson Matthew. You haven’t told that poor girl yet? I hope you know Lilah’s little show has nothin’ on what that girl’s gonna do to you.”
When Hudson came to a stop at the end of the long dirt road leading to his family’s cabin, Kenna waved to him. Goddammit. She was going to be a bear about this win, but even so, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. This was just one facet of many that he loved about her, and he wanted to get in as much of her as possible this weekend.
Under the guise of gathering up his things, he studied her behind his sunglasses. She reclined in the hammock hanging between two giant oak trees, wearing nothing but a minuscule pair of cutoffs and a bikini top. The red one that tied between her breasts. It wasn’t overly revealing, having enough material to keep most of her chest relegated strictly to his imagination, but that particular top had played more than one role in his solo activities. From the first time he’d seen her wear it, he’d had to fight himself over the urge to reach out and just…untie it.
“Snap out of it, asshole,” he muttered under his breath before stepping out of his truck.
Kenna smiled smugly at him, and even though he knew what he was in for, he couldn’t stop the grin from sweeping over his mouth in return.
“Took ya long enough.” She gestured to the grass off to the side, littered with a tackle box, two fishing rods, a bag with a couple towels spilling out, and a cooler probably filled with sandwiches and drinks for their day on the water. “Not only did I beat you, but I had time to grab all the fishing shit, too.”
If he knew Kenna—and he knew her almost better than he knew himself—he’d place money on her getting here only five minutes ago and then hauling ass to gather up everything before collapsing in the hammock simply to give the illusion of boredom.
“Ah, but did you get bait?” He held up the container of worms he’d stopped off to buy from a convenience store that catered to Havenbrook Lake’s residents.
Narrowing her eyes, she said, “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
He shrugged and plopped on the hammock at her feet, making it swing abruptly and nearly knocking both of them to the ground. “I would’ve beat you if I hadn’t stopped for them, is all I’m sayin’.”
She gripped the sides of the hammock, no doubt waiting for it to settle. Once it did, she shoved her bare foot into his thigh and shot him a glare—for his words or his actions, he couldn’t be sure. “You aresucha sore loser, Hudson Miller.”
“Or you’re a shady winner.”
She bolted upright, pressing a finger into his chest. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. You’re just sayin’ this to get me all riled up!”
