“I don’t know—initials show you really takin’ your time and thinkin’ long and hard about it. When’d you come up with it?”
“Just now.On account of the little cockblocker always cockblockin’ me.”
Mac pressed her lips together, trying not to grin. Lord knew Hudson didn’t need the encouragement. “Well, I’m takin’ CB for a little walk so she can do her business. And, apparently, tryin’ to think of another name those initials could stand for.”
She reached down and scooped up the dog, lightly pressing on Hudson’s stomach with her booted foot as she stepped over him to unzip the tent. “Make me breakfast while I’m gone, will you?”
“No sweat. I’ve got a sausage right—”
“Oh myGod.”
His laughter followed Mac out of the tent as she set down the dog, keeping an eye on the fluff ball until she was certain CB wasn’t going to take off again like yesterday. Then she lifted her gaze to the view that stretched out in front of her.
It was breathtaking, to say the least, and they hadn’t even made it to the higher summit they’d planned to in order to catch the sunrise. Though, she couldn’t say she minded, considering how she’d been otherwise occupied during that time.
She sensed Hudson behind her before she felt him, his arms wrapping around her and his face nestling in the crook of her neck. He inhaled her deeply, then sighed as he squeezed her back against his chest.
“What’re you even wearin’?” she asked. “I stole your clothes.”
“You think I only came up here with a single pair of clothes?”
Now that she thought about it, he’d probably managed to cram a week’s worth into that pack of his.
“Point taken,” she said, settling back into his body, her hands covering his.
They were quiet for long moments as CB trotted around their feet and they stared at the glory that was Mississippi in the fall. By some miracle, the trees hadn’t lost all their leaves yet, and the kaleidoscope of reds and oranges and yellows was interspersed with the dark green of pine trees.
And this, right here, was what Mac lived for. It was why she loved going on the outdoor adventures with the kids, why she spent all the time she could with Ella in the wooded area on her parents’ property. She felt the most herself when she was outdoors, surrounded by nature and breathing in the scent of fresh earth.
“We never made it to the higher summit to watch the sunrise,” she said, taking her eyes away from the view for a moment only to make sure CB was close. She was, sitting dutifully at Hudson’s feet, as if waiting for his command to move.
“Can’t say I minded at the time.”
She smiled at how his words echoed her thoughts from earlier. “Me neither.”
“Though I am bummed we missed it.”
“Yeah,” she said on an exhale. True, she could have an unobstructed view of the sunrise any day of the week from nearly any spot in Havenbrook, but this? Being up here, so high it felt like she could reach out and touch the clouds? This was a whole different realm.
“Well…” he said, drawing out the word slightly. “We could fix that, you know.”
She tipped her head to the side enough and looked back at him. “Oh yeah? You got an in with the big man upstairs so you can make the sun come up again?”
He grinned, leaning down to press a quick kiss on her lips, murmuring against them, “Smartass. And no, but I was thinkin’…”
She rolled her eyes. “Jeez, Hud. Just spit it out already.”
“Will got your shifts covered all weekend, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, who says we have to go back today?”
She opened her mouth to say exactly why they needed to, only nothing came to mind. Her shifts at the bar were covered, and there was absolutely nothing at town hall she needed to be doing. She could text Will—hopefully there’d be a signal as they hiked higher—and tell her she wouldn’t be at Sunday supper. Mac and Hudson would be up early to catch the sunrise, and they could hike down right after, which meant she could definitely be to town hall on time. Or at least at a reasonable hour. Will would understand and cover for her if she was a little late.
“What about food and water?”
He snorted. “What do you think I am, an amateur? Condoms weren’t the only thing I brought extras of.”
