“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.”
I pressed my 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.”
I reached down and scooped up the dog, lightly pressing on Hudson’s stomach with my booted foot as I 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 me out of the tent as I set down the dog, keeping an eye on the fluff ball until I was certain CB wasn’t going to take off again like yesterday. Then I lifted my gaze to the view that stretched out in front of me.
It was breathtaking, to say the least, and we hadn’t even made it to the higher summit we’d planned to in order to catch the sunrise. Though, I couldn’t say I minded, considering how I’d been otherwise occupied during that time.
I sensed Hudson behind me before I felt him, his arms wrapping around me and his face nestling in the crook of my neck. He inhaled me deeply, then sighed as he squeezed me back against his chest.
“What’re you even wearin’?” I asked. “I stole your clothes.”
“You think I only came up here with a single pair of clothes?”
Now that I thought about it, he’d probably managed to cram a week’s worth into that pack of his.
“Point taken,” I said, settling back into his body, my hands covering his.
We were quiet for long moments as CB trotted around our feet and we 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 I lived for. It was why I loved going on the outdoor adventures with the kids, why I spent all the time I could with Ella in the wooded area on my parents’ property. I felt the most myself when I 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,” I said, taking my 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.”
I smiled at how his words echoed my thoughts from earlier. “Me neither.”
“Though I am bummed we missed it.”
“Yeah,” I said on an exhale.
True, I 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 I 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.”
I tipped my 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 my lips, murmuring against them, “Smartass. And no, but I was thinkin’…”
I rolled my 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?”
I opened my mouth to say exactly why we needed to, only nothing came to mind. My shifts at the bar were covered, and there was absolutely nothing at town hall I needed to be doing. I could text Will—hopefully there’d be a signal as we hiked higher—and tell her I wouldn’t be at Sunday supper. Hudson and I would be up early to catch the sunrise, and we could hike down right after, which meant I could definitely be at town hall on time. Or at least at a reasonable hour. Will would understand and cover for me if I was a little late.
