“I don’t know what to say.” I kiss him gently while my fingers dance through the soft hair at the nape of his neck. “I love you.” I lean back to look again, softly running my fingers over Lucy’s eyes in the sky. “When?”
“Last Tuesday.” He smirks.
“Oh.” I smirk back. “You packed a lot into that birthday.”
We’re soaking up the moment as a fitting song plays on the radio, and I’m stalling his departure with every ounce of my being.
He groans and squeezes me tighter, same as always.
And I realize this is what I’ve been scared to lose. Not that thirty-six hours proves anything, but his touch has become so familiar. It’s security and contentment, with the scent of his leather seats and wintergreen Tic Tacs.
I won’t take it for granted.
I reach for the driver’s-side door, ready to awkwardly maneuver myself around so I can slide off Jude’s lap and onto the running board, when he pulls me back and claims my mouth again. His hands deftly travel over my exposed back as if carefully signing his name all over it.
One hand settles around my hip while the other finds my neck, his thumb gently caressing my jaw and tilting my chin from angle to angle, finding the exact one that steals my breath and makes me forget there was ever a time I thought we weren’t meant for this.
His lips, his tongue, his hands—gently assertive as the rest of him—communicate his message to every molecule of my body.
We will have challenges, but he won’t be one of them.
And he wasn’t lying when he said he’d kiss me so thoroughly I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else. He might as well take a Sharpie to the bottom of my boot, because I’ll never belong to anyone but him.
I reenter the house with swollen lips and mussed hair like I slept on it, then promptly trip over the rug in the foyer because Jude’s kiss left me completely intoxicated.
“Lucy? Are you all right?” Mom calls from the kitchen.
“Yep, I’m okay!”
Chapter 32
Look After You
Sam brings more donuts from Ralph’s to say goodbye to his fan club before we head back to Johnson City. “Man, I wish we rode together so I could ask you a bunch of nosy questions.”
“Pace yourself, Moose. We have all week.”
Sam hugs my entire family like they’re his own before we head out. “I’ll catch up with you later. Be safe, Smalls. Love you. Call if you need me.”
He stays behind me on the highway for a while, but I lose track of him eventually. Since he returned my phone, it chimes whenever he starts or completes a drive, so now I know where he is whether I want to or not.
The three-hour trip slips by quickly since I use the time to check in with Annie. We’ve texted a little, mostly about the upgrade in my relationship status, but she’s absolutely giddy about the content Carla sent her from the show.
“Y’all gave me enough material to run his page for months,” Annie declares. “Jace was right. Doing that gig together was genius!”
“I’m still in shock about the last three days.” I shake my head at myself. “Is there enough footage without me messing it up?”
“Messing it up? Are you for real?” She laughs. “You help him direct the chaos. It works. Plus, I’m kind of a marketing genius.”
“What about the messages?” I ask, not sure I want to know. “How bad are they, really?”
“Nathan put some drama in the comments, and a few people took the bait, thinkin’ there was a juicy story. And maybe there is, but it had nothin’ to do with Sammy’s show. All your accounts are private, so block Nathan and let us handle it.”
The thought of a social media war makes me feel a little sick, but I don’t think she’d perpetuate any drama. Bodily harm is more Annie’s style.
“I’m working mornings for Mom and being a total pool bum in the evenings. I have plenty of time to monitor the account. Don’t worry about it,” she insists. “Sammy and I have it covered, and I’ll be back Thursday.”
The number of direct messages in my social media accounts is climbing, but I don’t want to look. I’ll answer Jackson and a few friends, but I’m not explaining myself to Nathan anymore. I can’t.
