“I’ll let you know,” she promises, ending the call.
My anger at her brother evaporates when I glance over at Bess, who is piping icing on the carrot pecan cake she said she was making next.She’s so engrossed in doing what she loves, a little smile plays on her lips.Man, I could watch her dance around the kitchen forever.What’s in her heart is reflected on her face.
When her eyes catch on me a moment later, she lays it all on the table for me with just a look.
My mouth spills over.
“God, I love you.”
Chapter24
Bess
These past fewdays have been absolute magic.
That is, if I tune out the circumstances that got us here.
We’ve explored the woods all along the creek hiking.I caught my very first brook trout under Hugo’s tutelage, which we cleaned and grilled for dinner.I’ve been able to fine tune some recipes I’d been working on, the results closely scrutinized by Hugo and Phil.We walked with Ragnar up to the Colter place and introduced him to Brant and Phil’s growing farm menagerie.We’ve played card games, watched a few movies, built a bonfire under the stars, and talked, a lot.
We covered a lot of ground, most of it related to what I kept to myself for far too long.Cancer, growing up with an overprotective mother who didn’t want me to make the mistakes she had, having a brother affiliated with organized crime, and yes, we also talked about the rape.It turned out to be a tougher subject for Hugo than it was for me but, of course, I’ve had years to process what happened, yet it’s still fresh for him.But it was good, cleansing in a way, and it feels good to have someone I’ve shared every dark corner with, who has stuck by my side.
Hugo opened up as well, and managed to shock me when he shared about struggles in his marriage I hadn’t been aware of.Turns out things weren’t always as perfect as they looked from the outside.
Of course, the other thing we did plenty of was have sex.
Copious amounts of sex.I’m pretty sure I’ve had more orgasms in the past couple of days than I’d accumulated over the rest of my life.
What can I say?Not only is Hugo exceptionally talented and nicely equipped, but he’s also the man I love.What’s more, he loves me, and I’ve never in my life felt as free and unburdened to enjoy the attention focused on me.Being the center of attention under any other circumstances would make me cringe, but not with Hugo.
He loves me.
I almost hit the floor, along with my carrot cake, when he made that declaration.I was not expecting that.
I’d hoped one day he might, but not this quickly.It’s amazing to me that not that long ago, I was resigned to loving this man from afar for the rest of my life.
Now look at us, snuggled up in bed in a state of postcoital bliss, watching the sun rise outside the window.
“What do you want to do today?”Hugo asks, his breath brushing my forehead.
“I’m not sure.I think there may be enough eggs left for me to make a quiche today.”
He squeezes me in his arms.“You know you don’t always have to be responsible for all our food, right?Your skills may be way superior to mine, but I’ve been known to throw together a decent meal from time to time,” he points out.
I turn in his arms and rest my chin on his chest so I can look at him.“I’m aware, but food is my love language.Always has been.And there’s nothing better than feeding people I love.”
That earns me another squeeze and a smile I feel down to my toes.
“I just wish Carson was here, so I could feed him too.”
I’ve been thinking about Hugo’s son a lot, feeling guilty for keeping his father from him.I even tried to suggest Hugo should go home to be with his son, but that idea was abruptly dismissed.
“As much as I love you wanting to feed my son, I’m sure he’s not starving,” he suggests.“Besides, he seems to be having a good time at Cody’s, so I’m not so worried about him.”
I grumble a little, putting my cheek back down to his chest.
“Still…as much as I enjoy being here with you, how long can we keep this up?You should be working—Savvy’s carrying too much on her shoulders already—and I need to get back to running my business, I’ve been generating zero income since the fire.”
“Tiring of me already?”he teases.
