Page 21 of Liberating Water

Mom: We love you too. Can’t wait for summer when I can have you home. Then I can finally meet these friends of yours.

Since I’d moved into the Manor, my parents had video chatted with all the boys and Beth, wanting to make sure that me moving in was an appropriate option for me. Of course I couldn’t tell her it was the only option just yet, but I was working on a way to figure out how to do that.

Just as I was going to turn my light off, Hudson walked in wearing just a pair of sleep pants. I tried to keep my emotions in check as I took him in, but the blush on his cheeks told me that I didn’t do a very good job. Lord, it was like we were both little kids, embarrassed about seeing a little skin when only a few hours ago we were both completely naked.

“How did you manage to get first dibs on staying here tonight? Figured they would have objected since we already had cuddle time,” I teased.

Hudson slid into bed and took off his glasses before rolling over to face me. “They put up a fight alright, but I had logic on my side.”

“Are you going to tell me what that means?” I asked, having not a clue what he was talking about.

He reached out, grabbed what he could of my pajamas, and pulled me close to him. Snuggling in, I tucked my head under his chin and hitched a leg over his hip. The koala hold was my favorite way to sleep, I’d discovered.

“Well, you explained previously that you consider yourself married to Brayden after being Bonded. So if that is the case, then tonight would be our honeymoon.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, I’ll bet they hated that argument.”

“That may be, but I’m still here with you wrapped around me, so I see this as a win—don’t you?”

“Well played, Mr Lacy. Well played,” I murmured as Hudson kissed the top of my head and I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morningfound us all at the breakfast table, but this time everyone was chatting and the mood was much more relaxed. It was Christmas Eve, after all, and we would all be heading to Mr. Lacy’s house. Ben and Grace were much more interactive and told us all about what the plan for the day was.

“The most important thing we have to do today is get the Christmas tree!” Grace told us as she clapped her hands.

“I wondered why you didn’t have one up already,” I mentioned.

Grace paused at this and gave Ben the side eye before she seemed to deflate a little. “Oh, well, Mother doesn’t really like to have one in the house. She says it’s too messy and we only have it up for a week or so anyway, so it’s not worth it.”

I was a little shocked at this, although I’m not sure why. Since Hudson’s confrontation at the office, we hadn’t run into his mother. I wasn’t sure if she was avoiding us or if this is what they meant by her being gone a lot.

“When is your father expecting us?” Brayden asked, ever the one to need to be on time.

“If Grace has anything to say about it, the sooner the better,” Hudson said, giving his sister a look that made her smile.

Just as Grace was going to add in her thoughts, Isabelle walked into the room. “Grace and Ben will not be going with you. They will be staying here.”

I gasped as I felt rage rocket through me, and I knew it was coming from Hudson even as his face showed none of it.

“Why would that be?” he asked.

“They cannot afford to take the time away from their studies,” Isabelle offered, crossing her arms. “I may not be your mother, but I am theirs, and what I say goes.”

“You’re wrong. According to the court’s ruling, Father is entitled to spend time with them on Christmas Eve. Just like he has to make sure they are back on Christmas day for you to be with them—or did you forget those details?” Hudson shot back.

Isabelle gaped at him in shock. Try as I might, I couldn’t hold back my smile at her reaction, so I grabbed my coffee, trying to hide it.

“How could you possibly know that?” she asked, floundering with her response.

Hudson stood and put both his hands on the table as he looked the only mother he’d ever known in the face. “For this exact reason. There is absolutely no reason that Ben and Grace shouldn’t come with us to spend time with their father. Do you not even see how hard both of your children try to please you? Of course not, because you would need to be around for that to happen. Ben could get into any school he wanted, even with the two Bs you seem to be lording over him. Grace is graduating a whole year early! Most parents would be thrilled to have two such accomplished children.” Hudson paused to take a breath, closing his eyes a moment before he continued. “I made sure to read over the divorce agreement so you couldn’t use them as a tool to get back at Father. We will be leaving now, with both of my siblings, and they will be back tomorrow. The rest of us will not.”

Unable to provide an argument for anything Hudson said, Isabelle turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.

“That’s it, I’m calling it. Bonding with Lailah definitely causes us to level up—because that shit was amazing, Hudson!” Parker announced, breaking the tension.

Grace was the next one to kick back her chair and run over to Hudson, throwing her arms around him. “I can’t believe you stood up to her, thank you!”