Page 5 of All My Love

“Your turn, buddy.”

three

MY FAVORITE BREAKFAST.

Dolly

My eyes flick open to my phone erupting in music next to my bed, my alarm set to a playlist.

Stretching my arms above me, I instinctually sing the tune, each lyric etched into the spongy parts of my brain from repetition. A lot of my life is repetitive, especially Friday.

And I like it that way.

Ivy, from the next room over, throws her fist against the wall. “Turn it off, Dolly!”

I reach over and turn off the Lana Del Rey song that speaks to me like nothing else. All of her music does. Lana understands passion and imperfection better than anyone.Though I feel certain that if Hudson knew my passion, he’d understand it.

Soulmates always understand each other.

Stretching, I finally climb out of bed, knowing I have four minutes to get to the window. I toe into my fuzzy slippers and wrap up in my matching robe, then position myself behind the curtain in my room, binoculars in hand.

I can see just fine.

Butdetails. I’m adetailsgirl.

The cool metal binoculars touch the bridge of my nose with comfortable familiarity, and I suck in a sniper’s breath, holding myself steady as I peer and wait.

Like clockwork, the worn black lacquer door with a rusted knocker and offset peephole opens. I can only see the side of the front porch from where my room is in the house, but it’s more than I saw out of the window that faced the lawn five years ago.

The first day I met Hudson, I forced Ivy to switch rooms with me. She knew why and made no effort to thwart my plans. After all, I needed a front-row seat while biding my time until I was old enough for Hudson Gray to love me back.

The last two years have been very fucking aggravating.

There has seemingly been an endless stream of things in our way. Like his soon-to-be brother-in-law hanging around all the time now that he’s officially engaged to Ev, the fire on the property two days after my eighteenth which had Hud knee deep in labor then paperwork for months.

My tactics have been put on hold or cast aside for too long.

I’m getting serious about it now.

I turned twenty a couple of weeks ago. I’d hoped to be married to Hudson by now, to be growing one of his beautiful babies in my belly too. Instead, we aren’t even dating. He doesn't even look at me like a woman.

Notyet.

Finally, after the door stands wide open for its normal fifteen seconds, Bear sails out, and I find myself grinning. I love how fast he’s gotten, and how sometimes, his legs go faster than the rest of him and he burns out, giggling the entire time. When Hudson asks me to watch him, we have so much fun.

He’s obsessed with skipping stones now, but before that, we ran. And told jokes. Most of them fart related.

Everly and Deuce follow, his hand on her hip, toe to heel, whispering things into her ear. Hudson follows them, stepping out in dark blue jeans, a fitted white t-shirt and his sepia and sun-worn boots, his hair still damp from the shower.

Arousal rushes out of me, soaking my panties, and I reach down, still holding the binoculars with one hand, and reach under my satin pajama shorts. I’m slick and warm, throbbing at just the sight of him.

I bet if I dragged my tongue up the side of his throat he’d taste like shaving cream. My hand works faster as I swallow, following them as they make their way to the truck.

This is their weekly stock-up trip. They get everything they need to host the farmers market. Groceries, change, all that stuff. It is routine.

For all of us.

I get my first orgasm of the day when I watch him usher everyone out, taking care of the people he loves. God, that'shot. Not to mention his nipples are always poking through his t-shirt when he’s freshly showered, and I love imagining them grazing my chest, rubbing against mine.

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