Page 44 of Summer with a Single Dad

Chris

Oh . . . And, I love you.

I giggled like a giddy schoolgirl.

Me

I love you too! ??

Chris, Hudson, and Luke surprised me when they showed up at the tail end of my group session at Bark Park.

After saying my goodbyes, Moose and Rufus and I walked over to Chris’s truck.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it,” I said, sweeping my hair back off my face.

“Not to practice. But we—” Chris nudged Hudson.

“Will you go on a picnic with us?”

“A picnic, huh?”

“I helped pack it,” Hudson said when Chris pulled out a large picnic basket from the bed of his truck.

“Hudson thought it would be fun.”

“It sounds like a lot of fun,” I said, smiling at Hudson.

My heart pitter-pattered when Hudson took my hand in his.

“Where should we sit?” I asked him.

His big, brown eyes would make girls swoon when he got to that age where crushes started developing.

He pointed to an empty picnic table under a huge tree. “Over there.”

“That’s a good spot.”

The three of us worked together to secure the turn stakes into the ground so the dogs wouldn’t get loose. I wasn’t too worried that they’d run off, but taking the necessary precautions gave Chris and me peace of mind.

Ioohedandahhedas Chris and Hudson unpacked our picnic. Submarine sandwiches and potato salad never tasted so good.

“I have to hand it to you, Hudson. This is the best dinner I’ve had in a long time.”

“Even better than Dad’s chicken and bacon pasta?”

“Definitely,” I said.

He beamed up at Chris.

“Are you going to spend the night tonight?” Hudson asked.

“Oh,” I stammered. “Um . . .”

Chris cleared his throat and said, “Hudson and I talked earlier about you spending the nights sometimes.”

“Yeah, because you’re his girlfriend,” Hudson explained. “Dad said that Moose and Rufus would spend the night too. They can sleep in my room with me and Luke.”

I chuckled as the heat bloomed in my cheeks. “I hadn’t planned on it.” When Hudson’s smile turned down, I added, “But, I tell you what. I can go home and pack a bag really quick.”

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