Page 28 of Must Have Been Love

“Yeah.” He nods, pressing his lips together like he doesn’t know what to say next.

“Do you think…” I take a deep breath. “Could you tell me about him sometime?”

Those pale lips curl into a smile. “I’d love to.”

“Great,” I say. “Thank you.”

“If you give me your number, I’ll check my work schedule. I can bring those forms over for you, if you like?”

“Forms?” I say.

“The ones for the ABC licence.”

Oh God, I’d already forgotten about that. “Sure,” I say. “Great idea.” I can always tell him I’ve changed my mind when we talk next. I take out my phone and we exchange numbers. He stands there for a minute like he’s trying to make a decision.

Then he puts his coffee on an empty table next to us and reaches for me, folding me in his thick, muscled arms, burying his face in my hair.

The sudden embrace takes me by surprise. Which is stupid, because nobody on this island behaves the way I assumed they would. Still, there’s a warmth in the pit of my stomach because this is the first physical contact I’ve had with anybody since I’ve been here.

I’ve always been a hugger. And this man is a natural one. I look up at him and smile and he grins back.

“Thank you,” I say to him. “I think I needed that.”

“Yeah.” He nods. “I think we both did.”

It’s only when he walks away that I feel a weird prickle in my neck like I’m being watched. As I turn to the left, I see Ayda pulling Hudson out of the bookshop and pointing at me.

He says something quietly to her and she shakes her head, looking suddenly furious. It makes me smile, because she’s so little yet I’ve never seen her look more like her dad than now.

Stubbornness is in her DNA.

She drags him across the road, and he reluctantly lets her, his eyes stormy as they meet mine. I’ve never seen a man like him be so tamed by a little girl.

When they reach me on the sidewalk she grabs a card from him and shoves it toward me until I take it from her and she beams, like she’s accomplished her mission.

The card is pink with gold lettering. I lift it up to get a closer look at the foiled words shining out from the front of the expensive cardstock.

Miss Ayda Fitzgerald cordially invites you to her sixth birthday party.

The theme is Cool Princes and Princesses. Please come dressed appropriately.

* * *

HUDSON

“You don’t have to come,” I say to Skyler, when Ayda runs into the coffee shop to give Mylene her invitation. “It’s a week away, you’ll probably have left by then.”

And I should be relieved at that thought. Iamrelieved.Mostly. Up close I can see a line of freckles on her shoulder. They look like a constellation. She tips her head to the side and her hair covers them up and I’m relieved.

“I’m planning to stay for a while,” she says. “So I’ll still be here.”

Of course she fucking is. Why make my life a little difficult when you can make it a lot difficult? I think of the report I got back about her last week. About her transient lifestyle, her poor academic results, the way she dropped out of college and has never held down a job. But she also has no criminal record or anything that stains her past.

And I still fucking want her.

“Aren’t you bored of being here?” I ask.

“Bored of learning about my dad?” she replies. “No, not at all. It’s pretty here. I love the beach and the people are nice. Mostly.” She smiles as she adds the last word. “And I love parties, so…I’ll be there.”

---