Page 70 of Catching the Coach
She raises an eyebrow. “Mean what, Kessler?” She lifts a hand grabbing one of my wrists, her other hand resting on my hip.
“That we’re in trouble when Hudson is a teenager. That means you’re thinking about the future. A future with me?” I say, hope blossoming in my chest.
She bites the corner of her lip and looks off to the side. We’re the only ones in the hallway. My family either did not notice we’re not with them, or they did and decided to leave us to our conversation. Either way I’m not leaving the hallway until I get an answer.
“Lucy?” I question, desperate for an answer.
“Yes,” she says. She looks up at me with a smile that ignites her eyes. “I had a conversation with your dad during warm ups. He made me realize what we have–” she pauses and cups my cheek, “what we have is worth taking risks for.”
I back her into the wall and capture her lips with mine. A low moan sounds from her throat. I reach down and grab both her legs, picking her up. She wraps her legs around my waist and I brace myself against the wall with one arm. She opens her lips allowing me to deepen the kiss, plunging my tongue into her mouth, fucking her mouth with my tongue. She pulls at the hair on the back of my head and I release a growl into her mouth.
A door slams down the hallway and we both startle and look where the noise came from. An intern looks at us like a deer in the headlights. “Uh, s-sorry, I didn’t know anyone was down here.” He turns around and heads back to where he came from.
Lucy covers her face with her hand, stifling a laugh. I chuckle into her neck and pull back, setting her back down to her feet. She straightens her shirt and hair. “We better catch up with the others,” she says, linking my fingers with hers.
I lean down and give her one last kiss before letting her lead me down the hall. “We’ll talk more later,” I tell her.
“There wasn’t much talking going on just now,” she teases.
We meet up with the others and they make no indication that they were even missing us. Security meets us at the exit. Charlie arranged for them to escort us to our vehicles, knowing the press release would cause an uptick in swarming paparazzi and she was right.
“Keep your heads down and don’t answer any questions,” I tell Lucy and my parents. They nod and we exit the doors. Blinding flashes immediately surround us. Followed by a sea of voices shouting questions. Judd wraps an arm around Hudson’s shoulders and leads the pack to the cars. My dad wraps his arm around my mom, who’s holding a hand up to protect her eyes from the flashes. We follow, I wrap my arm around Lucy and try to shield her as much as possible with my gym bag and body. Security surrounds us and tries to create a human shield. Paparazzi stick their cameras between gaps and snap pictures as quickly as they can.
It’s slow going but we eventually make it to our vehicles. I make a note to thank Charlie for thinking ahead and suggesting my parents and Lucy park close to my truck. I open Lucy’s door for her and she climbs in. I jog to my truck and hop in. Hudson, Judd and my parents climb into my parents’ vehicle and we all make our way out of the lot as quickly as possible. Heading to Tony’s for dinner.
* * *
Two hours and three extra large pizzas later and we’ve shut Tony’s down. Tony closed a little earlier than normal to visit with us and we’ve taken over the party space. Judd, Hudson, and Kade are at the back playing on the air hockey table. Lucy called Kara on her way here and invited them to dinner.
Tony and my dad are chatting away, trading cooking advice. My mom, Marie, and Kara are talking about their plans for their flower beds this year. Lucy’s tucked into my side lying her head on my shoulder. She chimes in every once in a while, but for the most part she quietly observes.
I place a kiss on the top of her head. Lucy tips her head back and gives me a sleepy smile. I place a finger on her chin and tip her head back a little further and give her a soft kiss. I pull back and run my nose along hers. We hear gagging from the game corner and Lucy giggles and hides her face into my shoulder.
“Leave them alone boys,” my mom calls to the corner, making them snicker.
Kara stands and stretches. “Well we should probably head home. I have an early client meeting tomorrow.” She turns to my mom. “Marlene, it was lovely to meet you.”
Mom stands and gives her a hug. “We’ll all have to have a girl’s day and go to one of my favorite nurseries.”
“I would love that, I know my mom would love to meet you too,” Kara says returning the hug. She turns to Lucy and gives her a wide grin. “Want me to have Hudson over for a sleep over tonight? They don’t have school tomorrow,” she ends in a sing-song voice.
“Yes,” I say, answering for Lucy.
Kara and my mom giggle.
Lucy slinks down into her chair and covers her face. “Kessler,” she says into her palms.
I shrug. “What?”
Kara pats Lucy’s shoulder. “Just make sure your curtains are closed babe.” She gives me a wink.
“Oh my God, please just take me now lord,” Lucy mutters, her face going from red to magenta.
“Kade, Hudson, let’s go!” Kara says, gathering her purse and slinging it over her shoulder
The boys come over, Judd bringing up the rear. “Where are we going, Aunt Kara?” Hudson asks.
“You’re spending the night at my house tonight since you boys don’t have school, and you would be going there anyways in the morning. Now you can sleep in,” Kara says in one breath. “We’ll swing by and grab your stuff before we head to my house.”
