Page 79 of When the Time Is Right
Other than my brother making a comment about us when we arrived, shockingly no one else seemed to be fazed by us. Of course, Hudson and I were on our best behavior and kept our hands and wandering eyes mostly to ourselves. Then again, he did swat my ass again as I got out of the pool in front of him when Vanessa called everyone out when the food was ready. And as we ate, Hudson squeezed my leg nothing short of ten times under the table.
When the meal was finished, my brother and his wife shared a glance that sent up red flags all over the place. Standing, he lifted his drink into the air.
“Thank you all for coming today to help us open the pool officially, and even though I fought Hudson every step of the way, we’re really pumped to share more summer days like this with all of you. Our family. And in a few months, when our family grows, there will just be more of us to enjoy.”
My gaze landed on Vanessa and I couldn’t deny the pure joy on her face as Cal leaned over and placed a kiss on her head and a hand on her stomach.
“Does that mean…” My dad began to ask and then trailed off.
“We’re expecting!” Vanessa exclaimed.
Suddenly, almost everyone rose to hug the couple and congratulate them.
“It’s about time!” Jack shouted from his chair, obviously not understanding exactly how babies worked. “I’ll finally have a cousin to play with.”
I didn’t even let my mind wander to the place it usually did around the subjects of marriage and babies. This was Cal and Vanessa’s moment and I was happy for all of us. When the moms and dads had finally made their way back to their seats to look at the ultrasound pictures Vanessa snuck out from under her plate, I leaned over and threw an arm around Cal’s neck.
“Congratulations, big brother,” I said, giving him my biggest shit-eating grin. “If it’s a girl, I expect her to be named Alexis.”
“No,” he replied.
“I like the name Hudson for a boy,” the man at my other side suggested.
“No,” he said again, shutting us both down. “I’m not sure I like you two teaming up. You’re bad enough on your own.”
Hudson pulled me out of my chair and propped me on his lap. “Well, get used to it.” He smiled up at me and my heart melted when I saw how truly happy Hudson was.
I couldn’t resist planting a kiss on him right there.
“David, all our babies are happy. Look,” my mom said, fawning from down the table. “Lauren is getting married. We’re getting another grandbaby. And Hudson is taking Lex off our hands.”
I shot her a playful glare over Hudson’s broad shoulder, loving when she showed her facetious side. “That’ll be enough out of you, Judith.”
But she was right. We were all getting what we really wanted.
The next month or so felt like a movie. The Plush Pet website was almost finished, and James, my business partner, was churning out overhead like crazy. Maggie and Shane were so supportive and helped me pro-bono with marketing and advertising. I’d even lined up a few trade shows for the fall and made some great headway with independent pet stores.
Hudson and I only grew closer, even if I hadn’t believed that was possible. And for the most part, we followed the rules and slept at our own houses when Jack was around. But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t snuck in once or twice on the weekends when he was asleep.
Although none of it was as I’d planned, my life was turning into one I was proud of and at the very center of it all was love.The Chevelle rumbled as we rolled into the parking lot of the storage unit facility.
“Why do we have to stop now?” Lex complained. “I’m starving and you promised me pizza. That was false advertising.”
“Well, if someone had remembered to get the cover for my Chevelle like I’ve been asking for the last, oh, month, you’d be two slices in by now.”
“It lives in your garage, Hudson. Trust me, I’m all about taking care of my Chevelle, but this seems like overkill, especially when I’m hangry and a damn car raincoat is standing between me and a supreme pizza.”
“Then I suggest we hurry.”
She let out a loud groan and swung the door open. I climbed out at the same time and met her at the trunk. Hangry as she was, when I puckered my lips, she lifted onto her toes and pressed a kiss to my mouth.
Being with Lex was nothing short of incredible. She’d been a fixture in my life since I was fifteen but the last few months were different—a different I couldn’t get enough of.
