Page 105 of Mortala
“Thank you!” I sob into his shoulder, “Thank you so fucking much!”
There will never be enough words, or even the right words, to express my gratitude to Hudson, Nate, and Morgan for whatthey do for me every single day. I will spend the rest of my life thanking Hudson for what he did.
We’ve been at the hospital for about an hour telling stories and cracking jokes with Hudson, making the nurses laugh, and thanking them for all they’ve been doing for him while he’s been healing.
It feels good being here with them all, like this is what having a real family is supposed to feel like.
And now I finally have one.
The doctor came in and told us they were moving Hudson to a private room now that he’s stable and they’ll be holding him for a week or two while he finishes his recovery. Hudson’s been begging all of us to go get him a burger, but his doctor won’t allow it. He said it’ll probably be a few more days until he can eat solid foods again.
After talking to the doctor outside of his room for a few minutes, Miles decided he was going to get Hudson a fruit smoothie since all he’s allowed to have are liquids.
“Did you want to go with me, or would you rather stay here with everyone?”
As much as I hate being apart from Miles, I’m itching to talk to Morgan and figure out when this new romance of hers sparked. I grab Miles by the face and give him a long, hard kiss before letting go of his face and holding his hands in mine.
“I’ll stay here and hang out with Morgan. Why don’t you take Nate with you?”
“Nah, it’s okay. I got Julius. Don’t have too much fun without me, Princess.” He leans in for another kiss and squeezes my hand with his three times.
“Why do you always do that?” I ask.
“Do what?”
“Squeeze my hand three times. Why three?”
He grins at me and kisses me softly once more.
“It’s how I say I love you without saying it. Three words, I,” he squeezes my hand once, “love,” another squeeze, “you.”
He squeezes my hand one last time, and those pesky butterflies he never fails to give me take flight once again.
I let go of his hands and grab onto his face, kissing him with every ounce of love that I have for him as I remember every time he’s ever squeezed my hand three times. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him and kisses the tip of my nose, grinning at me.
“I’ll be right back, Princess. I love you.”
I smile back at him. “I love you too, Miles. So damn much.”
29.Miles
Julius insistedhe drive us to the smoothie place instead of letting me drive. I’ve lived with Julius for a majority of my life and within the many years that I’ve known him, I’ve learned not to argue with him. I have way too much respect and appreciation for this man to ever upset him, so if he wants to drive, then I guess he’s driving.
“You know, you never told me how you started working for my family,” I observe, and I’m honestly curious to know.
Julius has been with us for as long as I can remember and when my parents died, he stayed without question. He’s a good man.
“I was ten when I met your father and Benjamin. They had just moved into the house next to mine. Your father was nine and your uncle Benjamin was seven. Your father was a well-behaved kid, but your uncle Benjamin, well, he was something else.”
I laugh at the thought of a little uncle Benny. He's an asshole now, so I can only imagine the little heathen he was when he was a kid. Honestly, it tracks.
“When they moved in, my mother made your grandparents a welcome basket filled with pastries she made that morning andasked me to deliver them. When I knocked on the door, your father answered and we became best friends shortly after that.”
Listening to Julius talk about my grandparents makes me smile. I never really knew anything about them, my dad never told me much, and I didn’t bother asking Benny. I just didn’t see a point. The only thing I ever knew about my grandfather was that we shared a name, and that was something I was proud to carry. I knew losing him was hard on my dad. Asking him would have further opened an already sore wound.
“When your grandfather's security business took off, they moved to a different neighborhood, and I lost all contact with your family. As you know, your father and uncle took over the family business when your grandparents had passed away, and at the time, I was just a bag boy at a grocery store. Your father came into that grocery store one day and we talked for a while. He offered me a job and I’ve been with your family ever since. You were only a year old when I started.”
Tears rim my lashes and I turn to look out the window so Julius doesn’t see how much his story affects me.
