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He cleaned both our bodies up, and we walked back into the room. He helped me into my nightwear and tucked me into bed, lying beside him. He wrapped his arms around me and caressed my hair until I fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up to a bowl of oats topped with cheddar and fried eggs. The aroma of the food filled my nose, whetting my appetite.
“Good morning, babe.” Hudson was sitting on the edge of the bed when I opened my eyes. He planted a kiss on my forehead and helped me sit up.
“Aw, you made me breakfast?” A smile spread across my face as I looked down at the spread on the tray.
“Mm-hmm, eat up,” he said, still smiling as he looked directly into my eyes.
“A lady could get used to this, you know.”
“Well, she’s permitted to. There’s going to be a lot more of this in the future.”
“Thank you, baby. Really, thank you for everything.”
“Oh, come on, it’s just food. It’s not that big a deal.” He got up from the bed and adjusted his T-shirt.
“I’ll be in the living room with my other baby,” he teased, referring to June.
I laughed and nodded.
“Join us when you’re done?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm, I’ll be down shortly,” I said.
He kissed me again, this time on the cheek, then on the lips. “Go brush your teeth,” he teased and began to walk briskly out of the room.
“You asshole!” I laughed and threw a pillow at him.
He dodged the throw and raced downstairs.
I took a pinch of the fried eggs into my mouth and chewed. “All right, this is really good.” Much like an afterthought, I placed my hands over my mouth, blew cold air over it, and inhaled. “My morning breath is kicking. I think I’ll go brush first.” I left the food on the bed and went to do just that.
June was watching cartoons with her father when I came downstairs. Her energy was back. And as expected, she had a lot of questions to ask. Hudson and I tried to provide answers as much as we could and reassured her that she was safe now.
I knew the trauma of what happened wasn’t something she would get over in the twinkle of an eye. She would need time to completely heal from it, and I was more than ready to go on the journey with her, as I was sure Hudson was as well.
Chapter 20
Hudson
On some nights that followed, June would come into my room frightened, begging to sleep with us. She was having nightmares from the incident. At some point, we didn’t bother putting her back in her own room anymore. She was now sleeping in our bed every other night.
Meanwhile, my feelings for Madison grew stronger. It was as if almost losing her had made me realize just how much I needed her. The thought had disturbed me greatly. I had nearly gone crazy.
So, while I tried everything possible to get my little girl to heal completely, including getting her a child therapist and spending more time with her, I made sure to spend just as much time with Madison, too. I wanted to make the best out of every time we had together.
Three months had passed. Amy’s baby bump had become visible. We had begun to think of names for the baby, and Madison accompanied her sometimes to do minor baby shopping. She enjoyed it.
June could finally sleep in her own room now. It was a big relief for Madison and me the first night she went back to her room. I had not realized how much my body longed for Madison until the night after.
It was the weekend. June was to spend the night at Amy’s house to return the next morning. Maria was gone for the weekend. Amy had helped me contract some guys to help set up a romantic night for just Madison and me.
Everything was done while we were away at Amy’s house. We left June there and drove back to the house. I helped Madison out of the car and lifted her off the ground.
“What are you doing?” She laughed while pretending to struggle as I carried her. She stopped resisting when I planted a kiss on her lips, and then I carried her into the house. As soon as we got inside, I put her down.
There was the romantic dinner set up first—dim red lights, soft music, and a three-course meal laid out on the dining table. It was her favorite dish—chicken-fried steak.
