AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After Bear finishes his piece, he asks for more paper, and I oblige, passing him at least four full sheets of thick cardstock. Though he’s crazy in his designs today, lots of shooting stars and gray blobs that look like portholes to hell, I believe his attempt was to paint a creek with skipping stones. Knowing the intentions of his heart, I stash his paintings away before washing him up for lunch.
“Maybe we skip some stones before we eat?” he asks, blinking up at me with eyes I am not good at saying no to. For a moment I imagine Hudson asking me for anything, using his dark and seductive gaze as a weapon. I’d give him things I didn’t even have, like bank account information, drop spots and launch codes. That’s how intoxicating and penetrating his eyes are.
And his son’s are not far off, though their effect on me is platonic. Still, I smirk.
“Fine, we can skip stones for an hour—it’ll be our secret—but then we have to get back.” I glance at the green numbers on the oven. “Shoot, by the time I feed you lunch, it’ll be dinner.”
He shrugs. “Aunt Ev is out tonight. That means Dad’s cooking.” He wrinkles his nose and drops his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Probably better that I’m full.”
I press the back of my wrist to the underside of my nose, capturing a snort that breaks free. “Hu—” I stop myself, knowing that just his name will rile me up. “Your daddy isn’t a good cook, huh?”
Bear pinches his nose in an over-the-top plug. “Stinks.”
Laughing, I nod my head toward the basket lined up against the shed. “Grab the basket. We’ll collect stones on the walk out there.”
I’ve never seen the kid move so fast. He’s back at my side with the empty basket dangling from his chartreuse-stained hand. “Ready?”
I nod, pulling my hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head. I knew Everly and Deuce were heading into town for a real estate appointment and dinner date today. I saw it on Hudson’s calendar every week for the last month.
He forgot.
But I didn't.
It’s why I’m skipping stones at the creek in one of my favorite sundresses. A dress with a slit up the right thigh, ties at the top of each shoulder, a smocked bodice to accentuate my slight curves, and in a sky blue color that would make any complexion look dreamy.
Bear and I skip stones for a solid hour before his arm and shoulder get tuckered out, and we make the walk back to my house as the sun crests in the sky. When the barn comes into sight, I see Juniper setting pillows out on a blanket underneath my favorite oak. I lift my hand to wave hello, and she does the same.
Once we’re closer, Bear says quietly, “Having a sister is pretty cool, huh?”
We stop in our tracks, and I crouch to meet his eyes. In a few more years from now, he’ll be taller than me. Most kids are, considering I’m just a hair taller than five feet. “Yeah, I like having sisters. Juniper and Ivy are my bestfriends.” Half of my lips lift in a smile. “Are you thinking about wanting a brother or a sister?”
He shrugs. “Don’t matter. I don’t have a mama.”
At that moment, Juni’s bare feet appear, and I blink up at her with tears in my eyes. Poor Bear. Poor, sweet, innocent Bear.
He needs me.
I hold his hands with mine. “You have a wonderful daddy, a great aunt and a pretty darn cool guy who’s gonna be your uncle.” I look at my sister who quickly catches on to the tone of our talk.
“And you have Dolly, sure, but you also have me and Ivy, too.” She extends her hand to Bear, and he slides his tiny one in the most mismatched handshake ever. “All you have to do is love jam. Do you love jam, Bear?”
His sadness quickly morphs into a smile. I love that about kids. How easy they can be to please. “Yes!”
She waves her arm over the picnic blanket, two sandwiches and two tall glasses of lemonade out for us. “Time to eat.” She passes me a damp cloth, and I take each of Bear’s hands in mine, wiping them clean as Juni presses on. “How was skipping stones?”
“I’m getting good,” he starts, before taking a big bite of sandwich as he crumples to the ground, immediately comfortable on the blanket. Another large bite and he adds, “Dolly’s real good, too.”
I arch my eyebrow at my sister who is walking backward toward the house. “Stay and eat. You set this whole thing up,” I tell her, but she waves her hand down.
“Jam is on. Enjoy.” She taps her watch while looking at just me. “Soon, just so you know.”
I nod.
Hudson will be over here to collect Bear soon, which means one bad thing and one good thing.
Bear will be back home, and the fun, carefree time we spent together will be over.
Bad.
