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“Dolly,” he breathes, his husky voice sending a torrent ofheat down my core. His voice has always been one of my favorite things, so masculine and deep.
I feel him in my periphery as he comes to stand at my side. Finally, with another look at our creation, I turn and face him, still loving the way I have to tip my head up to find his eyes. His overwhelming size drives me wild, even now with the uncertainty between us, my belly quivers at his nearness.
“Bear painted every single swatch, with the exception of the silhouette of you two. I did that one. But we’ve been working on this for a year. Every time he came over, we’d do a swatch. I’d tell him it was for our secret project for Daddy, and I’d mix his paint and let him at it. He never questioned the process,” I say, staring into the eyes of the man who created that little boy I love so much.
He twists his head, like everything that I’ve told him makes him want to look at the art installment again, but he can’t take his eyes off me.
“We did this for you.” I swallow, finding another truth. “I did this to show you how special Gray Farms is to Bluebell, and how much you and Bear mean tome.”
Finally, Hudson looks at the massive art wall again. I study his profile while he takes it in, bringing a hand to his chest to stroke the length of his sternum. The twinkle lights glitter against his eyes. I drop my voice and speak from my heart.
“I’m sorry if my love is overwhelming. I’m sorry if my unknown devotion to you is jarring. My intention was never to weird you out, which seems… stupid, I know. But… I love you, Hudson Gray. And I love Bear, too, but I think you know that. And if you give me the chance, I will show you that you cantrust me. I will tell you every single thing I’ve done to learn about you, to get closer to you, to feel connected to you while I waited for you to come to me. And then there will be nothing between us but the love I have for you, and the hope I have for you to love me back.”
He doesn’t move or speak. I slide my hand into his and give it a squeeze then turn and leave the barn, my cheeks stinging from the cool air nipping at my tears.
The uneasiness of rejection begins to worm through me, so I kick off my sneakers and sink my feet into the ground beneath the oak tree, centering myself for a moment.
“Dolly.”
Tears streak my cheeks. I can’t bear to be let down easily by the man whose existence has kept me going for so long. I can’t face him.
But I don’t have to.
Because he grabs my wrist, spinning me around, yanking me toward him. His arms capture me as he holds me tight to his chest andfinally, finally, finallycrushes his mouth against mine.
twenty-six
I WANT MORE…
Hudson
“I want to hear every last detail, Dahlia Ellington, and you will not leave a single moment out,” I demand, our lips grazing, her face held securely between my hands.
I’d decidedbeforeI stepped foot in that barn, but after seeing what she created with my boy,whatever doubt was inside me is gone. She nods and I use the pad of my thumb to wipe the tears on her cheeks. “No more of that,” I tell her, because her pain brings me pain. That’s a revelation. I feel that for Ev, Deuce, and, of course, Bear the most. But now…
“Come home with me,” I whisper before crushing my lips to hers again, suddenly starving for more, needing everything she can give me. She’s so sweet andsoft, her hungry little moans radiate through my cock, now full of blood.
“Okay,” she nods.
“You gotta tell your sisters?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “They’ll figure it out.”
I lift her from the ground and cradle her to my chest, my heart dashing when she laughs softly. I love that sound. Marching through my back door, I set her on the counter, causing Everly and Bear, who are at the table working on a puzzle, to freeze.
“Ev, can I talk to you?” I question, a bit out of breath from my racing thoughts. Pressing a kiss to Bear’s head, I greet him hello. “Heya, buddy, I missed you.”
Dolly takes Ev’s seat, slipping into the activity with my son so easily that I’ve never been more eager to get my kid out of the house than now.
I step to her, out of earshot of Bear. “I’ll owe you forever. Can you take him tonight?”
She looks over at Dolly, then to me. A slow smile spreads her lips. “I think the shrine is sweet.”
I tip my head. “Fucking Deuce. Doesn’t he knowthe brother code?”
Everly pats my chest. “We’re married now, stupid. Wife code beats brother code.” She leans in. “You deserve this kind of love.”
I blink down at her, not expecting her candid response. I open my mouth but struggle to reply to something so kind. I don’t feel like I deserve that compliment, and as I’ve been thinking about it, I don’t know that Ihaveearned Dolly’s adoration and love.
