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I want, she signed.Please.
Relief unfurled the knots in my chest. I glanced at the full-size bed we’d just made up then thought of my king mattress. “This’ll be your room as long as you’re here, but let me show you mine. For tonight.”
Or every night because I was feeling less and less as if I could ever let her go.
Seven
Sparrow
As I came awake, I wasn’t started or confused by the heavy arms around me or the large warm body spooned behind mine. I immediately knew where I was and who held me.
Hudson Ferrazzi, a man I’d never expected to come into my life. In less than two days he’d proved he was nothing like the other guys I’d known, even the ones who’d pretended to care for long enough to get into my pants. I’d been duped more than once, and the pain of it had convinced me relationships weren’t worth the way I felt afterward—dirty and used and unworthy of love.
“Hudson,” I whispered while he slept and I knew I wouldn’t be heard. “Thank you. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for not leaving me there.”
His arms tightened. “I never would.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. I’d thought he was asleep. Hudson, shifted us so I was on my back and he loomed over me from the side. My tongue darted across my lips while I stared up at him wide-eyed.
“I love your voice,” he murmured, smoothing my hair away from my face. His thumb caressed over my cheek, his hazel eyes peering down at me with such tenderness, my heart stuttered and squeezed.
“You’re safe with me, Sparrow. If you can never speak to me, I understand, but if I can help… I’ll do whatever you need to get past the block—if it’s possible.”
You are helping,I signed. For the first time, I thought maybe, I would be able to get back to normal. Maybe.
He nodded, seeming to understand, and leaned into me. My eyes closed and I thought he’d kiss me, but he just touched his forehead to mine. When I gazed up at him, I couldn’t read his eyes. Whatever it was there, it filled me with peace so akin to the innocent carelessness I’d had before my life had been shattered. For a moment, it downed out the voices that screamed in my head.
The man demanding to know where I was. My parents not telling him. My father yelling that he couldn’t have me.
Even now, I didn’t understand it. I didn’t want to, because as I got older, it became more clear and terrifying.
Shifting, I wrapped my arms around Hudson and hugged him, burying my face in his neck. Safety.
Hudson settled back on his side, pulling me with him. His hand skimmed along my side then back up my back, catching slightly on the cami I wore with my cotton pajama pants.
I heard aribbit-ribbitfrom his phone, but he didn’t move. When I pulled back to look at him in question, he shrugged.
“It’s one of my siblings—probably Coen—texting. They have their own tone. I’m sure he wants to know if I’m going bowling.”
Are we?I signed.
“Do you still feel up to it?”
Did I? Meeting Hudson’s family scared the crap out of me. What if they hated me and told him not to date me? Thought I was too much effort?
Will they like me?I asked.
“They’ll love you. My sister and cousins will likely steal you from me. And Jen’s kids, if she comes, will probably try to make up their own version of sign language to talk to you.”
That sounded…great. He might groan about his family being all in his business, but just from all the offhand references about them, it was clear they were close—really close.
Scooting away, I sat up and turned toward him as he pushed to sitting, too.
It sounds like fun, I told him.Let’s do it.
“Okay then.” He reached over and grabbed his phone. “Yeah, it’s Coen. He’s asking if he should swing around to pick me up. I’m telling him no. He usually had his truck filled with gear for his business—rock climbing, diving, hiking, camping…lots of stuff like that. You never know what you’re going to find when you get in the thing. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to find a pet raccoon some day.”
Really?
