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“Ha. No one would want me on their team. I’m too short. I’d end up being Jay’s handicap since he’s the best player.”
“Well, you’re never my handicap. I happen to like you just the way you are.”
“If you let me be your handicap, then we’d be on the same team.”
“But would we win?”
Kayleigh laughed as she gently elbowed him. “Don’t be mean.”
Hudson grinned, then bent to press a kiss to her hair. He loved these lighthearted moments with her and was grateful he even got to experience them. No one made him laugh or smile the way Kayleigh did.
“Are you joining us, Hudson?” Jay asked as he settled on the blanket next to Misha.
“Sure. Haven’t played since high school, though, so be warned.”
“No worries. We only play for bragging rights, and not everyone is great at the game.”
“Compared to you, no one is great,” Kayleigh pointed out. “Now, if this was football, the playing field would be more level.”
“No football.” Jay grimaced as he shook his head. “Did you play football in high school, Hudson?”
“Nope. Mom wasn’t a fan of the roughness of the game. We compromised on basketball. I played volleyball in gym class, but not competitively.”
“Well, let’s play,” Jay said, jumping to his feet. “You playing, Kayleigh?”
“Haha. I’ll be a cheerleader for whichever team Hudson’s on.”
Hudson smiled as he got up. Though he was reluctant to leave Kayleigh’s side, he also looked forward to doing something active.
Every day, he said a prayer of thanks for God bringing him to Serenity. And not just this time around. He was particularly grateful for his first visit to Serenity.
That might not have been how he felt when he was mired in heartache, but in retrospect, he could only be glad for that experience. It had brought him back to God, which, in turn, had brought him back to Kayleigh.
Jay quickly split them up into teams, obviously aware of the skill levels of everyone there. They ended up with two teams of four when Janessa and Misha agreed to join them.
Hudson hadn’t met Wade and Jackson, Gareth’s best friends, when he’d previously been in Serenity, but they were clearly regulars in the group gathered there that day. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the friendship dynamic of the three men, as they seemed very different to one other.
It was a shame that Wilder wasn’t around, but he was off traveling around the world. Even though Hudson had been angry and hurt over what had happened in Serenity with Kayleigh, he had followed through on his plan to financially support Wilder’s work with the orphanages in Asia. Wilder had kept in contact, which Hudson appreciated.
The ladies moved the blanket a little closer to where the volleyball net was set up. Charli was keeping an eye on Ciara, with Layla and Peyton helping to entertain the toddler.
He realized that Kayleigh was an actual cheerleader as she called out rhyming cheers. She spread her cheers around to the others on his team, but he got the majority of them.
His team didn’t win, and there were discussions of swapping a few players around for the next game. Teenage him would have been disappointed by the loss, wanting to do his best to impress the pretty girl.
However, he had no desire to woo Kayleigh with his physical prowess. Since they already worked out together every day, she was well aware of his physical capabilities.
What he actually wanted was to make Kayleigh laugh and smile. He wanted to bring her joy the way she’d brought joy into his life.
For the second game, it was decided that Jay’s handicap would now include Janessa and Will, in addition to Misha, who had already been on his team. The joking and teasing between everyone had been interesting to witness. The closeness of the group was evident through their good-natured exchanges.
Hudson didn’t participate in, nor was he the target of any of the teasing. He wasn’t sure if they were just taking it easy on him because he was new, or if they didn’t want to risk Kayleigh’s ire by scaring him off. Either way, he’d know he was truly accepted when the teasing was targeted at him.
“Yay! I’ve been promoted from handicap,” Jackson said as he kicked himself up into a handstand. As he came down, he glanced at Hudson. “Somehow you’ve managed to skip the role of handicap altogether. Lucky you.”
Hudson chuckled. “Or maybe people are just being nice to me.”
“I’d believe that if I hadn’t seen you play. You’re almost as good as Jay.”
