Chapter 24 #2
I felt my face heat at her words, wondering if she could read my mind as I thought back to what Hugh and I had done on his boat last night.
That we’d grabbed takeout from the restaurant and eaten out on the water.
And I’d ended up climbing on his lap and having sex with him right there under the moon. Did it get any hotter than that?
“Yes, we did. Life is just so different here, you know? I run in the mornings out in nature and not on a treadmill. I have a fairly flexible schedule at work, but we work hard, and I feel good about what I’ve accomplished at the end of the day.
And I look forward to dinner with my—er, guy friend,” I said awkwardly.
“And I think my feelings have grown stronger for him than I’d planned, but I’ll be okay when I get back to my real life.
I guess, the bottom line is that my life is pretty full here.
It’s not just about my job or how much money I’m making or chasing anything, I’ve just been really happy, and I don’t know that I’ve ever really experienced that before now. ”
“Well, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it. You’re just living now.
And it feels good. But if you aren’t happy when you get back to Chicago, and if you find that you enjoy working to live more than living to work, well, you can change what you’re doing.
And if your feelings have grown with the guy you’re seeing, it’s okay to tell him that.
That’s the thing about life—there really aren’t any rules aside from trying to be a good human.
” She chuckled. “But everyone is allowed to find their own path. And you’ve just been on the same one for so long that I think jumping off for a little bit has been really good for you. ”
“I never thought about it like that. But I like the sound of it. The new me could stand to be a little more flexible,” I said with a laugh.
“So, do you think you’ll talk to this guy about your feelings?”
“It’s a little tricky because we sort of had a deal, you know?
This was just a temporary thing. We’d have fun.
I don’t think he’s feeling the same way as I am, and I don’t want to pressure him.
He stuck to his end of the agreement. I’m probably romanticizing things because we have a lot of fun together.
I mean, I don’t see him all that much,” I said, quickly trying to cover my tracks so she didn’t know that I was talking about Hugh because everyone knew we spent a lot of time together.
“But the time I do get to see him is pretty special.”
She studied me for a moment as she tapped her finger to her lips a few times. It was something she always did when she pondered my words. “I see. Why don’t you think he feels the same way about you?”
Because he’s the one who wanted to keep it a secret from my brother. And if he felt about me the way that I feel about him, he would just tell Travis. Consequences be damned.
“He’s not really a relationship guy.” I shrugged.
She chuckled. “Neither was my husband when we met. But he sure changed his mind quickly.”
I loved how easy it was to talk to Alana. “He sure did. I’m so grateful for all the time you’ve made for me. I’m going to miss our talks.”
“Well, I plan to see you a few more times here before you leave. I want to be a safe place for you to talk about how it is with your father post rehab. How things are going with Travis once your dad is back home. And how things go saying goodbye to everyone.” She smiled at me, her eyes a little wet with emotion.
I wondered if this was what it felt like to have a mother.
Someone who just cared so much about your feelings.
I felt such a connection to this woman. “But, the good thing about modern technology is that our sessions don’t need to end.
I have a few clients that I talk to via Zoom every week.
How about you and I don’t say goodbye? Would you be okay with that? ”
I pushed to my feet and walked toward her just as she stood. I held up my arms and hugged her tight. “I’d like that so much.”
Her arms wrapped around me, and she held me there for a little longer than usual. “I would, too, sweetheart.”
When I pulled away, we both laughed at how weepy we were. “I’m not even leaving for two weeks.”
“I know.” She chuckled as she swiped at her cheeks. “I’ve just really enjoyed getting to spend so much time with you this summer. I know that Hugh is going to miss you terribly.”
I sucked in a little breath, caught off guard by the mention of him. I was always so cautious of how much I spoke of him when I was here so she wouldn’t know what was going on between us. But I never held back about gushing about the man that I was seeing.
“Oh, I think Hugh will be just fine,” I said, as I cleared my throat.
She just nodded and smiled. “I’ve never seen him so happy as he’s been this summer. I mean, obviously, you’ve helped him a ton at work. But I think he’s enjoyed having you stay at the house with him.”
“Yeah. He’s been a really good friend to me.” And I was in freaking love with the man. Ridiculously in love.
“You’ve been a really good friend to one another.” She squeezed my hand.
“Thank you. I’ll see you in a few days. I’m going to go pick up my father now.” I walked backward toward the door.
“Good luck, and let me know if you need to talk.”
I waved as I pulled the door open.
“Oh, and, Lila,” she called out, and I turned around to look at her.
“Yes?”
“Be proud of yourself. Your father has battled with addiction most of his adult life. And you came home, did your research, and found him a place that could help him. And the man has stayed clean and sober for six weeks. Probably the longest he’s ever gone. So, take that in, sweetheart.”
A lump formed in my throat, and I nodded before letting the door close and making my way to the elevator.
I thought about what she’d said as I moved down to the ground floor.
Regardless of what happened now, he’d taken the first step.
This was something to be celebrated. And I knew in my heart that he could take the next step, too.
When the doors opened, I walked off the elevator and made my way outside.
My car was parked in the lot, but next to it was Hugh’s red truck.
He stood there, leaning against the front end, wearing a pair of jeans and a white button up—wrinkled, as always.
He had on a baseball cap, and he pulled off his aviators, his sage-green eyes finding mine.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my stomach flipping around at just the sight of him.
“Kline’s going to cover me. And seeing as you have the place running so smoothly, they can survive a few hours without me. I thought you might not want to do this alone today.”
“Oh, yeah?” I asked, stepping closer, desperate for his mouth to be on mine.
He reached up and flipped his cap around, knowing that it always did something to me. His tongue swiped out to wet his plump lips, and I squeezed my thighs together. How in the hell was I going to survive without this man?
“I’ve got you, Snow.” He leaned down and hugged me. “Come on. We’ll pick up your car later.”
When he pulled back, his hand found the small of my back as he led me to the passenger side of his truck, and he helped me inside. I didn’t stop him when he pulled my seat belt across my body. Instead, I leaned forward, my lips grazing his ear. “Are you playing dirty today, Bear?”
“Always.” He moved closer, his mouth just a breath from mine. “I like seeing you get all worked up. Plus, I thought you could use the distraction today.”
He was sexy and thoughtful at the same time, which always surprised me because most guys I knew were one or the other.
But Hugh Reynolds was the whole package.