Chapter 24
Love – scarier than a non-alcoholic fruity beer
Nova
“W ait there,” Hudson orders after he stops his truck in front of the side door to Five Fathoms Brewing.
I don’t know what it says about me. But Hudson ordering me to wait in his growly voice has my entire body shivering in anticipation. I’ll wait here. No problem at all.
He opens the passenger door and lifts me out of the truck. My body slides against his as he lowers me to the ground. I can feel each and every one of his hard muscles. My panties dampen, and I shiver.
His eyes flare. “Something you need, Sunshine?”
Him. I need him.
I wanted him last night after our date. But instead of removing my clothes and touching every inch of my body, he settled me in bed, kissed my forehead, wrapped his arm around my waist, and told me to go to sleep.
I could literally feel his hard length pushing into my back but when I squirmed against him for some much needed relief, he growled at me to sleep.
“You know what I need.” I stick out my bottom lip and pout.
Hudson presses his lips against mine in a brief kiss. “Be good.”
I waggle my eyebrows. “What if I want to be bad?”
He groans and his eyes fall closed before he places his forehead against mine. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it is.”
“Why is it difficult? It’s not as if we haven’t had sex before. I’m literally carrying proof we have.”
“I want us to take things slow. Get to know each other better before we fall back into bed. Our relationship is not about sex. It’s about us. Being together for the long haul.”
I blow out a breath. I want to argue with him but how can I? He wants to be together with me for the long haul. The words cause panic to rear up but I push it down. I’m not freaking out in the parking lot of my business.
“I have another date planned for us tonight.”
“What are we doing?”
“You’ll find out tonight.”
“You’re cruel. You know I can’t handle surprises.”
He smirks. “I know.”
I bat my eyelashes at him. “Don’t you want to tell me?”
He chuckles. “Nope.”
“I still win since you laughed.”
“My nutty sunshine.”
My heart warms every time he uses his nickname for me – Sunshine. I love how he thinks of me as his sunshine. But I’m not going to tell him as much. I’m not ready for the intimacy such a confession will bring.
“Sunshine can’t be nutty.”
He kisses my nose. “My sunshine can and is nutty.”
I smile up at him.
“There she is,” he mutters before melding his lips to mine.
I clutch his shoulders as he devours my mouth. Hudson doesn’t play around when he kisses. He goes straight from sweet to panty-melting hot. When he growls and rips his mouth from mine, I mewl.
“Why are you stopping?”
“I want to strip you naked.”
“Yes,” I breathe out.
“We’re in a parking lot, you need to get to work, and I just explained why I want to wait to have sex.”
The long haul. Right. I nearly forgot.
And I’m a big fat liar. I didn’t forget. I’m shoving those scary thoughts away. All scary thoughts shall henceforth be put in a jar marked ‘do not open’ and promptly forgotten.
He kisses my nose. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“And then we’ll go…”
He chuckles. “Nice try. It’s a surprise.”
He herds me toward the door. When I reach it, I turn around to wave. He’s standing in front of his truck waiting for me to get inside. As if anything would happen to me in the parking lot of my brewery. Silly, overprotective man who’s way too sexy for my own good.
I enter the brewery humming a song.
“Good. You’re finished kissing Hudson. We can get started,” Paisley says from where she’s standing behind the bar.
Sophia, Chloe, and Maya are sitting on barstools in front of her. I join them.
“Ugh. I can’t believe you’re making me haul myself onto a barstool when I’m pregnant.”
Maya hurries to help me. “Once you’re seated, you’ll be fine.”
Sophia shakes her head. “I never expected you to be the first one of us to get pregnant.”
“Who did you think it would be?”
She points to Maya. “Ms. Romantic.”
Maya’s cheeks darken and I frown. “Leave Maya alone.”
Sophia shrugs. “What? She’s been in love with Caleb forever. I figured they’d have a gazillion babies by now.”
“We’re friends,” Maya mumbles.
“I’m friends with Lucas. But I also enjoy getting all sweaty and naked with him. If you get what I mean.” Chloe waggles her eyebrows.
“Ahem.” Paisley clears her throat. “We have business to attend to.”
“We do?” My brow wrinkles. “And why are you standing behind the bar? Chloe never lets any of us stand behind the bar. I don’t remember any meeting planned let alone one with you behind the bar.”
Maya giggles. “Because you have love on the brain.”
“The term is sex on the brain,” Chloe corrects.
“Nope.” Maya motions to my face. “This is the look of a woman in love.”
I’m not in love. I agree I’m falling for Hudson but I’m not there yet. Love is scary and I’m not ready to face the fear.
Sophia leans close to study my face. I swat her away.
“I concur. She’s in love.”
“Another one bites the dust,” Chloe sings.
Maya sighs. “This is the best. My friends are all falling in love.”
“I’m not in love,” I argue.
“You’re not in love? Really?” She rolls her eyes. “You’re having his baby.”
“It was a mistake. I didn’t realize my IUD needed to be replaced.”
“You’re living with him.”
“Because he insisted. He wants to keep me and Sprog safe.”
“You went on a date with him last night.”
I gasp. “You weren’t supposed to tell.”
She snorts. “And you’re not supposed to keep important secrets from us like how Hudson wants to have a relationship with you and built you a nursery.”
“He built you a nursery?” Paisley asks.
“He built the baby a nursery.”
“In his house,” Maya says. “Where he wants you to live with him because you love him.”
I scowl at her. I don’t love Hudson. Do I think the man is sexy? Of course, I do. Every woman and quite a few men agree with me. It’s why he was voted sexiest man in the NFL.
Do I think he’s sweet? How can I not? He wants to take care of me. He cooks for me. He makes sure I don’t have to clean.
Does my heart pound whenever he’s near? To an alarming degree.
Holy smugglers. I love Hudson. How did this happen? I’m supposed to be protecting my heart from him. I won’t survive if he leaves me. It’ll be worse than when Mom died and I barely survived her death.
“Here.” Paisley sets a beer down on the bar in front of me. “You look as if you could use this.”
“I’m pregnant. I can’t drink alcohol.”
“This is a new non-alcoholic beer. It’s a New England IPA. Since a NEIPA has a fruitier profile, it lends itself to a non-alcoholic variant more than a regular IPA.”
“And now you know why I allowed Paisley behind my bar,” Chloe mutters.
Sophia elbows her. “It’s not your bar. It’s our bar.”
“I don’t go on our Instagram account and post stuff, do I? Because you’d go mermaid on my ass.”
“I wouldn’t go mermaid on your ass.”
“Really?” Chloe raises her eyebrows. “You didn’t threaten to steal my phone when I posted a picture before?”
“You posted an image of you trying to pole dance while you were drunk. Drunken shenanigans is not the esthetic I’m going for.”
“Your images are boring.”
“Because no one’s falling down drunk?”
“Yes!” Chloe cheers. “Exactly.”
“Poor Lucas,” Sophia says. “I don’t know how he deals with you.”
Chloe grins. “He loves me.”
“Speaking of love.” Maya points to me. “Someone is freaking out because she just realized she loves Hudson.”
Crap on a rumrunner. I thought they’d forgotten all about me. I should be so lucky.
“This beer is good,” I tell Paisley.
She pushes her glasses up her nose. “You haven’t even tasted it yet.”
I try a sip. “Yum. It’s fruity but not too fruity. It still tastes of beer.”
“It’s cute you think you can change the subject,” Maya says.
I purse my lips. “The subject is the beer. We’re here to taste test Paisley’s latest creations.”
“No. We’re here to make sure you aren’t freaking out after you realized you love Hudson.”
“I’m not freaking out.”
“You aren’t? You’re not already packing your suitcases in your head?”
“As long as I’m carrying his baby, Hudson will follow me wherever I go.”
Maya sighs. “I never thought the big, bad football hero would be romantic.”
I wish I was her. Excited for romance. But I’m not. I’m too worried about what my loving Hudson means for him.
I’m going to lose him. I lose everyone I love.
I’m sorry, Hudson.