Epilogue
Liv
Hudson’s voice rang through the house, but when I didn’t answer, his heavy foot strikes echoed up the stairs.
“They’ll be here any minute. What are you doing?”
I gnawed my bottom lip, staring at the guest room that had once been mine.
Gone was the country yellow quilt and embroidered pillow with matching curtains.
In their place was a comforter with a field of wild stallions on it and an embroidered pillow I’d asked Jessie to make with a lone dappled horse on it.
“Do you think he’ll like it?” I asked as Hudson’s arms wrapped around my waist. He buried his face in my neck, kissing it.
“He’ll love it, and since when do you care if your nephew likes something? You going soft on me, Olivia?”
“Maybe, but I thought that's what you wanted.”
"I do, but there are times that bitchy side of you gets me seriously riled up."
He tugged at my blouse, loosening it enough for his hand to slip under it.
"Then what's your excuse now?" I asked as his fingers skated over my skin.
"No excuse, just you and how fucking sexy you are."
I rolled my eyes and tried pushing his hand away. "You’re wrinkling my shirt.”
“I’m going to do more than wrinkle it,” he murmured against my neck as he cupped my breast through my bra. “Fuck, that was a mistake.”
“You’re adding two more quarters to the swear jar.”
“I filled that one,” he replied, laughing. “I need to go to the general store and get another supply of mason jars.”
“Yeah, since you’ve filled the last dozen. If you’d stop swearing, they wouldn’t fill up so fast.” I wiggled out of his hold. “And stop playing. They’re almost here,” I complained.
“Almost isn’t here.”
“But I need to fix my lip gloss and check the other guest room.”
“Your lips looked perfect, and you've checked the other room ten times already.”
He playfully grabbed for me but I ducked under his arm.
“Fuck,” he growled, chasing me across the hall.
“Another quarter,” I said with a laugh just as his hand encased my hip and he tugged me to him.
He twisted me around and pinned my arms to my side. “I just want a fucking kiss, Olivia.”
“That’s not all you wanted and that’s another coin for my swear jar.”
His chuckle feathered over my skin, his mouth capturing mine and leaving me swooning with the power of his kiss.
It had been seven months since I’d moved in with him, and still his appetite was just like it had been when we were young.
My body was in a state of constant bliss, as was my mind.
There were still moments when the old me would return, but that woman mainly appeared when she was working.
With Hudson, she was content to enjoy life.
Welcoming the smiles and laughter, the ease of living and loving.
Hudson dropped his head to mine. “You’re right, I wanted more, but in front of your nephew’s room didn’t seem the right place.”
The sound of tires came from outside and I smacked his chest. “Sounds like you’re out of time. Damn it, Hudson, I’m not ready.”
“You’re fine. In fact, you’re fucking perfect, Olivia.”
I smoothed my hand up his chest, wishing we had a few minutes to appease his appetite. Although a few minutes likely wouldn’t be enough. Not for Hudson.
“I was before you mussed me up.” He gave me a devilish grin that I pulled to me and kissed. “And you owe me a jar full of change for teasing me like that.”
He smiled against my mouth, catching my bottom lip between his teeth and tugging it.
“Finish doing whatever it is you want to do to make yourself even more perfect, and I’ll greet them.”
He gave me a kiss on the forehead and stepped away, adjusting himself and grumbling about how uncomfortable his pants were now.
“You wouldn’t have that problem if you’d kept your hands to yourself,” I teased.
His laugh cascaded over my skin, a wonderful touch that made everything better.
“And what fun would that be,” he yelled as he thudded down the stairs.
I shook my head, my smile too strong to hide when I heard the familiar thump of paws follow his steps from the stairs to the door.
We had agreed that children were not in our future.
Hudson said he was too set in his ways, and I had never wanted them.
I had a nephew to dote on, and that was a work in progress.
So we adopted a dog instead. Hudson wanted to be a dog dad, and that was something I could give him.
There had been an argument over buying a puppy from a breeder, like I wanted, and adopting an older dog, so we’d compromised because that was what we did now. We’d gotten both.
After fixing my shirt and my hair, I did a double check on the room where Tori and Gabe would stay the night before they headed out in the morning, and on the room where Reid would stay while they spent the week in Greece.
As I was coming down the stairs, I stopped in the kitchen, listening to the happy chatter of my family.
I reached up and let my fingers drape over the line of paper horses that hung on the wall just before the room opened into the living room.
Hudson had hung them my first night back.
A constant reminder of where our love had started.
Beyond the front door, Reid giggled as the puppy licked him like he was a human lollipop, and the older dog sat watching with amusement.
“Uncle Hudson!” Reid yelled as if he had just noticed him. He ran to Hudson and circled his legs, looking up at him. “I wore my cowboy hat. See?”
“I do, bud. You make a damn fine cowboy. Ready to spend the week with me and your aunt and help me out with the horses?”
“Yeah!” he exclaimed, and I couldn’t hide my smile.
Reid adored Hudson, and the emotion was mutual.
It warmed my heart that he called him Uncle Hudson, even though we’d agreed marriage would take time.
We needed to work on ourselves and enjoy what we were before moving to that step.
I wasn’t so sure marriage was something we would do officially because it already seemed like we were at the deepest level we could be.
What would a ring and a fancy title really change?
“Where is Auntie Liv?” my brother asked as Tori scanned the ranch.
“Inside fooling with her lip gloss. You know that woman has thirty tubes of the stuff? Who needs that much lip gloss?”
“Someone whose man likes her lips to be rosy and kissable,” I said, coming up behind him.
“Auntie Liv!” Reid barreled toward me, coming to a halt at my feet and looking up at me. We had an agreement, no touching, but I hadn’t seen him for a few months, and damn if I hadn’t missed the little rugrat.
“Olivia,” Hudson’s distinct command had me peering over at him.
“It’s okay. He won’t bite.” I knew what he was doing.
Something he’d been working on with me, breaking down my boundaries even further.
Pushing me physically while I pushed myself mentally, filling journals regularly and keeping the general store in business.
I stooped down, seeing Reid’s eyes grow large. Our understanding defined our relationship, but maybe it was time to redefine it.
“Ready for a week with me?” I asked, and he nodded.
I tipped his hat brim and gave him a smile, making his eyes large as saucers.
“Good. I’m going to teach you to ride while you’re here.”
“You are?”
“Yup. So you know what that means?”
He shook his head.
“I gotta get used to hugging you.”
His smile was instant, reminding me of Gabe before my father had taken the smiles from him. I stretched my arms out, inviting him in, and only winced slightly when he threw himself into them.
“Now fold them in,” Hudson said.
“Smartass.” I folded my arms around Reid, the power of the moment not lost on me.
I looked up at my brother, seeing the same melancholy mixed with joy in his eyes.
And I hugged Reid tighter to me, wishing I could go back and hug my little brother when he’d needed it, when he’d stood up for me and taken my place as the older sibling.
“I love you, Auntie Liv.”
My heart lurched, and I bit back the pounding at the back of my eyes. “Don’t push it,” I said, peeling myself from him as my boundaries quickly rebuilt.
Hudson shifted his feet and gave me that look that told me I could do better. I sighed, flicking Reid’s hat and saying, “I love you, too, little guy. Why don’t you go in and find your room? It’s upstairs and ready for you.”
He took off when I stood, and Tori stepped in his place, giving me a big hug that I stiffly returned. I wasn’t ready to become a hugger like she was.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said.
Always going for the kill. That was Tori, tugging at the heartstrings.
I pushed her back gently. “I’ve got some new socks for you inside. Sheila had chickens this time.”
She pulled her jeans up, showing me the rabbit socks I’d sent home with Gabe when he’d visited four months earlier.
“That’s a nice look, Tori.”
“I sent a pair to Cindy and my mom, and they’re addicted.”
“Great. I’m setting a trend I never wanted.”
She laughed, and Hudson said, “Come on in. I’ll get you something to drink. Olivia and I have lunch ready when you guys are hungry.”
“Sounds great.” They walked into the house, Hudson leaning in as he went by and saying, “Good girl.”
I tried not to blush as the door closed behind them. Gabe came up the stairs and stood next to me, his hands in his pockets, that familiar distance between us.
“I can never get over how beautiful it is here, Liv.”
“It really is.”
A beat of silence passed before he said, “You look good. Happy.”