Chapter 24
ANGELA
We made dinner, then watched movies while the snow fell. By the next morning, there was enough to go sledding. I hadn't taken Ayla that many times because we hadn't lived anywhere with a good hill.
Hudson insisted we ride the snowmobiles to a popular hill nearby. We spent the morning on the hill and came home to make hot chocolate.
The snow was a nice reprieve from real life, but it wouldn't be deep enough to shut down the town hall scheduled for Monday.
On Sunday night, I walked into the bedroom to change. Hudson had stayed overnight on Saturday and today, using the snow as an excuse. I was just getting my pajamas out of the drawer when Hudson appeared in the doorway. "Tomorrow's the town hall."
I sighed. "I know."
"I'll be at the meeting to talk about the renovations. I created a potential schedule for repairs."
I folded the pajamas, placing them on the bed. "That's a good idea."
He sat on the bed across from me, his legs spread, and his elbows resting on his knees. "You're worried it will be a referendum on whether your shop will be allowed to reopen?"
My stomach twisted at the reminder. "My lease ends January fifteenth. Eve hasn't mentioned renewing it."
"But she's repeatedly stressed that your shop be completed first so that you can reopen," he said reasonably.
My nose scrunched. "That's not the same as a signed contract."
He nodded. "Hopefully, she'll clear that up at the meeting."
"That's the ideal situation."
He reached for me. "I think you need a distraction."
I smiled as he pulled me between his legs. His hands ran up the back of my thighs.
"We should lock the door," I said, my voice breathless.
He immediately stood and crossed the room to turn the lock. "You don't think Ayla will need you?"
"She only needs me when she's sick. She knows to knock if it's locked."
He turned and moved toward me, pulling me against his body, then lowering his mouth to mine. "I'm going to make you forget about the meeting and everything else."
"I'm looking forward to that," I murmured.
He kissed me, backing me up until the back of my legs hit the bed, and we were tumbling onto the comforter. He braced his weight slightly off of me as we continued to kiss. His hands roamed over my body, pushing my shirt up and unbuckling my jeans.
He took his time kissing, touching, and finally removing my clothes. I helped him undress, removing his shirt and pants until we were both naked.
The lamp on the nightstand was lit, giving us enough light to see each other. Otherwise, it was quiet and our voices hushed. Neither one of us wanted to wake Ayla.
He was helping me forget, solidifying what he'd said yesterday about how he was going to show me through action.
I reveled in the feel of his skin against mine, the heat of his body. He moved down. My legs widened to accommodate his shoulders.
"You're so gorgeous."
I lifted my hips, urging him to touch me.
He used his fingers and mouth to drive me higher, and I let my head fall back, giving into the sensations. When I crested the wave, he moved up my body, his cock nudging my entrance. "Can you look at me?"
My eyelids fluttered open at his gentle request. He wanted to see me when he entered me. His cock slid inside, and there was something about this connection between us. It felt bigger and more meaningful.
He'd declared his intentions toward me, and I believed him. He was all in, and nothing could come between us. He'd even easily handled Gus's objections yesterday.
He braced his hands on either side of my head, dropping his lips to mine. He kissed me while moving inside me. Each pass of his dick hit a spot inside me, heightening the need. The building orgasm felt impossibly big. I wasn't sure I'd survive this one.
He pulled back slightly. "Let go for me. I want to see you come."
Then he reached down and touched my clit, and I couldn't hold it back any longer. I was flying as he thrust harder and deeper this time. When he followed me over, he dropped his head to my shoulder.
It was always intense between us, but this was more. A declaration of how we felt for each other. I was quickly falling for him if I wasn't already in love with him.
It was the way he treated us. He was there for us and said he always would be. I couldn't fight him any longer. I wanted to give in and feel everything that was happening between us.
I held him in my arms, and he rolled, pulling me with him so that I was curled against his side. "I should get up, but I don't want to."
I kissed his chest. "I don't want to move either."
"Give me a minute." I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, he washed me with a warm washcloth and threw the blankets over me.
He'd made sure to unlock the door so that Ayla could get to me if she needed me. I was grateful that he always thought of her.
I wanted to tell him how I felt, but sleep pulled me back under. We had plenty of time for that.
On Monday, Hudson slipped out before sunrise with a kiss to my forehead. He had to go home, shower, change clothes and get to work. I needed to occupy Ayla since there was no school for a few more days while I tried to get some work done on the online shop.
I'd seen several things I could improve about the product pages and the checkout experience. I wanted the site easy to navigate, the checkout process seamless. I had the time to focus on it, and I wanted to perfect it before the store reopened.
I worked most of the day, only stopping to eat and play the occasional game with Ayla. As the day went on, my nerves kicked up. I was positive that if I was working in town today, Bill would have stopped by to say something to me. For the first time, I was grateful that I could avoid him.
I was just cleaning up dinner when Hudson called to ask, "Do you have someone to watch Ayla during the meeting?"
"Normally I'd ask Clara, but she'll be at the meeting too."
"You mind if my mom watches her? She said she can meet you at the bookstore. Her knitting club has a meeting tonight."
Belle had one of her employees manning the store. "Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you for offering."
"I didn't want Ayla at the town hall."
It wouldn't be a good place for her if Bill was going to accuse me of selling inappropriate items, whatever that was supposed to mean. "I appreciate the offer."
"I'll meet you there. I wanted to continue working. I'm hoping to be done next week."
"That would be great." As long as I could convince Eve to renew the lease.
After dinner, I drove into town, meeting Hudson's mom at the bookstore. "Thanks for watching her."
His mom touched my shoulder. "I'm happy to watch her anytime. Good luck at your meeting."
I had nothing else to do but go to the meeting and hear the fate of my store. The hall was already filling up when I got there. Everyone was milling about, grabbing snacks from the back table, and talking.
I took a seat at the back of the room, hoping to go unnoticed. A few seconds later, Clara turned around, and when she saw me, waved for me to sit with Reina, Meg, and Belle.
"Where's Ayla?" Clara asked when I approached.
I slid into the seat next to her. "With Hudson's mom at the bookstore."
"You two are a thing now," Clara said.
"Yeah, we are." Other than with Gus, this was the first time I'd admitted that to anyone. It felt good to admit it out loud. I'd finally gotten over my issues to take a chance with Hudson.
Clara smiled. "He's a good guy."
I let out a breath. "I thought I knew my ex too, and that didn't work out. I missed the red flags."
"I've never known Hudson to get serious about anyone, but he's also private. I haven't seen him with anyone lately."
My cheeks flushed. "That's good."
"You're special to him." Clara nodded toward where Hudson stood talking to Eve.
I hoped that his business relationship with Eve wouldn't be a problem tonight. "You think Bill's going to cause trouble tonight?"
Clara shook her head. "When doesn't he?"
I licked my dry lips. "My lease is temporary, and I'm worried he'll convince Eve to not renew it."
Clara's eyes flashed with determination. "We won't let that happen. We want you to stay."
I let out a breath. "I hope it won't come to that."
"Whatever happens, you've got us on your side," Clara said, and Reina leaned over her to squeeze my hand.
"It's us against Bill."
Meg nodded from where she sat.
"Thanks, guys."
Eve tapped the microphone. "I think everyone's here. We can get started."
"Why are we here?" someone called from the back.
"There were a lot of inquiries and concerns about the pipe replacements, so I wanted to talk to everyone at the same time and answer any questions that you might have."
"When are you going to get to the pipes at the diner?" Merry asked.
"We'll talk about that tonight. Hudson has a schedule of repairs that he wants to provide." Eve motioned for him to give them out.
Hudson walked to the end of every row and handed a stack to the person on the end. When he got to me, he said, "Ladies."
Everyone smiled at him, taking an agenda and passing on the stack to the next person. I read the sheet which indicated that he would complete my shop first, and then move onto the buildings that utilized water for their business like the coffee shop and the bakery.
" I guess that's a fair way to do it," Reina remarked.
Hudson walked to the front of the room and stood next to Eve.
Bill waved his schedule in the air. "If the pipes were installed around the same time, shouldn't you go by the date of original installation?"
Eve cleared her throat. "Hudson, you want to take questions about the repair schedule?"
Eve stepped back as Hudson moved to the podium. "We don't know the exact dates of installation, and this was the only other metric that seemed fair. Everyone wants their pipes done first, but that's just not possible."
"What happens if another shop floods?" Bill persisted.