Page 35

Chapter thirty-four

Hudson

The library smells like old books and polished floors, and every step I take feels absurdly loud. Daphne’s walking ahead of me, leading the way, swaying those perfectly curved hips and that peachy butt right in my face. Seriously taunting me while my shoes cause a ruckus.

“Great,” I mutter as my sneakers squeak again. “I’m the loudest guy in the quietest place. This is going well.”

Daphne glances back, smirking. Her hair is loose today, tumbling down her back. “Relax, Hudson, you’re full of energy.”

“That’s because I haven’t been to the gym yet.” And your ass won’t quit.

She doesn’t look back again, but I hear her. “Not feeling it?”

“Well, we have a game tonight, so we don’t hit it hard at the gym. We focus on warming up later.”

“Oh right.” She stops and turns to me, biting the side of her lip. I can tell she wants to say something else, probably something about her dad. But when she stops herself, I decide not to push.

Instead, I settle on. “I’m ready for whatever happens, though.” I’ve only lost, like, two nights of sleep over it so far. I wake up in a sweat with images from my nightmare of her dad shouting at me on the field, in front of the whole team and benching me…but I’m sure that won’t happen. I fucking hope I just get the silent treatment.

“God, I’m sorry,” she says with a pinched brow. I don’t like her being worried.

“Nothing to apologize for. It’ll take time, but everything will be fine.”

She seems to buy what I say, even though I partly don’t believe Coach will ever forgive me. No, that’s negative thinking. He will, right? Maybe the day the baby is born, he might. He’ll arrive at the hospital with a sorrow-filled face and a whole basket of chocolate chip muffins just for me and say I’m the best dad for his grandchild. Yeah, okay, even I know I’m delusional.

We reach the parenting section, and I stop to take in the packed shelves. It’s like someone took every question I’ve ever had, and a million I didn’t, and stuffed them into a thousand books. Daphne grabs one without hesitation, flipping it open to a random page.

“This one’s about breastfeeding,” she says, grinning as she holds it out to me. “Want to learn about milk ducts?”

I stare at the page she’s pointing to, complete with a detailed diagram, and my brain short-circuits. “Nope. That one’s for you. But give me the rundown if I need to help in any way.” I grab a different book at random, desperate to change the subject. “What about this? Diapering 101. This seems more my speed.”

“Sure,” she agrees, pulling another book down. “Or this one?”

The front reads 1,000 Baby Names . I grin because I might have already gone down that rabbit hole.

Her eyes narrow. “What’s that smile?”

“Nothing.” I shrug. “I may have thought about names already.”

Her jaw drops. “And you didn’t tell me?”

Another shrug, but I can’t keep the smirk from my face.

“Hudson,” she says, stepping in front of me. “Tell me what names you found. I need to know.”

Letting her squirm for a second, I chuckle. “Okay, so…I kinda liked Jude for a boy.”

She pauses, her lips curving up. “I like it. And a girl?”

I don’t hesitate. “Rosie.”

Her smile shifts, becomes bigger. “Rosie,” she echoes. “I like that too.”

My chest warms that she likes my ideas. “Do you have any you like?” I ask.

She bites the corner of her mouth. “I actually like Emery and Wren.”

“I like both of those.”

She nods. “But I also really like yours too, especially Rosie.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’ve got a little bit of time to pick one.” I wink at her, and she preens under the attention before turning and picking another book from the shelf.

I watch her as she turns pages, fingers dragging over bullet points like she’s trying to absorb all the information. I know right now with absolute certainty that I could never leave her. Even if we’re just friends for the rest of our lives, I’m in this. Although, I really hope we won’t be just friends.

Her hair tumbles forward like silk as she leans over, completely lost in whatever section she’s reading. Strands fall across her cheek, and I have the sudden urge to brush them back, to tuck them behind her ear just so I can see her face better. Her pink sweater slips off one shoulder, the fabric soft and inviting, teasing just enough skin to make my fingers twitch. The front is casually tucked into her yoga pants, which hug every curve in a way that makes it impossible to look away. There’s no obvious baby bump yet, but there’s something there. And it’s mine. She looks extra beautiful today, and it hits me that I haven’t said anything about it yet. I should’ve said something the second I picked her up, but between the library and the baby books, I guess it got lost in the chaos.

I set my book down and lean forward, reaching out before I can second-guess it. My fingers brush under her chin, tilting her face up so she looks at me.

“Hi,” I say.

Eyes wide, a subtle smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “Hi.”

“You look really pretty today, Daph,” I say, looking into her blue depths.

Her lips part like she’s about to say something, but nothing comes out. She blinks at me, her cheeks turning pink, my favorite color.

“I mean it,” I add, letting my hand fall but keep my eyes on hers.

Oh, this feels like a bad idea, because now I want to do more than tell her how pretty she looks.

Every nerve in my body is attuned to her reactions. Every little move she makes, the quick hitch of her breath, the way her lashes flutter just slightly, pulls me in deeper.

She swallows hard, her throat bobbing, and the world shrinks down to just her. I can’t stop the thought that’s been hammering in my chest for weeks now: she’s mine. Not in some possessive, caveman way, but in the way where it feels like the universe put her in my life for a reason. Like every path I’ve ever taken was supposed to lead me here, to her.

“Hudson…” she whispers, her voice trembling just enough to almost undo me.

I lean back slightly, trying to breathe, trying to keep myself in check. “You don’t have to say anything,” I murmur, my voice lower now. “I just needed you to know.”

But before I can retreat any farther, her hand reaches out, catching my wrist. She looks up at me, her eyes full of fire, and then, just as quickly, she leans in and presses her lips to mine.

It takes roughly point-two seconds for me to react, and before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m leaning into her, my hand finding its way to the nape of her neck. Her hair is soft against my fingers, and the warmth of her skin sends a shock through my body. It feels like my birthday and Christmas all in one moment. I’m kissing Daphne again, and fuck does it feel good.

She tilts her head slightly, deepening the kiss and opening for me, letting me swipe my tongue against hers in the most eye-rolling way. God, I’ve missed her taste.

Then a sharp ahem cuts through the moment, snapping us back to reality.

We pull apart instantly, both of us turning toward the sound, and there’s the librarian standing at the end of the aisle. She’s a middle-aged woman with glasses perched on the tip of her nose, her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

“This is a library,” she says pointedly. “Not a…a romantic rendezvous spot.”

I glance at Daphne, who’s covering her mouth with her hand, head buried in my shoulder.

“Sorry,” I manage, raising a hand in surrender. “We, uh...” I stop myself, because I have no idea where that was going. Imagine me blurting to a stranger that I haven’t kissed this girl in over three months and she tastes like heaven, feels like heaven. Yeah, I don’t think Jean with the scowly face over here would be happy to hear about that.

The librarian shakes her head, but I swear I catch the faintest hint of a smile. “Pick what you need and check them out at the front desk. I’m giving you both five minutes to do so,” she says before she turns and walks off, muttering something about “young love” under her breath.

Daphne finally lets out a laugh, and I can’t help but join her. “That was mortifying,” she says, still giggling as she presses her hands to her cheeks.

“Yeah, but totally worth it,” I say with a grin. “And hey, now we’ve got a great story to tell the baby someday.”

She groans, swatting my arm. “We are not telling them this.”

“Fine,” I tease, picking up the books and placing them back on the shelf. “But if they ask why their parents are banned from the library, I’m telling the truth.” I lean closer to her, letting my nose brush hers. “That Mommy wanted Daddy so bad she pinned him against the library shelves and got us kicked out.”

“Hm. Is that what happened?” She feigns innocence, eyes flickering between my mouth and eyes. “I seem to remember you making the first move with your compliments, getting in my space with that look you give…”

“And what look is that, Daphne?” I goad, lifting my eyebrows.

“The one where you’re imagining what I taste like, how it would feel to be inside of me again. The look that says you want it all and more.” Her voice dips just enough to make my stomach clench, and the flicker of a challenge in her eyes dares me to react. I can’t believe she just put it all out there like that. Any shyness just flew out the window with that call-out.

And damn if I don’t take the bait. “You think I look at you like that?” I ask, staying playful, even though my heart’s pounding like crazy. “Like I want it all?”

Her cheeks flush deeper, but she doesn’t back down. That sudden confidence still evident in her eyes. “I don’t think,” she says as her eyes flick between mine. “I know.”

The air between us practically sizzles, and I forget we’re in the middle of a library. I forget about the baby books and the librarian and everything else.

“Alright,” I say, letting my hand skim the edge of the shelf beside her, caging her in without fully touching her. “You’re right. I want it all, and I’ve been waiting for you to realize you do too.”

Her breath hitches, and I can see the way her pulse beats at the base of her throat, fast and steady. My voice drops even lower. “But not here, Daph. Not with the librarian lurking around the corner, waiting to lecture us again.”

That light, soft laughter bubbles up again, and I can’t stop the stupid smile on my face from growing. I grab the few books we’ve been looking at the most and take her hand. “Let’s get out of here before we really get banned,” she says.

The moment might’ve been interrupted, but for the first time in a long time, everything feels like it’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.