Page 13

“ B rett, thanks again for brunch. That blueberry French toast casserole was absolutely amazing,” I say to Cash and Mav’s stepdad, trying to refrain from licking my plate clean.

“You should try my coffee cake one.” He winks back at me.

I rub my stomach, accentuating how full I truly am. “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”

“Good, there are a ton of leftovers for you to take home with you,” Katie, the twins’ mom, says from the other side of the counter.

“Hope you put it into two containers. There’s no way I’ll be sharing.” Maverick chuckles as he reaches across the table for another serving. Cash’s hand darts out, swatting Mav’s away, grabbing the spoon to fix himself another plate before his brother.

“Too slow,” Cash teases. I love how at ease he is… How at ease we’ve both been while here the last two days.

Maverick gets up to clear the table when Cash leans into me. “What’s that smile for?”

“What smile?” I whisper back.

“The one you’ve been wearing all morning,” he says, just as his pinkie links with mine under the table.

His boldness surprises me, especially when I woke up this morning still wrapped in his arms. As of recent, we’ve been sneaking out of each other's rooms just before sunrise.

But I relished the feel of him pulling me in close and kissing the top of my head moments before he slipped out of my room.

Being here under his mom’s roof has been a bit of relief. For some reason, I don’t feel as nervous around her. She looks at us like she can tell…as if she already knows there’s something more between Cash and me. There’s no judgment there, though, just curiosity.

“We better get going before Coach makes us skate laps for being late again,” Mav says, kissing his mom on the cheek then disappearing down the hall.

“Hudson texted about hanging out today, and we told him we had practice, so he said he was going to stop by. Figured it be perfect so he can keep you company,” Cash says.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Hudson! I miss that kid. How’s he doing? Heard he’s been killing it on the ball field.”

“He’s doing good, Ma, and he’s most certainly killing it. Did you hear he’s looking to go to MRU too?” Cash says, a smile spreading across his face.

“I’m so glad he’s doing good… I’m sure Jules loves to see that.” Katie’s voice shakes with emotion, and Brett comes up behind her to wrap his arms around her. Pulling her in close.

“Why’s Mom crying?” Mav asks when he re-enters the kitchen, dropping our bags at his feet.

I know Hudson was a big part of Jules’s life. They were best friends, inseparable. But the more I hear stories about them, the more I’m realizing their bond went deeper than just that.

“She’s fine,” Brett replies, rubbing her back gently.

“I’m sorry, Mom. Didn’t mean to upset you,” Cash says softly, walking up to where his mom and Brett are.

She waves him off, then wipes a stray tear from her eye.

“I’m good, I promise. Just miss her, that’s all.

” Her sad smile has my eyes welling up. Even though I know the story and what this family has gone through, I still can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose someone so tragically.

A smile takes over her face, and she surprises me when she turns in my direction. “She would sure love this one. Sounds like they’d be two peas in a pod, running around the ranch together.”

“That’s what I said too.” Mav chuckles, then throws his arm over my shoulder. Cash’s eyes bounce between the two of us, their golden flecks shining with emotion.

“If you guys don’t leave now, you’ll really get it,” Katie says glancing at her watch.

“You have two and a half hours till practice and a two hour ride ahead of you. Now go, I don’t want you driving fast. I’ll see you soon,” she says and hugs both her boys.

After letting them go, she comes and gives me a hug too.

Her affection toward me catches me off guard for a minute, before I’m hugging her back.

“Thank you for having me,” I say to both Katie and Brett once we break apart.

“You are welcome here whenever you’d like. With or without these two knuckleheads,” she teases.

I can’t shake the smile plastered on my face, even once I’m in the backseat of the Mav’s Tahoe. This weekend went even better than I expected…causing a small bloom of hope to sprout deep inside my chest.

Then my conversation with my mom pops into my head, snuffing it out.

“This seat taken?” a voice asks from my right, startling the crap out of me.

“Geez, Hudson, warn a girl next time,” I say as I swat at his arm playfully. I was so focused on watching Cash warm up I didn’t even see him coming.

“Sorry, B, didn’t mean to scare you. But damn, girl, you literally just jumped at least a foot out of your seat,” he teases.

I roll my eyes before turning my attention back to the ice, where Cash is now stretching out his hips. I can’t help but stare as he rolls his hips to loosen up. If Hudson wasn’t sitting beside me right now, I might’ve had to wipe my chin from the drool.

Needing to divert my attention ASAP, I turn to Hudson. Who’s sporting a small smirk.

“How was your visit to Katie’s?” he asks, and I’m thankful for the question. Anything to take my focus off Cash humping the ice.

“It was really nice. She’s amazing, so sweet too.” I stop myself from telling him that she missed him. I’d hate to bring up Jules unexpectedly.

“They’re a great family. I used to love going there, spent most of my youth on that ranch. If I wasn’t trailing behind the guys, I was tagging along with Jules.” A painful smile takes over his normally handsome grin.

Reaching for his hand, I give it a gentle squeeze. I don’t want to push him, but just like the Leblanc family, talking about Jules is both healing and heartbreaking all at the same time.

We sit in a comfortable silence for a few moments before he speaks again. “Ya know, even though we were both so young…I knew she was the girl for me.”

“From everything everyone has told me about her, she seemed just about perfect,” I say.

He chuckles at that. “Far from it. She was stubborn as hell and had a mouth on her, my little spitfire. She could give the sass as well as she took it. It’s what I loved most about her. She was so real… Didn’t care about the bullshit.”

His mind wanders, I'm sure, recalling his favorite memories of her, and my heart aches for him, for all of them once again.

“I just wish we had more time together…that’s all,” he says, squeezing my hand once more before releasing it.

They were both fifteen when she passed. So young, so much more life ahead of them.

“She’s always with you,” I say, leaning my shoulder into his. Hoping my presence is giving him ease.

“I know. I just hope I make her proud.” He dries his watery eyes and clears his throat. “Shit, that’s not how I thought today was going to go,” he says with a small laugh, and I join him.

“Sometimes we don’t realize how badly we need to talk until someone opens the door to the conversation,” I reassure him.

“Thank you, B. Clearly, I needed it.”

“Anytime.”

“I'm here for you too…if you need to chat,” he says, jutting his chin out toward Cash as he skates by.

I can feel the blush creep over my cheeks. Apparently, if we’re not in front of his dad or my mom, we’re not very good at hiding.

I release a heavy sigh. “Thank you. It’s complicated.”

“I'm sure it is. But nothing worth having ever comes easy.”

“Damn, Hudson, you some sort of philosopher?” I tease, but his words hit their intended target.

“You could say that…” A genuine smile spreads across his face.

My heart is happy knowing I was some sort of comfort for him when he needed it. My gaze flits over the ice, seeing the guys take off to run drills.

The arena isn’t full by any means, but there are definitely people in the stands supporting their friends and family. Scanning all the smiling faces, my eyes land on a particular set, and instead of watching the guys in the rink like everyone else, they’re shooting me death glares instead.

Tori.

I should have assumed she’d be here; she always seems to be. She admitted as much when she showed up at the ranch that time. Ugh, I don’t like her. Not only because of her history with Cash, but there’s just something about her.

Trying my best not to let her presence sour my mood, I turn to Hudson again. “So, what are we doing afterwards?”

“Whatever we’d like… Maybe a swim day? Supposed to be hot as hell today.”

The thought of floating around and seeing Cash shirtless and wet sounds like the perfect plan to me. “I think that’s a great idea.”