“Sounds like fun. I’m there.”
“Yes!” Lucas extends his arm for a fist bump.
When we arrive at the marina, the man in charge immediately recognizes Hudson. Once he’s done fanguying hard, he gives him exceptionally good service, asking him no less than a dozen times if he needs anything. Hudson handles it like the pro he is, asking him to please not mention he’s here, and offers to sign a bunch of crap while I try like hell to refrain from laughing. Maybe it’s because I’m not into sports, or because I only know Hudson as… well, Hudson—the man I met at the bar and fell for, the single dad who loves his kids. I can’t imagine reacting that way over a man who throws a ball for a living, but that’s just me.
The boat is perfect with several seats for the kids, and once we get their lifejackets clipped on, Hudson takes off out of the marina, heading down the Intracoastal. The area is beautiful, and while the kids sit up front, laughing as the boat creates a spray of water mixed with the breeze, I take pictures of everything around me.
“Come here,” Hudson says, jutting his chin downward.
“Yes?”
He pulls me in front of him, my back to his chest, and cages me in with his arms. Where we’re positioned, we can see the kids, and if they happened to look back, they can see us too.
“Have I told you today how beautiful you look?” he murmurs into my ear, sneaking a quick kiss to the curve of my neck. Shivers rush through me, and my legs clench in want.
“You haven’t,” I breathe out, shaking my head.
“Well, you do. This bathing suit…” He glides his fingers along the see-through material just under the curve of my breast. “It’s like the biggest damn tease. So close, yet so damn far…”
“Are we still on for tonight?” I ask, keeping my eye on the kids.
“Damn right, we are. I’m counting down the minutes.” His hand moves downward, but before he can touch me there, I dip under his arm and out of his hold.
“Down, boy.” I wink. “There are children in our presence.”
Hudson chuckles under his breath. “I can’t help myself. I lose all self-control when I’m around you.”
“Dad, when can we go on the tube?” Lucas yells.
“Soon.”
“Have you done this before?” I ask when we’re situated in the middle of the water, and Lucas and I are holding on to the handles of the tube behind the boat. I probably should’ve asked before I got on the tube, but too late now.
“Of course,” he says with a laugh.
“Dad has two boats,” Lucas informs me.
“Ready?” Hudson yells.
“Yeah!” we both shout back.
The boat takes off slowly, speeding up little by little until the wind is whipping around us and the water is spritzing our faces.
“Faster, Dad!” Lucas yells, making me laugh.
We ride the mini waves for several minutes behind the boat, bringing me momentarily back to my teenage years at the lake. The days before I was forced to become a responsible adult. When Abby’s sperm donor, Joey, and I were younger. The boat was faster, and we were reckless, drinking and smoking and partying without a care in the world.
The day I found out I was pregnant, my entire life changed. Everything came to a standstill. I’ll never for a second regret having my daughter—she’s my entire universe, the moon, and the stars—but at this moment, as Lucas whoops and hollers, I realize that while Joey was wrong, refusing to slow down even a tad, becoming a mom didn’t mean I had to stop living altogether.
“Two burgers, chicken tenders, and a mahi sandwich,” Hudson parrots our orders. “All right, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
After a few hours of fun in the sun, we’ve docked the boat at a restaurant on the island to have lunch and use the bathroom.
“Can we go play?” Presley asks me once her dad has gone up to the bar to place our order. Instead of eating at a table, the kids asked if we could picnic near the playground.
“Sure, just stay in that area,” I tell them even though I have no intention of removing my eyes from where they’re going. It’s different keeping an eye on three kids instead of one, especially when mine barely leaves my side.
I’m watching them play what looks like tag when Lucas barrels down the sidewalk to catch his sister and faceplants on the concrete. Instinctively, I leap out of my seat, running straight for him as he sits up, blood coating his mouth and tears leaking out of his eyes.
“Come here.” I pull him into my arms, even though he’s heavy, and carry him back to the blanket, calling for the girls to follow me.
“Mommy, he’s bleeding!” Abby points out.