Vow of Devotion (Vow Series Book 4) Page 8

  I smirk and raise a brow. I had him pegged the moment I saw him. He swings through life going from girl to girl. I can’t offer him that.

  Hudson uses his grip on me to close the tiny bit of space between us. His strong form is pressed against me and my hands start to tremble with the longing to touch him. My breath hitches.

  One hand releases my hip and moves to the side of my neck. His thumb pushes my chin up, until my eyes are staring into his. The roughness of his thumb glides along my jaw and cheek.

  “I know tonight is about ‘friendship.’ ” I can hear the quotes around friendship. “Make no mistake though. I want you. It’s been easy for me in the past, but you aren’t them. I didn’t want them the way I want you.”

  Before I can form a response, Hudson bends and kisses the edge of my jaw. “Come on.” He tugs my hand, moving me away from the truck and I’m still stunned silent and trying to keep up.

  “My company started construction on this piece of land recently. It’s going to be a luxury neighborhood. It’s the first project that’s been solely mine. It took me a while to find the right parcel of land. When I saw this place though, I knew it was the one.”

  He grins at me and guides me to an open field. The view from this point is amazing, the best parts of Texas spreading before us. A dirt trail winds through the grass.

  “Stay right here,” Hudson says and takes off at a jog toward a trailer parked on one of the lots. He’s back almost as quickly as he left. A huge cardboard box is in his hands and a charming, boyish grin on his handsome face.

  “What’s that?” I ask pointing to the box when he’s close enough to hear me.

  “Patience,” he says, shaking his head. “The lots in this neighborhood are big, but a lot of the land will go mostly untouched. I’m adding a trail that winds through the neighborhood. When I found this parcel, it was filled with bluebonnets. I had to have it as soon as I saw it. The bluebonnets sold me on it. I plotted the entire neighborhood to preserve the areas densest with flowers. They’ll surround the houses, trails, and parks come spring.”

  Hudson places the box on the ground and opens the flaps, taking out something dark blue. He holds it up for me to see.

  Bluebonnet Trails. The sign is metal and painted a dark blue. The letters are elegantly curved and strung together.

  “That’s what I’m naming the neighborhood. So, you see, bluebonnet,” his smile turns teasing at his newly minted nickname for me, “bluebonnets are kind of my thing.”

  Chapter 13

  Ava

  My knees are between Hudson’s legs. The two-top bar table we’re sitting at has a view of downtown Austin, but neither one of us is staring at the view the glittering city lights. We’re completely focused on each other. Hudson’s eyes heat every time they drop from my eyes to my lips and slowly scan the rest of my face before landing on my eyes again.

  “Tell me about Lilly’s dad,” Hudson says. “Is he in the picture?”

  “That’s a little personal,” I mumble. I’d rather avoid the topic, as well as further irritating the dull bruise of loss. I laugh nervously.

  “It would be for a first date, but we’re friends. Friends ask each other the hard questions.” Hudson grins, arching an eyebrow. I lick my lips wondering if I should pick up the gauntlet he just threw down and admit this could be a first date.

  Instead, I laugh and push his shoulder, shaking my head. “Fine.” I take a moment to start. “He’s not in Lilly’s life.”

  Hudson grumbles something under his breath and shakes his head. “Let me guess, he found out you were pregnant and he took off on you? You’re better off without him.”

  I scoff. “No, not at all.”

  Hudson leans forward. “So why isn’t he in her life? I can’t imagine turning my back on that little girl.”

  “His name was Wes.” His name comes out on a sigh. “It was a one-night stand. He was stationed at an army base in San Antonio.” My friends and I had to use fake IDs to get into the bar where I met Wes. God, I was so young. But after that one night, I had to grow up fast. It was going to be a wild night to kick off going to college to have even more wild nights. Soon after my wild nights transformed into sleepless nights with a newborn and a broken heart.

  “Does he know about her?” Hudson asks, leaning forward more.

  I’m not ready to answer his question, even though I should have seen it coming. The first time I walked into that bar, it was cheap and loud and so full. So many men watching me. I hated that I was so desperate for attention, but it’s not like I got any at home. Wes gave me a lot of attention that night.

  Thankfully, the place was popular with the people stationed at the base. When I found out I was pregnant, I went back to that bar a second time to see if I could find him. He was there that night, so I didn’t have to keep coming back. As soon as I walked in, he came right up to me and I spit it out. He was shocked to say the least.

  “We never had a relationship,” I finally answer, “but we became best friends over my pregnancy and he took care of me after my mom kicked me out.”

  “She kicked you out? What about your dad?”

  “Don’t know him.” I sink as much don’t go there into my tone as possible.

  “Fuck. I want to know about that, too, but tell me what happened with Wes.”

  “Wes stood by me. I had Lilly, and the next day, he was driving home to get the car seat because we’d forgotten it in our haste to get to the hospital.” I swallow, then force the next part out. The words still hurt to this day—a bruise that will never quite heal. “He was killed by a drunk driver.”

  “Fuck,” Hudson hisses, reaching out to grab my hand. I swallow past the pain and meet his eyes when he squeezes my hand, anchoring me to our spot in front of the Austin skyline.

  “Yeah. He loved Lilly so much.” My throat closes up. He was so excited to be a dad and he would’ve been the best. I miss him every day. I try to tell Lilly stories about him all the time. I only had him in my life for a short time, but for that time, he was truly all I had. And, even in his death, he took care of me. The money he left me was the only reason I survived.

  “Ava,” Hudson says and brushes his knuckles along my cheek. “I’m sorry Wes can’t watch Lilly grow up.”

  I swipe the single tear off my cheek and take a long drink of the beer that’s starting to go warm. “Me, too.”

  “Why did your mom kick you out?”

  I puff up my cheeks, then release a long breath. “She saw me as a waste of space. Coming home knocked-up as a teenager was unacceptable. She threw me out that night. She would only see Lilly as another mouth to feed.”

  “Have you ever tried to contact your mom?”

  “No,” I say, shrugging. Not everyone understands why that decision was easy for me, but not everyone had a parent like mine. “I wasn’t ever close to her. It hurt, don’t get me wrong. But I mourn and wish for what I wanted, not what I had. If she wanted no part in my life and Lilly’s life, then that was her loss. Wes really helped me keep that in my mind.”

  I didn’t know anything different until sometime in elementary school, when I saw other girls bonding with their mothers while mine wanted me to disappear. Something that only got worse when I hit puberty—wouldn’t do to have “competition” for her flavor of the month. As if I’d voluntarily go anywhere near the men she brought home.

  “Wow,” he says.

  “I actually saw her once,” I confess.

  “Where?”

  “At the grocery store. Lilly was only a few weeks old. I had just buried Wes. She came down the cereal aisle and saw me there, holding Lilly. She looked at me for less than a second before turning her cart around and leaving the aisle.”

  “Damn,” Hudson says, shaking his head. “I know I shouldn’t call women bitches, but . . . your mom is a bitch.”

  I laugh, though the sound lacks mirth. “She is. Always has been. Maybe that’s why I didn’t let the loss of her affect my life.”

&nb
sp; “Hudson.” A voice says from our side. “Hey, man.”

  An annoyed expression crosses Hudson’s face before he wipes it clear. “Kevin.” His tone is dry and lacking its usual warmth. His jaw is ticking.

  “How are you?”

  Kevin is dressed eerily similar to Hudson. Same jeans, same Henley—though his is black, not gray. Kevin’s hair is even styled the same way, and each move Hudson makes, Kevin seems to mimic.

  “Good. On a date.”

  I let it slide because it’s clear he’s trying to get rid of whoever this guy is. Kevin stretches out his hand for me to shake. “Hi, I’m Kevin. Hud and I go way back.”

  Kevin throws his head back laughing—at what, I have no idea. I raise an eyebrow and mouth Hud? to Hudson. He shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

  “Hi, I’m Ava.”

  “Hope you don’t mind if I say this. You’re gorgeous, Ava. Hudson always gets the pretty girls.”

  I give a tight-lipped smile and raise my eyebrows.

  “That’s in the past,” Hudson says, placing a hand on my knee. “Good to see you, Kevin.”

  “Good to see you, too. You have to come over sometime.”

  Hudson nods and waves. Kevin stares at him for another moment before turning and starting to walk away, but he snaps his fingers and turns back around.

  “Camden asked for copies of the contracts. I’ve heard what’s going on over at the site—tough break. Sounds like all hell is breaking loose.”

  Hudson tenses next to me, grinding his teeth together. There’s a tic along the edge of his jaw as he stares at Kevin. “Don’t send him anything.”

  “S-sure,” Kevin stammers, dropping his smile.

  After he walks away, I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “Friend of yours?”

  “We went to school together. He’s always been around. He would follow me around sometimes and then steal my stuff. I run into him a lot, but I try to avoid him. He’s not a bad guy, we’re just not going to be friends like he’s been trying to force me into for the last twenty years.”

  I chuckle. “Understood. What’s going on at your job site? You seemed really thrilled when you showed it to me earlier.”

  “Just another mole I have to whack,” Hudson mutters under his breath, running his hand along his brow bone.

  “What?”

  He sighs. “Someone is stealing all kinds of building materials. Drywall. Brick. Paint. Whatever they can get their hands on, it seems. It’s not wholly unusual for people to steal shit from a construction shit, but this is more than petty theft.”

  “Wow,” I whisper, placing my hand over his on his shaking knee. “Why does your brother want the contracts?”

  “This is my first solo site. My brothers think I’m going to fail.”

  I muster all the bravery and courage inside of me, leaning forward and sliding my hand up his chest to his neck. I lean in close and stare into his eyes. “You’re not going to fail.”

  Hudson’s gaze drops to my lips. “Ava.” He breathes my name. The sound sends tingles all through me, and my core floods with desire for this man in front of me.

  Hudson leans in a little more, our lips almost brushing, just a centimeter apart. His warm breath fans across my face. The tips of my fingers play with the hair at the base of his neck. I lick my lips when his palm lands on my hip, gripping me tightly.

  Lilly, my disastrous first day of school, the pile of bills on the counter all slam into my head.

  “I can’t. Not yet.”

  His thumb sweeps across my cheek. “Okay, bluebonnet.”

  I lean back, trying to gather my wits and slow my racing heart. I haven’t even kissed him yet and it’s already the best kiss of my life. Before I travel down this road, I have to be sure. I have to have a better handle on my job, on myself.

  “So, all those women are in the past.”

  “Yep,” he says, no hesitation. “Only one has my focus now.”

  “You’re trouble, Hudson. You’re going to be so bad for me.”

  “No, I’ll give you everything good. I’ll do bad things to you.”

  Chapter 14

  Hudson

  “I’m not sure about this,” Ava mutters. Her eyes sweep over the room and she bites her lower lip. Lilly doesn’t have her hesitation. As soon as we walked inside Jumping Bean, the trampoline park, she sat on the floor and got to work taking off her shoes.

  I’ve completely inserted myself into Ava’s daily life, even if it’s only a text message. I’ve never worked this hard to gain anyone’s attention before. Eventually, she’ll see that I want her as more than a friend.

  Two kids run over the trampoline closest to us, crashing into each other and falling before bouncing in the air. Ava winces.

  “Definitely not sure about this,” she says again.

  I wrap an arm around her shoulders giving her a squeeze. “Lilly will love it. They’re laughing.” I point toward the kids that crashed into each other before falling onto to backs and bouncing.

  They’re clutching their stomachs and fall a few of times as they try to stand. I kick off my shoes, gathering mine and Lilly’s from the floor. I hold out my hand for Lilly. She takes it.

  Lilly started to trust me quickly. This is the first time we’ve been together as the three of us, but I’ve stopped by their apartment a few times and stayed for dinner.

  “We’re going to have fun. Join us.” I smirk and wink. Ava bites her lip as her eyes flick from Lilly to the kids and adults bouncing and jumping.

  “Come on, Mommy,” Lilly says while tugging on my hand, pulling me toward the trampoline area.

  Trampolines cover most of the giant warehouse space. The spectating area, lobby, and ceilings are the only things not covered. Even the walls, from floor to ceiling, have trampolines.

  “I’ll meet y’all out there in a minute,” Ava says.

  I take Lilly to one corner of the huge area. It’s clear of other people. I don’t want us to step on to the trampolines and accidentally get crushed by the other jumpers.

  Lilly steps on and starts hopping up and down, I do the same next to her, controlling my jumps so I don’t send her flying through the stratosphere. She starts moving, going farther in.

  I swallow and watch for other kids in the area. Suddenly, some of Ava’s hesitation makes sense. I want to block Lilly from anyone else and keep a shield around her. Kids and adults whiz by as they race from one end to the other.

  Lilly’s eyes are on the people bouncing off the side walls and doing flips. A slow smile starts to spread across her face and she runs toward one of the walls. I chase after her but lose a little ground when I have to come to a sudden halt to stop from crashing into a little kid.

  When I look back up, I’ve lost Lilly in the sea of people jumping around chaotically.

  Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

  Fuck.

  I spot her blond head still racing toward the wall. I chase after her. A teenager is running backward. He’s going to mow over Lilly. If he lands on top her, he’ll fucking crush her.

  I run faster to close the distance between us. “Watch where you’re going,” I yell at the teenage boy, but he doesn’t hear me or doesn’t know it’s him I’m yelling at.

  My arm snags around her waist, lifting her, and pulling her back to my chest right before he crashes into her. I release a slow breath. Lilly leans her head back against my shoulder, laughing, completely oblivious she just took ten years off of my life.

  Ava stops next to us, out of breath.

  Her hand runs down the back of Lilly’s hair. She smiles and shakes her head slightly. I expect her to look at me with fury, but when her eyes meet mine there’s humor and exasperation.

  “Good job,” she says.

  Lilly wiggles in my arms, ready to get down and back to business. I’m still reluctant to release her. “I want to do a flip,” she says and pushes against my forearm.

  “You can let her go,” Ava says, chuckling quietly.

 
I release Lilly, setting her down slowly. She takes off toward the wall again. Ava and I go behind her, not bouncing as enthusiastically as Lilly is.

  “Think I lost some years,” I mutter.

  Ava snickers. “Welcome to my life. You did a great job. Thank you.”

  “Thought you would be mad,” I admit

  She shakes her head and grabs my hand, squeezing it once before letting go. And, like a pussy, I already miss the feel of her hand in mine. I fucking want this woman.

  “I’m not mad. She’s a little wild. As her mom, I’d rather it not happen, but the reality is, she’s going to get bumps and bruises sometimes. Even when she’s older. There are some things I can’t stop. One day some kid will run into her and she’ll bruise. One day a friend might betray her. One day she’ll get her heart broken and I can’t stop any of it.”

  My gut sours thinking about anything harming Lilly. I have no claim over her, but I want to pick up Ava and Lilly and shield them away from anything that could possibly hurt either of them.

  We move the final few feet toward Lilly. She’s running toward the wall and jumping to bounce off of it. Every time she crashes down on her back, I tense.

  I blow out a breath. “Want to do a flip?”

  She bounces and spins toward me while she’s in the air, landing right in front of me. “Yes!”

  I pick her up, put her back to my front, my arm banding around her stomach and holding her to my chest. “Tuck your legs.”

  She tucks her legs close to her body. Ava steps back, smiling. “I wish I had my camera out here.”

  I grin. I wish she had it, too. I want to be in the photos in her apartment.

  I hop up and down gaining momentum from the springs beneath the trampoline. When I have enough height, I tuck my legs and propel my body backward. The laugh that emerges from both Ava and Lilly makes my heart pound and my chest fills with a warmth I’m unfamiliar with.

  I flip with Lilly a few more times before releasing her. She bounces off the wall again, still laughing along with Ava. Their smiles and laugh make the warmth radiating through my chest turn into a fire within my soul.