Me: I’m on your front porch.
Me: Can we talk?
I wait for what feels like hours, but according to my phone, it’s only been one solitary minute before her reply comes through.
Riley: I’m exhausted, Hudson. Another time?
Me: Please, Riles.
I hold my breath when I see the little bubbles appear and disappear three times before her reply comes through.
Riley: Fine. If you want to do this now, I’ll be right out.
Me: Thank you.
Fuck. She seems pissed, but she has no right to be. She’s the one who snuck out on me that night. I’m the one who should be pissed. We spent a night together that was the best of my existence, only for her to jump right into bed with someone else.
I begin to pace, preparing myself for battle, when I hear the handle on the door turning. I stop pacing and look up. Riley is standing there watching me intently. Her hair is piled up on her head, and I can see the exhaustion in her features. The fight in me deflates, and all I want to do is take care of her.
“Riles,” I whisper.
She steps out onto the porch, moves to one of the rocking chairs, and takes a seat. “You got me out here, Fleming, so talk.” She crosses her arms over her chest, and I’m not sure if it’s to ward off the chill in the air for early April or if it’s a defense mechanism. Maybe a little of both, if I had to guess.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, taking a small step toward her.
“Like I just gave birth.”
“How is he?”
“Like you care.” She rolls her eyes.
“Of course, I care. He’s a part of you, Riles.”
“So that’s what you’re going with?” she asks.
“What do you mean?” I’m confused as hell.
“Nothing. What did you want to talk about, Hudson?”
Here goes nothing. “Us.”
She studies me for a long damn time, longer than it took her to reply to my text message. “There is no us,” she says softly.
“I want there to be.”
“I’m a single mom,” she spits. “I have to think about my son.”
“I know that.”
“Right.” She laughs humorlessly. “Are we done here?”
“Riley.” I take another step but stop when she moves to stand and winces in pain. That’s all I need to see before my feet close the distance between us, and I help her stand. “What can I do?”
“Nothing, Hudson. I’ve got this.”
“You don’t have to do this on your own,” I tell her.
She rolls those beautiful green eyes. “I have my sister and our friends. I’m not alone.”
“You have me, Riles.”
“Yeah, at one time I thought so too.” Slowly, she moves around me and pulls open the door. “Goodbye, Hudson.” She doesn’t bother to look at me before she enters the house and softly closes the door.
I stand stunned. I wasn’t sure how this was going to play out, but never did I expect this. I didn’t expect her to be mad and aloof. That’s the best way I can describe what just happened. I want to beat my fist against the door and demand she talk to me. However, I know the baby is inside and probably exhausted, and she is as well. I’ll leave it alone for tonight, but this is the last fucking time I walk away from her without her knowing what she means to me.
“I love you, Riles,” I whisper before turning and walking back to my rental. I have to force myself to drive away from her house when all I want to do is stay and watch over them, even if she won’t let me in. Instead, I point the rental toward home. It will be nice to have a long hot shower and a good night’s sleep in my own bed. Then tomorrow, it’s game on.
CHAPTER 19
Riley
Last night was tough. Hayes has his days and nights mixed up. I’m so grateful that Raven stayed with us and was here to help give me a break. We took shifts rocking him, feeding him, and changing diapers. The little bugger eats all the time, and the diaper changes are insane. I make a mental note to stock up. It’s not an item I ever want to run out of.
“Why don’t you go take a shower?” Raven asks. “In fact, you should take a nap. You’ve been up since what, four?” she asks.
“Something like that,” I say, covering my yawn.
“He just ate and will be good for a couple of hours. I’m going to try my hardest to keep him awake and those baby blues open.” She coos at my son. “Go nap. I’ll take the next one.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. You knew the first few days and weeks were going to be hard and an adjustment. The shop is already closed until Tuesday. That gives me today and tomorrow to get you rested before I have to go back to work.”
“Right, like you don’t already have the ladies in town and our friends on a rotation.”
She shrugs. “That’s what family does. Now go grab a nap and a shower. You’ll feel like a new woman soon enough.”
“Thank you, Raven. I love you, sister.”
“I love you too. Now go. Tell her, Hayes. Say, Mommy, go nap and shower. You smell. She’s stinky,” she says in a baby voice. Hayes is awake for now. I hope he stays that way for a while.
“Okay. I’ll take a quick nap and shower, and then I’ll heat us up some of that casserole that Miss Betty dropped off early this morning at the ass crack of dawn.”
Raven laughs. “She’s old. She gets up with the chickens. It’s been quite some time since she had a newborn in her house. She means well.”
“I know, but damn, I need to disconnect that doorbell.” My sister’s laughter follows me down the hall to my bedroom. Stepping into my room, I can’t decide what to do first. A shower sounds incredible, but as I stare at my bed, I know sleep will win out. I can shower quickly at any time. Sleep is rare and precious, and I need it. Decision made, I climb into bed and burrow under the covers. I’m asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I jolt awake a few hours later. It takes me a minute to get my bearings. I hear voices, but I can’t make out who they are. Glancing at the clock, I see it’s almost one in the afternoon. I slept longer than I intended, but I feel so much better. Carefully, I climb out of bed and make my way to the shower.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m dressed in leggings and a T-shirt, and my wet hair is knotted on the top of my head. I’m a new mom, a single mom at that, and I just gave birth days ago. I’m still recovering and sore as hell. This is as good as it’s going to get. Pulling open my bedroom door, I make my way down the hall. I can still hear muffled voices, but it’s hard to make them out. When I reach the living room, I freeze. Sitting in the rocking recliner is Hudson, and in his arms is our baby boy. Raven has no idea that she just handed Hayes over to his daddy.
My breath stalls in my lungs as I take in the scene before me. I want to scream for him to give me my son. However, Raven is here, and I’m not ready to blow the lid off this. Not yet. I need more time. Hell, I’d prefer to never reveal my secret, but Hudson is here, and I have a feeling it will likely happen sooner or later.