Page 67 of All the Beautiful Things
It was that embrace that had me running for the phone as soon as the door closed.
Pulling up Hudson’s contact on my phone took forever and I had to restart three times before finally hitting the send button.
And once he connected, my emotions overwhelmed me.
“Lilly?”
“Hudson,” I cried, burst into a sob and fell to my couch, my knees no longer able to support me. I’d been chained and imprisoned for seven years and now, freedom, true freedom felt like it was within arm’s reach.
“What’s wrong? Is it Ellen? What happened?”
He cursed, and it took so long for me to gather my thoughts and settle my emotions by the time I could speak again, I could hear the rumble of his engine through the phone.
“You don’t have to come here.” I laughed through my tears.
“Bullshit. You’re crying and can’t talk. I’ll be there in twenty.”
“It’s okay. Everything is fine, I swear.”
“And I’ll confirm that when I can see you for myself.”
His concern swept through me and I rested my head against the back of the couch. There was no point in arguing with him. “How’s your dad?”
“Fine. Grouchy but not sick yet. Just tired today, but that’s to be expected.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah. Come on. If you’re not going to tell me why you’re crying, tell me what you’re doing right now.”
I laughed through my tears. “I’m staring at the wall, feeling like a fool. Don’t leave David.”
“He can be left alone for forty minutes.” He lowered his voice and that beautiful rumble in his tone I loved so much sent pleasure through the phone, warming me from the inside out. “I want to see you anyway.”
I’d called him because I wanted him. There was no point in continuing to try to hold him back. “Okay, but it’s not necessary.”
“I don’t care. Be there soon.”
He hung up, silence rang through the phone and I dropped it next to me on the couch and pressed the palms of my hands to my face.
The conditions of my parole were lessening. I was that much closer to full freedom. But even now, I could travel. Nowhere extravagant, but a weekend trip to Minnesota or down to Kansas City would be nice… if I could save the money for some shopping.
I thought about all the things I could now do, like a normal woman in her mid-twenties.
And by the time Hudson pounded on my door, I answered it, more tears falling but this time they were happy ones.
“What the hell?”
He barged into my place and wrapped his hands around my shoulders. “What is going on?”
“I can have wine,” I said, grinning like a fool and started laughing like an idiot.
21
Hudson
Maybe it made me a lovesick idiot, but as soon as Lilly’s cries came through the phone, sobs so powerful she couldn’t get out words, I was already grabbing my keys and headed toward my truck to get to her. Even once she was able to tell me she was fine, I knew I wouldn’t fully relax until I could see.
There was enough going on in our lives without me having to spend the night worrying about whether or not she was telling me the truth.
