“Matty,” I huffed as I stepped away, irritation buzzing in my chest.
Before I could stalk off, his hand shot out, catching my wrist. He tugged me back with more strength than I’d expected, forcing me to face him. His grin was small, crooked, but his eyes… his eyes were soft as hell. “Hudson. I’m kidding. I know.”
I swallowed. The tension in my chest loosened but wasn’t gone entirely. “I know I don’t… I don’t have any right to be jealous. Not with my past.” The words came out rough, low, like I had to grind them through gravel to speak them. “But?—”
“Shut up.” Matty leaned in and kissed me, firm and steady, not caring that people milled around us with sodas and candy. “You haveeveryright to be jealous. I’m glad you are.”
I pulled back just far enough to search his face. “Glad?”
He brushed his nose against mine, his smile tugging at my heart. “Means you want me all to yourself.”
“Of course I do.” My voice cracked on the words, raw and honest. “Have you looked at yourself lately?”
He grazed my jaw with his thumb, then stepped back, nodding toward the counter. “So you want me for my hotness. Got it.”
“Just don’t let other men grab you in public.”
“So they can do it in private, then?”
My death glare made him laugh. He gripped my jaw and planted his lips on mine in a kiss that should have been kept private, but I couldn’t pull away.
“Next!”
I broke the kiss reluctantly. The teen behind the counter was leaning over, eyebrows arched as she tried not to smirk. Matty gave a low chuckle, not the least bit embarrassed, and squeezed my hand.
“You don’t have to worry,” he whispered in my ear. “No one else will be grabbing me, period.”
In no time, the girl slid the popcorn, nachos, cans of soda, and candy across the counter, still grinning at us. Matty scooped them up with an easy “thanks,” then shoved the cans into my arms.
We made our way back through the crowd, the sky deepening to indigo overhead, laughter and chatter floatingaround us. Todd’s casual touching wasn’t far from my mind, though. I couldn’t get the image out of my mind. He’d looked at Matty intimately, like it wasn’t the first time he’d done that.
“Has Todd ever flirted with you before?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.
“Hud…”
The way he said my name in warning made me stop. So I was right. “What are you not telling me?”
“I’m not hiding anything.” He exhaled through his nose. “Just… what happened between me and Todd was before you and me.”
My mouth went dry. My reaction was ridiculous. I’d been “married” for the past four years, and his past relationships should hardly affect me, but the thought of Matty being with someone else the way he was with me left me feeling hollow. “You had a relationship with him?”
Matty shook his head. “Not exactly. It was sex. That’s all it ever was.”
“He still wants you,” I grumbled.
“It doesn’t matter,” Matty said firmly, tugging me back into motion. “I broke it off before you and I became a thing again, and it’s not even a thought in my head anymore. My whole world is you and Ivy now. Don’t give him a second thought.”
His voice was steady, certain, and it took the bite right out of my jealousy. I let out a breath and squeezed his hand tighter, the weight in my chest easing as we stepped up to the blanket and our family.
Ivy squealed, clapping her hands. “Popcorn! Candy! Gimme gimme!”
Laughing, Matty plopped down beside her, tugging gently on her braid, while I sank onto his other side. Ivynestled between his legs, Matty holding the tub of popcorn for her. His thigh pressed warm against mine.
Seeing him with Ivy, the jealousy faded into something else entirely.
Peace.
Family.
