Something snaps. Not in a bad way. The snap is somewhere deep inside; feelings are coming to the surface and he can’t identify what they are.
“Yeah, you won, fair and square,” Cynthia offers.
He smiles at her but his eyes look weird. “I’ll be right back,” he says, and before any of us can stop him, he bolts outside among the torrential raindrops.
Stella looks at me. “What the heck was that about?”
I shrug and shake my head. “I have no idea.”
Luke is looking wary, and the girls have already moved on and are dealing our second round, including a fresh stack of seven cards for Hugo. Lucille is the only one of us who seems to know what is happening. “That boy wasn’t raised right,” she says.
Outside, the rain is starting to calm down, but Hugo is already half way down the beach. I sprint after him. “Hey,” I say, out of breath by the time I catch up. “What’s going on? What happened?”
He turns to me. “I’m such an asshole. I’m not good enough for you people. I’m not good enough to be what you need me to be.”
“No. No, I’m not going to let you do this. I’m not going to let you decide that over a game of fucking Uno.”
He laughs. “Listen, I don’t know why I’m crying, but I for damn sure am not going to look like a pussy in front of that guy who already kicked my ass.”
There’s a lot to unpack here. “Listen. Luke is already over it. That’s just Luke. And it kind of hurts me that you would insult my judgment. You are good enough. Also, don’t use that word to describe something you think is weak.”
He shakes his head. “Sorry. But, you did have a one night stand with a con artist, so let’s just say your judgment is still in question.”
“You can’t hurt me by throwing that back in my face. I’ve already forgiven both of us for that. And now it’s time to forgive yourself.”
Hugo gnaws his bottom lip while continuing to shake his head in astonishment. “You’re all just too wholesome, I don't know how to act. I don't belong anywhere.”
“How you act is, you come back inside and play another round of Uno, and play by our rules. And then later you join us on a hike at the nature preserve. You’re a human, not a robot. You can fit in here. You just have to give yourself some space.”
“How are you finding it so easy to be so kind to me?”
“Well... because I love you, silly.”
Hugo turns all the way to face me. “Stop.”
I shrug and give him a wan smile. “I can’t. Too late.”
The way his eyebrows knit together, I can’t decide if it’s anger or concern. Either way, he cups my face and kisses me hard. “You can’t love me.” Another firm kiss.
“Oh, but I do.”
“Shut up,” he whispers, shutting me up with another kiss, this time not as firm but sensual and loving.
“I will not shut up. You can’t make me.”
“I can and I will,” he says, planting another kiss, this time licking inside my mouth, his tongue making me feel wonderful again for the first time in two years.
“If that’s how you plan to shut me up, it’s only going to make me like you more,” I tease.
He groans and pulls me flat against him, the rain slowing down even more. His hair is slicked flat against his face and I smooth it out of his eyes so I can look deep into them. “One more to make sure, love,” I say.
He suctions our mouths together with an angry sounding grunt. Our tongues come together in a delicious wet tangle. My heart races when he plants his hands firmly on my hips.
“Yep, still love you.”
“Dammit, woman,” he rasps. Another kiss follows, combined with his thumbs applying firm strokes across my jawline and the back of my neck. I moan at the sensation of his tongue delving in deeper. “Fuck it, I love you too. Now what?”
I circle my arms around his waist, and when I come up for air after the next round of kisses, I say, “We go back inside and finish the game. And then we see what happens after that.”
Hugo seems overwhelmed with how nonchalant everyone is about his disappearing and reappearing act. We play a few more board games with the family until the weather clears up, and then, instead of going on a hike, I take Stella aside.
“I think Hugo and I have some things to talk about.”
She nods and gives me a hug.
“I totally get that. I’m going to beg off the hike myself and have a nap with the little bean. Go. Talk. Have fun. And, you know, have some acrobatic fun and then tell me all about it so I can live vicariously through you.”
While Hugo and I walk to his boat, we talk about things. We talk about our families, about how I never really felt like I had one until I found Stella. And about his hard-driving father and heiress mother.
This is the first time I’ve set foot in a sailboat with a cabin, and although it’s modest, it's clear he's done some work on it.
He convinces me to let him cook dinner for me in the world's tiniest kitchenette, and as the aromas of fresh cooked fish and grilled vegetables fill the air, I peruse his small built-in bookshelf.
One title catches me completely off guard. On his little bookshelf is a copy of Like Water for Chocolate. I slip it off the shelf and thumb through the ragged volume.
“You have this book?”
He nods solemnly as he fills two plates with food.
“Why do you have this?”
He shrugs. “I read it in prison and liked it so much I kept re-reading it. When I was released, the prison librarian let me keep it.”
I shake it at him. “No, but why, specifically, did you read it and keep rereading it?”
He looks
