He flinched in surprise before his mouth opened to her. And she melted into his arms. When they broke away, he caught her gaze.
“You do realize we just kissed in public?”
“It’s your fault for being so cute,” she said, pleased it was too dark for him to know her cheeks were burning. And she was probably panting. “There’s no one around. They’re still playing hide-and-seek.”
“Their loss, my gain.” He bent and scooped up the crutches. “So…I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Definitely.” She let herself drink in his face one more time before hurrying back to the cabin. She cautiously knocked on the door, and Zac called out, letting her know it was safe to come in. The lights were off, and he looked like he’d been asleep. He held up an arm by way of greeting. It wasn’t like him to be quiet. “You okay? Did something happen with Ally?”
“What? No…nothing like that. It’s—” He broke off. “Actually it’s not important. So, you have a good night?”
“The best.” She let out a happy sigh as she sat down on the bed. Zac seemed content with that answer and didn’t speak again. Still, she was pleased she didn’t need to talk. All she wanted to think about was Hudson. He hadn’t been mad at her. Hadn’t thought she was weird.
And I kissed him in public without freaking out.
It was a perfect night.
10
Hudson waited until Via disappeared into the doorway of her family’s cabin then limped his way across the camping ground. People were starting to straggle back from the game, talking in excited voices as flashlights swung around. He nodded to a couple of them but didn’t stop to talk. Dim lights glowed from the windows of their cabin, and Ruth was sitting on the porch, a glass of wine in her hand.
“You’re back early. Have a nice night?”
Was she kidding?
Best night ever.
“Sure. It was good,” he said as his phone rang. It was his mom’s ringtone, which meant she wanted to complain about his father.
Pass.
He could do that all on his own.
“You’re going to need to talk to her sometime. To both of them,” Ruth said in a soft voice. His jaw tightened. What was there to talk about? Not like anyone listened to him.
Things were finally going good for him. Why bring himself down by talking to his parents? Except it was going to happen eventually. He knew he couldn’t put it off forever. He’d be going home in eight days and it would be unavoidable. Maybe Via was right. He could at least talk to his aunt.
He loosened his shoulders. “You got a minute?”
“Sure. Ethan’s inside making sure the kids don’t rip the place to pieces.” She nodded to the second chair.
He leaned the crutches against the cabin wall and eased himself down. He studied his fingers in silence. Ruth didn’t speak.
“I’m sick of being stuck in the middle of their war. Like I’m a possession that neither of them know what to do with. And the only reason they care is because it’s a way of scoring points against each other.”
Ruth reached out for his hand. “You’re allowed to be mad at them,” she said in a soft voice as a tsunami of anger hit his chest, leaving him breathless. Usually he tried to swallow it down, but as Ruth’s hand tightened around his, he let it wash through him, as he slowly told her exactly how he felt.
That he was just a logistic in their lives.
That being dumped for the summer and then forced to listen to them both complain wasn’t his idea of fun.
All of it.
Once he’d finished, the storming swirl of anger in his chest began to ebb away.
Ruth’s jaw was tight. Like she was annoyed. “When we’re back in Cricket Bay we will get it sorted. And you always have a home with us. Somewhere you belong. You know that, right?”
He swallowed and stared at the sky. The last two years had been hellish, but things were changing. Really changing. First Via. And now being able to talk to Ruth.
“Thanks. For everything. It’s been a great summer.”
“Really? Because you’ve been sneaking around a bit,” she said, and he stiffened. Via had told him to talk to his aunt, but she wouldn’t want him to talk about this. Not yet.
“It’s complicated.” He gave a light shrug, which seemed to placate her.
“Just remember you deserve to be happy.” She got to her feet. “And now I’m going to bed, but I’m pleased we talked. We’re going to get this sorted.”
“Night.”
Once the door was closed, he stared up at the never-ending sky. Vega and the summer triangle was hidden by clouds. But it would eventually come out and show itself. Just like Via. She’d already shown she was ready to stop hiding. She’d kissed him close to the cabins, where anyone could see. And she’d gone swimming at the waterfall. She just needed time. That was all, and until then, he meant what he’d said. He didn’t care how they did it, as long as they were together.
xxxx
Hudson slept better than he’d done in weeks, and by the time he returned from the shower block, Ruth, Ethan, and the kids were gone. They’d planned another trip to the waterfall, but he’d passed. He was hoping to catch Via. He’d sent her a text, but she hadn’t replied.
As he swung his crutches forward and reached the center of the camping ground, he saw Zac lounging on top of a picnic table, bouncing a ball against the ground. His lower lip was poking out, and his expression was thoughtful.
“Hey,” Hudson said,
