16. Roadie

ROADIE

Riley

"You trying to convince yourself it's going to fail when I, and the rest of us, have watched you bristle whenever Hudson Hart walked into the brewery?" That was the question Mom asked when I called her after Lo fell asleep and I was still wide awake at one o'clock this morning, freaking out.

"He's too much," I admitted.

"Which is perfect because he's gonna have to fill in all those holes the two … fucking pricks didn't, nor did they fucking deserve my little girl!" Then she started crying and, within ten minutes, she was at my door.

Three hours of crying, with me apologizing to her and her apologizing to me for listening to the advice of a therapist and thousands of dollars' worth of books on mothers and daughters and not just locking me in a room until my brain was fully developed. Then laughing and, finally, a promise made.

I, Riley Brooks, forgive myself for mistakes I made that she insists are not my fault, and I promise to take in all the goodness Hudson Hart has to offer.

So, when Hudson slid into the car and found me laughing at him for telling off the people in the car behind us and said, "Not downplaying last night—at fucking all—but something else happened. Spill," I exhale a breath before telling him, "You know how you send texts when you're unsure?"

He nods and grabs his phone, but I snatch it up.

"You're not taking notes. This is a conversation, not me telling you why I can't be with you, or a lecture."

He runs a hand through his hair. "What do you mean, you telling me you can't be with me?"

I grab his face, turn him to face me, and spill it. "Instead of lying in bed, texting when I was freaking out, I called Mom. She came over, and we hashed through all my teenage angst and rebellion that spilled over to my twenties, and we basically mopped it up, cried, and laughed. I let her mom me, and she made me promise to admit I deserve more and soak up all your goodness."

"Yeah?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"I have a lot of goodness, Brooksie. If you ever feel like you're drowning in it, you let me know."

"I'm a fantastic swimmer," I assure him as I lean in and kiss his nose, just like he did to me, hoping that kind of kiss makes him feel the way he truly makes me feel—adored.

When I sit back in the seat, his eyes are closed, and he has a seriously adorable soft smile on his fuck-hot face.

Then the assholes behind us blow their horn again.

"Are you kidding me?" I laugh.

After pulling onto the street, Hudson holds takes my hand and kisses the back of it. "You remember me telling you that I've never felt like this?"

"Yeah."

"Two years, I could manage it. The minute I heard you were engaged, I lost my shit. I'd rather have made you hate me for stealing a dress than not trying to do something to stop you."

"Then you returned it."

"Stealing's wrong." He sighs then smiles. "Plus, I got busted with it hanging in my closet and knew the ladies in my life were aware." He holds my hand to his chest. "The crazy shit that went on in my head from then until I, um?—"

"Kidnapped me."

His lips twitch up. "Let's go with that's when I found out you weren't marrying the douche."

I nod my agreement.

"Did you know then you were gonna?"

"Make out with you in the gym? No."

"Gotcha."

Be vulnerable , I tell myself.

"I hoped that after I took time to heal, you might still be interested."

He smiles—big, too—as he says, "And then my tongue found the warp speed button inside your sweet little pussy, and here we are."

My insides clench, but I do not squirm and am able to keep the need his words cause inside of me to reply, "And here we are."

"You get by admitting that I'm going to be facedown between your thighs, punching that spot like a speedbag."

Heat pooling between said thighs, I get lost in that idea for a beat too long.

"It's not just about the way you taste, Riley Mae. It's about not believing I'd be in this position."

I clear my throat. "Position?"

He shakes his head. "Not like this."

"I—"

"Quick tour of the city?" He lets go of my hand to turn.

"Sure."

"I've spent a lot of time here with the family, but now I get it was because I would have been sitting at your brewery every spare second and looked like a creeper." He chuckles, now with both hands on the wheel. "Right down here a bit is Roman's place." He pulls over. "He bought the townhouses, and CeCe happened to own the big Victorian." He points to it. "He lives here now, and his four rentals, Slugger Row, are all rented out by teammates. They're a fucking trip. You'll meet them someday."

"The house is stunning. Looks like something on Main Street in Blue Valley, but bigger."

"It is. His place was a wise investment. He gets in my shit about the lake house, but the way I was burning through money, thinking that was going to equate to peace and happiness, it made sense."

"That's a lot of happiness," I state.

"Grew up pretty rough, didn't have much, but quickly found I had more than most."

I make my move. I take his hand. "Family."

"Yeah, fuck yeah. And the good kind. Well, once my old man was finally put in his place and realized his boys weren't having it anymore."

"He's in jail, right?"

He exhales a deep breath.

"You don't have to?—"

"That was a breath of relief. I didn't wanna do the whole abused kid shit because that's not who I am."

"It's who he is." I squeeze his hand. "My dad …" I feel my eyes tear up. "His bio parents were awful. Years of horrific abuse. The system failed, until it didn't. He went to the Brooks family in Blue Valley. They're awesome, but it still took years after that and an accident. Mom's first boyfriend died, and she found out she was pregnant with Luke. Dad stepped up and forced himself to stop believing he was going to be the same way they were. It wasn't DNA or nature vs. nurture; it was a choice. I'll leave out all the gory details, but he's the best dad ever."

When he's quiet for a minute, I realize what I've done. "Hudson, you're not capable of?—"

"Damn right, I'm not."

"I'm sorry if?—"

"Don't be that. I'm just … Wow, this is a lot."

"We don't have to?—"

"We do. We will." He laughs. "On the list of date ideas, one was actually therapy."

"What?" I laugh.

"Yeah, I was thinking we both had shit to unpack, and why not get some help, hire some mental movers, if you will?"

"You really think we need therapy already?"

"You don't want to know all the shit I've thought, but it all boiled down to what I would do to make sure no one ever hurt you again which, ironically, would save me from getting hurt. I told you epic."

"Unstoppable," I counter.

"We're gonna be both." He kisses my hand, and instead of letting go when he makes the next turn, he puts my hand on his heart. "Stay right there, okay?"

After he showed me the stadium from the outside, the pub the Jags go to after winning games, and CeCe's vet clinic, we head to Jillian's.

"I can't believe she bought a flower shop." I shake my head.

"You'll have to ask her how she got roped into that." He chuckles.

"Spill it."

"Oh no, it's best to be felt."

"What does that even mean?" I ask.

I see the sign, " Etta's Harts they love it there. They might end up that way someday, but not in the near future. Jillian will never be too far from Mom, and Nour's sister works with CeCe, so they'll be here, too." He kisses my hand. "My home is in Blue Valley. Mom's place is there, too. And you know who else is there?" he asks as he's opening his door. And then he gets out—just gets right out—hurries around the vehicle, and opens my door.

"What is happening?" I ask as he takes my hand and all but drags me to the back of the building, punches in a code, and pulls me into a room full of flowers.

He turns around, picks me up, and sets my ass in the middle of a worktable covered with bundles of white sage, greenery, and … unicorn horns? Nope, they're vibrators shaped like unicorn horns.

"One minute," he says as he walks through a doorway and leaves me amongst the … vibrators.

In far less than one minute, he's walking in with a hand behind his back. "Now, where were we?"

"I don't know where we were, but right now, I'm in the middle of vibrators that give off seriously positive energy."

"Good vibes." He chuckles.

"What is all this ab—" I stop when he brings his hand around, and in them, a beautiful sunflower.

"So?" He hands it to me.

"My favorite. Thank you."

"I asked who else lived in Blue Valley."

"Lots of people." I reply.

"I mean, not a lot—it's a small town. But none of them matter as much as the girl I have been falling in love with for two years."

My jaw comes unhinged, just a little.

"I could have waited the appropriate amount of time to make that declaration, but no amount of time is gonna change the fact that I love you, Riley. I am in love with you, and I know that because this"—he takes my unoccupied hand and puts it on his heart—"says so. And you know what they say?"

Still unable to form words, I shake my head.

"Always trust your heart."

I nod and fight back tears as I wrap my arms around him.

"I'm not going to keep saying it and make you feel like you?—"

"No." I look up at him.

"No?"

"Don't stop saying it." I laugh quietly as I wipe at the tears I know are going to fall.

"You sure it's not going to make you feel pressured to?—"

"Unrequited love; that's what I had with him. And the other? Pfft. I just wanted?—"

"A family." He wipes a tear away.

"It sounds so wrong, and maybe?—"

"You're going to be an awesome mom, Riley."

"Damn right, I am." I shake my head and sniff back more tears as I look down at the sunflower. "And I get to love you." No, fuck them , I think as I look up into his eyes. Seriously … hot. "I have loved everything about the man you are for a really long freaking time. You're amazing, and no one, especially them, get to determine when it's right or not right to allow myself to fall into it. I do. I want to love you without caring that people may think it's too soon or wrong. They're wrong."

"Damn right, they are." He smirks as he pushes some hair behind my ear.

"So, my only concern is whether you think it's too soon for me to look at you and say, Hudson Hart, I love you?"

He considers it for a moment then asks, "Can you say it again, just to be sure?" He doesn't wait; he leans in and kisses me as I do just that.

"I love you, Hudson Hart."

"I love you, Riley Brooks."

"And … cut!"

"What the hell?" I dive into his arms.

"Jillian, what the fuck?" he gasps.

"Saw you pull in. You didn't come up. I figured I'd catch something good, and look?" She turns the screen toward us. "I did."

"That does not become one of your promo pieces for"—he waves and nods to the counter—"this."

"You two have the third-floor apartment on the right. The sheets are clean." She drops her voice to barely a whisper. "Go make 'em messy."

"Jillian …" Hudson sighs.

"Fresh ones in the closet." She winks at me. "No one needs to sleep in the wet spot."

"Go away," Hudson groans.

"Dinner, five o'clock on the rooftop. Don't be late, or I'll be pissed."

***

Hudson grabs our bags and we head upstairs. The place is awesome. The hallways are all exposed brick, and the wood trim is either original or someone did a hell of a job making it look that way.

"Did you do this?"

"Some of it, yeah. When Dad lost the house, Mom and the three of us moved into a mobile home. Mom was always good making any place at home, so we learned how to do shit ourselves, too. Then, when our grandmother—Dad's mother—begged us to move in with her because he'd been taking shit and she just couldn't bring herself to stop him, we moved in and renovated the whole place." He laughs. "I remember watching YouTube videos with Rome and figuring out how to paint the exterior. We did that."

"But, do you like it?"

"Honestly? Yeah, I love it. They have a four-year contract, the house is paid for, and I have enough banked to gain interest to pay the taxes for several years. I always wanted to flip houses. Would like to do it for single moms who can't afford it and go some place after their shitbag exes take off. Mom worked three part-time jobs and made sure she still made it to every one of our games. I know it would have been a little easier on her to have an affordable place." He laughs. "But she would have still worked all those jobs to give us more."

"So, you don't want to continue playing football after this contract?"

"I'll play as long as it doesn't interfere with what you and I are gonna have going on by then." He punches in a code, and I hear the flip of a lock. "I wanna be the dad on the sidelines, coaching his kid, or in the stands, cheering them on."

I feel my face flush and realize it is highly possible I have a new kink. I think I'm getting hot over Hudson talking about being a dad.

"I played football, baseball, and basketball. I chose football because my old man was a baseball freak, and I wanted nothing to fucking do with it." He opens the door, and we walk in. "But it won't be all about the kids. I just realized there's another perk to coaching."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

He shuts the door behind us, turns, and pins me with those beautiful eyes that are getting darker by the second. "I want to fuck the woman I love in a locker room."

That feeling that I used to describe as a knot in my throat is now somehow different. I feel a desire that I hope never lessens. It's not just in my throat; it's between my legs.

"You do know the Knights have locker rooms, right?"

His lips twitch in amusement. "I'm pretty sure I signed a no-fucking-in-the-locker-room clause."

We both step to each other at the same time, clearly wanting the same thing, our bodies rubbing against one another's, his dick hard against my belly. Then his hands are on my ass, lifting me until we're eye to eye, just like he said he likes it. I arch my back, pressing my boobs against him, and he groans.

His lips are on my neck. "You fucking smell delicious, and you taste," he growls, and that sound sends a jolt of electricity down my spine, "so good, so fucking good."

My mouth is watering, and I want to taste him to show him that I feel the same way. But we're moving, stepping through a doorway, and then he drops me on a mattress.

He leans down and nips my lips as he hooks his thumbs in the waistband of my leggings. "Fucking love your style, Brooksie. Sexy as hell, and easy access. Don't you dare change."

He moves to pull them the rest of the way off, and I try to help as I curl up into seated position, grab the hem of his shirt, pull it up over his head, and toss it to the ground. Then I take off my own shirt and watch as he unbuttons and unzips his pants before pushing them down, and they drop onto the hardwood floor.

As he leans in, I grab his face and pull him into a kiss. When he pulls my sports bra up, we break the kiss. Then, as he tosses it aside, I grip his ass, sink my fingernails into his rock-hard glutes, and pull him toward me.

"I need you inside of me now, right now."

He works to remove his boxers, his mouth on my breast, lips curving around my nipple and tugging.

"Hudson, fuck, please," I beg.

"Whatever you want, whenever you want it." His hands are beside my head now, and I'm reaching between us, grabbing his cock, and …

"We need a condom."

When he shows no signs of grabbing one, undeterred from all but eating my tits, I plant my hands on this rock-hard, muscular abs and push him.

"I have some in my bag."

"I was serious; I don't fucking care whatever you have?—"

"No. We need to be sure, because I'm certainly not gonna give you something."

"I appreciate that, but newsflash: I ate your pussy last night, and I'm gonna eat it again. So fuck the condom." He leans in to kiss me, and I push him away.

"That's not love; that's fucking stupid."

"Fuuccck," he groans then flops down on the bed, big, hard dick sticking straight up in the air.

"If you think I don't want you as badly as you want me, you are sadly fucking mistaken." I grab my Louis Vuitton bag, reach inside, and grab a handful of condoms. Then I hurry back over to the bed and throw them on the nightstand, keeping one in my hand.

"Damn, Brooksie." He runs a hand over his face and chuckles. "Tell me you were a Girl Scout?"

"Not a Girl Scout. Come on; my mother was first pregnant at seventeen," I say as I rip open the foil packet. "I think I was sixteen when I started getting these things in my stocking and Easter basket." I crawl up the edge of the bed slowly and watch as he pushes up on his elbows and stares down at me as I sheathe his beautiful cock. "I promise you, when I'm sitting on you, bouncing up and down, riding this gorgeous dick of yours, you're not gonna care that you're covered."

He flops back on the bed. "By all means, prove me wrong."

Now I know that one should not think of their ex when they're looking at their future, hopefully their forever, but damn, that piece of shit would have blown it by now.

Straddling his hips, I grip his cock and rub it against my wet center, hoping that I look good—I haven't even had a chance to check my makeup. Whatever. Fuck it. I position the tip of his hard cock between my legs and slowly lower myself down. Then I can't help but throw my head back and whimper. "You're so fucking big."

He grips my hips and hisses as I take him inch by glorious inch. "You have no idea how fucking good you feel, how beautiful you are. Fuck, baby … just fuck."

I plant my hands on his tight abs and roll my hips, receiving another groan of gratitude, which makes me lose any inhibition that I may have had.

I begin to move slowly at first, and then faster and faster, rocking my pussy up and down his hard length. His hands cover my tits, and he pinches my nipples between his thumb and forefinger, rolling them, making me even hotter for him. He growls as he releases one of my breasts and runs a thick finger down my center until it's on my clit.

"Oh Hudson. Oh yes. Oh, yes, yes, yes."

His hips begin to piston beneath me, spurred on by my praise. And I find myself bouncing up and down on him. He's fucking me so good from the bottom, so fucking good. And he doesn't stop, not even when I lean down and rest my forehead on his chest. In fact, he goes harder until he stops, his hands gripping both my hips, fingertips digging into my flesh.

"Fuck, I'm gonna come. I'm gonna fucking come."

I push up into a seated position and begin to ride him again, wanting to watch the moment Hudson Hart comes beneath me.

"Brooksie babe, it's time to wake up. We got half an hour before we need to be up on the rooftop."

"Oh my God, we fell asleep?"

He bends down and kisses my nose. "I wouldn't call it falling asleep. You rocked me to sleep." He turns and walks away, dropping his towel before opening his bag. "You're a fucking smoke show."

"Says the man with an ass carved out of stone." I yawn and stretch as he looks back and smirks at me. "I don't even care that you caught me."

"I told you I don't want you to ever look away, but I will also tell you that you need to get that hot ass in the shower before I end up inside of you again."

"Don't threaten me with a good time." I curl up and continue stretching.

When I get out of the shower, Hudson is dressed in a pair of dress pants and a button-up shirt and tie.

"I guess this thing is semi-formal. Jillian the left a dress outside the door in case you didn't bring one."

"I always travel with a little black dress."

I drop my towel and walk to my bag. Bending over, I grab my stuff, just like he did, and when I turn and look over my shoulder, he shakes his head.

"I thought I was a tittie man."

I stand and turn around. "And what do you think you are now?"

"I'm thinking I love you even more."

When we make it to the rooftop, there are two seats open, but the rest of the long table is packed with faces I recognize but some I've never met.

Jillian stands up. "Hey, look, they made it. You two thirsty? Dehydrated?"

"Zip your lips, little sis."

"I was going to do some introductions. Oh, I still am." Jillian smiles. "You know the fam, but this is Blake Bennett and AJ Torres. They are Roman and Nour's teammates."

"It's a little deeper than that," one of them states.

"You're right. My bad. They are family. Family, this is the beautiful Riley Brooks, Hudson's girlfriend. You'll have to understand that she will choose football over baseball and not just because she and Hudson are doing the nasty. She owns a brewery in Blue Valley, and I believe her family owns part of the team?"

The darker-haired one starts laughing. "Oh shit, how does the fam feel about that?"

"She welcomed me to the family before I even got there." He smiles down at me.

"And just like you're all family, the Knights are the same, so they welcomed him, too. It's nice to meet you boys." I nod to the girls. "Hi, I'm Riley."

"The ladies … Amira is Nour's sister. You know CC; this is her sister, Cora. Helena is my assistant and friend; she runs all the social media and keeps me sane on a daily basis. And this is Maria; she makes everything pretty. And then there's Dromida, Francesca, and Fawna."

"Very nice to meet all of you."

When we sit down, Nour stands up and moves beside Jillian. "There is an ulterior motive for throwing this little party tonight. It's not just to see all the beautiful foliage from this spectacular view. Jillian and I are actually going to get married."

Everyone looks at each other, confused because I'm pretty sure they knew she was engaged.

Jillian laughs. "Tonight! Right here. With the people we love, teammates family." She winks at me. "Future family."

I glance at Linda, their mother, to see her reaction, but it's obvious she already knew.

"I found out this morning," she explains.

"If I had not seen Hudson's little bubble moving down Route 81, it would have had to have waited, but I'm glad it's not."

Roman clears his throat. "Jillian, you don't want the church, the big reception, the?—"

"Flowers?" She shakes her head. "This is exactly what we want; you are exactly the people we want to be here."

"It's perfect." Nour kisses the top of her head.

I glance up at Hudson and nearly die when I see his eyes misting over as he looks at his sister, nodding in agreement. "It's everything."

Caterers arrive and set down trays of food. When they remove the lids, I watch as Roman and Hudson smile at their sister.

"She a big fan of Mexican food?"

"Yes, she is."

"You okay?" I give his knee a squeeze.

"She's my baby sister."

"I know. Look how happy she is."

"He's a good guy. He'll treat her well, keep her happy." He turns and smiles at me. "Doesn't change that she's my baby sister."

When the table is cleared of all the food, bartenders and a photographer appear, and I overhear Hudson whisper to Jillian, "I know there's no specific time, and we're in no hurry, but it looks like rain may be coming."

"Nour and I love the rain, but yeah, I think this is a perfect time."

Nour nods his agreement.

She stands and looks at her brothers. "You two wanna come with me? I'll bring them right back."

I watch as Nora talks to AJ and Bennett, and they all move toward an arbor that's covered in flowers. Roman and Hudson move toward them, and they all stand in line like you would see the groomsmen do at a wedding.

I notice the girls have disappeared, too, and hear a "Psst."

I turn and look back, and I see Jillian in a stunning cream dress.

"I should have given you a heads-up."

"Oh my God, no, I'm honored to be here."

"And I'll be honored to be at yours and Hudson's."

She and I grin at the exact same time when the song, "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head," begins, and everyone laughs. I'm sure I'm missing something here, but it doesn't make me feel like I don't belong. His family is awesome. He is awesome.

When Jillian walks out, she's wearing a headband with a unicorn horn on it. Everybody, including myself, begins to laugh again. It's probably for different reasons, but how freaking adorable is she?

Linda is escorting her toward them as she stops to remove the headband and tosses it behind her, right into my hands. Interesting how I have never caught a bridal bouquet at any of the weddings I've been to, but here I am, holding what may be the equivalent.

I look toward Hudson, and he gives me a wink before he turns and looks at his sister again.

When she's finally up to her future husband, he takes her hand, spins her, then pulls her tight against him.

The minister begins. "It's been a true joy to have been able to meet these two individuals and get to know more about them and their beliefs about love. I'm sure everyone standing here would agree that there is no doubt they're the real deal and will make it through any storm they encounter."

"We love storms." Jillian beams.

"We do." Nour winks.

"There was something very interesting that was discussed in reference to all of you."

Jillian puts her forehead on his chest, and he kisses the top of her head.

"They told me that not one person they chose to be part of today is someone they would not expect to tell them if they saw something that Jillian or Nour may do that wasn't honoring their promise to one another. That was followed by, ‘How lucky are we to have found each other and our true family?' So, now I ask you: how lucky are we to be here to witness their promise, their vows, and to feel the love they have for each other and for all of us, too?"

I hold my hand to my chest, suddenly overwhelmed by emotions, and yes, feeling privileged to be here to witness this.

"I love you," Nour whispers.

"I love you," Jillian whispers back.

"Oh my God, I can't with these two." CeCe giggles.

I stand and watch as they exchange vows and rings. The way they look at each other, it's beautiful. I could be pissed right now that I've never had a man look at me like that, but that's not true anymore. How privileged am I to be loved by Hudson Hart.