He bends over to kiss the top of my head. “Thank you, snow angel. We can go meet Mom after lunch, and later, I also want to take you to meet Rory and see the apartment.”
“Sounds good,” I reply with a yawn, my body thoroughly exhausted, “but first, sleep. I can’t keep my eyes open much longer.”
Chuckling, he stubs the cherry out on the end of the joint and moves the ashtray to the side table, turning the lamp off in the process. Then, scooting down until his head is comfortably on the pillow, he throws his arm around my waist and snugs me up against his warm, solid body.
His lips find mine in the dark in a tender but emotion-filled kiss. “You know this is exactly what he would’ve wanted, right?” he whispers as he nuzzles his face into my neck. “He adored you.”
“As I did him,” I murmur into his thick hair. “It’s why it’s so important for me to give back to others like him. I want to keep his spirit alive.”
Neither of us says anything for a few minutes as we hold each other close. His breathing slows and his hand stops stroking my back, leading me to believe he’s asleep. I close my eyes to do the same, but right before I fall into dreamland, I hear him say, “I love you so fucking much, Hudson. I’m never letting you go again.”
Once I finally began to come to terms with losing Caleb, the loved ones remaining in my life became that much more important to me. My mom and Hudson. They’re what matter most. They’re my everything.
I’m not sure if I’m a firm believer in a predetermined fate, but I do think there’s a multi-layered reason my family ended up in Breckenridge, Colorado, staying at the Fire on the Mountain resort last November. Though the time Caleb spent in Colorado was much shorter than any of us could’ve ever imagined, the permanent smile he wore the entire time he was here said all that was necessary. Those joints Hudson gave us let him live, goofing off, playing video games, hitting on girls. Normal teenage stuff. I wish I could’ve seen him with his first girlfriend. I would’ve given him such hell.
The world is a darker place without his smile.
He would’ve kicked my ass over that bullshit I pulled. Instead, I channel him to be my strength, remembering the way he lived in the moment, found joy in everything. He might have been my little brother, but he’s also my biggest inspiration. And I won’t let him down. If he were here, he’d expect me to be the man Hudson deserves. And I’m trying every day to show them both.
Peering over her shoulder, Hudson offers me a lazy grin as she rests her hand on my thigh under the table. “You having a good time, birthday boy? Want some more cake?”
I blow out a stuffed breath, rubbing my hands over my t-shirt-clad stomach. “I may explode if I take one more bite. That was way too much food.”
She leans back in her chair and brings her mouth close to my ear. “I’ve got a great idea on how we can work off this meal later,” she whispers, so no one else at the table can hear her.
My dick responds instantly. Visions of her on her hands and knees in front of me, shaking that cute little ass as I bury myself into her wet heat pop up, and I groan at the sudden pressure against my zipper. Fucking hell.
I glance at the others around the table to see if anyone’s paying attention to us, and luckily, they’re not. Now that the food has been eaten, the candles are blown out, and the cake is cut and devoured, my twentieth-birthday dinner is all but over, and I’m ready to open the only present I care about—Hudson’s legs.
Twisting slightly to face her, I catch her gaze fixed on the growing bulge in my pants and I chuckle. “We’ve chosen the wrong name for the organization if we’re naming it after you,” I tease as I bump my shoulder against hers, “‘cause there’s nothing angelic about you. Snow Devils would’ve been more appropriate.”
“Shuddup! You’re the evil one,” she laughs, playfully slapping my bicep, then leaning in to brush her mouth across mine. “If anything, you’ve corrupted me.”
My hand moves quickly as she goes to pull away, cupping the back of her neck and holding her warm lips close to mine. Our eyes meet in a heated stare, which is doing nothing to help the raging boner I’m now sporting. “Damn straight I have, and I plan on doing a lot more corrupting when I get you home.”
Our mouths lock together with a magnetic force as we lose ourselves in a kiss that’s much too passionate for the middle of Ember Bar & Grille, especially when surrounded by our family and friends. But neither of us cares a fucking bit.
In addition to celebrating my birthday, the website for Snow Angels—our new nonprofit that delivers extracted CBD oil and marijuana high in CBD percentages to epilepsy patients around the state of Colorado—went live today, meaning we’re officially in business. Hudson’s Lovesong strain ended up cultivating the exact ratio she was hoping for, and we knew immediately we wanted to help others who suffer like Caleb did.
I’m applying what I’m learning in my online business school and absorbing everything her Uncle Danny is teaching me at The Green Halo to our small project, which will hopefully continue to grow into something substantial. For now, while we’re both in school, we’re happy to help whoever we can.
Whistles, catcalls, and shouts of “Get a room!” from Rory ruin our intimate moment, causing Hudson to giggle as we break apart. I flip off my roommate, which makes everyone, including myself, laugh harder.
“Don’t be jealous, man.” I smirk.
“Jealous? No offense, Hudson, but you do see I’m bookended by two beautiful Shavell sisters, don’t you? Two is always better than one.” His head swivels to his left, where Nali sits demurely, her cheeks blushing a rosy pink at his compliment, then to the right, where Dakota…was.
Hudson and I both bust out laughing at his failed comeback, while he searches around the restaurant for the other half of his bookends. Rory is not only my roommate, but we’ve also become great friends. He’s a guy who I can run pretty much anything by and he’ll be straight up with me, and it works out great that he and Hudson get along so well, especially since she spends nearly every night at our apartment. I’m expecting her to claim a section of my closet at any point now, since she officially has a toothbrush that stays in the holder on my sink, and to be honest, I’m ready for her to move in. The rare nights we spend apart, I find myself reaching for her constantly in the bed, and end up sleeping like shit.
“Hey, honey,” my mom’s voice cuts into my wandering thoughts. “Luke and I are going to head out, if that’s okay. We’re both working tomorrow morning.”
Nodding, I turn my attention to her with a content smile. “Yeah, of course, Mom. Thank you again so much for organizing this. It’s…perfect.”
The knowing glint in her eyes tells me she knows what I mean. It’s as perfect as possible without Caleb.
“Goodnight, sweetie.” She kisses Hudson’s cheek as she stands up from her chair, and then wishes everyone else a good evening before she and her fiancé leave.
I watch as they walk through the restaurant, pleased that my mom seems to be getting better. After a few months of pretending she was taking Caleb’s death like a champ, she finally admitted to me and Luke that she felt she was on the verge of a breakdown. She’s started therapy at the same place I’ve been going and things are slowly improving. She and Luke are still engaged and living together, but they’ve decided to put the stress of a wedding and marriage off for a while, giving everyone the proper time to heal. I’ll support her in whatever makes her happy and healthy.
Mel and Doug, along with Grams and the three youngest kids, are the next to leave, and Juno excuses herself not long after, leaving Rory, Nali, Hudson, and me at the table. Dakota is still missing. At least, she is until I spot her up at the bar, talking to a small group of people, one guy in particular. She beams up at him, twirling her hair around her finger while totally absorbed by whatever crazy story he’s telling with wild waving arms.