Page 58 of Make Me Swoon

“I love you, Lyla. So much.”

“I love you too,” I tell him as he kisses my cheeks.

“I miss the purple hair.”

“Me too. I’m dyeing it back tomorrow.”

“Good,” he says, trailing kisses across my cheeks and back to my lips.

I wrap my arms around his neck, laughing as Hudson growls and pushes at the skirt of my dress.

“I don’t like this,” he tells me. “I mean, you look beautiful. Prettiest thing that I’ve ever seen, but I wish I could get closer to you.”

“I’m burning it.”

He grins.

“Tell me that you’re here for good.”

“I’m here for good. This is my home now. Here with you,” I say, reaching up and holding onto his wrists as he cups my face in his hands.

“Thank god you realized that. I was about two days from coming and dragging you back here,” he says, trailing kisses up my neck.

I grin up at the bright sunny sky, so happy to see that I didn’t ruin this thing that we have.

“I would have killed to see my mom’s face when you dragged me away from all of the wedding festivities.”

“Do I need to go and have a word with her?” he asks, sounding annoyed that someone might have hurt me.

“No, I told her off and left the wedding reception early. I don’t want to have anything to do with her or my stepfamily ever again.”

“The trip was that bad?”

“Oh yeah. I forgot how miserable everyone in their world is. It’s all about money and status. No one eats anything,” I complain and Hudson laughs.

“They sound awful,” he agrees.

“They are. I’m glad to be back. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.”

“Lyla!” Madelyn yells as she screams at Flynn to stop the car.

The tires screech as Flynn pulls over and then Madelyn is running over to hug me. Hudson barely lets me out of his reach so Madelyn hip checks him out of the way.

“I wasn’t sure that it was you without the purple hair!”

“I know. I need to color it again soon.”

“Are you back in town? We can have a welcome back girl’s night tonight or tomorrow,” she suggests.

“We have plans for tonight,” Hudson tells her and she sighs.

“Fine. Tomorrow night then. I’ll let Sutton and Iris know about tomorrow night.”

She hugs me again and I smile. I didn’t realize it before, but my mom and stepfamily never once hugged me while I was home. I guess this is just further proof that my real family is here.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I promise and she waves as she heads back to the car.

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