Beyond Words: The Hutton Family Book 1

by Brooks, Abby

  “No one can hear us,” I said. “Give yourself to me. Let go, Cat.”

  Understanding drew a slow smile across her face and the next time I touched her, she moaned low and long. After that, I drove her body the way it was designed to be driven. Bringing her to the brink of pleasure time and again, sometimes letting her fall into an orgasm, sometimes letting the orgasm fall away before calling it back to life again. As my cock throbbed with need, I watched ecstasy transform Cat’s face.

  Her cries grew louder and more insistent. My name echoed off the walls. Obscenities and prayers spilled past her lips, and then she lost the ability to form words at all. When all she could manage were soft whimpers and desperate moans, I buried my cock inside her warm wetness, making a sound so low and primal, I didn’t recognize it.

  Her eyes sprung open. “Yes!” she gasped. The moment I moved, another orgasm flooded her body. Her head dropped back and her inner walls clenched around my dick. I gripped her hips and drove into her as sweat dripped down my back, and I came harder than I ever remembered coming in my life.

  * * *

  When Cat stepped out of the bathroom, all I could do was stare. Her hair hung around her shoulders in soft waves. A dress clung to her body and draped to the floor, accentuating the feminine perfection of her curves. While she typically wore very little makeup, tonight she had done something to her eyes to make them stand out like gems in her face.

  Her smile faltered. “What?” She glanced down. “No good? Too much? I can change…”

  “It’s perfect.” I stood and crossed the room. “You’re perfect.”

  “The way you stared at me, I thought I’d done something wrong.”

  “Oh, no. Everything about you is right.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Cat

  While Lucas showered and dressed, I took another moment to fuss with my hair in the mirror. The way he had looked at me, like I was his entire world, it set butterflies moving through my stomach and happiness coursing through my bloodstream. I imagined it as golden energy, infiltrating my muscles, my bones, my cells. I had always wanted someone to look at me like that. As if I were an angel, a gift.

  At first, I thought I had it all wrong, the dress, the hair. Too fancy. Not fancy enough. He had just glared, so intense, so strong, but then something soft and wonderful had settled into his eyes and I realized that he liked what he saw. That was my Lucas, intense and glowery and so overwhelming I could barely think.

  An urge to reach out to mom had me swiping my phone off the table, but after remembering our promise to her, I shot a pic of me in the dress to Chris instead. His response left me shaking my head and promising to invite more magic into my life.

  When Lucas emerged from the bathroom, wearing a white button down tucked into black slacks, his sleeves rolled up to display his corded forearms, it was my turn to stare.

  “Wow…are you really mine?” I asked.

  Lucas grinned. “Completely.”

  He took my hand, twirled me around, then pulled me into his arms, swaying as he hummed silently—a slow dance for just the two of us, silent and sated in our room.

  We ate dinner at Pierre’s—a fabulous restaurant down the street. The food was good and the conversation was better. I had more wine than I intended and laughed more than I had in longer than I could remember.

  As the waiter cleared our dessert plates, I leaned forward. “Thank you for such a wonderful evening,” I said to Lucas.

  “We’re not done yet. The moon hasn’t had a chance to envy your beauty.”

  I gave him a funny look and he laughed. “Of all the ways I imagined you—when I was Skywalker falling in love with Katydid—never, in my wildest dreams could I have imagined you as perfect as you are.”

  I blushed, then remembered the day I tried to unfreeze my numb nether regions by imagining Skywalker, only to keep coming up with images of Lucas. Of how we ran into each other in the hallway moments later and I had to try and navigate the conversation knowing I had almost solved my own problem while imagining him at the wheel. I considered telling the story, but decided against it as embarrassment stole my words.

  Lucas noticed the blush coloring my cheeks and I found myself explaining it anyway. A wicked smile lit his face as his eyes simmered with lust. “You might have to reenact that for me tonight.”

  My blush deepened and I made some demure excuse, but Lucas leaned forward. “That wasn’t a request, KatyCat.” The stern edge in his voice set my desire on fire and I was suddenly very eager to be back in our room. Instead, Lucas led me outside. The sun had just set and the sky burned against the sea. We followed music and laughter toward a throng of people.

  “Welcome to Morada Bay’s Full Moon Party,” Lucas said as we passed three men dancing to tribal drums. We drank. We danced. We laughed. Time stood still as we lost ourselves in each other.

  On that night, there was no sickness. No past. No present. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to fear. It was just the two of us, content to be together. Happy. Whole. And unconcerned with the rest of the world.

  At least for a little while.

  * * *

  We spent the next few days as if we were an island. The two of us adrift in our happiness with nothing around us for miles. We drank too much. We slept too late. We explored our bodies, our hearts, our minds. It was a crash course in all things Cat and Lucas and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. But as the days dwindled away, I grew evermore aware that the real world was waiting for us. That this week would end and we would go back to The Hut. He would stay there, and I would go stay with Mom.

  I would have to face the reality of losing her. Of watching her grow sick. Of watching her body fail. I’d have to balance my need to be with her with my need to be with Lucas and I wasn’t sure I could manage that with any grace. I wasn’t ready to lose my mom. Could I do it without pushing Lucas away?

  At first, Lucas ignored my darkening moods, and I was grateful for that, but after a while, I wished I could talk about what was bothering me. As if he could sense my need, he sat down next to me on the beach one day. Took my hand. And as we stared at the waves crashing along the shore, said, “I know she made me promise not to let you think about her. But I know you well enough to know that you couldn’t stop worrying about your mom, no matter how hard you tried. Your heart is too big not to fill it with the people that matter to you.” He turned to me. “I’m here, if you want to talk.”

  And talk I did. I shared every fear. Every worry. Every question that had cropped up since learning Mom was sick. I told him she didn’t want to seek treatment and I explained how torn I was because of her decision. “On one hand, I get it. The medication is almost as bad as the cancer itself. And she already went into remission once, so what are the chances of beating it again? So, if she wants to skip as much of the suffering as she can, I understand. But on the other hand, if there’s something we can do to give her a better chance of surviving, then damn it. I want to do it. Because she did beat it once. Maybe that means she can do it again.”

  Lucas nodded thoughtfully. “I think both of your reactions are completely normal.” A wave rolled up to kiss our feet, depositing sea foam on the sand. After some time, he turned to me. “What if you didn’t have to move out of The Hut?”

  I had been afraid this conversation was coming, though had hoped he would understand me enough not to push. “Lucas…” I turned to him, but my explanation died away at the excitement on his face.

  “And what if there was a way to ease your mom’s suffering at the same time?”

  “You have my attention.”

  Lucas explained that his mom had been wanting to explore the health and wellness side of the resort for a long time. “A lot of it’s in place already, the massage, the food, the meditation…”

  “You want to move my mom into The Hut?”

  Lucas nodded. “I can’t imagine anyone would have a problem with that. And while I wouldn’t go expecting any miracles, at leas
t she would be surrounded by people who cared. And taken care of to the best of our ability.”

  Gratitude brought tears to my eyes. The thought of having mom at The Hut, where the beds were top of the line and the food was nutritious and she wouldn’t have to worry about struggling in that broken-down RV of hers, well, it was more relief than I knew how to handle. “Do you think your mom would mind?” I asked, worrying about taking advantage of Rebecca’s hospitality.

  “Mind? She’ll be ecstatic! And maybe the two of you could work together to build out the wellness side of the resort. She’s mentioned Reiki and other woo-woo things like that in the past. Maybe that’s something you’re interested in, too?”

  Lucas’ words brought hope. Being near him brought hope. Knowing we were together brought hope. I leaned into him and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Together, we stared at the thin line where the ocean met sky and I dared to dream about the future.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Cat

  As expected, the rest of the Huttons enthusiastically accepted the idea of moving Mom in to one of the bungalows. Rebecca and I talked about what Mom might need and if I had felt hope sitting on the beach with Lucas a few days ago, then I didn’t have a name for what I felt when I finished talking with Rebecca. It was more than hope. It was almost…faith.

  The day I went to talk to Mom, Lucas came with me. Conversation flowed between us until the Jeep rattled and bumped up to Mom’s RV. She spun in her seat as two doors thumped closed and a slow smile brightened her face when she saw Lucas.

  “Oh, Katydid. You told me he was gorgeous, but you were holding back!” She extended a hand as Lucas let out a snort.

  “Mom!” My cheeks burned bright and hot as Lucas shot me a glance filled with humor.

  Mom’s gaze locked on to mine and I knew she could tell I had something I wanted to say. “Don’t bother trying to read my mind,” I said. “I have every intention of explaining.”

  And explain I did as I launched into my spiel about Mom moving in at The Hut. She would be surrounded by people, with state of the art everything in terms of holistic healing. Yoga. Meditation. Massage. Food prepared by nutritionists with the simple goal of giving her body the nourishment it needed to put up a good fight. No one expected a miracle, but at least she would be comfortable. She protested, but not for long. Within minutes, she accepted the offer.

  “If I’m honest, the thought of going through this again, alone, really lacks a certain appeal, you know?”

  My knees went weak with relief. Moving Mom into The Hut felt so right, I had been prepared to fight her the rest of the week to make it happen.

  Lucas shot a text to Rebecca, who promptly called back. He was close enough that I heard her first statement. “You know I don’t text important information. Too easy to misinterpret.” And then Lucas walked away, and her words were lost.

  Mom drew me in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you,” she whispered in my ear. “This man is perfect for you. I couldn’t have asked for a better match.”

  I nuzzled close, breathing in her scent and trying to commit it to memory, suddenly not sure how long it would be until I forgot what she smelled like. That thought brought a lump to my throat and I pushed it away. Strength. Mom deserved my strength, not my sorrow.

  Lucas returned with the news that Rebecca had a bungalow already set aside for Mom. “Whenever you’re ready to make the move, we have a space for you.”

  Mom, in her way, declared there wasn’t much reason to put it off. If the bungalow was ready, then so was she. And just like that, my mother had a private room at The Hut, her dilapidated RV looking tired and out of place in the parking lot.

  By the time everything was said and done, night had fallen and exhaustion sat heavily on my shoulders. Lucas and I trudged upstairs, then stood by our respective doors, not ready to say goodnight.

  “I can’t believe all of this happened in the space of one day.”

  Lucas nodded but didn’t respond, his eyes dark and distant. He was thinking something deep, something he probably would express beautifully if he could sit down and type it out. I wanted to press him to say what was on his mind, but didn’t. Instead, I said “goodnight” and reached for my door.

  “No,” replied Lucas. “I want you with me.” He grabbed my hand, swung open his door, and led me into his room, before wrapping me in an embrace that burned through the exhaustion I’d felt just moments before.

  My body responded to his with a ferocity that surprised me. In a flurry of movement, we rid each other of our clothing and were on his bed, moving together.

  Lost together.

  Found together.

  His skin. His touch. His taste. His smell. They were all answers to the question I hadn’t known I had been asking for all of my life: what have I been missing?

  As we moved, that still-small voice sighed in ecstasy, happy to finally have found what it was looking for.

  Afterwards, we lay in a tangle of sheets and sweat, tired, but unable to sleep.

  “What were you doing in Galveston?” I asked, aware that both of us had rooms at The Hut, that he didn’t have a home he went back to at night.

  “Nothing important. I’ve just been kind of floating around since I got out of the hospital. This is the most grounded I’ve felt since before I got hurt.”

  “Because you’re home?”

  “Because of you.” Lucas smiled as I made an incredulous face. “Okay, okay. Maybe also because I’m home.”

  “What happens when everything is settled here? Will you stay?”

  “That’s a good question. I thought I’d head back to Galveston to find a certain someone. But since I’ve already found her…maybe this is where I belong.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Lucas

  Part of me hoped that Angela would recover. Part of me still believed in miracles. Part of me thought that we would bring her into the family, surround her with love and comfort, and the cancer would shrink away and she would thrive. In the months she lived with us, I grew to respect her vibrant humor, her adoration of her daughter, and her simple views on life.

  The night she passed from this world was hard on all of us, but it devastated Cat. Angela managed to look her daughter in the eyes. A faint smile tugged at her lips and for the briefest of moments, the pain faded from her face. “Love him,” she murmured in a voice barely above a whisper. “And through his love, learn to love yourself. You are everything I hoped you would be. I cherish you, Catherine. You are my greatest gift.”

  My heart swelled as Cat swallowed back her pain. “I love you, too, Momma,” she said through a throat so thick it nearly strangled her words out of existence.

  Angela closed her eyes and smiled, as if her daughter’s love was stronger than any medicine, and as peacefully as a sigh of contentment, slipped away.

  Cat cried until she couldn’t breathe and I held her close, rubbing her back as her grief flowed.

  * * *

  Cat’s dad flew in for the funeral and it quickly became evident that Dermot Wallace never stopped loving his wife. His grief-tightened features softened every time someone spoke her name and the number of times I caught him staring at Cat, cataloguing her features, grew too large to count. He was strong and stern and reminded me a lot of the early years with my dad—before the alcohol stole him from us.

  After the service, we sat around the dinner table, nursing drinks while Dermot shared stories of the early years with his wife. He spoke of her beauty when he first saw her at high school—a wild child in a short dress with bright eyes and a flare for life. “For Angela, every day was special,” he said. “Even if it was just a typical Monday filled with typical things, she would find a reason to celebrate. Maybe the sky was beautiful. Or the dinner was perfect. Or…” He shook his head and swallowed down the lump in his throat with a drink. “The world needs more people like her.”

  After that, he turned his attention to me, asking questions about my time in the Mari
nes, my childhood, my future. Throughout it all, Cat sat quietly, her cool hand wrapped in mine. She smiled at his stories of her mother, and spoke when spoken to, but it was as if her light had dimmed. I stroked her thumb, careful to let her know I was there if she needed me.

  “So, what’s next for you, Lucas?” Dermot leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. “Sounds like things haven’t really settled into anything permanent since you left the Marines. Are you staying in the Keys? Heading back to Texas? Something else?”

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. Originally, I planned to stay here just long enough to help Mom and Wyatt get things in order and then find anywhere else to be. But now? There’s more than enough work to keep me busy around The Hut and there’s something really satisfying about coming home. Besides, with Cat here, I’m not ready to leave.”

  Dermot turned his attention to his daughter. “What about you, Catherine? You can’t live in a hotel forever.”

  Cat glanced at her dad and sighed. “I don’t know, Dad. I like it here. Lucas is here. And right now, I kind of just want to be wherever he is.”

  She leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder as Dermot met my eyes. He smiled, even as sadness tugged at his features. “He’s a good man. Anyone can see that. I’m sure he’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

  “Lucas is everything I need,” she replied and, in that moment, all the haze clouding my view of the future parted and I saw everything I wanted, for the rest of my life.

  Chapter Forty

  Cat