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I woke to an empty bed this morning but my heart couldn’t have felt fuller. With the scent of Hudson still lingering on the sheets, I took my time getting up, wanting to bask in the memory of yesterday for as long as possible.

Now here I am, sitting at the table set up on my parent’s outdoor patio, so far from the conversation flowing around me I couldn’t tell you what everyone has been talking about if I wanted to.

All I can think about is the last two days and the text message I woke to this morning.

Hudson: On the tour bus. Wishing you were here. Thinking that you should join me for a couple shows soon if you have time in your schedule. Until then I’ll be over here working on a new song. You’re proving to be quite the inspiration, Lennon Claire.

“Earth to Lennon.” I jump slightly when Starr leans in from the chair next to me, knocking her elbow against mine.

“What?” I glance at my sister to see her watching me funny.

“What’s with you?” she whispers, as to not disrupt my father and Mark talking about whatever business they seem to be discussing, or my mother’s clear attempt to pay attention even though she couldn’t look more bored.  

Like my father, Mark has an office job. I couldn’t tell you what he actually does but I know he and my father’s jobs are similar, so I’m guessing it’s something in insurance. All I know for sure is that Mark is pretty high up in management and makes enough money to keep my very particular sister happy. I don’t know that I really need more information than that.

“What do you mean?” I whisper back.

She arches a brow and gives me a look that says she knows me better than I’m giving her credit for.

“You’ve been wearing this goofy grin since you got here and you’re clearly a million miles away,” she points out. “Is it Hudson?” she takes a wild guess, hitting the nail right on the head. “He contacted you?”

“You could say that.” I try to keep my smile from splitting my face in half.

“He was here?” she guesses right again.

I nod slowly, biting my bottom lip as her eyes go wide.

“When?”

“We’ll talk later,” I say, realizing our private conversation has drawn an audience.

“What are you two over there whispering about?” Nana interrupts, eyeballing us from across the table.

Nana is coming up on eighty and is as blunt and straight forward as they come. She’s a tiny thing too. Not even five feet tall or a hundred pounds soaking wet. She has short stark white hair that she has styled weekly at the salon and always wears button down cardigans, no matter the temperature.

Growing up I could always fool my parents but not Nana. Nana has always been able to see right through me.

“Nothing, Nana,” I grumble, shoving a bite of pasta salad into my mouth to keep from having to say more.

“Just tell them, Len,” Starr chimes in. The look she’s giving me is the same one she used to give me right before she’d tattle on me when we were kids.

I shake my head slowly, my eyes wide. “Don’t,” I mouth, lifting my glass of iced tea to my lips before taking a long drink.

“Lennon has a new man in her life,” Starr announces, causing me to suck the liquid down the wrong pipe. I start sputtering and coughing uncontrollably.

“You alright there, sis?” Starr knocks me on the back a couple times, laughter in her voice.

It takes me several moments to recover and once I do I feel every set of eyes at the table on me.

“A new man?” My mom is the first to speak, her gaze going back and forth between me and my sister.

“Well, he’s not new, new. She met him a few years ago, but reconnected with him in Nashville over my bachelorette weekend,” Starr keeps talking, despite the fact that I’m stomping on her foot in attempt to shut her up. “And you’ll never guess who it is.” She bubbles excitedly.

“Starr,” I warn, considering dunking her face into her plate of food to shut her up.

“Hudson James! The country singer,” she squeals excitedly.

“You really have no idea how to keep your mouth shut about anything, do you?” I glare at my sister. If looks could kill...

“Oh lighten up. If you can’t tell your family about your new beau, who can you tell?”

“He’s not my new beau,” I grind out.

“Then why did he come visit you when he’s out on tour with Travis Travers?” Starr narrows her gaze at me.

“Travis Travers?” my mom questions.

“Only the biggest name in country music, mom.” Starr rolls her eyes dramatically. “The concert tickets Mark got us,” she says which seems to trigger my mom’s memory.

“Wait, so you’re dating...” My mom looks even more confused as she tries to catch up.

“I’m not dating anyone,” I interject, but Starr talks over me.

“Hudson James. He’s not as popular as Travis but he’s just as hot. Strike that. He’s hotter. And he totally has a thing for Lennon. They had lunch in Nashville on Saturday and later that night he showed up while we were out.” I can tell by the way Mark is looking at me that he’s heard all of this already. He gives me an apologetic smile and again I remember why I like him so much.

“Honey.” He clears his throat, trying to draw Starr’s attention to him.

“And then he came to visit her. That’s what she was just telling me. Right, Len?”

“He was here?” my mom questions, still seeming quite lost. God I love her. She never was good with keeping up with the two of us.

“They are so freaking cute together. Wait til you meet him. Oh my god, you’ll die,” Starr gushes and I swear every single ounce of blood in my body rushes to my face.

“Sweetheart,” Mark tries again.

“Wait, who are you dating?” My dad takes this opportunity to join the conversation.

“Hudson James, daddy. Keep up,” Starr informs him.

“Musicians are bad news,” Dad says, his voice stern.

“Oh phooey. You named the poor girl after a musician.” Nana swipes her hand through the air in his direction. “Besides, all men are bad news. Not just ones who play music.” She winks in my direction. “I say, if he makes Lenny happy then who cares what he does for a living.”

“Nana’s right. The fact that he’s a hot country star only helps matters,” Starr continues.

“Honey,” Mark calls to her again, this time a little more stern. She opens her mouth to keep going. “Starr,” he snaps, getting her attention.

She glances up at him, her eyebrows drawn together as he shakes his head slowly back and forth.

“What?” she snips. “I’m just saying what she should be saying.” She hitches her finger at me.

“Sweetheart, perhaps it isn’t your place.”

“I’m her sister.”

“Would everyone please stop talking about me like I’m not sitting right here?” I interrupt, smacking my hand down on the table causing Starr to jump.

“Lennon,” my father scolds, stopping my soon to be tantrum before it takes flight. “That’s enough. Both of you.” His gaze darts to my sister.

“I’m so never telling you anything again,” I mutter out of the corner of my mouth to Starr.

“Oh relax.” She sighs.

“Girls,” my father warns again.

“Honestly, daddy, we aren’t teenagers anymore,” Starr whines, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she leans back in her chair.

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t act like it.” He turns his gaze to me. “Lennon, you can tell us about this new man,” he clears his throat, clearly not comfortable with this conversation. “Or you cannot. That choice is yours.”

“There’s really nothing to tell.” I go with the easiest response I can think of. “That’s not to say it won’t turn into something but as of right now we’re just getting to know each other.”

“Good enough for me.” My father offers a soft smile.

“Well it’s not good enough for me,” Nana chimes in. “I want details. Especially if he’s as hot as Starr says he is.”

“Mom,” my mother objects, shaking her head.

“What? I’m old, not dead.” Nana chuckles and my father groans.

“On that note.” Mark scoots his chair back and stands. “Starr and I should be going. We have an appointment with Joy to finalize some last minute wedding details.” He holds his hand out to Starr who takes it without hesitation, allowing him to pull her to her feet. “I’m sorry we can’t stay longer.”

Mark and Starr decided on a small ceremony on the beach with only immediate family and the wedding party. After, there will be a large outdoor reception for all of the family and their friends.

“No worries at all.” My mother stands as Starr and Mark say their goodbyes; hugging Nana first and then my dad, both coming to me last.

“I officially hate you today,” I mutter when Starr hugs me tight.

“I love you too, sis,” she sings in my ear before releasing me.

I swear to god if my parents weren’t watching I would tit punch her so hard right now.

“Sorry about her.” Mark smiles, wrapping his arm around my shoulder in a quick hug.

“Thanks for trying.” I wink at him.

“Just remember that when I need saving.” He chuckles, dropping his arm.

“Deal.” I offer a small wave as my mother ushers the two of them toward the house.

“So... Now that they’re all gone.” Nana pats her hand on the table, pulling my attention back to her. “Tell me about this hot piece of man everyone is so up in arms about.” She gives me a toothy grin and leans forward, elbows on the tables.

“Oh for goodness sakes.” My father groans, quickly standing. “I’m declaring Sunday lunch over,” he mutters, standing and heading toward the house.

“Well?” Nana looks at me expectantly.

“You wanna see a picture?” I ask, knowing I can’t deny Nana.

“Do frogs eat flies?” she quips, reaching for my phone before I even have it off the table.

Laughing, I pull up my picture feed and scroll to the last two pictures I took. One is of Hudson, laying in the lounge chair, hands tucked behind his head, sunglasses covering his eyes. He didn’t know I was taking it until he heard the snap, which leads me to the second picture. He’d just realized I took the first one, a wide smile on his handsome face as he reaches for the phone. He looks incredible in both so it really doesn’t matter which one I show her.

“Here.” I pass her the phone, the picture where he’s smiling on the screen.

“Well hot damn.” Nana smacks the table and lets out a whistle. “Look at that stomach. If I were fifty years younger the things I could do with a man like that.”

“Nana.” I laugh, taking my phone back.

“I’ll repeat. I’m old, not dead.” She smirks. “Just you wait. One day you’ll be old like me and you’ll know I was right. You’re never too old to appreciate something that fine.”

“I guess I’ll have to wait and see.” I laugh, shaking my head.

“So, you think it’s serious?”

“I hope it will be.” Complete honesty. There’s no point in lying to Nana. Not only will she see right through it, but she’ll call me out on it as well. Best to save my breath on the truth.

“You really like him.”

“I really do.” I smile, unable to fight it as it stretches across my face.

“I wonder if he has any clue,” she says more to herself than to me.

“Any clue about what?”

“That you’re already falling in love with him.”

“Nana.”

“Don’t bother telling me it’s not true. Maybe you don’t see it yet yourself. Or maybe you do and you’re scared to acknowledge it. Either way, I know the look of love when I see it and Lenny, it’s written all over your face.”

“I barely know him.” I let out a slow breath.

“Doesn’t matter. When you know, you know. I went on one date with your grandfather and knew before he even walked me to the door that he would be the man I’d marry.”

“But how could you have been so sure?”

“I could just feel it. He was my person. I knew it almost instantly. No one made me feel the way he did. No one made me laugh or smile like he did. And most importantly, no one made my heart beat like he did. All fast and wonky like it forgot how to work right whenever he was around.”

“You must miss him a lot.”

“Every single day. But I’ll see him again.” She smiles, so sure of the words she speaks. “Don’t listen to the fear, Lenny. Listen to your heart. Trust it. Trust yourself. If it’s right, you’ll know.”

“Thanks, Nana.” I smile at my larger than life grandmother, hoping one day I can be even half the woman she is.