Chapter 859 - 861
The morning began like any other. The sun rose in the east, painting golden streaks across the forest canopy. Birds chirped lazily, and the wind rustled through the leaves in a song they had all grown used to over the years. Jude sat on the edge of the treehouse deck, legs dangling over the side, slowly weaving a length of rope with vine fibers. The warmth of the early sun rested against his bare shoulders. Below, he could hear the others moving around the camp, voices laughing, footsteps pattering across wooden walkways, pots clanking as breakfast was being prepared.
Grace was humming to herself as she folded some clothes near the drying line. Zoey was sharpening their small stash of tools. Emma and Scarlett were arguing again, this time about whether the woven basket could actually hold the amount of fruit Scarlett was claiming it could. Jude smiled faintly, not bothering to intervene. It was the kind of background noise that had become comforting, a sign that life, while still strange and dangerous, had rhythm.
Lucy appeared first. She climbed up the treehouse with an apple in one hand and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"You always up here hiding?" she asked, dropping beside him with a soft thud.
"Hiding? I’m working," Jude said, lifting the rope to prove his point.
Lucy took the end of it, examining his knots before dropping it in his lap. "Mm. Your hands should be doing something else."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Like helping Scarlett with breakfast?"
She leaned in close, her lips nearly brushing his cheek. "Like making your wife feel appreciated."
Jude turned to her, a bit amused, a bit intrigued. "Aren’t you the one who told me last week I’m not allowed to flirt before breakfast?"
She grinned. "Forget the rules. Just... come here."
She kissed him. Deep, breathless, and sudden. Jude dropped the rope, his hand instinctively catching her waist as she pulled herself into his lap. It was intense, more intense than Lucy usually was in the mornings. Not that he was complaining, but it felt more intense. He simply gave up himself to her.