by Melody Anne
“I had to leave . . . I had this event,” she said, her voice husky as she tried to give him an explanation.
“You were scared, and that’s okay. It’ll get easier each time we’re together,” he assured her.
“We’re going to be together again?” she asked, almost as if she was asking permission.
He pulled her into his arms again, making sure she was looking into his eyes before he spoke. “Daisy, I don’t think we’re going to be apart anymore, not when we’re this good together.”
“I don’t know, Hudson. This all seems to be moving a little too fast, and there are so many fundamental differences between us. Maybe we should call this good and go our separate ways.” She looked miserable as she said that. He smiled, then kissed her one more time before he let her go and stepped back, not trusting himself not to grab her again.
“Daisy, there’s no way we’re going our separate ways. We’re too drawn to each other. I’m going to install an alarm on my place so you can’t sneak out again because I want to know what it’s like to kiss you the moment I wake up . . . and trust me, we are going to be together again.” He paused. “Tonight, as a matter of fact.”
“I don’t want to say no,” she told him. Then she clutched her cup in both hands as if it was difficult to keep her hands off of him. She craved their touch as much as he did.
“Good. Because you’re mine now,” he said and he loved it when fire sparked in her eyes. He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m just as much yours,” he added. That washed the fire right out. “We’re together because we want to be — both of us want to be.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silky piece of red fabric, and her cheeks flamed.
“What in the world are you doing?” she gasped as she looked behind and to the sides of her. When she was confident no one was spying on them, she stepped forward and reached for the panties he’d found tangled up in his sheets.
“Nope,” he said as he stepped back before stuffing them into his pocket.
She was on a mission and reached into his pocket, instantly making him hard. He snaked his arms around her back and pulled her against him, their faces only inches apart.
“Baby, if you keep reaching into my pocket like that, you’re going to get both of us arrested for indecent exposure,” he warned before pressing his hips against hers, showing her exactly how turned on he was.
She gasped as her eyes glazed over, and it was nearly his undoing. He leaned down and kissed her hard, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth as his hands squeezed her luscious behind. Before he lost all control he released her, making sure she was steady before he stepped back.
“I have a job to run to, but I’ll pick you up at four. Bring an overnight bag,” he told her as he backed away.
“What if I have plans?” she asked, following him.
“Then change them. I want to know what it’s like to wake up next to you.”
She looked indecisive for a moment, and then she smiled, really smiled, the kind of smile that lit her entire face, giving it a glow that had his heart skipping a few beats.
“Okay,” she said, seeming both unsure and excited at the same time.
He was officially late, and he didn’t care. He stopped retreating and kissed her one more time before he took her hand and walked back to the front of the building with her. All eyes were on the two of them when they stepped out into the open, and Hudson found himself damn proud that she was his.
She walked him to his truck, and he gave her one last kiss before reluctantly climbing inside. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he said, his door open, finding it difficult to leave her.
“I’ll be ready,” she told him. Then she blew him a kiss before turning and walking back to the school where she was accosted by people who he was sure were asking her a thousand questions.
Hudson finally managed to shut his truck door, start the engine, and drive away. He turned up his radio and sang along. Was this what it was like to be in love? Had he met his match?
His grin faded as a new thought occurred. Holy hell! Had he just caught the marriage flu?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hudson sat with his brothers, his grin lighting his face, his mood excellent. It was a beautiful day and he didn’t think anything could bring him down.
“Okay, spill,” Crew demanded. He was looking more stressed than ever before.
“I might be in trouble,” Hudson admitted with a shrug.
“What kind of trouble?” Joseph asked as he stepped inside the room, his voice echoing off the walls.
Hudson turned to look at his uncle who still seemed a little stressed but didn’t have quite as dark of circles beneath his eyes as he’d had before Katherine had went in for her surgery.
“Before we talk about me, how’s Aunt Katherine doing?” Hudson responded.
Joseph smiled, getting that dreamy look in his eyes he always carried when his wife was mentioned. “She’s getting stronger every single day,” Joseph answered. “I still worry, and I wake up at least twice every night just to assure myself she’s breathing normally and sleeping well, but she assures me she feels brand new. The doctors did a scan today and they say they got all of the tumor. But cancer is tricky and there’s a part of me that worries it will come back.”
“I’m sure you’ll be on top of it so fast it won’t stand a chance,” Finn said.
“You’re damn straight I will,” Joseph said. “I can’t imagine living in this world without Katherine. She’s my everything.”
“I’m starting to know how that feels,” Finn said. “I haven’t had nearly the amount of time with Brooke that you’ve had with Aunt Katherine, and I already can’t picture a life without her. I wouldn’t trade what we have for a billion dollars, but there are days I wish I wouldn’t have fallen in love because the thought of losing her is so terrifying.”
“Any man who’s truly loved a woman has faced those same thoughts,” Joseph assured his nephew. Then he zeroed back in on Hudson. “Now tell me more about what’s gotten you into trouble.” Joseph never questioned, he demanded. There was a clear difference.
“How did you know you were in love?” Hudson asked.
Those words had an instant effect on the entire group. Joseph beamed at him as if he’d just won a gold medal. Crew rolled his eyes and smirked. Finn and Noah chuckled, and Brandon slapped his back.
“When you’re asking your family about love, it’s a pretty good indicator you’re in it,” Finn said.
“I agree with your brother,” Joseph said. “Have you told Daisy?”
“I haven’t even told myself. I like to take things day by day and live in the moment. I don’t want to make declarations and talk about an uncertain future, just like I don’t see a point in living in the past. I want to enjoy what the two of us have right here and right now.”
The door to the room opened and Damien Whitfield walked in.
It was almost comical how different each of the brothers were, and how they reacted to different situations. Finn immediately stood and held out his hand to Damien, who took it and nodded his head. Brandon was next, a smile on his lips, greeting their lost brother. Noah nodded and asked how he was doing, and Crew sent a hey there. Hudson nodded, but he found himself not very interested in getting to know this man.
Sure, Damien was his brother. The DNA proved it. But just because they were blood didn’t make them siblings. Hudson had grown up with Finn, Noah, Brandon, and Crew. Damien might’ve come from the same womb, but he hadn’t been raised with them. It was hard to think of him as a brother.
“Good morning, Damien,” Joseph said. Hudson zeroed in on his uncle. Joseph looked pleased to see Damien, but with the way he was looking at him, Hudson could see there was something going on. Hudson wanted to know what that was. Joseph was one of the most open people Hudson had ever met, and the way he was looking at Damien made Hudson wonder if something was happening that none of them knew about.
“Good morning,” Damien said as
he joined them at the table. “What caused this meeting to be called?” Damien got straight to the point. He was more like Crew than any of them.
“I’m glad you asked, Damien,” Joseph said. “I’ve planned an overnight trip for the seven of us. I’m not allowing you to make excuses. I understand you all have lives you’re involved in, but the minute we think family isn’t worth sacrificing for is the minute we’re lost.”
“When’s the trip?” Finn asked.
“It’s in three days. We’re leaving Friday morning and we’ll be back Saturday evening. My daughters-in-law are staying with Katherine, but one night is all I can stand to be away right now.”
“I don’t know if I can make that work,” Damien said.
“Tough, switch things around,” Joseph said, not giving an inch of wiggle room.
“Where are we going?” Brandon asked.
“I’m taking you camping,” Joseph said with a grin.
“Camping?” Crew scoffed as if that was absolutely absurd. “I think I’ll pass.”
“You don’t get to pass,” Joseph said, sending a steely-eyed gaze his nephew’s way. Crew sat back with his arms folded, looking like a little boy who’d just been grounded.
“I think it’ll be a blast,” Noah said. “I haven’t been camping in forever.”
“You would think it’d be fun,” Hudson said. “Where’s this camping place?”
“We’re going to a place you used to go with your mother. I think it’ll be good for you boys to think about your past, and to share some of it with your brother. He missed out on growing up with you, and he missed out on knowing your mother, which is a crime. So, let’s give him a small piece of his history.”
Hudson instantly closed up. He shook his head. “I don’t need to relive the past,” he insisted. “Mom was great, beyond great, but camping and bonding about the good old days sounds about as much fun as watching paint dry.”
“It’s better than kicking puppies,” Brandon said. “I like to camp as long as I can fish.”
“There’ll be plenty of fishing,” Joseph said.
“I don’t think I can make it,” Hudson said. A trip down memory lane truly wasn’t his idea of a good time.
“Make it happen, Hudson,” Joseph said, pinning him down with a glare.
A couple of the brothers grumbled, but all of them, even Crew, agreed to the trip . . . all but Hudson. He finally stood and began walking to the door. There was no point in arguing further. He simply wouldn’t go.
“Hudson, be at my house at seven on the dot Friday morning,” Joseph called to him as he reached the door.
Hudson didn’t say anything as he walked away. He wasn’t going. He was an adult and he wasn’t going to be bossed around by his uncle, even if he did have mad respect for the man he wished he would’ve known while growing up. He pushed that thought away. There was no use in looking back at the past, or trying to change what had happened. What happened, happened, and what came afterward was a choice.
It was time to find Daisy. It didn’t matter how much time they spent together, he still wanted more. He was finding he simply couldn’t get enough of her. He just wanted to focus on the here and now. Tomorrow would come no matter what. But today was a day to celebrate. No past, no future, no worries. He liked that mantra.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Daisy grinned at Hudson as he held the door open for her. “It’s been forever since I’ve kissed you,” he said as he pulled her against him and kissed her breathless right there in his doorway.
“It’s only been a few hours,” she told him with a giggle and a blush.
“See? Way too long,” he said. He took her hand and pulled her inside, kicking the door shut behind them.
She followed him to the kitchen where he had a glass of wine waiting. “Ah, you knew exactly what I needed,” she said as she sat on the barstool and picked up her glass. Hudson pulled out containers of Chinese food and began lining them up on the counter. She started opening them, found the crab puffs, and snagged one. “Delicious.”
“Are you going to save me any this time?” he asked with a laugh as she found the sweet and sour sauce, took another puff, and dipped it.
“Maybe one or two if you’re lucky. They’re my favorite.” Hudson set a plate in front of her as he grabbed spoons and joined her. He took a healthy scoop of chow mein before he grabbed another box and smiled as he opened it.
“I know, that’s why I got two large boxes this time,” he said with a wink, putting a few puffs on his plate while Daisy giggled.
“It’s a dang good thing I have a high metabolism; as much as I love food I wouldn’t be able to fit through doorways if I didn’t. Gramps warns me that as I get older it might slow. I’m dreading the day.”
She filled her plate with a bit from all of the boxes before she smothered it all in soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and hot mustard with a good helping of sesame seeds to top it off.
“I say that I’d rather live happy doing what I want than follow a whole lot of rules and being miserable,” Hudson told her while diving into the next box of food. “I’ve met people who’ve been on a strict diet for most of their lives. They might be healthy, but they’re miserable since they’ve never had a Hostess cupcake.”
Daisy laughed. “I have to agree with that. Life needs to be lived to the fullest,” she said.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that since you’re such a justice warrior,” he told her.
“I can believe in the common good and in preserving the past and still love to live for the moment,” she told him. She bit into another puff and a drip of sweet and sour lingered on her chin. He leaned over, licked her lips, and handed her a napkin, making her giggle.
“I don’t know why people want to focus on the past. I think it’s a waste of time,” Hudson said. He was reaching in for a second helping of everything. It was quite impressive how they could polish off so much Chinese food together.
“It’s not so much that people want to focus on the past, it’s more about wanting to remember who they are and where they come from,” Daisy told him. She stopped eating as she looked at him. “What happened? Something seems off with you right now.”
He looked as if he didn’t want to talk about it and she wondered if she needed to push him. But before that happened he sighed and took another bite of food. She continued to eat, giving him time to gather his thoughts. She didn’t have to wait long.
“My uncle wants to take my brothers and me on a trip this Friday and I don’t want to go,” he finally said.
“I thought you loved spending time with your family.”
“I normally do, but this is a trip back to the past.”
“I’m lost. You’ll have to explain,” Daisy told him.
Hudson sighed. “He wants to go to this camp that we used to go to when I was a kid and bring up things that are long over and buried. I don’t see a point in it.”
“What does he want to talk about?”
“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said as if he was getting frustrated. He stood up and began cleaning up some of their dishes. Daisy waited for him to go on. She’d lost her appetite, but kept nibbling as she sipped her wine.
“We used to go camping when I was a kid. It was cheap, and my mother loved it. But when my dad was around it wasn’t a fun experience at all. They always fought, but my mother wasn’t causing it. She could walk the wrong way and my father would yell at her. If she didn’t cook the food right, he’d cut her down. The last time I remember camping, she said the wrong thing and set the man off; he backhanded her, sending her flying to the ground. I was only five at the time, but I remember it as clear as day. I yelled at him, screaming that he couldn’t hit my mom. He laughed at me before leaning down and telling me that he was a big man and he could do whatever the hell he wanted. He told me if I wanted to challenge him I’d have to get a hell of a lot bigger. The bastard died before that could happen.”
Daisy saw Hudson’s fist
s had clenched together as he’d spoken. He dropped a cup into the sink with enough force to shatter it if it had been a glass. She moved over to him, wrapping her arms around him from behind as she laid her head against his back.
“Then maybe this trip will be a good thing, Hudson. Maybe if you face those demons of the past it’ll help you appreciate your future,” she told him. He was tense beneath her touch.
“I think it’s absolutely pointless to look at the past. I want to focus on the here and now, on the future, on us, and on my work,” he told her. He turned and held her close, and she heard his heart thundering in his chest.
“We can’t have a future if you don’t know who you are and where you come from. It will always haunt you and be a shadow over everything you do,” Daisy told him.
She was feeling inexplicably sad about the conversation. Hudson didn’t say anything, just held on tight. After a few moments, she said, “I didn’t get to grow up with siblings, and I barely knew my parents. They certainly forgot that I existed most of the time. If it hadn’t been for my gramps I wouldn’t know what it’s like to have family. You’re lucky to have not only brothers who you love and love you, but this entire extended family who’d do anything for you. Don’t throw that away, don’t give up on them.”
“I’m not giving up on anyone,” Hudson told her. “I’m just focused on you and today and tomorrow. I don’t need yesterday.”
She sighed as she pulled back. “Hudson, you need to do this. You know I believe without our history we’re nothing. Washing away the past as if it didn’t exist is what’s wrong with the world today. We’ll never be able to move forward if you refuse to look back,” she told him.
“That’s ridiculous, Daisy,” he said, his body tensing again.
“The past can be healing. Give it a chance,” she told him.
“And if I don’t?” he asked.
She felt as if he’d stabbed her with those words. “I’m not giving you an ultimatum,” she said, but she did take another step back, not wanting him to touch her right then.