Chapter 7

Mia

My palms were clammy as we walked up to the house, and my entire family gathered in front it. Even some of my aunts and uncles were there.

I suddenly wished for a good old earthquake to create a hole that the earth could swallow me into it.

“Mia! I’m so happy you’re finally home,” my mother exclaimed, breaking away from the group and throwing her arms around me. She smelled like sunshine and cookie dough and home. I nestled my face into her hair.

“Hi, Mom,” I said when she finally released me.

One by one, my family members unfroze and stepped forward to greet us. I’d warned them I was bringing someone home, but Hudson was, well, Hudson. I supposed I should’ve prepared them better.

“MIA!” My brother’s strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me off my feet and spinning us in a hug.

Ryan and I had always been close, despite the seven-year age gap between us. If anything, it made us closer. He’d always taken his role as older brother very seriously and was fiercely protective of me, which explained the aggressive glare he was fixing Hudson with as he grasped his hand.

“Hudson Blake.” The muscle in Ryan’s jaw twitched. Shit. He’d been the recipient of more than a few late-night phone calls after Hudson had done something or another that meant I had to work late again.

“The Hudson Blake?” Ryan’s eyes narrowed.

Hudson seemed unmoved, though he cocked a brow at Ryan’s question. Hudson reached for me, pulling me flush against his side.

Oh, right. We were supposed to be in love. “I’m the only Hudson Blake I’m aware of, Ryan. You talked to your family about me, baby?”

“Of course, I did. And he is the only Hudson Blake in my life, Ry.” I finally caught up. Hudson intertwined his fingers with mine, causing Ryan’s face to turn to very puzzled stone as he glared at our entwined hands.

I squeezed Hudson’s fingers and introduced him around, noticing that while the women were sweet to him, the men were welcoming toward me, but not so much to Hudson.

He pulled me closer to him as we finally followed my family into the house. “I get the feeling I’m not very well-liked around here.” Hudson had dipped his head so low his lips brushed my ear when he spoke.

I suppressed a shudder. “You’re going to have to get used to it, baby.”

He smirked at the sarcastic emphasis I’d added on the brand-new nickname I was trying out for him.

That was what couples did, wasn’t it? They referred to each other by some term of endearment or another?

“Baby?” he asked. “I’m not sure I like that one. Let’s keep trying, shall we?”

I sighed. “Well, we have the whole week.”

“That we do.”

***

I perched on a stool at the kitchen island in my parents’ house, helping my mom get dinner ready as my family’s voices floated in from the living room. It felt like I’d never left home.

“He’s so good looking, honey,” my mother gushed.

I nearly sliced through my finger instead of the carrot I was busy chopping. I’d been expecting the Californian inquisition for bringing Hudson home, but hadn’t been expecting that to be what my mother opened with.

“I think the word you’re looking for is hot, Alice. Ridiculously hot,” my aunt chimed in, collecting the last few things she needed to set the table. My jaw dropped. My mother and her sister both laughed at my expression.

“We’re old and married, Mia, not dead,” my mother admonished, still giggling.

“I’m not even sure it would make a difference, even if we were, he’s that gorgeous,” my aunt teased, then sauntered out to call Ryan to help her set the table.

Fire raced up my cheeks. I groaned. “That’s my boss you’re talking about, Mom.”

“And you boyfriend, apparently.”

Oh, crap. I had to stop forgetting that. Guilt settled like a rock in my stomach. “Yes, and my boyfriend. I’m not sure if that makes your comments more or less appropriate, though.”

My mother’s tinkling laugh sounded from the sink. She was meticulous about clearing up as she cooked. “Less, I would think.”

Another groan fell from my lips. “I think you might be right.”

“So, how did that happen? The last I heard, he was a slave driver and now he’s driving—”

“Mom!” I cried out, covering my face with my hands. “Don’t even go there.”

She laughed again. “Don’t be such a prude, Mia. I didn’t raise you to shy away from anything. And I didn’t hear you answer my question. You’ve never so much as brought a boy home before. Now, you show up with this, well, man. Although, I guess if that’s what you were holding out for, I shouldn’t be surprised we’ve never met anyone else.”

“I wasn’t holding out for anything, Mom! It kind of just, I don’t know. It just happened. One day, I walked into his office and things just, changed, I guess.” It was as close to the truth as I could tell her.

“Oh, sweetheart, so you both just realized you liked each other as more than friends. That sounds so romantic.” She pressed a hand to her heart and turned to face me.

I could see the wheels turning in her head. Oh no, she was about to ask me if I loved him, I knew she was.

“What’s so romantic?” my father asked, walking in.

I was dizzied with relief. Saved by the dad. My father plucked a carrot from my pile and popped it into his mouth.

“Nothing, Dad.”

“It’s not nothing, honey. We’re talking about how Mia and Hudson’s relationship bloomed from professional to personal.”

“I wondered if it was the same guy. So that’s your boss, huh?” A ray of sunlight filtered through the kitchen window, shining directly onto my dad’s hair. It was the first time I’d noticed he’d gone from salt and pepper to mostly salt.

“Yeah, it’s the same guy. Let’s not talk about that anymore. You’re finally retiring? Is it a ploy to stop your hair from turning grayer?” I teased, desperately trying to change the topic.

My father grinned. “I am. I think I have a good couple of years left in me yet, but your mother insisted. As for my hair, I don’t think anything can turn the tide anymore, but I suppose it won’t hurt it either. I happen to think it makes me look distinguished.”

I laughed as my dad puffed out his chest. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“You know what would help me sleep at night?” His face turned suddenly serious.

Uh-oh. Why were there suddenly minefields everywhere?

“What?” I deadpanned, even though once again, I knew what was coming.

“I would sleep better if you would move home and take over the business. It should be yours now, Mia. That was the plan. Ryan never wanted it, but now I have to give it to him.”

“I never wanted it either, Daddy. I love my job.” Mostly. When the man who was hanging around somewhere in my house wasn’t being a complete demon.

“And now I can see why,” my father replied wryly.

“Oh, come on, Dad. It isn’t like that. You know it isn’t.” His jaw clenched. The conversation wasn’t going to end well. “Come meet Hudson. He’s really passionate about what we do too. Maybe then you’ll understand.”

My father sighed, shot my mother a look that told me he wasn’t ready to give it a go, but offered his arm to me anyway. I linked my arm with his and led him to the dining room.

Hudson was seated next to my grandfather. I nearly groaned again. Hadn’t I warned him about my grandfather and my brother?

At least Ryan was seated all the way at the other end of the table, alternating between talking to my aunt and glaring at Kayson.

Hudson, for his part, seemed to be handling my grandfather’s endless barrage of questions quite well. His arm was draped over a vacant chair beside him, and he managed to look relaxed, even if he was still radiating quiet control. Power.

I let go of my father’s arm, leaving him to find his place at the head of the table and hoping my grandfather’s questioning of Hudson would distract him from our earlier conversation. I stopped in my tracks when I heard my grandfather ask how long we’d been seeing each other.

Hudson didn’t skip a beat. “We’ve been dating for just over a year now, in fact—”

No! He can’t tell them yet. Not like this!

I nearly fell into my chair beside him and continued his sentence, squeezing his arm like finishing each other’s sentences was the norm for us. “In fact, that’s why I thought it was time for everyone to meet him.”

“This has been going on for a year?” Ryan’s eyebrows shot up so high, they almost disappeared into his hair. A vein in his neck started throbbing. Double crap.

I had to manage this situation. Quickly. “Yeah, Ry. I didn’t say anything because it was casual at first. We were just hanging out, getting to know each other outside of work. Things only recently became more serious.”

Hudson wrapped his arm around my shoulders and leaned into me. Strangely, it seemed like he could sense what I was doing. “It’s not Mia’s fault, Ryan. She wanted to tell you as soon as things became serious. I was the one who asked her to keep it quiet until we could come out and I could meet you in person. Unfortunately, it’s been a really busy time for us.”

Ryan’s expression was still hard as stone. “So, you made my sister lie to us?”

A lesser man would have shriveled under the strength of Ryan’s glare and the bite of harsh accusation in his tone. Hudson played with a lock of my hair between his fingers, looking cooler than a cucumber. Completely unaffected as he met Ryan’s glare head on. “No, I simply asked her to wait until I could meet you all in person to tell you she was seeing me.”

“Why?” Ryan gritted out. “Why ask her to wait until we could meet you?”

True to form, Hudson answered without hesitation. “I’m not an easy boss to have. I expect nothing but the best from the people who work for me. I imagine over the years, you’ve probably heard a few things. I wanted you to have the opportunity to get to know me once Mia told you. You’re important to her, and so is your approval. I simply didn’t want her to have to explain all of this by herself and endure the possible disapproval of the situation.”

“Yeah, and how’s that working out for you?” Ryan taunted.

Hudson remained completely calm. “Admittedly, not so well, but your sister is very special to me, Ryan.”

I was surprised at the sincerity in his tone. Even more so at the soft kiss he pressed to my temple. Someone sighed audibly behind me. I shifted in my seat to find my mother swooning in the arched doorway behind us.

She clapped her hands together. “It was a wonderful gesture, Hudson. We’re just a little surprised, but we’re really happy to finally meet you, and I for one look forward to getting to know you.”

My mother called for the others to join us, commandeered Hudson and Ryan to help her carry the food to the table, and mercifully steered the conversation in a much friendlier direction.

I nearly fainted with relief. If the rest of the week was as stressful as the first few hours had been, I was going to need another week off to recover once we returned to Portland.

I idly wondered if Hudson would allow it, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. He’d made his promises, and I’d made mine. I wasn’t going to take advantage of him.

After dinner, the family dispersed, and I pulled Kayson outside before he could follow the men to the television where they were planning on catching some game or another.

I was momentarily confused when Hudson pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me and leaning his head toward mine. Then I saw my mom and aunt watching us from the kitchen window where they were washing up, and it all made sense.

“You can’t tell them about us getting married, Hudson. Please. They won’t understand, and they don’t have to know. Not yet,” I whispered, sure it looked like we were whispering sweet nothings to one another.

His arms tightened around me. “Okay, they’re your family, Mia. They’ve met me, so if the agents contact them, they can vouch for our relationship. It’s up to you when and if you tell them we’re getting married.”