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“So Lennon, Hudson tells us you’re a designer.” Hudson’s mom takes a drink of her sweet tea, her eyes on me. We’ve been at the restaurant for about thirty minutes and I swear Mary Demasi knows my life story. Sitting caddy corner from me at the hibachi grill, she hasn’t stopped asking questions since the moment we arrived.
“I am.” I nod, lifting my wine glass to my lips and taking a small sip.
I’m usually not much for wine but there was no way I wasn’t going to have a drink. Desperately needing to calm my nerves. For some reason wine seemed more acceptable for dinner with Hudson’s parents.
“Tell us more about that.” She leans forward slightly.
“Dear lord, Mary,” Hudson’s father, Thomas, grumbles next to her. “Give the poor girl a break. You’ve been grilling her since they arrived.”
Hudson looks a great deal like his father, as does his sister. As a matter of fact, if you erase the salt colored hair that peppers his temples and a few years’ worth of wrinkles, Hudson and his father would look like twins. Well, Thomas would need to gain a few pounds in muscle too. Though he’s got a pretty good build, it’s not as full and defined as Hudson’s.
“That’s okay.” I smile, taking another sip of wine as Hudson’s hand settles just above my knee and squeezes.
“Lennon’s boss buys run down houses in desirable areas and rehabs them. Lennon goes in with a blank slate and gets to design the house from the ground up. There’s this incredible beach house she’s working on right now.” He smiles at me and I swear I fall a little harder.
“That’s really cool,” Kelly chimes in. “It’s like one of those shows you see on HGTV. You’re like the chick from fixer upper.”
“Joanna,” Mary interjects.
“Yeah. Joanna Gaines.” Kelly laughs.
“I mean, yeah, it’s kind of like that. Though we have very different design styles, my job doesn’t look much different than what you see her doing on television.”
This spins the conversation into an entirely different direction and we spend the next several minutes listening to Kelly and Mary discuss some of their favorite shows to watch, Hudson and I only chiming in when called for.
Thomas remains pretty silent throughout, sipping on his scotch and talking quietly to Colton who’s sitting next to him. Hudson had said his father was a little rough around the edges, which is definitely true, but there’s also something soft about him too. Especially when he looks at his wife. It’s like he can’t decide if he wants to slap duct tape over her mouth or kiss her to shut her up. It’s really quite cute – the way the two interact.
Mary is so soft and sweet. A true Texas woman who loves to cook and works closely with the church. She’s exactly what I pictured Hudson’s mom would be like. And while you can tell she drives Thomas nuts, it’s also clear to see how much he loves her.
As nervous as I was to meet part of Hudson’s family, I have to say it’s actually gone quite well. Both of his parents have been very nice to me and I decided almost instantly that I love Kelly. She’s sassy and so quick witted; it’s hard not to laugh at nearly everything she says. I can’t help but wonder what Hudson’s other two sisters are like.
It’s well after eleven by the time we exit the restaurant. After the long day of travel, over stuffing myself on stir fry, and indulging in three glasses of wine, I feel dead on my feet.
We say goodbye to Hudson’s parents and sister outside of the restaurant and part ways with Colton shortly after in the parking lot.
Given that our hotel is only a couple blocks away, we opted to walk rather than have Colton give us a lift. The night air feels amazing and even though I’m exhausted, I also feel wide awake.
“My mom loves you,” Hudson says as we make our way down the sidewalk, hand in hand.
“How do you know?” I ask, grinning up at him.
“Because I know my mother.” He smiles, keeping his gaze forward.
“And your father?” I ask curiously, wondering if he can read him so easily as well.
“My father trusts my mother. If she loves you then he does too.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. If you ask him he’ll tell you it’s the secret to making their marriage last.”
“What is exactly?” I question.
“Him following my mother’s lead.” He chuckles, knocking his shoulder gently against mine as we round the corner – the main entrance to our hotel coming into view.
“It meant a lot to me to meet your family,” I say after a long bout of silence.
“It meant a lot to me that you met them.”
“Hudson,” I start to say but lose my train of thought as two girls approaching from the opposite direction stop dead in their tracks when they get a look at the man next to me.
I watch the recognition cross over their faces followed by a look that can only be described as shock mixed with a little dash of disbelief.
“Oh my god. That’s Hudson James,” one of the girls says.
“Holy shit. It totally is.” Her friend squeals next to her, grabbing her by the arm and cutting into our path so that we’re forced to stop.
Hudson slows next to me, his gaze jumping between the two women as an easy smile falls into place.
“Oh my god it is you,” the first girl says, fanning her face like she’s not sure if she’s going to cry or faint.
She’s probably no older than eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a cut off jean skirt, cowgirl boots, and a crop top, wearing way more makeup than she actually needs considering she’s quite pretty. All I can think is that my father would kill me if I ever left the house in that. Even now at twenty-seven I think he’d make me go home and put more clothes on.
“We love you so much. We just saw you at the show a few hours ago,” the other girl chimes in. “You were incredible.”
She’s dressed similarly to her friend only she has her hair pulled through the back of a black hat with Travis Travers etched across the front and is not wearing nearly as much makeup. She too is very pretty. I would be lying if I said seeing them fawn over Hudson doesn’t make me a little uncomfortable.
“Thanks, ladies.” Hudson’s slight drawl makes an appearance and I see the two women visibly tremble at the sound of his deep, rich voice. “I hope you enjoyed yourselves.”
“Oh god, we so did. We love you so much. Can we get a picture with you?” the first girl asks, seeming to find her bearings.
“Of course.” Hudson smiles, his dimple popping as he does.
This is totally his element. He’s so natural, so unbelievably sexy and charming without even trying. It’s clear to see from the girls’ reaction that they see it too.
“Here.” I take the phone the girl wearing the hat pulls out of her purse. “I’ll take it for you,” I say, fully aware that both girls are sizing me up.
Hudson slides in between them and drops an arm over each of their shoulders. All three smile at the camera as I snap several pictures so the girls can choose their favorite.
“Thank you so much.” The girl in the hat takes the phone I extend her way.
“You ladies have a good night.” Hudson gives each of them a brief hug before coming back to my side, his arm instantly going around my shoulder as he steers me around the two women.
“Sorry about that.” He kisses my temple as he guides us toward the entrance of the hotel.
“Don’t apologize. I think it’s amazing,” I say truthfully, leaving out how out of my element the whole thing left me feeling.
My mind jumps back to the conversation with Colton when he picked me up from the airport. He asked me if I could handle being with someone like Hudson and I assured him I could, but I’m starting to see that I still don’t fully understand what that entails.
All I know is that when Hudson looks at me, none of the other stuff matters. I don’t care that he’s on his way to fame, or perhaps already found it. I don’t care that random women have no qualms about fawning over him right in front of me, not to mention what they might do when I’m not around. I don’t care that everyone who meets him probably wants him the same way I do. All I care about is that he wants me and none of them. As long as I believe that to be true, there’s nothing I can’t overcome to be with him.
My phone signals in my pocket as we make our way through the lobby. Pulling it out, I click on the message from my sister as we stop in front of the elevator, a wide smile crossing my face when I see her response to the picture of Travis kissing my cheek.
Starr: Are you kidding me right now? I officially hate you! First Hudson James and now you’re posing with Travis Travers like you’re old chums. Some girls have all the luck.
I chuckle at the array of sad faces that follow her message, not realizing that Hudson is looking over my shoulder until I lock the screen and glance up at him.
“You sent your sister the picture of him kissing you?” he asks, his lips turned down in a slight frown.
“Only because she’s totally obsessed with him and I knew she’d freak,” I explain, not sure why I feel the need to. I’m sure he’s posed similarly more times than I would ever care to know about.
“And what about you?” he asks, his hand falling to the small of my back to guide me inside the elevator when the doors slide open in front of us.
“What about me?” I ask once we are inside and the car has started to climb.
“You seemed quite smitten yourself.”
“Are we doing this again?” I smile, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“Doing what?” He leans against the wall, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“I never pegged you for the jealous type,” I tease, crossing toward him.
“Are you making fun of me right now?” He cocks a brow. His brown gaze holds mine as I step directly in front of him and place my hands on his chest.
“I just had to bear witness to two very pretty, half-dressed girls fucking you with their eyes. If we’re gonna play who has the right to be more insecure, I’m gonna win.”
“Are you saying you’re jealous?” He fights the smile I can see threatening to appear.
“Would it make you feel better if I said yes?” I ask.
“Perhaps.”
I shake my head and turn as the doors slide open, quickly exiting the car without comment.
Because Colton brought me here earlier, I already know where our room is, but since he didn’t give me a key, I have to wait for Hudson.
Sliding up next to me, he waves the card in front of the scanner before we push our way inside.
I’m kicking off my shoes when his warm heat settles behind me.
“I feel crazy when it comes to you,” he says into my hair before inhaling deeply.
“I know the feeling.” I smile, turning into his embrace, my cheek resting against his hard chest.
“It’s weird for me. I’ve never been like this over a woman before. Hell, I was jealous over you spending the day with a man I consider family. All day all I could think about was what was happening, what you two were talking about, what you were doing. I envisioned some pretty horrific stuff for a man that never gets jealous.”
“Does it make me a bad person if I say I’m glad you felt that way?” I ask, pulling my face back to peer up at him.
“Considering I felt half sick all day, maybe.” He grimaces playfully.
“I’m not glad you felt sick or that you worried. But I am glad that you feel enough for me to worry. It means I’m not in this alone,” I admit, allowing him to see how truly vulnerable he makes me feel. “Imagine how I feel every single day knowing you are who you are and that you’re out on the road where thousands of people have access to you on a daily basis. I worry that one day you’re going to look around and realize that you’re wasting this opportunity and being with me is holding you back.”
“You don’t hold me back, Lennon. You propel me forward. Since the first night I met you I knew there was something different about you. Something special. I won’t lie and say that I haven’t been with my fair share of women over the years, because I have. But not one of them has stuck with me the way you did. In Nashville, when I saw you standing out in the crowd, I swear I’ve never felt that kind of rush before. Performing on a stage for thousands of screaming fans doesn’t hold a candle to the thrill I get every time I look at you.” He sweeps his thumb across my bottom lip and I swear if not for his arm around my waist I’d likely not be standing.
“You have a way with words. You know that?” I get out breathlessly when his lips take the place of where his thumb was just moments ago.
“You haven’t seen anything yet, Lennon Claire,” he promises, his tongue sweeping through my mouth as he guides me back toward the bed.