Chapter 8

Hudson

My first thought when I woke the next morning was my bed felt different. Softer. Then I remembered I wasn’t in my bed. I was in Mia’s. In her parents’ house.

I sat up and stretched my arms over my head. The sunlight filtering through the thin curtains in Mia’s childhood bedroom told me I’d slept slightly later than I usually did.

The clock on her bedside table read 8:04.

Fuck. I had to check in with the office, ASAP.

I’d been in consistent contact the day before, but I had to know if anything urgent had come up overnight, as it often did.

Mia was curled up on the couch next to the bed, her soft curls fanning out around her. She really was a pretty girl. My cock agreed.

Morning wood was part of the deal. It definitely didn’t help waking up to a beautiful woman within touching distance from me.

I ignored my cock. I would deal with it after I checked in with the office.

Mia had kicked the blanket partially off her during her sleep, revealing a long, smooth leg hooked around the edge of the couch. My cock twitched.

Jesus, I had to get a fucking grip on that thing. Pun not intended. It was just the morning talking. I tore my eyes from her body and forced my mind to focus elsewhere.

She looked so peaceful in her sleep. I’d offered to take the couch, insisted even. She ignored me and flopped down on it, pulling the blanket to her chin. By the time I was done showering, she was already fast asleep.

I’d considered picking her up and putting her on the bed, but didn’t want to risk waking her. I didn’t know the details, but she’d been very tightly wound since our arrival. It just seemed to get worse as the day wore on.

I got up quietly, moving to brush my teeth in her en suite bathroom. I’d been expecting to be shown a guest room to sleep in after dinner, but her mother surprised me by showing me to Mia’s room instead.

Mia had followed me inside, muttering something about not being a prude to her strangely amused mother.

I suspected something had happened between them earlier in the day that led to the exchange, but I didn’t ask. I wasn’t looking to become Mia’s confidant, or the shoulder she leaned on. That wasn’t the nature of our arrangement. I couldn’t deny I was curious about the prude thing, though.

I scrolled through my emails on my phone and then stepped onto her balcony to make a few phone calls.

Jenny and a few of the management team in the office assured me everything was fine there, so there was one less thing to worry about. I was about to step back into the room when my phone rang with an unknown number.

“Blake,” I barked my usual greeting into the handset.

“Mr. Blake, this is Agent Benson over at the Citizenship and Immigration Service. How are you this morning?” His tone was clipped and professional.

Worse for having heard from you. “I’m fine. What can I do for you, agent?”

“We are going to set up a meeting on Friday regarding your marital status. We will see you at ten.” It wasn’t lost on me that he didn’t ask if I’d be available.

“As it happens, I’m in California visiting with my future in-laws this week,” I informed him.

“And you won’t have returned by Friday?” It wasn’t really a question, more like a disbelieving sigh.

“No, we won’t be back by then. Friday is our wedding day actually. We’re having a small ceremony with her parents and close friends.” It was, of course, a lie.

“Is that so?” I’d clearly piqued his interest.

“Yes, it is. I’m finally marrying the woman I love.” I had to make him believe me.

“How wonderful for you,” he replied dryly. “Please ask your fiancée to plan for two extra guests. Agent Brown and I will be there.”

Fuck.

I ended the call with a “see you then” and turned to face the ocean.

My grip on the handrail tightened until my knuckles became white. I gulped fresh air into my lungs. Fuck.

I forced myself to calm down. I had a plan, I reminded myself. I just had to find her. Mia was gone when I stepped back into her room.

It was probably for the best. I’d promised her the previous night that it was up to her when and if she wanted to tell her family about our marriage, and now we were going to have to throw a wedding in five days.

I grabbed another shower, using the time to work out the plan instead of rubbing one out like I’d planned to when I’d ignored my throbbing cock earlier and dressed quickly.

“Hudson,” Mia’s grandfather called to me from the porch when I got downstairs. “Want some coffee?” He motioned to a thermos beside him.

“Sure.” If I was going to be marrying his granddaughter in five days, I guessed it would go a long way to have a cup of coffee with the man. Besides, I still hadn’t been able to track Mia down.

I accepted the steaming mug he handed to me and sank into the seat beside him. He was quiet at first, so I took the cue from him and left him to his thoughts.

The Doyle’s sprawling backyard was immaculate, complete with a sparkling blue pool, several smaller buildings, and a partially obscured view of the ocean beyond it.

It was unbelievable that Mia had grown up here. I tried to picture her as a child, running around the yard, making cannonballs into the pool. As if he could read my mind, her grandfather finally spoke.

“The day Alice found out she was pregnant with a girl, everyone in the family went wild.” The memory made him smile, and I wondered what exactly he’d done for the wild celebration. I knew better than to interrupt by asking. He was clearly working toward something.

“She was the first girl in the family,” he explained. “She’s still the only one. That’s why the men are so protective of her.”

“That puts things in perspective a bit,” I remarked.

“That’s why I wanted to tell you. It’s nothing personal, son. You said she was special to you. I believed you, even if something seems off between the two of you.”

I searched my mind for something that would reassure him. “I think it’s just the stress of bringing me home with her. She’ll be fine.”

“That she will be. She always is. She’s stronger than half the men in this family. Just don’t tell them I told you.” His deep blue eyes, Mia’s eyes, sparkled with his last sentence.

“It’ll be our secret,” I promised. He smiled, but didn’t say anything more.

“She’s a strong woman,” I added. So much stronger than they knew.

“Yes, she is. I’m sure you’re right about her being stressed about bringing you here. You must mean a lot to her. Mia wouldn’t have brought you here otherwise.”

That was news to me. “She’s one of a kind, all right.” The only one of her kind who could keep me in the country.

“I’m happy you feel that way, but I don’t expect you to spill your guts to me or to convince me. I just wanted you to know so that you don’t take it personally.” His eyes scanned the yard as he contemplated in silence. “Especially with Ryan. He was seven-years-old when Mia came along. Six when they told him he’d be getting a baby sister. He’s been all about protecting her ever since.”

Well, that explained a lot. I knew older brothers were seriously protective of their little sisters, but Ryan’s reaction had seemed a little extreme.

“Don’t worry about everyone, Hudson. They’ll come around. They were just surprised, and no one wants Mia to get hurt.” Sincerity rang in his voice.

It struck me that he was the first male in the family to be remotely nice to me. I hadn’t known my grandparents. It had never bothered me in the slightest until that moment. Mia’s family was something else.

I drained my coffee when I heard Mia’s laugh coming from the kitchen. I still had to talk to her. She wasn’t going to be happy, especially after the promise I’d made to her not twelve hours earlier.

“Thank you for telling me that. I don’t want her to get hurt, either.” That part was true. “I have to go find her. I was on the phone when she woke up. I have to beg for her forgiveness that she woke up by herself.”

I had no idea if that was something that people did, but the old man nodded at me, smiling knowingly. “Good luck.”

Mia was in the kitchen with her mother and aunts, laughing about something when I entered.

“Sounds like I’m missing out on a good time,” I said.

Mia was perched on a stool at the island, chopping fruit and still wearing her pajamas. I wrapped my arms around her waist like I couldn’t resist touching her and dropped a kiss on her hair.

Fuck, how did she smell that good? My cock reminded me of its presence, and I adjusted my hips so she wouldn’t be receiving the same message from it.

She spun on her chair, her eyes widening at seeing me dressed so casually. She openly checked me out, a flush spreading on her cheeks. It was perfect. She was damn good at pretending.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” I said, shooting her a wink. Her flush deepened.

“Morning, Hudson,” she said softly.

“No need to be shy, sweetheart,” her mother said. “Give him a big ol’ kiss. You know you want to.”

The women giggled. Mia shot her mother a pointed look and turned back to me. “Ignore them.”

I grinned at her. “Actually, I’ve been looking for you. Do you ladies mind if I steal my girlfriend for a minute?”

“No, of course not,” Alice said, gently tugging the chopping board Mia had been cutting fruit on away from her and sliding it to her aunt. “Take as long as you need.”

The men might be protective of Mia, but her mother seemed thrilled she’d brought someone home with her.

I reached for her hand, and she tentatively took it, my hand dwarfing hers as I laced our fingers together and led her from the kitchen.

“What’s up?” she asked once we were out of earshot, glancing uncomfortably at our tightly clasped hands. I didn’t let go until we were under a gazebo at the far side of the pool.

“You might want to sit down for this,” I warned her.

Her nostrils flared, but she sank into a deck chair. “Why?”

“Agent Benson called this morning.”

She paled at the mention of his name, and her eyes scanned the yard around us for anyone who might be listening.

“What did he want?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“They wanted to schedule a meeting about our marital status on Friday. I told him we were visiting your family. I don’t think he believed me.” Her eyes found mine, and she looked terrified.

“I covered us. That’s why I asked you to sit down. You’re not going to like how I did it.” I sat at the edge of her chair, my voice turning grim. “I told them we were getting married here on Friday.”

Her eyes widened, and a thousand emotions crossed her face. “You what?”

“You heard me.” The muscles in my jaw worked.

“You have to call them back and tell them something else.” There was a hard edge to her voice. Her eyes darkened, and her mouth set in a firm line.

“I’ve already told them what I told them, now it’s up to us to fix it,” I said firmly. There was nothing else we could do about it at this point.

“I’m not happy about this, Hudson,” she hissed. “I can’t even talk to you about this right now.”