Apparently he and Bri had the same feelings about the rituals, because he’d tried to avoid the cluster of single men grouped to see who caught the item and would be next to marry. As the superstition said. But Serena caught his gaze, walked over, and pulled him into the crowd, positioning him at the right side of the men.
He stood there, feeling like an ass, hating the spectacle, and he wasn’t surprised when the groom threw the garter directly to the side Serena had placed him on.
He walked off the dance floor, cheeks burning, garter in his hand, and everyone cheering. Especially Bri, who’d found the entire incident amusing … until Serena pulled the same routine before she tossed the bouquet.
They climbed into the back of the town car Hudson had hired to drive them to and from the hotel, Bri still laughing over their predicaments. “I suppose we’re getting married sometime next year,” she said, still giggling, slightly tipsy from too much champagne.
He leaned his head back and laughed. “If Serena has her way, we are.” He ought to be shaken up by the idea.
He’d never thought about marriage, mostly because any time the subject came up, it had been with his parents after they’d chosen the perfect potential bride. The thought made him want to puke. But the notion of marriage with the right woman, with the woman by his side? That didn’t disturb him at all.
But until he had his life settled and knew he had his goals and plans in the works, he couldn’t think about the future. In the meantime, he had Bri in his life, and she wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter Six
Bri awoke alone in the large hotel bed Sunday morning. Hudson had gone to meet with his father, and he obviously hadn’t disturbed her. Given how late they’d stayed up last night indulging in unrivaled passion, she appreciated him letting her sleep in. Her body was sore from the number of times they’d had sex, using up all the condoms he’d brought with him to New York. She would always remember this weekend as theirs, and she’d had the best time.
After a quick shower, she pulled her hair into a bun and, wearing a hotel robe, stepped into the main area of the suite to find coffee waiting for her along with a basket of muffins.
Her cell rang just as she sat down with her caffeine and blueberry muffin. Macy’s name flashed on the screen, and Bri took the call. “Hey!”
“Hey yourself! So how’s your weekend going?” Macy asked.
Bri felt her smile grow wide. “Amazing. I mean, Hudson is everything I could want in a man.”
“Oh, Bri, I’m so happy for you!” Macy exclaimed loudly.
“He’d better be keeping his hands to himself,” Bri’s brother Jaxon spoke up in the background.
“Sorry. I should have been quieter,” Macy muttered. “Go away,” she said to her husband. “This is none of your business.” A few seconds passed and she uttered, “Go!” again.
Bri laughed. “If I wasn’t used to my brothers and if I didn’t know they meant well, I might murder them.”
Macy chuckled, too. “Did I interrupt anything?”
“No. Braden has a meeting with his father this morning, so I stayed back at the hotel.” Bri took a long sip of her coffee and all but moaned, she needed the caffeine so badly.
“That sounds so formal.”
“You should meet these people. They’re the epitome of wealth and utter disdain for anyone they find below them in social status. And they’re still trying to fix Hudson up with someone suitable.” She rolled her eyes at that, because she’d seen Hudson stand up to his parents. For her.
The thought warmed her all over again.
“Were they rude to you?” Macy’s outrage sounded over the phone.
“If they were rude to my baby sister, I’m going to kick some ass!” Jaxon said.
Bri rolled her eyes. “Remind him I’m older than him, will you?”
“Be quiet!” Macy yelled, then a muffled sound reached Bri’s ears.
“Eew. Tell him not to kiss you while we’re on the phone!” Bri wrinkled her nose at the thought of hearing or seeing anything about her brother’s sex life.
Macy giggled, and Jaxon muttered something before saying louder, “Love you, Bri!”
“Tell him I love him, too.”
“And I love hearing you so light and happy. It sounds like Hudson is good for you,” Macy said.
Putting her coffee cup on the table in front of the sofa, she curled her legs beneath her and sighed. “He is. We have a lot in common, and we like each other without conditions or strings. He doesn’t need or want anything from me, and that’s not just refreshing, it’s what I’ve been looking for in a man.” And she’d fallen hard for him. Faster than she’d let her guard down with anyone before.
“Well, when you get back, let’s have lunch or coffee and you can tell me more. I have to go help Emma with something, so we’ll talk soon?” Macy asked.
“Sounds good. Thanks for checking in. Bye.” Bri disconnected the call and settled in to finish breakfast.
She needed to shower and be ready to go when Hudson returned from talking to his father. And she couldn’t wait to hear the end result. She prayed he got access to his trust fund so he and Braden could move forward with their plan for the health center they envisioned.
* * * *
Hudson stood in the doorway of his father’s study, apprehension filling his veins. He hated to have to ask the man for anything. This was Hudson’s money, and he shouldn’t have to fight that hard for something that belonged to him. He wished his grandfather had lived long enough to see how different Hudson and his father were, but Gerald Northfield had died when Hudson was young, the trust had been set up for all the grandchildren for tax purposes, and his choice of trustee had made sense at the time.
Hudson’s father sat at his desk, head bent as he looked over some papers. Hudson cleared his throat, and Martin raised his head.
Catching sight of him, Martin removed his reading glasses and rose to his feet. “Good morning. I trust you had fun at the wedding?”
Hudson stepped inside and shut the door, not wanting any interruptions. “We did. I’m happy for Serena.”
“Yes, well, her choice of grooms leaves something to be desired,” Martin said as he stepped around and gestured to the two Queen Anne chairs in front of the mahogany desk.
Since this wasn’t the best time to argue, Hudson let the derogatory comment stand, as much as it galled him to do so.
They each took a seat, his father crossing one leg on top of the other. “So. You wanted to talk?”
“I do.”
“I admit I’m hoping you’ve changed your mind about staying in Florida and playing doctor when there’s a lucrative business that needs to be run here and its future to be considered.”
Hudson drew a deep breath and again ignored the comment he didn’t want to address. The last thing he needed to do was get drawn into a fight and lose his higher ground.
He gripped the armrests of the chair tightly. “Actually, I’m staying in Florida.”
“Is this about that girl?” His father’s face grew red with anger.
“No. This is about me.” He hated the denial but knew it was necessary.
At this point, Bri had everything to do with his choices, but he’d already known his plans for his career prior to spending the weekend with her and falling in love. Had it happened fast? Sure, but he trusted his gut. She was it for him.
“Then why? Your family is in New York. The business is in New York.”
Leaning forward in his seat, he appealed to a place inside Martin that Hudson wasn’t sure existed. “Look, Dad. I’m happy there. And I’m not playing doctor, I am a doctor, and I’m damned good at it. Not only do I have a great job with the Miami Thunder but I’m volunteering at a health clinic in a neighborhood that is desperately in need of medical care.”
“And that’s more important than your family legacy?” His father sounded horrified.
“Frankly, yes. The clinic is in a depressed area of the city, and my f
riend and fellow doctor Braden Prescott and I have a plan to remodel the place, invest in state-of-the-art equipment, and treat people who don’t otherwise have access to care.”
His father narrowed his gaze. “And you’re here because you want access to your trust fund, I presume?”
Hudson nodded. “I do. I think your father would like that his money was going for a good cause.”
The deep sigh echoed around the room as his father steepled his fingers together in thought. Tense silence passed, and Hudson did his best not to tap his foot impatiently or otherwise rush Martin’s thinking process despite his own nerves being on edge. The sound of a clock ticking added to his stress.
“I’ll tell you what. I have a proposition for you. A quid pro quo.”
Wary now, Hudson clenched his jaw and indicated his agreement to listen with a curt nod.
A pleased smile lifted his father’s lips, and Hudson knew he wasn’t going to like the proposal. He steeled himself to hear it, certain his father was going to somehow force him to return home and work the business in exchange for the clinic money. In which case he wouldn’t be there to see his dream come to life, but the people he’d come to know would have access to everything they needed. But he was getting ahead of himself, and he forced his heart rate to calm as he waited.
His father straightened his posture as he said, “I’ll give you the money for your little health care center if you marry and provide your mother and me with an heir.”
That idea hadn’t even been on Hudson’s radar. “What century is this?” he asked, his tone rising.
“Lower your voice. I don’t want your mother running in here and interrupting us. Think about it. Your brother is gone, ruining any chances we have of a grandchild, and your mother is distraught about it. The family name needs to live on, and you’re the only one who can make that happen.”
Hudson rubbed a hand over his eyes before meeting his father’s gaze. “What else?” he asked, certain he hadn’t heard everything.
“You’re a smart man, son. And if I thought for a moment I could force your hand and get you to come home and take over the business, I would. But I know damned well you’d turn me down no matter the consequences.”
His father studied him with a hint of… It couldn’t be pride Hudson saw. But he was acknowledging Hudson’s dedication to his career.
“You’re right. So what is the catch?” As he asked, the answer dawned on him and his entire body stiffened. “I am not marrying Corinne,” he said, just as adamant about that as he was about staying in Florida.
His father let out a low chuckle. “I realized that as well.”
In other words, in the short time since Hudson had asked for the money, his astute father had sifted through all the possible blackmail options and come up with the only one he knew Hudson might agree to.
“You really are a piece of work,” he muttered, his gaze settling on one of the expensive paintings on the wall in the office.
Martin Northfield shrugged. “I didn’t keep us where we are in life by being stupid.” He set his hands on the armrests and pushed himself up from his seat. “So those are my terms. Let me know what you decide. Have a good flight back to Florida,” he said and walked out of the room, leaving Hudson alone with the bomb he’d dropped in his lap.
He rested his head against the back of the chair and groaned. Marriage. The idea itself wasn’t the problem. He and Bri had laughed about it enough over the weekend, and she hadn’t freaked out at the idea. His gut told him she definitely wanted to get married and have children one day with the right man. A man who wanted to marry her because he loved her and for no other reason.
Not twelve hours ago, she’d been in his arms and uttered the very words that put up a roadblock to him asking her now.
You’re the first person to see past my family. The only guy who is with me for me. You don’t want or need anything from me, and I appreciate that more than you know.
She wouldn’t appreciate it if he asked her to marry him so he could get access to the money to fund the clinic. Not at all.
If he told her what happened here today, she might offer to marry him in order to help him achieve his goal, but then she’d never know that he was marrying her because he loved her.
He did, but even he knew they needed more time to cement their relationship. And he’d never take something as important as knowing she was loved away from her. Which meant she could never know that his father had offered him the money with these strings attached. All he could tell Bri was that his parent had turned him down, and after meeting Martin Northfield, she’d have no trouble believing he could do something that cruel.
Son of a bitch, he thought, pissed at his father for fucking up the best thing in his life and putting him in a position of having to give up the clinic, leaving it to Braden to handle alone. Of course, he could go to the bank and attempt to take out a loan, and he would, but he didn’t have enough credit to fund what he needed. Only his trust fund had that kind of money, and it was within his father’s discretion to turn him down. Unless he got married and knocked up his wife.
Fucking perfect, he thought in disgust. If and when he had children, he swore he’d never use them, treat them like a commodity, blackmail them, or give them anything less than unconditional love and support.
And the same with the woman he loved.
Chapter Seven
For the next few weeks, Bri lived in a state of bliss in her relationship with Hudson. They saw each other at work, sneaking moments alone in her office when they could, and began alternating sleeping over at his apartment and her house, though recently they’d just begun using her house as their base. He brought things over and left them there. Her bathroom now had his razor and shaving cream, toothbrush, and shampoo. Who knew a man could be fussy about his hair care, she mused, enjoying having him in her personal space.
She grinned as she dressed for her mother’s birthday party they were attending this afternoon. All had been quiet in her work world, no player crises to handle, but Hudson had gone to the stadium to treat some of the players.
He was doing his best to push forward with clinic plans despite having been turned down by his father, who’d refused to release the principal of the trust fund money. So Hudson was busy making appointments with a bank to apply for a loan, and he and Braden were discussing bringing on investors to make their dream a reality.
She had a plan of her own to help him, but she’d wanted the money she hoped to raise to be a surprise, and she intended to fill him in after they returned from the party at her mother’s house.
Hudson walked into the house just as she’d entered the kitchen. He dropped his keys in the dish she left for that purpose near the front door and strode up to her, planting a long, deep kiss on her mouth.
“Mmm,” she said as he lifted his head. “Do that again.”
“My pleasure.” He snaked his arm around her, pulling her close and closing his lips over hers.
The kiss sent tremors of awareness sizzling up her spine. She could get used to this, Hudson coming home to her every day, them living in a real home that they made together. In fact, she wanted a future with him with every fiber of her being.
“I love you,” she said, shocked when the words came out of her mouth.
He blinked, his eyes opening wide.
“I… You don’t have to say it back. I just… It slipped,” she said, her face hot with embarrassment.
He cupped her face in his strong hands. “Did you mean it?” he asked, his voice gruff, his expression vulnerable. Unless she was misreading him, which she didn’t think she was.
Swallowing hard, she decided to go with the truth. No pain, no gain, as the athletes who surrounded her liked to say. And Hudson had given her no reason not to have hope.
“I do.” Her heart pounded so fast in her chest it hurt.
His features softened, those sexy lips turning up in a smile. “Good because I love you, too.” His lips came down har
d on hers again, his tongue slipping into her willing mouth as he backed her against the nearest cabinet.
They devoured each other, their kisses hot, their bodies grinding against each other to the point where her panties grew damp enough that she knew either they stopped or they’d end up in bed. Which she wanted desperately, but they didn’t have the time.
With regret, she pulled away. “If we keep this up, we’ll miss the party.”
He frowned but released her, taking a few steps back and catching his breath. “I need to shower and then I’ll be ready.” His gaze skimmed over her outfit, a pair of fitted black pants and a pink scoop-neck top that tucked into the thick waistband.
“You look great.” His eyes darkened as they met her gaze, and he inched closer again.
She held up a hand, stopping him before they ended up with their hands all over each other. Again. “Go shower,” she said halfheartedly. Because he’d said he loved her, too, and she really wanted to take the time and enjoy the moment.
“Later,” he promised in that deep voice she adored. He jogged out of the kitchen, and a few minutes later, she heard the running of the shower.
Smiling, she stopped in the bathroom and checked her makeup in the mirror. Some gloss and she’d be okay. Then she grabbed her mother’s present and slipped on her shoes, waiting for him when he joined her, ready to go.
A little while later, they were at her mom’s house along with her entire family. Bri gave her mom the gift she’d picked out, her favorite perfume in a special-edition bottle she could set on her dresser, and she and Hudson separated as they caught up with different people.
Macy and Jaxon had brought Emma, Macy’s sister, who, after going through a rough patch, was blossoming living with the newly married couple. To Bri, the teenager already felt like part of her family. While she and Macy spoke, her mom grabbed Emma’s hand and dragged her into the kitchen for homemade brownies, and it was obvious Emma basked in the glow of all the mothering she got from Christine. Nothing made Bri’s mother happier than taking in a stray and making them feel at home.
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