My man.
“You shouldn’t have brought her,” I said. “I didn’t want her in the cargo like that.”
Hudson squatted down in front of me and reached for my hands, pulling them each against his lips in a kiss. “She didn’t fly in cargo. She flew in a private jet. I didn’t want to stress her out, but I knew you probably needed her.”
The tears pricked and then began falling in earnest. “I did. I did need her. But I needed you more.”
I lurched into his arms, damned near bowling him over. He held me tight and stood up, whispering words of love and reassurance in my ears that only made me cry more.
“Shut up, you’ll make my eyes puffy,” I said.
“No amount of crying will make you less beautiful, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I’m sorry about Devlin. So sorry. And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“You’re not dead in a crash?” I asked, a poor attempt to lighten the mood.
He shook his head. “Not for lack of trying. I hope you don’t want to go home anytime soon, because I’m not sure I can handle getting back on a plane right now.”
Home.
The way my heart lurched, I knew his words were spot-on. Hobie was my home now, and I hoped like hell it was his too.
“Home?” I asked.
“How’s Devlin?” He was nervous as if preparing for the worst.
“He’s going to be okay,” I assured him. “But why… Hudson, why are you really here? You came all this way. I still can’t believe you’re here.”
His eyes blinked frantically as the babbling began in earnest. “I… I wanted to have everything planned before I told you… and… and I wanted to have the money in place to give you everything… the pub, the… the tap ring… it’s yours, and I know this is a bad time to talk about it but I quit my job, but that doesn’t mean you have to be okay with everything. I mean, I need you to know it’s fine if you don’t want to do it. Better than fine, honestly. I’ll come here… well, I’ll move here is what I meant to say, with you, and—” He stopped long enough to take a breath.
As for me, the air had left my lungs right around the part where he’d said he’d quit his job.
Hudson glanced around at the crowd of people staring at him before turning back with a nervous grimace. His ears were so red they were purple, and I thought he’d never looked more perfect.
“Let me try again,” he said, taking a breath. “I turned down the offer at the firm in Chicago. I quit my job at Ames. I… I left my family. Someone has offered an obscene amount of money for the tap ring I invented. We have options. We can buy the pub in Hobie. We can start a ranch with sheep for Mama. Or we can move here and build our life on the beautiful cliffs at the edge of the sea. I don’t care. No matter what, I plan to follow you around until you get sick of me. And even then, don’t be surprised if I keep turning up like a bad penny. All I care about is being with you.”
They were words I’d waited my whole life to hear, and hearing them from the man who wore commitment like a sacred commandment made me feel fairly certain they’d stick.
“I love you, Hudson. And I want to move to Hobie with you. I really like it there, and the pub needs us.”
Hudson’s face relaxed like he’d been afraid of rejection. If only he knew I’d never reject him again for the rest of his life.
He held my hands tightly and met my eyes. “Irish… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I should have. The fear of not having all the details worked out ahead of time kept me from treating you like an equal partner, and I’m so sorry.”
He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips, whispering, “I love you.”
Cait sniffed from behind him like a truffle pig. He turned in surprise.
“Oh, hi, Cait. I brought you something,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Looks like you brought Charlie a little something too,” she said with a wink. “I’m happy to see it.”
Hudson reached into his pocket and pulled out something too small for me to see.
“It’s a four-leaf clover. I just found it outside before I walked in. I thought it would be good for the baby.”
“Aw, how sweet, but don’t you want to keep it for luck?” Cait asked.
Hudson reached for my hand and pulled me against his side to wrap his arm around me.
“I’ve got all the luck I need, right here.”
Epilogue
Hudson - Six Months Later
Hudson’s Luck:
I’m lucky enough to get a bit of Irish in me.