Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
2 Days til Christmas 11:23PM
I held my hands out in front of me. “I told you, I’m just here to talk to her. I’m not here to mess with her head, and I sure as hell don’t want to make her cry again.”
All of Ocean’s brothers surrounded me. Well, save for the one that started all of this crap. Quentin was still sitting across the room on one of the couches. Unlike the last time we’d spoken, today his tiger eyes held more of a sleepy, disinterested vibe.
I knew that was just an act.
Maybe he needed to see if he could take over Hollywood too.
But I glimpsed his forefinger tapping the arm of the couch. I wasn’t sure if it was annoyance or straight up contemplation.
The rest of his brothers didn’t hide their emotions. They were protective, which was why I wasn’t ready to poke any of the proverbial bears.
However, I was more worried about the little general pacing in front of me. She’d been welcoming at first, but the additional details she’d pulled out of her brothers had soured her feelings on me.
“And why didn’t you listen to her like a real man the first time?”
I snapped my teeth together. This was definitely a cross-examination. “Because she lied to me and I—” I was hurt, dammit.
But if I was going to get her back, I was going to need to own up to that. I had to put myself on the line for her, and the first step there was her family.
This is who she’d been protecting.
The insolent punk on the couch who thought he needed to act tough. Who’d been in the public eye for so long he probably wasn’t sure who he could trust anymore.
Except Ocean.
And she knew that and knew her role was to make sure he was protected, even above her own needs.
Relaxing my shoulders, I stared right back at Quentin, answering him instead of the spitfire law student in front of me.
“Because now I understand she omitted details about her family because she loves them. Loves them as much as I love and protect my own family.”
Quentin sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he steepled his fingers in front of his lips.
The door flew open behind me and I wanted to spin around.
Wanted to make sure it was Ocean before I said my peace, but all of the Hawkins’ family needed to hear it, anyway.
“I love her. You might think it’s crazy and more lust than sense.”
I could hear Ocean’s eldest brother grumbling from near the fireplace.
“But she’s it for me. It could be three minutes, three hours, three days, or three years—it isn’t going to change.”
“How do you know that?” River asked. Her golden eyes were intense and demanding. “There aren’t enough facts to come to that conclusion.”
“Sometimes it isn’t about facts.” Ocean’s voice came from behind me. “Sometimes it’s about a deep knowing.”
I shut my eyes.
That was it. Exactly it.
A deep knowing that couldn’t be explained, if you trusted your gut.
I turned around to find her in the doorway, her angel-bright hair wild around her face, and those endless blue eyes shining.
“I love you too, Hudson. And I’m so sorry I hurt you. I didn’t trust myself to open up to you.” Slowly, she walked toward me. “I was afraid I’d be wrong again.”
The boulder-sized ball of ice in my chest crumbled. We were all made up of our past mistakes.
But my hurts didn’t have consequences like hers probably did.
“But I can’t keep living for my family. I’m always going to want to protect them, but there’s room for me take something for me too.”
“Of course there is.” Quentin shot up from the couch before I could reply to her.
We both turned to face him. This time, she was by my side. Lightly, she touched my hand with her pinky, and I twined our fingers together.
“You don’t have to protect me all the time, Ocean. I appreciate that you do, and I don’t know how I would have gotten through the last few years without you. But I’m good, I promise.”
She sniffled a little and nodded. “I’m glad. And I’ll always be here for you. But I don’t think I can live on the road with you anymore.” She glanced up at me. “I want to figure out what I am with this guy. Who I am when I’m not only a big sister and a feral guard dog.”
I grinned down at her, brushing her tears away with my thumb. “How about a partner? An equal one at that.”
“That sounds pretty amazing.” She squeezed my hand, before she let me go to hug Quentin. “I’m so proud of you, Q. And I’ll be here for you every step of the way. Just maybe not on that stinky tour bus.”
He laughed and hugged her back. He met my gaze over his sister’s shoulder. “I have an exceptional security team. You mess this up and your body won’t be found.”
Ocean slammed him in the side. “Hey!”
I laughed and drew her back against me. “Understood.”
Rio came up behind Q. “I also know how to break about 43 of the bones in your body with the blade of my hockey stick.”
“Good to know. And I bet your growly brother Kent near the fireplace has things to dismember me or will threaten to toss me in a woodchipper.”
Kent grunted. “I didn’t think about the chipper. Good one.”
Levi had wandered off and came back in with cookie. “Well, I’ve got arson covered. I know how to start a fire without accelerant.”
“That’s great,” I said dryly. “None of my brothers are so murderously inclined.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure.” Ocean laughed as she wrapped her arms around my middle, resting her cheek against my chest.
River linked her arm through Quentin’s. “And I could get all of them off in court if it ever got that far.”
“The Hawkins clan is kinda terrifying,” I said, firming my grip around Ocean.
Ocean patted my chest. “Don’t you forget it.”
“Not a chance.”
Ocean went on her tiptoes to kiss me. “Now scram, I want a few minutes alone with Hudson,” she said to the room.
“Do not defile the couches again. I’m running out of throw blankets to cover them,” Q said morosely.
I laughed and drew Ocean into the living room by the tree.
“These cookies are awesome, man.” Levi flashed one of the gingerbread flat rectangle cookies I’d decked out like a fireplace. “Think you could make some with my firehouse’s logo? They’d get a kick out of them if I sent them to the station.”
I laughed. “I think I can make that happen.”
“Sweet.” He grinned. “Welcome to the family, Hudson.”
Ocean gave her a brother a pointed glance. “Oh, I forgot to mention. There’s actually two more just like Hudson.”
I laughed and gave her a quizzical look.
“I went by your parents’ house and met Finn and Lennox.” She winced. “Tossed myself right into Lennox’s arms.”
“Is that right?”
“Wait, what?” River came over and stole one of the smaller snowflake cookies on Levi’s plate.
“I’m a triplet,” I said with a shrug.
“Oh my God, really?” River tapped the edge of her cookie against her lips. “Would it be weird to ask for their?—”
“Yes,” Ocean and I both said in unison.
“Okay, okay.” River went on her toes and kissed Levi’s cheek then Ocean’s. She shrugged, then she gave me one too. “Merry Christmas Eve! Hope there’s some presents under that tree tomorrow.”
“That’s Christmas Day,” Ocean said patiently.
“Fine.” River rolled her eyes. “Night, guys.” She dragged Levi along with her.
Kent waited for all his siblings to climb the stairs and then he gave me one last hard look before he followed suit.
“So, is your dad going to be worse than your brothers?”
Ocean laughed and kicked off her boots beside the couch to tuck her green fuzzy socked feet under her. “Actually, my dad is mostly a teddy bear. I think you made it through the worst of the Hawkins gauntlet.” She tipped her head. “Do you know how to skate?”
“Dear God, I am not going on the ice with you people. I’ll get murdered.”
She inched closer to me. “I’ll teach you how to skate, sweetie.”
“Not in this lifetime.”
She took my hand and wrapped both of her cool ones around it. “I really am sorry, Hudson. It wasn’t you who I didn’t trust with the info, it was actually me. I was with someone a few years ago who used me for my status. Who I could get near, thanks to Q. I think it stayed with me longer than I realized.”
“That’s not me, Angel.”
She nodded. “I know. I’ve always known. But my default is to protect my family, and I guess that includes myself.”
I drew her onto my lap. She straddled me and pressed her face into my neck. Her warm breath helped relax me for the first time in days.
“So, you’re not going to work for Quentin anymore?”
She sat back. “Looks like it. I’ve been thinking about how I could tell him for a while now. I don’t think I actually knew I was going to do it until you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Oh, I definitely do. Chicago is a pretty amazing city. If you’ll have me.”
I toyed with her fingers. “Are you sure you want to hook yourself to me?”
“I mean, I’m the one coming to you without a job. I do have a healthy nest egg though.”
I laughed. “I don’t care about the money. I have a good bit of savings myself, enough that I think I want to start over too.”
She lifted her hand to my face, cupping my cheek. “What? You don’t want to go back to Chicago?”
“I really don’t. I’m a local guy, but this town…” I turned to press a kiss into her palm, then I grinned. “There’s something about Crescent Cove. I want to build a life here with you. I’ve missed being around my family. Even Finn is talking about moving here.”
“I feel it too. And I’d love that. We’ll figure it out together.”
“The best thing that ever happened to me was that snowstorm. Oh.” I leaned in and kissed her quickly, but the taste of her after a few days away had me lingering.
She lifted her hands to cup my face, kissing me back.
I groaned into her mouth. “Wait. I have something for you.”
“You sure do.” She let one hand drop to my lap to cup me through my jeans.
I caught her hand and kissed it. “I would really like to continue that, but you have a fleet of brothers upstairs that just started maybe liking me.”
“They’re coming around.” She grinned. “But you’re right.” Then her eyes sparkled. “What do you have for me?”
I inched to the edge of the cushion and set her next to me. “Be right back.”
She curled up into the corner of the couch and I could imagine that exact scene for the rest of my life. Complete with a massive Christmas tree backlighting her soft cloud of hair.
Would our kids have her hair?
Or my gnarly curls?
Maybe even blond curls. The possibilities were endless.
Quickly, I jogged over to where River had hung my coat. I took the box out of the pocket and brought it back to her.
She took the box with a little frown between her brows. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“You got me more than enough. A whole brand-new life, even if you come with some scary siblings.”
With a laugh, she slowly tugged apart the bow. “It’s almost too pretty to open.” She bit her lower lip. “Almost.” She set the top of the box on the arm of the couch and then she sucked in a breath. “Oh, Hudson.”
She pulled out the fragile chain with the aquamarine snowflake pendant and her eyes filled again.
“The snowstorm really did bring me everything. I saw that while helping my brother shop for Ellie today.” I cleared my throat. “She’s Cal’s wife.”
She laughed and a few of the tears brimmed and slid down her cheeks. “Ellie was how I found your parents’ house.” She held out the necklace. “Can you put it on me?”
After I took it from her, she twisted around and held up her hair.
I unhooked the clasp—it was intricate and actually locked so the necklace wouldn’t be lost. I put it on her, then I kissed the back of her neck. She sighed and bowed her head. I couldn’t help going in for another taste before I slid my fingers through her silky hair to help it settle back around her shoulders.
She looked down at the pendant then she turned in my arms, wrapping herself around me. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
“I’ll remind you of that when I’m freaking out about leaving my job.”
Her laughter was a balm I never knew I needed.
Everything was going to be all right now that I had her back in my arms.
“Merry Christmas, Ocean.”
“Best Christmas ever.” She eased back enough to cover my mouth with hers.
She tasted of the cool snow that fell outside the window.
I had a feeling I would be thankful for winter for the rest of my days.
Ocean snuggled in against me, her cheek on my chest. “I love you. I don’t think I’m going to tire of saying that, by the way.”
“I hope not, Angel. I’m never going to get tired of hearing it.”