Chapter 42 HUDSON
HUDSON
The mirror said it all: suit sharp, tie knotted, hair styled within an inch of its life.
I should’ve been a wreck, pacing, sweating, maybe throwing up in the bathroom, but I wasn’t.
Not after last night. Not after Matty. I’d slept like a newborn.
I didn’t even know when he’d left last night. Or this morning.
“Hudson, you look disgustingly composed for a man about to get married.” Opie strode in with Lawson trailing behind him. Opie had Ms. Cluck tucked under his arm like a bouquet of feathers, the hen blinking around the room as if she owned the place.
Rowan swiveled, eyes widening. “Oh no. Absolutely not. If that bird poops on my Persian rug, Opie, I swear to every saint above, I’ll invoice you for cleaning and make it triple the cost.”
“She’s potty trained,” Opie said smoothly, stroking the hen’s back. “Aren’t you, Ms. Cluck? You’re a lady.”
Rowan pressed a hand to his chest. “A lady? She’s poultry, darling. One clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary away from being Sunday dinner.”
Ope pulled Ms. Cluck back with an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t be barbaric. We don’t eat family.” He turned to me with a grin. “Thanks for letting her participate, Hud, and for all the internet to see how much of a clever hen she is. Means a lot.”
“Let’s just pray she doesn’t see a worm and runs off with the rings,” Rowan’s voice hitched.
“She won’t,” Opie said proudly. “She’s a smart hen, and we’ve been practicing. It’s a great opportunity for her fans to see her in action.”
Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose like he’d aged ten years on the spot. “A hen has more followers than I do on TikTok. The world has gone mad.”
“Don’t worry, Row. I’m sure you’ll be fully booked after the world sees the mastery that is Ms. Cluck. Who knows? Maybe more people will want to book her to perform at other weddings.” He spun around to his husband, who was adjusting his cuffs. “What do you think, Daddy?”
“I think we better get going,” Lawson said, “and not have Matty waiting longer than he has to, like someone made me wait on our wedding day.”
Opie sidled up to him. “Are you saying I wasn’t worth the wait?”
Lawson froze, clearly cornered, then cleared his throat and grinned. “Of course you were worth the wait. I’m happy to wait for you anytime.”
“Nice save.” Opie kissed Lawson. They kissed for such a long time that it felt as if we were intruding.
“Let’s not forget why we are,” Rowan said. “Keep it professional and make out on your own time, please. We have a groom to deliver.”
The doorbell chimed, and we all froze, looking at each other as though trying to figure out who was expecting company.
“I’ll get it,” Opie singsonged, already trotting toward the door with Ms. Cluck.
Rowan, meanwhile, circled me like a hawk, fussing over my tie and tugging at my cufflinks. “We’ve got old, new, and blue,” he muttered, tapping each in turn. “Borrowed, darling? Don’t tell me you forgot borrowed.”
“You can’t see the borrowed,” I said on a groan.
“Hudson!” Opie reappeared in the doorway, his grin gone. “Hudson… we’ve got a problem.”
My gut clenched. “What kind of problem?”
Opie stepped aside, and a man entered. Broad-shouldered, graying at the temples, a cop’s posture in every inch of him. My breath froze in my lungs.
The room dropped ten degrees. I couldn’t move.
Justin’s steel-gray eyes met mine, steady but tired. “Hudson.”
Rowan’s gasp was so loud, it bordered on theatrical. “I knew it.” He was actually clutching his heart. “I knew it. I forbade you from seeing the groom before the wedding day, and you didn’t listen. Now look what you’ve caused? The side piece shows up to ruin everything!”
Justin’s gaze flickered over to Rowan, and his mouth twitched at my wedding planner’s theatrics.
“Side piece?” I groaned. “Row, that’s my brother.”
“Oh.” Rowan blinked, his face filling with color. “My mistake. Continue.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Justin said. “But you think we can talk?”
I squared my shoulders and exhaled heavily. If I didn’t see him, I would wonder throughout the wedding ceremony about the reason he came. I didn’t have much of a choice. “Fine. We can talk in the guest bedroom, but you’ve got ten minutes. I’m getting married shortly.”
“Are you sure he’s the brother?” I overheard Rowan whispering just before we entered the bedroom and closed the door behind us.
“Interesting friends you have,” Justin said.
“Yeah, they’re the best.”
They won’t leave you to fend for yourself when you’re in a lurch.
“You look good.”
“Thanks.” The word scraped my throat. I wished I could say the same for him. Oh, he still had that rugged, handsome look going on, but his eyes seemed tired. “How’s your wife?”
His mouth tightened. “Divorced. Two years now.” He plucked an imaginary piece of lint from his pants. “But I’m sure your wedding won’t end up like mine.”
“It won’t,” I said, steel in my tone.
“That’s good, then.”
Enough. I dragged a hand down my face. “Cut the small talk, Justin. Why are you here?”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. Held it out between us. “I came on behalf of Mom and Dad. They wanted me to give you this.”
I took it, frowning. The flap opened easily, and inside lay a check with more zeros than I’d seen in one place in years.
A laugh burst from me, bitter and sharp. “So what, Mom thinks money’s gonna fix everything now?”
Justin’s jaw ticked. “I didn’t come here to stir up old memories.
Maybe things could’ve been handled better back then, but believe it or not, we did what we thought we had to for your sake.
You were out of control, Hud. Nothing we said, nothing we did, got through to you.
If they hadn’t forced your hand… you’d be dead already. ”
I stiffened.
“You might have spent a couple of years behind bars,” he went on, softer now, “but it saved your life. Whether you see it that way or not. And that check? It’s not just money.
It’s your money. Every payment you’ve ever made on that lawsuit.
They’ve been holding it aside for you. For a rainy day.
They didn’t sue you to keep the money, but as long as you had the debt to repay, it meant you would keep working, keep productive. It worked, didn’t it?”
The words hit like blows, one after another. My head spun. My throat worked, but nothing came out. Was what he was saying true? I’d always felt my parents were vindictive, spiteful, and they wanted to keep punishing me because I wasn’t the kind of son they’d wanted.
At the time, I thought I was protecting him. You’ll understand one day, Hudson. You have a daughter now. In time, you’ll see we sometimes interfere more than we should—for their own good.
Emma’s words floated in my head as she’d explained her actions to me the day we visited. Was she right? Would I have to make a choice one day to do something I knew Ivy would hate, but do it anyway for her benefit?
“Mom’s not feeling well,” Justin said after a pause. “That’s why she didn’t come, and Dad won’t leave her side. So… I came. I promised her I would bring it. We know about the Magnusons and how rich they are. She wanted you to have your own wealth as well.”
I stared at the paper, numbers blurring. I shook my head slowly. “I’m getting married. This isn’t the right time for this.”
“Fair enough.” Justin smoothed a hand over his blazer. “Whether you cash it or rip it up, that’s your choice. But I can’t take it back with me.”
“Are you heading back now?” I asked.
He hesitated, the cop mask slipping. “Actually, I was thinking maybe I could…come to your wedding.”
The words knifed through me. I looked at him—really looked—and part of me ached. But this day wasn’t about aching. It wasn’t about the past.
It was about Matty. It was about our future.
I shook my head slowly. “No. I’m sorry, Justin, but this day is supposed to be about me and the future. And the only thing I want to think about is the man I’m about to marry. Seeing your face among our guests would change that.”
His throat bobbed. He nodded once, clipped, like he expected it all along. “All right, then. Can’t say I blame you. Congratulations, little brother.”
I pressed my lips together, the ache inside me pulling in two directions at once. For years, I’d told myself I didn’t care what my family thought. That I’d walked away, that it didn’t matter. But seeing Justin there, so human, so worn down, it cracked something open I didn’t expect.
“Well,” I said quietly, forcing myself to meet his gaze, “maybe when I get back from my honeymoon, we could…have a drink. Or something. You know, if you’re still in town or you don’t mind coming back.”
A flicker lit his eyes, faint but there. His mask shifted just enough for me to glimpse the older brother I remembered. “I can make the trip, and I’d like that,” he said, his voice rougher than before. “I’ll leave you to your big day, then.”
He walked out ahead of me, his shoulders straight, leaving me in the quiet to collect myself. My hand shook as I slipped the envelope into my overnight bag, the one Rowan had insisted I bring for styling today. It felt heavy, like the past itself had been stuffed inside.
I zipped it up and blew out a shaky breath. Today wasn’t about that. Today was about Matty. I had to focus on Matty.
A knock sounded on the door, and Lawson leaned inside, his calm gaze catching mine. “Everything okay? Please say yes, or Rowan’s going to gut your brother for ruining a perfect day.”
I grinned. Knowing Rowan, he would too. He had so much riding on my wedding with Matty. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.” I lifted my chin. “Let’s go get me married.”