29. PROFESS
TWENTY-NINE
profess
Enzo
Ispent the entire day itching to get back to Pippa. Meetings stretched longer than they needed, fires popped up out of nowhere that only I could put out. Each hour, another small irritation surfaced—another reminder I wasn’t where I wanted to be.
As I enter Pippa’s apartment, I breathe deeply. It smells like tea and clean laundry and something baked. Vanilla, maybe?
Comfort, distilled.
She is curled up on the couch in leggings and an oversized sweater, cozy socks, hair loose, cascading down her back. No armor. She’s never looked so at ease.
Beautiful. Bella.
She gave Hudson and me the code to the building and a key each this morning before we left. It feels like coming home. She looks up from the couch, unfazed, a smile on her face.
I’m unable to wait another minute to have her in my arms. After texting her entirely too many times today, I wasn’t sure if she would be annoyed when I arrived, but she rises from the couch and embraces me as enthusiastically as I embrace her.
“You look great, bella.”
“I feel great,” she whispers.
I pull back and look down at her face. I take her face in my hands, rub my thumb across her cheek, staring into her eyes. She looks rested and content. She reaches up and gives me a soft kiss.
“I made cookies.”
“What kind?”
“Italian lemon cookies,” she says with a mischievous grin.
I groan. “Those are my favorite.”
“I know.” Her smile stretches. “Eva told me.”
“She did?” I ask, surprised. “I’ll have to thank her. I had no idea you baked.”
“Oh, I don’t.” she laughs. “But I found a popular recipe online and it seemed simple enough. Baking and chemistry have a lot in common.”
I chuckle. “I believe that.”
“Don’t worry, I tested a few and they’re not poisonous.”
“If you’re telling me my little chemist mastered lemon cookies on your first go, I may put you to work in the kitchen with Marco.” I squeeze her hips.
A key turns in the front door lock with a click.
Hudson drops his keys in the bowl by the door like he’s done it a million times. I watch the casualness of the motion and feel something settle in my chest—belonging.
“How’re you feeling?” Hudson crosses the room.
“Tired,” she admits, “but okay.”
I kiss her temple and then pass her to Hudson so they can embrace. She leans into him without thinking, like her body already knows this is safe. We fall into place easily. Hudson on one side, me on the other.
I tell Hudson that Pippa made lemon cookies. He’s even more excited than me.
I plant a kiss on him, as well. His enthusiasm over these simple pleasures draws me to him like a moth to a flame.
“I quit today,” Pippa says suddenly.
Hudson blinks. “You what?”
She huffs a laugh. “Cramden called, angry I wasn’t at work. Said Jake complained to him about my ‘behavior’ last night. Apparently, I was rude and embarrassed him. Poor little guy.”
My jaw tightens.
“I told Cramden exactly what kind of man Jake is. Then, I told him I wasn’t going to work for someone who protects that kind of behavior. And I hung up.”
Hudson exhales. “Good.”
I echo him. “Good.”
Pippa retrieves the cookies and we make ourselves drinks before moving to the larger couch together. Pippa is situated in the middle.
I take one bite of a cookie and moan loudly.
Hudson does the same, adding curses under his breath, very him.
“Boys. Those noises are doing things to me, stop.” She laughs.
I stare at her with desire.
Pippa teasingly waves me off. She really is lighter.
I didn’t know what I’d come home to today, but I didn’t expect this. She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her—no mask, no armor, no pretense, no need for the fire or fight that I’ve come to expect from her.
“Do you plan to do more baking with your free time?” Hudson asks as he grabs his third cookie.
“Enzo thinks I should work with Marco,” she reports.
We all laugh at Hudson's enthusiastic support of that idea.
“Eva and I were texting,” she says.
Hudson and I exchange a glance at that. My sister and my girl getting closer. I love it.
“I think I want to go to medical school and work at a women’s clinic, helping victims—something like that.
Eva was helping me research programs and clinics.
She was really supportive.” Her smile is easy.
A beat passes before she adds, “Or I could just rest—for, like, the first time in my life. But that kind of feels illegal.”
Hudson smiles. “You’ve earned rest.”
“I know.” She glances between us. “I just don’t know how yet.”
“You’ll learn,” I say. “We’ll help you rest. And we’ll help you do whatever you want to do next. Not that you need our help…“
“I might not need your help, but I appreciate the support. Going back to school in my thirties seems like a bit much, but I was looking at the MCAT material this afternoon and I think it could be—” she trails off.
“Great! It’d be fucking amazing, Pippa,” Hudson says, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her cheek.
“You’ll make a great doctor,” I add, kissing her other cheek.
She blushes at the praise. I lock that away. Not much makes Pippa Saint James blush, but something tells me she hasn’t received nearly the praise in life she deserves. That changes today.
Hudson shifts and I sense a topic change. “Marsden officially put me on the task force with Jax. I’ll be helping him and Luna find Sophie.”
Pippa’s eyes widen. “That’s…good.”
“It is,” he says. “I don’t want Luna running that alone—not with that asshole Volkov involved.”
“Thank you,” she says.
“Of course,” he whispers.
“But I thought you wanted to quit soon,” she says.
“I’ll give my notice after that bitch Sophie is dead or behind bars.”
I inform them about my meeting with Vale. He seemed antsy and frazzled at our meeting. Troy’s death rattled him more than I expected for a man of his power and prestige. He mentioned California and two other clients called to tell me they’d be in California next week, too.
We all agree that something big will be going down in Hollywood in one week’s time.
“I wonder if any of Jules’s clients might be heading West, too.”
Pippa furrows her brow, unsure. “We’ll ask her tomorrow.”
There’s a pause. A quiet one that holds weight and takes up space.
We just closed one huge chapter for Pippa and her sisters, but we know threats still lurk around every corner. No matter how much we each want to step away, we have to stay in this until everyone we care about is safe.
“I talked to Eva,” I begin again.
They both look at me expectantly.
“She’s supportive. About—About my stepping away from the family business. She agreed Niko and Luca are ready,” I continue. “They’ll step up, take over, and still provide our family with protection. I’m going to talk to them tomorrow—once Niko’s back from Virginia.”
Hudson’s eyes soften. “You sure?”
“I am.” And I mean it. “I can’t do this forever. I don’t want to. Besides, I can keep the real estate holdings. They’ll keep me plenty busy.”
Pippa reaches for my hand and squeezes. “We’ll help you. All of us.”
“I know.”
We talk logistics then—six months, maybe a year—but Sophie’s demise comes first.
Hudson grabs Pippa’s hand, pulling her closer to him on the couch.
She snuggles into him.
I lean back on the opposite arm of the couch, taking them both in. They are gorgeous.
Together, separately—just stunning. And I can’t believe they’re mine.
The thought comes fully formed, terrifying and simple: “Move in with me.”
They both still.
“There’s plenty of space. Room to breathe. Room to plan. It’s safe. I know both of your apartments are safe, but I—I just—” I take a breath. “I want you both with me. All the time. I don’t want to be apart more than when necessary.”
Pippa swallows.
Hudson doesn’t look away from me. His eyes are shimmering. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
A beat.
Pippa sits straighter. “I think that makes sense for the two of you. Definitely. I mean Hudson would probably already be living there if it weren’t for his work at the FBI. And I appreciate you including me, but—”
“But what?” I challenge.
“It’s…it’s so, fast. I mean, Enzo, you and I were at each other’s throats a week ago.”
“I barely remember that,” I say with a small smile.
Hudson grabs her hand again. “Pip, do you think Enzo and I aren’t as committed to you as we are to each other?”
She looks at him for a long moment, then back to me. She takes a long, slow, inhale. “It’s not that. Not really. I mean, maybe a little. I’ll never have the shared history you two have. But that’s not what bothers me.”
“Then what is it?” I ask.
“I just never pictured myself…settled. Domestic? Me? It seems—”
Hudson laughs a deep, belly laugh. It causes me to laugh a little and even Pippa cracks a big smile.
“What’s so funny?” she asks, clearly knowing the answer already.
“No one can domesticate you, baby, but I get it. If you would have asked me a few weeks ago if Enzo and I—” He starts laughing again.
“Fuck. I was convinced my whole life that this would never happen.” He gestures between him and me.
“I’ve spent half my life pretending to be someone I’m not.
I never considered I could…have any of this.
You’re not the only one feeling off kilter here.
” He throws a wide grin my way. “Things are definitely moving fast.”
I’m worried he’s going to say we should slow down, that we should take it one step at a time—something reasonable.
Instead, he says, “But it feels so fucking right. Doesn’t it? I agree with Enzo. I want to spend as much time as I can with both of you.”
I move closer to them both and place my hand on their already-clasped hands. “I love you, Hudson.”
He reaches across Pippa with his other hand to touch my face. He tells me he loves me, too, and gives me a tender kiss.
I turn to Pippa. “I know it’s soon, you’re right, but I’m with Hudson on this. I’m done questioning myself, my feelings, my wants. I love you and I want you in my home, my bed. I want you to make my house a home.”
“You…love me?” Pippa asks, voice barely above a whisper.