With This Ring

Chapter 8

As soon as Dakota collided with Hudson, his feet went out from under him. He twisted his body in an effort to cushion her

fall, which slammed him down on his back. Dakota landed in a heap on his chest, knocking the breath from his lungs.

“Oof,” he grunted.

He raised his head and saw her eyes were still closed. She hadn’t even moved.

“Are you all right?” he asked despite the pain radiating up his back and shoulders.

Her eyes flew open, and she scrambled off him to sit on the floor. Wincing, she rubbed her right knee. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look like it.” He touched her shoulder, and she shifted away from him.

A group of skaters gathered around, and the overhead music stopped.

But Hudson ignored the crowd and kept his focus on his ex. “Do you think you can stand?”

Dakota ignored him and continued to rub her knee.

He struggled to stand on his own, then held his hand out to her. “Take my hand.”

She peeked up at him, hesitating.

Oh, she’s infuriating!

“Dakota, stop being so stubborn and take my hand,” he said, his words measured.

Reaching up, she linked her fingers with his, and he lifted her to her feet.

Kayleigh skidded to a stop beside them. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll help her to a booth,” Hudson said. “Could you find her an ice pack?”

Kayleigh gave him a strange look before hurrying off toward the snack bar.

“Can you skate?” He looped his arm around her waist to hold her steady.

She sucked in a breath, and her dark eyes glittered. “I’m not sure.”

“Do you want me to carry you?” he offered.

She shook her head and gripped his shoulder. “No, I’ll skate.”

“Fine. But take it slow.”

The crowed parted for them, and they slowly made their way to the booths, where he helped her sit. She slid to the far end

and stretched out her right leg, blanching at the movement.

“Do you want me to take you to the ER?” he asked, sitting down across from her.

“No.” She sniffed. “I’m sure it’s just a bad bruise.”

Silence expanded between them, and she kept her focus on her leg.

“Thanks for the gift card.”

She finally met his gaze. “Thanks for helping me. And for the book.”

“Were you able to get the tire fixed?”

Dakota nodded. “Carter Donovan took care of it.”

“I remember him from school.”

Hudson opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted when Kayleigh arrived with an ice pack. “Here you go.”

Dakota placed the ice on her sore knee and winced once again. “I think both my pride and my knee are bruised.”

An unspoken conversation passed between the women, and Hudson sensed Kayleigh’s disapproval. That was his cue to leave.

He slid out of the booth and stood.

“Hud,” Dakota called.

He froze before spinning to face her.

“Did I hurt you when I fell on you?”

For a moment, he studied her gaze. That couldn’t possibly be genuine concern sparkling in her dark-chocolate-colored eyes,

could it?

He moved his hand over the back of his neck, ignoring the pain still radiating up from his lower back. “Nope.”

“You sure? I landed on you pretty hard.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Well...” Her voice trailed off. “Thanks again.”

He nodded before skating away from them.

***

“Did you have fun, Hud?” Jeannie asked, walking through the Flowering Grove Rollerama parking lot between Gavin and Hudson.

Gavin carried Anissa, who was fast asleep with her head resting on her father’s shoulder.

Hudson shrugged. “Yeah. Did you?”

“Oh yeah.” She grinned. “We always have fun here.”

“Glad to hear it.” He glanced back toward the door, looking for any sign of Dakota.

The last time he’d seen her, she was sitting on a stool by the snack bar talking to a few of the teenagers who worked at the

rink. She had taken off her skates and replaced them with black high-top Converse sneakers, and she still held an ice pack

on her knee. He’d considered checking in with her again, but he thought it best to steer clear of her.

Even better, maybe he could forget she even existed.

Yeah, right.

“Did you see the party rooms behind the snack bar?” Jeannie continued. “We should have Anissa’s birthday party here.”

“That’s a great idea,” Gavin agreed.

When they reached Gavin’s four-door Dodge pickup, Hudson shook Gavin’s free hand. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course. We’ll have to do it again,” Gavin told him.

Hudson nodded. “You all drive safe.” He waved and continued to his SUV.

His phone dinged with a text just as he climbed inside. He pulled it from his pocket and found a message from Layla: Tux fitting at Fairytale Bridal Wednesday, 3 p.m.

He stared at his sister’s message. He hadn’t heard from her since their argument on Thursday. He texted back: You okay?

Hudson expected the message bubbles to appear right away, but after several moments, they still hadn’t. He ran a hand through

his disheveled hair. Being on the outs with her was a new feeling, and he didn’t like it at all.

Then the speech bubbles suddenly appeared.

I’ll be okay when you have some respect for my fiancé.

Hudson rubbed his eyes. His sister was always so dramatic. He responded: Does that mean you and Shane are paying for the wedding now? Should I plan to only cover the cost of my own tux?

When his phone lit up with her number, he answered it.

“Is that your idea of an apology?” she asked.

“Not exactly.”

She was silent, but he could almost hear her seething over the phone. “How about this? We agree to disagree. I think you’re

a jerk, and you disagree.”

“Layla—”

“Look, are you getting a tux or what? Are you going to give me away, or should I ask Aunt Trudy to walk me down the aisle?”

“You still haven’t told me who’s paying for this shindig.”

“If you’re going to treat my fiancé and me like children, then I guess we’ll be paying. That’s all you care about anyway.”

Her voice sounded thick. “You really embarrassed me at dinner with his family. I can’t believe you did that to me.”

Hudson leaned back, allowing his head to hit the seat behind him. “I was only speaking the truth.”

“Well, you could’ve been a whole lot nicer and less snobby.”

“So you think I’m a snob?”

“Yes, a very big one.” She sniffed.

He looked out the window toward the line of cars heading out of the parking lot. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

“There’s a simple fix for that. Stop being a jerk.”

They were both quiet for a moment.

“Are you going to give me away or not?” she finally asked.

He blew out a puff of air and debated how best to convince her to see things from his point of view. Fighting obviously wasn’t

working. “Of course I’ll give you away.”

“And you’ll go to the tux fitting?”

“Yes, I’ll go to the tux fitting.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “And what about the wedding? Should I send you a receipt for the down payment on the country club, so you and Shane can discuss making payments to me?”

She was quiet.

“Does your silence mean you need me to pay for the wedding?”

“I still don’t like how you embarrassed me in front of Shane and his family.”

“And I still don’t think you need to rush into this. You should take your time and get to know him better.”

“Like I said—what if we agree to disagree?” she asked.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

“Good. And bye,” she said before the line went dead.

Shaking his head, he started his SUV. What on earth would help his sister see the light?

***

Dakota hurried over to the front counter of her store as the phone rang Wednesday afternoon. “Fairytale Bridal, this is Dakota.

How may I help you?”

“Hello,” a woman said. “My daughter is getting married in July, and she’s looking for yellow bridesmaids’ gowns. Do you have

any yellow dresses?”

“Yes, ma’am. We have almost every color you can imagine.”

“Now, when you say you have every color I can imagine, does that mean you have butter yellow?”

“I sure do. Different styles too. Would you like to make an appointment to come and see them?” She balanced the receiver on her shoulder and peered out the window just as a gray Infiniti SUV pulled into a spot in front of her store. Uh-oh. That can’t possibly be...

Hudson climbed out of the vehicle and stood on the sidewalk.

Her eyes rolled heavenward. Not again.

Maybe he was going to Swanson’s Hardware. Surely he needed something from there and hadn’t come downtown just to see her.

“Now, you’re positive you have butter yellow?” the woman continued. “I don’t mean citrine or oatmeal. I need butter yellow, specifically.”

Dakota forced her lips into a smile despite the woman’s condescending tone. “I’m sure I have butter yellow in several styles.”

Out on the sidewalk, Hudson turned toward the hardware store and spoke to another man. She shifted to see the other man’s

face but couldn’t from her angle at the counter.

The woman harrumphed. “Now, you understand that I need butter yellow, right? We’ve been to several stores, and they tried

to sell us canary and lemon chiffon.”

“I understand completely.” Dakota brushed her hand over her forehead. “I’m sure I have what you need, ma’am. When would be

a convenient time for you to come in and see our selections?”

She knew Shane Simpson had an appointment for a tux fitting at three o’clock today. Had he invited Hudson to join him? She

pulled her schedule up on her computer and found that both Shane and Hudson were listed at three. Had Skye added Hudson to

the appointment and forgotten to tell her?

The bell above the door dinged, welcoming Shane into the store with Hudson right behind him.

Oh no.

She lifted her chin and gave Hudson her best aloof expression while also trying not to stare at him. He was clean-shaven and

wore a dark-gray Henley shirt with a snug pair of jeans.

Shane stood to the side, his countenance grave. He folded his arms over his chest, and tension radiated in the room. It seemed the two men weren’t happy to see each other, which she found curious.

Dakota held up her finger, indicating she would be off the phone soon, and Shane nodded before crossing to the display of

tuxedos. Hudson remained near the jewelry counter, where he perused a row of cufflinks. Yes, they were definitely avoiding

each other.

“Now, you’re certain you have butter yellow?” the woman asked yet again, bringing Dakota’s focus back to her tedious phone call. “I don’t mean

sunflower or bumblebee yellow.”

Dakota took a deep breath and mustered up all the patience she had. She had nearly every possible shade of yellow, and as

much as she didn’t appreciate the woman’s attitude, she needed the sale. “Ma’am, I’m positive that I have the color you’re

looking for. Now, when would you and your daughter like to come in?”

“Friday at ten works for us. We’d like to get these dresses in the works. July will be here before you know it, and my daughter

has fourteen bridesmaids. You know how it is when you’re in a sorority.”

Fourteen bridesmaids! Excitement rushed through Dakota. This could be the financial break she’d been waiting for. “Yes, ma’am. I sure do.” Her

hands shook as she booked the appointment, taking the woman’s information before hanging up the phone and turning her attention

to Shane and Hudson.

“Sorry about that.” She touched her hair, hoping her French braid was still intact and presentable.

“No problem,” Shane said, but his sour expression indicated otherwise. Maybe he wasn’t thrilled to be here. Or perhaps his

issue was with his future brother-in-law.

She grabbed her clipboard, a measuring tape, and a pencil from under the counter before looping the tape around her neck and join ing Shane by the display of suits. “Do you know what style of tux you’d like?”

Shane gave her a helpless look before pointing to the framed poster of a man in a traditional tuxedo. “Layla said she’s fine

with regular ol’ black-and-white.”

“Perfect.” She checked a few boxes on her tuxedo order form, then divided a look between the two men. “Who wants to go first?”

A cell phone started to ring, and Shane fumbled for his phone in the back pocket of his jeans. “Sorry. Gotta take this. My

boss.” He rested the phone against his ear and wandered toward the racks of gowns for bridesmaids. “Hey, Ramón.”

“Guess that means I’m first.” Hudson rubbed his hands together, glancing over at Shane and then back to Dakota. “Sorry for

the tension. We should’ve made separate appointments.” He paused. “Layla is just being Layla.”

“Oh.” She hesitated, hoping he’d elaborate. When he didn’t, she wrote his name at the top of the form, forcing her hand to

stop quivering. “What’s your phone number?” she asked, keeping her eyes trained on the piece of paper.

“It’s the same.”

“Sorry,” she snipped, “but I don’t remember it.”

“Right. Why would you?” He rattled it off.

She wrote it down, pretending she hadn’t known it by heart for so many years. “Do you know your neck size?”

He shared the number, which she wrote down.

“Your chest?” She peeked up at him.

He crossed his arms over his middle and told her the number.

“You must have a tailor in New York.”

“I do. I have to look the CEO part.”

She tried not to react to the news that not only did he have a tailor, but also he was an actual CEO. He certainly was successful, which meant he’d gotten everything he’d wanted—all without her. It was obvious that heading to the big city and leaving her behind with a broken heart had been a great decision for him.

He should be so very proud of himself.

“Well, I won’t waste your time if you can tell me all of your measurements.” She poised her pencil. “I’m ready when you are.”

He shook his head. “Cuts can be different for different suits. You should measure me.”

That meant she had to touch him.

Oh boy.

“How’s your knee, by the way?”

She blinked at him, surprised to see his expression was a little softer. “Sore but much better. I’ll be fine before I have

to teach Friday.” She consulted her clipboard. “Let’s start with your overarm measurement. That’s around your chest with your

arms at your sides. But I would imagine you already knew that.”

“Yup.” He stood as directed, and she wrapped the measuring tape around him. Being this close to him was almost too much for

her.

“Do you teach skating at the rink every weekend?”

“On Fridays and Saturdays.” She felt like an idiot for being so flustered when Hudson seemed completely unaffected by her

presence. He obviously had zero attraction to her, which only added to her frustration with herself.

Shane continued to talk on the phone on the other side of the boutique, fully engrossed in a conversation involving bushes,

perennials, and landscape timbers.

“Let’s get your sleeve length,” Dakota said.

She slipped behind him before stretching the tape measure from the base of his neck, over the top of his shoulder, down the

back of his elbow, and over his arm to just past his wristbone.

“You like teaching?” he asked. “Skating, I mean.”

“I do.” She wrote down the measurement. “I need to get your outseam. Would you please stand up there?” She pointed to the platform in front of the wall of mirrors.

Hudson hopped up on it and stood sideways. He started to say something just as the bell above the door rang and Skye rushed

in.

Her niece waved and hurried toward Dakota with her backpack bouncing on her shoulders. “Hi, Auntie.”

“How was school?” Dakota asked her.

“Good.” Skye pointed to the back of the store. “I need to use your computer for a minute.” She hurried toward the door that

led to the office. “Be right back.”

“Take your time,” Dakota called after her.

Hudson looked surprised. “Is that Skye?”

“Sure is.”

“Wow,” he said. “She’s grown up quite a bit.”

“That’s what happens after seven years.” She placed the measuring tape on his hip bone, then ran it down to the top of his

shoes.

“She looks just like you.”

“I hear that a lot.” She bent at the waist to complete the measurement.

“Your store is nice. Classy.”

She stood and picked up the clipboard and pen from the podium. “Thank you.”

“I’m kind of surprised you’re so into weddings since you didn’t give ours a chance,” he snipped.

His comment stung her with such force, she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Grateful she wasn’t facing him,

she gripped the pen, her body quavering. He made her decision to break their engagement sound so much simpler than it was.

It had been the toughest choice she’d ever made in her life. She could still feel the crack in her heart to this day.

Dakota declined to respond and instead tried to shake off her anger. She wrote down the measurement and took a ragged breath to steady herself.

The bell above the door rang, and she fixed her face with a smile. When she turned toward the door, she froze at the sight

of Parker walking in.

His light-brown hair was shaggy, as if he’d missed a few haircuts, and his dark eyes twinkled in the fluorescent lights. He

was stocky, and when she wore heels, they stood at the same height. He gave her a wave and a hesitant smile. “Hi, Dakota.”

“Parker, what are you doing here?” she asked as he came to stand in front of her.

He scratched his throat. “Would you think less of me if I admitted I’ve been waiting with bated breath for you to text?” Color

tinged his cheeks. “I thought maybe if I came to see you in person, we could actually plan another date.”

“You came here to ask me out?” she asked, certain she could feel Hudson’s eyes burning into her back.

“Yeah.” Parker gave a nervous laugh. “So... when can we go out again?”

Dakota hesitated. “I-I’m with a customer right now.” She stole a glance at Hudson, whose eyes were narrowed. Then she met

Parker’s eager gaze. “I’ll text you after I close tonight, and we’ll make definite plans. Does that work?”

Parker’s face lit up with a smile. “Great. I’ll look forward to it.”

As he headed out the door, she spun to face Hudson again. He was watching her with an expression that seemed to be somewhat

stunned. Good. He deserved to be off-balance after his heartless comment. She couldn’t stop her smile. “I’m sorry about that

interruption. Do you still wear a size eleven shoe?”

He stared at her as he stepped down from the platform. “Yeah.”

She chose a shiny black pair from the display and brought them over to him. “Try these.”

He sank onto a nearby chair and pulled off his sneakers. “I meant to grab a pair of dress socks before I left the house this

morning, but I forgot.”

“One sec.” Dakota slipped into the hallway behind the showroom and grabbed a pair of the thin socks she offered to customers

off the shelf.

Skye rushed over to her. “Do you need my help?”

“No, thanks. I’ve measured Hudson, and when Shane is done with his phone call, I’ll take care of him too.”

“I’ve watched you do it a hundred times, Auntie. Let me try it for once.” Skye folded her hands. “You can trust me.”

Dakota shook her head. “I promise I’ll show you soon, okay? I’ve got it this time.”

Skye’s posture wilted, and her lips formed a straight line.

Dakota nodded toward the workroom. “Would you please bring out the gowns I finished steaming earlier? They’re in the wardrobe

bags on the rack to the right.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” She returned to the front, where Hudson sat on the chair, scrolling through his phone. Shane stood by the platform,

off his call and ready for his turn. Again, neither man interacted with the other, as if they were strangers instead of future

brothers-in-law.

She handed Hudson the socks. “Let me know how the shoes feel.” Then she turned to Shane. “Are you ready?”

She quickly recorded Shane’s measurements, then gave him his own pair of shoes to try on. Then they all three walked to the

counter together.

While she rang them up, Skye came out to the floor and started adding the restored gowns to the racks. Her expression appeared irritated while she worked.

Dakota calculated the tickets and told them the total.

“I’ll pay for both.” Hudson had his black credit card on the counter in a flash.

Shane speared him with a look. “I don’t need you to pay for my tuxedo,” he groused.

“I said I’d pay for the wedding. That means all of it.” Hudson handed Dakota the card. “Charge me for both.”

“No.” Shane handed Dakota his own card.

Dakota paused, an awkward silence surrounding the men. Taking the easiest path, she ran both cards and printed their receipts,

which they each signed.

“My groomsmen and my dad plan to come within the next week,” Shane said, pushing the signed receipt toward her.

“Fantastic.”

The men slipped their receipts and cards back into their wallets.

“Thank you for your business,” she told them.

Hudson nodded and followed Shane toward the door.

She kept her eyes on the front window as Hudson said something to Shane. Both men glowered while they seemed to share a heated

discussion. Curiosity niggled at her, and she contemplated the tension and their disagreement about the payments. Shane wasn’t

a fan of Layla’s older brother, and boy, would she love to know the story behind their fallout.

“You okay, Auntie?”

Dakota turned to where her niece sat on a stool. “Yeah. Why?”

“You seem, like, really preoccupied.”

“The taller man who just left? Well...” Dakota swallowed. “He’s Layla’s older brother.” She paused. “And also my ex, Hudson

Garrity.”

“I thought he looked familiar. He came to all of my dance recitals with you when I was little.”

Dakota turned her attention to straightening the counter and filing the receipts, hoping Skye would drop the subject.

“What exactly happened between you two?”

Dakota shrugged as if it was no big deal at all. “We grew apart.” She picked up the socks Hudson used, then turned around

and saw Skye on her phone. “Who are you texting?”

“Gunner.” Skye kept her eyes focused on her phone, her thumbs moving swiftly over the digital keyboard.

“But you’re at work.”

“I know, but there’s not a ton going on here.” She looked up, her brow pinched. “When are you going to let me do more than

clean, move the inventory, and update the website?”

“I promise I will someday soon.”

“But when, Auntie? I’m smart enough to take measurements and help customers pick out gowns and tuxes. You need to trust me.”

Dakota reached for her arm. “I do trust you. I just need the time to teach you, and right now I don’t have it. I promise I

will after we get through the fiasco with the damaged gowns.”

Skye moved her arm out of reach. “You just want to control things. Is that it? Dad always says you’re stubborn like Grandpa,”

she retorted.

“I suppose stubbornness runs in the Jamison family,” Dakota said with a sigh.

“Have you thought any more about adding the online sales?”

Dakota shook her head. “No, not yet. Maybe soon.”

“Fine.” Skye headed back toward the office, but Dakota could tell her niece was disappointed. Guilt overshadowed her. How

long until her business would be out from under its dark cloud?