Chapter 5 #2
“Soon,” he promised. “But today I want you to meet someone. Someones actually. Molly and Susan Olsen. They’re here on a girl trip.
They lost Molly’s younger brother to cancer nine months ago and reading between the lines, things have been hard with Susan’s husband ever since.
He’s not here with them. Susan decided to bring Molly here for her thirteenth birthday because Molly has always wanted to learn to ski and they don’t live far from Copper Cliffs.
I gave them both lessons a couple of days ago and then again this morning and Molly was going on and on about missing out on a birthday party. ”
We trudged upstairs to the first floor. “That’s so sad about her brother.”
“Yeah, it is, angel.” Hudson led me to a door near the very end of the walkway. “But I’m hoping we can make at least today a little better for them.”
Behind the door I could hear the murmur of conversation and when Hudson knocked on it, it flew open almost immediately.
“Hudson, did we forget something?” an attractive blonde with light green eyes asked. She was dressed in snow trousers but wearing only a T-shirt.
“Hudson!” A cute miniature version of the woman pushed into her mother’s side. She was still dressed in a pink snowsuit. “You’re back.” Her eyes drifted to me and I saw them widen with curiosity.
“Susan, Molly, I want you to meet my woman, Autumn. Autumn, this is Susan and Molly.”
I smiled and shook their hands, reeling from having just been referred to as Hudson’s “woman.” It was so macho mountain man and the feminist in me should have been affronted. The possessive, hungry woman in me, however, won out and wanted to enforce this claim by getting extremely naked with him.
“I know Molly said she was sad not to get a birthday party so I brought Autumn to help out.” He nudged me forward and stood behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders.
“You have in Autumn, Wonder Woman. She can cook, bake, event organize, interior design slash decorate and is literally a stylist to the stars—she styled Skylar Finch.”
Molly’s eyes grew huge at this information while what Hudson was doing suddenly sunk in. “You know Skylar Finch?”
Since it was all over the news anyway and Molly had a “fangirl” light in her eyes I nodded. “She’s dating my brother.”
“You’re Killian O’Dea’s sister!” she practically shrieked, jumping a little. Susan let out a little burst of surprised laughter at her daughter’s reaction.
Hudson dipped his head toward mine and I glanced back and up at him to find him grinning at me. “Think she knows who Skylar Finch is, angel.”
I shook with laughter and turned back to Molly. “I am Killian’s sister.”
“That. Is. So. Cool.”
“So… does that mean you’d be good with Autumn organizing your birthday party, handling catering, decoration, and helping you and your mom find an outfit?”
“Oh my God, yes! Mom, please?” She turned to Susan.
Susan cupped her daughter’s cheek and stared at her in a way that made me feel like she was sad and happy at the same time. “Of course, honey.”
“You good with that?” Hudson asked me.
My smile couldn’t have been bigger. Give a little girl and her mother something good after something so awful had happened to them. Yeah, I was good with that. “I am so in.”
His expression softened to such tenderness I melted into him. “Knew you would be.” He turned his gaze to Susan. “How about I drive you girls into town, you get the supplies you need, we’ll do lunch, and I’ll bring you back up the mountain?”
“Are you an angel?” Susan said, shaking her head in amazement.
Hudson squeezed my shoulders. “Nah, just found myself one.”
I rolled my eyes at his cheesiness as Susan laughed…but inwardly my knees turned to jelly.
“Okay, Mols, go back into the apartment and get changed out of the snow suit.”
“Yay!” Molly did a funny little victory dance. “I’m going to text Addy right now and tell her I just met Skylar Finch’s boyfriend’s sister!” She disappeared into the apartment.
Susan’s eyes were bright when she looked back at us. “I haven’t seen her this engaged or excited since…” Grief darkened her expression. “Well… thank you.”
“Happy to help,” I said, my words low and soft because they were constricted by emotion. I didn’t even know this woman but the pain radiating from her was palpable. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her tight.
She blinked back tears and clapped her hands together. “Let’s talk budget before Molly gets back. Do you think you can do everything on five hundred dollars—including outfits?”
“I can definitely do that.”
Susan let me into the condo so I could get a sense of the space for decorating.
The apartment was open-plan and airy, with a wonderful picture window in the kitchen that looked out over the snow-covered evergreens.
There wasn’t a lot I could do to it interior-wise, other than decorate, but I already had thoughts stewing.
Twenty minutes later, after I hurried back to the inn to grab my purse (even though Hudson told me I wouldn’t need it) and to get my phone so I could text Catie to let her know where I’d be, I walked out into the car park and found Hudson standing by a black Chevrolet Tahoe.
“Nice.” I patted the side of his SUV as I approached him.
He immediately wrapped an arm around me to draw me against him while we waited for Molly and Susan, and I realized that he hadn’t stopped touching me all morning.
It was like he couldn’t help himself and I loved it.
I was a very affectionate person and I liked to be touched and cuddled—probably because I didn’t get a lot of that growing up—and the way I felt when Hudson touched me was akin to that of an addict grateful for her latest fix.
“Thanks. Best SUV for the snow,” he explained.
I nodded but thoughts of his four-by-four were long gone as soon as he pulled me into his embrace. I tipped my head back to look directly into his gorgeous eyes. “How did you know I’d be cool with doing this for Molly and Susan?”
“Everything you told me about what you did for Skylar. And just… you. You’re kind, Autumn. It’s who you are. You have the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
I blushed at the compliment, lowering my gaze. “I’m only doing what anyone would do. Molly and Susan have been through something unimaginable. Anyone would want to help make their day a little brighter.”
“Not just anyone.” He gently raised my chin so I’d meet his eyes.
“Susan’s a good woman, putting her kid before her grief, trying to give her something, remind her that they’re alive and they need to live.
Reading between the lines, her husband hasn’t been able to do that and not having that kind of support after losing a kid…
Well, I can’t imagine. And Molly’s a cute kid.
Always saying please, thank you—appreciative, you know.
But now she’s a kid who knows something she shouldn’t know already—that the people you love can be gone in an instant.
It sucks she learned that lesson so young and that’s something you know about more than anyone. ”
Tears pricked my eyes.
“I wanted to do something for them but what could I do? But you… you can do something for them. And I can drive you safely down and back up the mountain.”
My hands were resting on his chest and as overwhelming emotion flooded me I slid them up to wrap them around his neck. I drew up onto my tiptoes and pressed the softest, sweetest kiss to his lips. When I pulled back I whispered, “Tonight you’re mine, Hudson Ward.”
His grip on me turned almost bruising as his eyes darkened. His voice was hoarse when he replied, “I cannot fucking wait, angel.”
I grinned and lowered down to the soles of my feet. Hudson looked like he wanted to say something more but suddenly Susan and Molly appeared, Molly practically vibrating with excitement.