Chapter 43
~Riley~
Well, shit.
I didn’t expect Hudson to apologize to me for getting upset, or for us to get locked outside, and I definitely didn’t expect him to give me his sweater and run out into the snow in the freezing cold so he could let me back in.
I never know what to expect with this man, and I adore that about him.
So, once we were reunited back in the warm house, I couldn’t help it: I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him, forgetting to think about keeping our relationship a secret or who might stumble across us.
Hannah, Lewis, Natalie and Christian are the first faces I see, all staring at Hudson and me in stunned surprise, while others behind them simply look amused at the whole situation.
Victoria is the first to break the silence. “What’s going on here, then?”
Her smirk makes it clear she already has a pretty good idea but everyone else stays quiet, giving us a chance to answer. Hudson’s eyes meet mine and when I don’t say anything, he answers for the both of us.
“I think I got hypothermia outside. Riley just saved my life by giving me mouth-to-mouth.”
Disbelieving laughter breaks out among the group and I smile too, amused as always by his quick thinking.
I also recognize what he’s doing: if I want to make up a story and claim we’re not actually together, he’ll go along with it.
He’s leaving the choice completely in my hands and that, more than anything, tips the scales.
This man deserves a girlfriend who’s proud of him, and damn it, I am.
Linking my arm through his bare one, I face the growing group with all the confidence I can muster. “Hudson and I have been seeing each other for a couple of weeks. We were going to keep it quiet, but I guess that ship has sailed.”
When I glance back over at him, Hudson wears an ear-to-ear grin that melts my heart and confirms I made the right choice. I’m crazy about him and I want everyone to know it.
“How could you keep this from me?” Hannah squeals. “I thought there was something between you guys but then you went off with that other guy in Calgary…”
She trails off as she puts the pieces together.
“There was no other guy, was there?”
I give my head a sheepish shake. “I stayed with Hudson that night.”
“Oh my God! You little sneak!”She pulls me into a hug, and over her shoulder, I can see Blake stalk off in the opposite direction, looking distinctly unhappy with this development.
I’d almost forgotten about her crush on Hudson, but clearly, she hasn’t.
For a second, I wonder if I should go after her, but my attention is quickly diverted when Lewis joins the fray, wrapping his long arms around both me and Hannah.
Others are laughing and teasing Hudson, the conversation bubbling in peaks and dips all around us, and a warm wave of belonging and happiness spreads through my body, filling every inch that had been cold and detached since that morning with Trevor.
Every inch of me says that this is right. This is where I’m meant to be.
Not needing to hide anymore and with no training the next day, Hudson spends the night at my house.
After a lazy morning in bed, we cuddle up on my sofa to watch Christmas movies in the afternoon.
When it’s time for him to head to his parent’s house for Christmas Eve, he lingers at my side, not wanting to break the cozy, happy spell we’ve been under.
“Come with me,” he murmurs into my hair, his lips brushing against my forehead.
“I’m already intruding on your family dinner. They don’t need me there tonight too.”
“You’re not intruding,” he promises. “And they would love to have you there.”
I know he’s right, but I’m right too; his family is far too nice to complain, but they should have some time on their own as a family. Christmas dinner will be enough.
When Hudson finally pulls himself away, extracting a promise from me to come over as soon as I’m ready the next day, I open up my laptop to video call my mom.
Each ring echoes around my empty house. There are no Christmas decorations here; I’ve never decorated, but after the party at Victoria’s house and especially the warm, homey feel of the Baker home, the lack of decoration stands out more than ever before.
The call reaches twenty rings, but I let it continue. My mom is almost always in the middle of something, but she also always has her phone with her. She’ll answer eventually or she’ll send me a message to say she can’t talk. That’s our system.
“Riley.” At last, she answers, and her face appears on the screen, dark eyes and dark, pin-straight hair, beautiful and still youthful in her early 40s. People always mistake her for my older sister on the rare occasions when we go out in public together. “What do you need?”
I keep my wince at the question on the inside.
It makes it sound like I only call her when I need something, which in a way is true.
I learned a long time ago that she isn’t interested in chatting or hearing about my life.
If I have a problem, she’s happy to solve it, but emotional support? That’s never been my mom’s strong suit.
“I don’t need anything. It’s Christmas Eve and I just wanted to say hi.”
As the words come out of my mouth, I question my decision to make the call. Christmas has never been important to my mom, but being around Hudson’s family must have made me forget.
“Is that all?” She glances off-screen, as if there’s something more important she should be doing, just out of my sight.
Reaching for any topic of conversation that might extend the call, I land on the man who just walked out the door. “I also have a new boyfriend.”
That gets her attention. Her eyes return to the screen, making my heart sink as I register the disapproval in them.
“He’s really nice,” I blurt out before she can say anything. “He’s funny and sweet and he has a big, wonderful family. You’d like him.”
Actually, I don’t know that she would. I don’t know my mom well enough to guess her likes and dislikes with any degree of accuracy.
“I’m sure he’s great,” she replies in a tone that suggests she doesn’t believe it at all or simply doesn’t care. “But why do you need to jump into another relationship? You’re a smart, talented woman. You don’t need to define yourself in relation to a man.”
“I’m not,” I protest. “Hudson makes me happy. I don’t need him, but I like being with him.”
“And let me guess: he’s another skater, higher-ranked than you?”
The precision of that statement hits me in the chest, stealing my next breath. “Well, yes, but…”
“And he’s well-established in the club, with a lot of friends along with this ‘big, wonderful family’ you mentioned?”
Each word deflates my spirits a little more. “Yes.”
“So, you’re latching onto him the same way you did with Trevor when you started at your last club.
You’re using him as a crutch because you’re scared to stand on your own, but you shouldn’t be.
You don’t need anyone, especially not someone who feels superior to you because more people know his name. ”
I could tell her how I tried to avoid dating anyone else at the club, or how Hudson isn’t like that. Her assessment might apply to Trevor, but not to Hudson.
What’s the point, though? She’s obviously made up her mind without getting to know him, and she’s making a lot of assumptions about me too.
I have to wonder how much of it is actually projection, and as the thought takes root, I can’t help calling her out on it.
“Is that what you did? Relied on the validation of more famous men to feel important? People like my dad?”
It’s a low blow, and I know it. My mom stiffens on the screen, and for a long moment, she doesn’t say anything. The urge to apologize grows stronger, but just before I can blurt one out, she speaks again, her words clipped and tight.
“Learn from my mistakes, Riley. Guard your heart and don’t take anyone at face value. This young man might be wonderful right now, but they all are at the start. They all have secrets and agendas of their own. I’d hoped you figured that out with the last one, but I guess not. I have to go.”
That hits me just as my words found her weak spot. Trevor did have a hidden agenda for our relationship, and I was too trusting to see it.
Before I can figure out what to say in response, she reaches for the screen to end the call, and I don’t even get to finish saying “Merry Christmas” before she disappears.