Chapter 11
11
CLAIRE
Disappointment flared in my chest as Hudson dropped my hand to pick up the suitcases. I was tempted to take one from him just to free up said hand, but that was not the agreement. It might seem fun to engage in a torrid affair with Hudson, but I was the kind of person who grew feelings very easily in a relationship. Every time my brain even considered a no-strings relationship, my heart began tying men down like they were ships coming into port. “This one,” I said, leading Hudson into the first door on the left.
He set down my suitcase as we entered, propping his against a chair. “That’s disappointing. I thought maybe I’d get to see your childhood bedroom.”
I looked around, trying to see the space through Hudson’s eyes. “This is the room, but my mom wasted no time in redecorating when I moved out.” It had been turquoise with all white trim, but now we were surrounded by beige walls and rattan furniture. It was pretty, but it wasn’t my style in the least. Then again, turquoise walls weren’t exactly my style anymore either.
Hudson slipped a garment bag out of his suitcase, smoothing it out and hanging it up in the closet. “It’s pretty, but I imagine it’s not your taste.”
I jolted. There was no way for Hudson to know he’d plucked the words nearly verbatim out of my thoughts, but it felt like he kept doing that. “What do you imagine my style to be?” I asked.
He puckered his lips thoughtfully, and my eyes were drawn to them. They were so excruciatingly kissable, and my one shot at having them had been interrupted by the fire department. “Transitional,” he said, and my brow pinched tight, trying to remember what we were talking about . “I don’t think you buy into the whole farmhouse trend, but I bet you like a few rustic pieces tossed in with your more traditional look.”
I blinked a few times, pleasure filling my chest as I remembered the conversation and realized Hudson had perfectly identified my preferences in a single, probably-not-made-up word. And while I knew I should smother this excitement, I didn’t. “That’s pretty close,” I admitted. “I’m not familiar with the term ‘transitional,’ though. Did you make it up?”
His lips tipped up in a smile that was more sweet than sexy, and which, alarmingly, made my heart flutter more than all the sexy smiles I’d seen to date. “Fun fact about your boyfriend,” he said, and my brain screamed “ Boyfriend!” like an excited fourteen-year-old. “My mother is an interior designer.”
“Really? So you're intimately familiar with decor styles.”
“Intimately familiar,” he echoed, and the words sounded sweet and low and sultry from his lips, even though I wasn’t sure that was the intent. I think he was just talking like a regular person and I was beginning to hear innuendo every time he spoke. “She and my dad flipped houses my whole childhood.”
“Like Chip and Joanna,” I exclaimed, glad for a topic that didn’t make me think of peeling off his clothes. Hudson shot me an indulgent smile that suggested he’d heard the comparison more than once, and I blushed.
The blush crept up from my neck to my cheeks and I swore his eyes followed it, until he crossed the distance to me, leaving us only inches apart. “Like Chip and Joanna,” he agreed quietly, sweeping my hair behind one ear. His fingers lingered on my jaw, and my pulse pounded wildly in my ears. There was no imagined innuendo here. “My brother and sister and I grew up running around construction sites,” he explained.
His voice was low and delicious, a breath of air whispered over my skin, but his words surprised me. “You have a brother?” On the drive up he told numerous stories about his little sister, but he’d never once mentioned a brother. Were they estranged? And why? Hudson’s fingers dropped from my face like a lead weight, and it was clear whatever moment we’d been sharing was over.
“He died,” he said stiffly.
I reached forward, but he was already turning, walking back to the closet and adjusting his suit where it hung. “Hudson, I’m so sorry,” I rushed to say, but despite the fact that he stood only feet away, Hudson felt gone from the room. I wished I knew the trick to bring him back, wished for something as simple as holding his lips closed and asking him to breathe through his nose, but he was gone in a way I’d never seen before, and I didn’t have the slightest idea how to rescue our interaction.
For a moment, I just looked at the broad lines of his back, the way his strength tapered down into a trim waist, making the T-shirt he wore tight on the top and loose near the bottom. Then I said, “You don’t have to come to town with me,” although every instinct I had told me I shouldn’t leave him alone with Mom until I got to the bottom of the woman’s strange behavior.
Hudson turned back to face me, clearing his throat to remove any lingering emotion there, but I could see the sadness clinging to his eyes. “Of course I’ll come to town with you,” he replied. He cocked a smile, but it lacked all of the playfulness I’d come to expect from such a gesture, and wasn’t it strange that I felt like I knew Hudson well enough to make that call, even though I didn’t really know him at all.
So I let it go. What other choice did I have? If Hudson wanted to share with me, he would, but I couldn’t forget he wasn’t my real boyfriend. “I’m sorry about my mom,” I said, offering both an apology and a subject-change. It was, after all, an apology I’d meant to make immediately. My mother was a lot of things, but she was never rude, and I wasn’t sure why she’d been so unpleasant since we’d arrived. Perhaps the stress of the wedding was getting to her. “She’s not usually like this. I’ll find out what the deal is, okay?”
Hudson sat down at the edge of the bed and reached out his hand. I set mine in it and he pulled me closer, until I stood between his muscular thighs. I was much shorter than he was, and in my stocking feet my face hovered only inches above his. Still, the position had him looking up at me, and I ran my gaze over his thick fan of dark lashes, the bulge of his jaw, and the dip of one dimple. “Don’t worry, Claire, I’m not going to propose to you.”
My eyes went wide, and I looked left, then right, my eyebrow cocking in what was probably a comical expression. “I—I wasn’t expecting you to. I mean, obviously I?—”
Hudson cut over the stammering, his voice smooth and calm as he continued. “All I mean is I’m not part of your family, and I’m not becoming part of your family, so it doesn’t really matter if your mom approves of me. If you’re good, we’re good.”
It did matter to me if my mother didn’t like him. If for no other reason than because I didn’t like seeing my mother be rude to the men I dated—real or otherwise—but I wasn’t going to argue with such a statement. “I’m good,” I assured him.
He was still holding my hand, and my mind shot back to the kiss he’d laid on my knuckles when we were at the table together. It was part of the act, so I obviously shouldn’t be wishing for him to do it again.
“Then we’re good,” he replied. “Besides,” he continued, his lips tilting in that relaxed, sexy way I’d come to expect, his eyes full of playful humor, “I bet you’ve never once dated someone your parents didn’t approve of.”
Eager to contradict the cocky surety in his statement, I scrolled through all my past boyfriends, but he was right. “I can’t remember anyone,” I admitted.
His smile deepened, and he tugged me a little closer, until my body was nearly flush with his. Still, we didn’t touch, but the temptation to lean in and close the distance loomed large in my thoughts. “Feels good, right?”
I inhaled hard, not sure whether he was asking if his body felt good or ignoring my mother’s wishes felt good or something else altogether—but the answer was a resounding yes. Everything about this moment felt good. So good, and why was I fighting so hard against something so good ?
My free hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him closer until all the space between us was gone and I felt each strong muscle pressed to me. His head was tipped back, and I only had to drop my lips a couple inches to meet him, but each inch felt like miles as I slowly tipped down. The hand that held mine tightened, as if the anticipation raged in him with the same ferocity, and my free hand buried itself in his hair as our lips touched, determined to keep him in place for a good long time.
Or a scant millisecond.
The door was flung open with a bang, and I jumped back, disappointment raging through my chest. Fate seemed determined to keep me from those lips, and I didn’t want to inspect that too much.
“Claire Bear!” Nora yelled, ignoring the moment she’d barged in on and flinging herself at me.
I hadn’t looked away from Hudson, but now I turned my irritation on my baby sister. “Nora,” I scolded, catching her and hugging back, even as I continued, “you can’t just barge into our room.”
Letting go, Nora shrugged as if this request was silly, as I blushed a dark pink, wishing even one of my family members would act normal while Hudson was with me.
I thought I’d get to talk to Hudson again, but things became a whirlwind after that. Hudson was back to his usual relaxed self—all sexy grins, but none of the sweet smiles that had given me one moment’s glimpse behind the cocky, self-assured demeanor.
At the door to the bridal boutique, Hudson leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Have fun. Give me a call when you’re done,” he said, and as he turned to walk away I considered calling him back and kissing the hell out of him. I couldn’t do that, though. I wasn’t going to fall for Hudson North.
“He’s hot,” Nora said, standing close enough her shoulder touched mine as we watched him walk down the sidewalk toward the bookstore he planned to visit.
“He is,” I agreed. No question there.
“Where’d you find him?”
The words made anxiety blossom in my chest, as if Nora knew it wasn’t real. But there was no way she knew. “We live in the same building,” I explained, being purposefully vague.
“Nice,” Nora said, accepting the answer at face value as she tucked her lavender hair behind her ears. In a million years, I could not imagine getting married with bright purple hair, but that was Nora. Her free-spirited nature had always made her stand out in the family, and yet she embraced the role. Nora was so comfortable in her skin she made you feel like maybe you were doing it wrong. More than once I caught myself looking in the mirror, wondering if I was too locked down.
In the bridal boutique, I dropped back, letting my eyes wander over dresses as Nora was taken into the fitting room with the tailor. I’d been waiting for a chance to talk to Tessa and see if I could get to the bottom of Mom’s odd behavior. “Hey, Tess?” I said quietly, falling in line with my sister, who was looking at dresses without much interest. “Do you know what the deal is with Mom? Why she gave Hudson the third degree?”
Tessa didn’t look up from the dresses, but I could see her chewing her lip, a sure sign I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “I shouldn’t say anything,” she said.
I didn’t reply, rolling my lips between my teeth and widening my eyes as I stared at her, a clear suggestion that, in fact, she should.
Tess looked around us, but Nora had disappeared with the tailor, leaving us completely alone. “Did you hear about Mom’s plans to set you up with Grant Dupree?” Tess whispered.
“Emily mentioned,” I confirmed.
“She was talking about it a lot—I mean, she was so excited, Claire. I think she has your whole wedding planned out.”
I frowned, my upper lip curling at the thought, and leaned in closer to Tess, whispering harshly. “Okay, but…that’s crazy, Tess. I’ve never shown the slightest interest in Grant. How can she be planning a wedding for me when I haven’t even shown any interest in getting married?” I looked down at the dresses in front of us—the kind of sleek dress I’d absolutely wear to my own wedding—and hoped Tessa couldn’t see through my bullshit. In reality, I fantasized about weddings and marriage with embarrassing frequency. Just not to Grant Dupree.
To her credit, Tessa only shrugged. “She was really upset when you said you were bringing someone up here with you. She assumed if it were serious, you would’ve talked about him earlier…” Tess trailed off, and I felt the panic rise in my chest. “And she’s been dead-set on this setup.” I was frozen to the spot, horrified, watching blankly as Tess picked up a wedding dress, holding it in front of herself. It was an odd move from my little sister, who’d never shown any interest in men, let alone marriage, but I had bigger things to worry about just now.
“Me and Hudson—it’s new,” I protested weakly.
Tess shrugged, hanging the dress back up. “And good for you. He’s hot as hell, seems nice, and didn’t tell Mom to fuck off when she acted like a crazy person.” Tessa dragged her fingers over some more dresses. “But seriously, Claire.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as Nora came out of the fitting room. “I don’t think she’s done hoping and wishing and maybe demanding you give Grant a chance.”
“Tessa, it’s your turn,” Nora sang across the shop. Tess walked away, but I continued looking at dresses, my mind elsewhere. I knew my mother had a growing obsession with becoming a grandmother, and Nora made it clear she wasn’t having babies for many years, but that didn’t mean it was okay for Mom to try to pawn Grant Dupree off on me .
I continued mulling over Mom and Grant and Hudson until Nora called me up for my fitting, at which point I hung up the wedding dress I’d been looking at and walked to the back of the shop. “You’re Claire?” the tailor asked.
“That’s me,” I said with a cheer I didn’t feel.
“Wonderful. Go ahead and put the dress on and we’ll check the fit.”
I pulled the dress on, a crushed velvet gown that felt like it weighed twenty pounds and fit me like a cheap slipcover.
I held it to my chest as I walked back out to the fitting platform in the back of the store. “Hmm.” The tailor, who’d introduced herself as Tina, seemed displeased. “You won’t want a bra?”
I watched my cheeks turn a rosy pink in the mirror. The dress was off-the-shoulder, requiring a strapless bra, and I hadn’t brought one. I wasn’t particularly busty, so bras weren’t a necessity for me, but they seemed to be a necessity for this dress, which was going to need all the help it could get defying gravity and keeping me covered. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I forgot.”
Tina tsked disapprovingly as she began pinning, failing to make me feel any better. I remained quiet as I watched Tina’s reflection in the mirror, feeling generally embarrassed and anxious until my focus was pulled by the ding of a bell. I squinted into the mirror, towards the front of the store, where the door was now swinging shut. Even from my position in the back of the shop I recognized him.
“Grant!” Nora squealed, throwing her arms around her future brother-in-law in a loose hug.
Despite my persistent disinterest, Grant Dupree was, by all accounts, an attractive man. His brown eyes and honey-blond hair were visible even at a distance, and those eyes found me quickly, even as he hugged Nora in greeting. My hand tightened instinctively around the bust of my loose dress in an effort to press it more firmly against my skin. I had no idea why Grant would be inside a bridal boutique, but I had a suspicion it had to do with my mother. Which meant it had to do with me.
I watched in the mirror’s reflection as Grant strolled to the back of the store, until finally he stood close enough that I could see him in person. “Claire,” he said, smiling politely. His eyes never dipped down below my face, and yet I held the dress tighter. “Your mom said you’d be in town today, but I didn’t expect to see you.”
Of course my mother had something to do with this. “I wouldn’t expect you to be off work at this hour, Grant. Emily could barely get off tomorrow.”
Grant's eyebrows bounced. “One of the perks of being part of a practice. Much more reasonable hours. During residency you don’t have time for anything, but here…” His voice trailed off, and he shrugged a single shoulder. “Well, things have really settled down for me.”
I knew my mother loved the fact that Grant Dupree was a doctor, like my father, but I wasn’t about to drop my panties and accept Grant’s ring just because he’d made it through residency. Tina was trying to pry my arms loose from her dress so it would lay flat, but I wasn’t budging while Grant stood watching. I heard another tsk and shot Tina a frown before my eyes came up to meet Grant’s once more. “I heard you went into private practice. Congrats,” I said dispassionately.
Grant looked about to say more, but a ding at the door stopped him. My eyes darted to the mirror again, this time seeing Hudson entering. He held a coffee in each hand. “Hey, babe,” he said as he got close, shooting me a wink. “I thought you might want a coffee. Didn’t know you’d be getting fitted this instant.” His rich tenor voice was a touch sultry, and butterflies pattered against the confines of my stomach despite the fact I knew it was an act. “You look gorgeous, by the way,” he said as he got close, his voice going low as if he was speaking to me privately, even though he was still entirely audible to the occupants of the shop and all four women were openly ogling him.
Grant looked less impressed. “Dr. Grant Dupree,” he said, holding out a hand to Hudson. Hudson shifted both coffees to a single large hand to free up a hand to shake.
“Nice to meet you, Doc. I’m Hudson North, Claire’s boyfriend. You two go way back?”
I had to smother the urge to smile as Grant tried to decide if Hudson was making fun of him. I assumed he was, but just a little, and only because Grant had felt the need to introduce himself as a doctor .
“We’ve known each other for a while. Nora’s marrying my brother,” Grant explained.
They looked like they might keep talking, and Tina remained glowering next to me, waiting to continue, so I interjected. “Hud,” I said, drawing Hudson’s gaze, which was warm and sexy, “could you and Grant go talk up front so Tina can finish my fitting?”
“Course babe. You want your coffee or should I hold on to it?”
Tina didn’t give me a chance to answer. “Take it up front. I don’t usually allow drinks in here, but I’ll let you keep it,” she said. I grinned, finding it funny that even grumpy Tina couldn’t bring herself to truly scold Hudson.
Ten minutes later, I was dressed and walking up to join my sisters along with Grant and Hudson. I was surprised Grant had stuck around, but there he was. Hudson held out my coffee as I got close, and as soon as I took it he used his free arm to pull me closer, setting a kiss on my cheek. I liked pretend-dating Hudson entirely too much already.
“We’ve gotten a chance to meet Hudson, Claire,” Grant said.
“Good,” I said, “I’m glad he’s getting a chance to get to know everyone. Weddings are always so terrible when you don’t know anyone.” I turned my gaze on Nora. “Nora, is there anything else you need help with today, because I was thinking of showing Hudson around town.”
Nora shook her head. “No,” she answered absently. “I’m meeting up with Ethan soon anyway.”
“Mom’s making dinner for everyone later,” Tessa reminded us.
I nodded. “I know. We’ll be there. I’ll see you tonight.” I looked back at Grant. “It was good to see you. I’m sure we’ll see lots of you later this week.”
He chuckled. “Actually, I’ll be at dinner tonight. Your mom invited me.”
“Of course she did,” I answered too brightly, and Hudson gave my waist a squeeze. “We’ll see you tonight, then,” I said, letting Hudson lead me out after he said his goodbyes.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered once we were out of earshot of everyone. This was a level I hadn’t expected from my mother, but clearly what Tess said was right. I sighed deeply, nodding Hudson toward a cupcake shop. “You okay if we share one?” I asked. “Then I can fill you in on all the things I learned about my crazy, crazy mother.”
A few minutes later, we were sitting side-by-side on a park bench, an oversized cupcake sitting between us. “You called me ‘ Hud ,’” he said, his voice low and gravelly as he sliced off his first bite and held the cupcake box out to me.
I felt my neck warm with the same pesky flush that always gave me away to him. “I’m sorry. Did you hate it? We didn’t talk about nicknames at all.”
Hudson took a slow bite, and I watched his lips drag down the fork. “On the contrary, I liked it immensely,” he said finally, and I felt a rush of heat. “Did you hate me calling you ‘babe?’”
I licked my lips and scooped out my own bite, using the moment to inhale slowly and try to keep myself from blushing any more than I already had. When I looked back up at Hudson I was pretty sure my face wasn’t giving away how very much I’d enjoyed it. “No. I like it. It’s not too heavy handed.” I took my bite, knowing his eyes were on my mouth the whole time. “Speaking of heavy handed,” I continued once I’d swallowed, “I asked Tessa about my mom.” I took a big gulp of coffee, nervously, then looked back at Hudson, who took a bite of cupcake as he waited. “My mom’s not usually rude like she was with you today.”
“I told you before, it’s no big deal.”
I frowned. “It’s a big deal to me. You’re here as my date—fake or otherwise—and she doesn’t have the right to be rude to you.”
A twitch of his eyebrow let me know he only partially agreed with me, but he didn’t protest further. “What did Tessa have to say?” he asked, scooping up another bite.
I frowned, poking the cupcake with my fork but not taking more. “Apparently my mother’s really got her heart set on me and Grant getting together. She thinks I’m her best shot at grandkids.”
Hudson’s eyes widened. “Are you looking to have kids right away?” he asked. It was a real-date question, not a fake-date question, and I chewed my lip.
“No. If I find someone I want to be with—and that’s not Grant—then maybe I could see getting pregnant somewhere around thirty, but that’s still years off. It’s entirely possible that any of my sisters has a kid before that.”
Hudson held the next bite out for me, but I shook my head. “Why is your mom fixating on you, then?” he asked, slipping the fork between his lips again. I watched as his tongue darted out to catch a crumb, considering the question.
I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but it wasn’t date talk—real or fake—so I settled for the abridged answer. “I’m the one she thinks is most likely to settle down and get married quickly.”
His face scrunched in adorable confusion. “What about Nora? She’s literally getting married in a week.”
I chuckled. “Nora doesn’t want kids. After the wedding, she and Ethan are headed out to live in a van and drive around the country.”
“Dreadful,” he muttered, and the single word made me release a big belly laugh. It felt good to laugh.
“I agree, but maybe, if you’re with someone you love, it could be okay.”
Clearly skeptical, Hudson’s nose was curled adorably. “Perhaps,” he agreed, slowly. “I did enjoy the trip up here more than usual.”
I looked down, digging into the cupcake again, trying to remind myself that I could not fall for Hudson North.