Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Paige strolled through the downstairs of her house, aware that this was the fifth time she’d walked from room to room to room, making sure everything was perfect.
She and Hudson had put the finishing touches on the kitchen just last night, then they’d celebrated by having sex on the new ceramic tile floor. It had been hard and cold, but neither was willing to take the time to go upstairs to her bedroom.
Soon to be their bedroom.
Since Hudson spent six nights out of seven at her house, and had more clothes in the closet and dresser here than he did at his granddad’s, they’d discussed the possibility of him making it official. Tomorrow, he was going to move in the rest of his stuff.
Which was what had prompted the kitchen-floor sex.
Ever since saying those three little words to each other four months ago, the door to so many exciting conversations had opened.
Because she wasn’t the only one with definite ideas of what she wanted her future to look like. Hudson had strong feelings about where they were headed, and she loved every single one of them.
In addition to the “living together” decision, they’d also talked a great deal about marriage and family. Not that they’d made solid plans for either. More like they just wanted to make sure they were on the same page as far as where they saw their relationship heading.
And they were.
They totally were.
Hudson confessed he’d never imagined himself getting married or having kids, but with her, he couldn’t imagine a life without those things.
For the past decade, she’d gone to all the family gatherings either stag or with boyfriends she knew weren’t going to be around for the next special occasion.
Since Hudson, all that had changed.
She was no longer the lone wolf, the one looking in from the outside. Nowadays, she attended family events with the man she loved, the man she planned to marry, the future father of her children. She was so happy, she was certain she could fly.
Hudson had returned to his granddad’s house earlier this morning, claiming he had a couple of projects there he needed to work on. He planned to come back a little bit before the party began—with his grandfather—to help her with any last-minute tasks.
“Hello?”
Paige left the living room, walking to the foyer at the sound of her mom’s voice through the open front door. “Mom, Dad, you’re early.”
Mom opened the screen door and walked in, Dad trailing in her wake, a large lidded bowl in his hands. Mom made the best potato salad ever, and she’d promised to bring it today.
“We were both ready at home, so we thought we’d come over and see if you needed help with anything,” Mom replied.
Paige grinned. Mom had probably been ready for the party since getting up this morning. Her mother loved social events, which was funny, because Dad’s preferred state of being was sitting on his recliner in a completely quiet house.
“Let’s put the potato salad in the kitchen, and I’ll give you the first-floor tour before everyone else gets here.”
Her parents had seen a few of the finished rooms, but they hadn’t been by since she and Hudson had completed the rest. The upstairs—with the exception of her bedroom and bathroom—was still a nineteen-seventies disaster
Hudson constantly reminded her that Rome wasn’t built in a day, but those words didn’t calm her down as much as he might have hoped—especially now that the downstairs looked so amazing. She was even more impatient to make the upstairs match.
Dad had just put the bowl in the fridge when they heard Hudson’s voice from the front porch.
“Paige? You got a minute?” he called.
She, Mom, and Dad all walked back to the front door.
“Oh, Judge Sparks, Stella, I didn’t know you were already here,” Hudson said. Mom had insisted he call her by her first name.
He and Paige had accepted many dinner invitations over the past few months, joining her parents either at home or at Sparks Restaurant every few weeks.
Dad was slow to warm up, but Paige could see a definite thawing.
Hudson was a hard guy not to like these days.
He was funny, an entertaining storyteller, and generous with his time.
Almost to a fault. He’d done several handyman repairs in her parents’ house, at Mom’s request. Plus, he and Dad crossed paths fairly regularly at the courthouse, though that job was now winding down.
Just in time, she thought.
Renovations on Sparks Barbeque were set to begin before Memorial Day. The restaurant would be closed for a couple weeks while Ryan Construction knocked down the wall between them and what was formerly a flower shop.
“Hudson, dear,” Mom said. “So good to see you again.”
“Mr. Ryan,” Dad said, nodding his head once.
Paige was amused by the formal way Hudson and her dad kept addressing each other. Mainly because she was starting to get the idea they both meant for it to be funny, and neither of them wanted to give up the gag.
“Carl,” Dad said, stretching his hand out to shake that of Hudson’s grandfather. “Glad you’re joining us today.”
“Happy to be included. Always a good time and good food at Sparks’ parties.” Mr. Ryan—nope, Paige mentally corrected herself, because the man continually insisted that she call him Carl—had joined them for a few family celebrations since January.
“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Hudson said, walking back to his truck and pulling something out of the back.
Paige’s eyes widened. “A swing! You got me a porch swing?”
“Not got,” Carl corrected. “Made.”
Paige had to blink back tears, touched to discover Hudson had built her a swing. It took her back to the day they’d reconnected in this front yard. He’d had a vision for her front porch, and he was helping her realize it.
Hudson climbed the three steps to the porch as Paige reached out, running her hand over the smooth, glossy wood. “I love it.”
He nodded toward the empty spot on the porch where she’d planned to hang a swing eventually. “Yesterday, while you were at work, I found the studs and marked where to put the eyehole screws.
Paige looked up and noticed the small X’s for the first time.
Carl, who’d followed Hudson to the truck, held up a stepladder. “What do you say we hang this beauty?”
Paige nodded enthusiastically.
Hudson made short work of hanging the swing, then he gestured to it. “A throne for my princess.”
She giggled, then hurried to sit on the swing. Giving a small kick, she started it swaying back and forth, certain Hudson had just created what was destined to be her favorite place in the house.
Rising, she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. It’s perfect!”
“Hey, a swing.”
They all turned around at the sound of Tyson’s voice coming up the sidewalk. Harley and Cal were with him, Cal carrying Paige’s beloved nephew, Johnny, in his baby carrier. They’d named their son after Harley’s brother, who’d passed away a few years earlier.
“Hudson made it for me,” Paige said.
Tyson whistled. “Damn, man. You could give Logan a run for his money on handcrafted furniture. Just don’t tell him I said that.”
They all laughed, then Paige led everyone inside, giving them the official first tour. Every member of her family was blown away by the renovations she and Hudson had done, all of them admitting they’d been wrong about their concerns when they first saw the place.
She and Hudson took turns telling some of their funny mishap stories and pointing out the true gems of the older home, including the hardwood flooring beneath the carpet, hand-carved banister, and the arched doorways they both loved so much.
Once the rest of her family had arrived and received the tour, they moved the party to the backyard. They’d been blessed with a beautiful, warm April day.
Hudson manned the grill with Cal and Gia’s fiancé, Xander, as everyone else stood around, chatting while watching the kids.
Harley and Adele sat together, exchanging what they called war stories about sleepless nights, jaundice, and teething, while pondering what in the hell made baby shit smell so bad.
Lacy sat in an Adirondack with her feet propped up on the edge of the unlit firepit. Paige winced as she looked at Lacy’s ankles, because ouch. That was some first-rate swelling there. Logan sat next to her, looking just as anxious as Cal had at the gender party.
TJ chased his grandson, Henry, around the yard, while Dad held Johnny in his arms, cooing to the wee baby so sweetly, Paige stared, unable to look away.
“Told you he’d lose his mind over a grandkid,” Tyson said, stepping next her. “He’s already asking when we’re having another one.”
“You’re kidding?”
Tyson grinned. “Nope. But I can tell you right now, that’s not happening until the three of us start getting a hell of a lot more sleep than we are currently. So…maybe you could take one for the team, pull the heat off us.”
Paige snorted. “I’m not engaged or married,” she pointed out.
“I know. But I just learned that Hudson’s moving in here, and given the way the man can’t take his eyes off you for more than three seconds, I think it’s safe to say those two things you just mentioned lacking will happen sooner rather than later.”
Paige grinned. “I hope you’re right.”
Tyson wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “You’ve got it bad, baby sister. And I’m glad. Hudson’s a hell of a guy.”
“He is,” she agreed. “He really is.” Then, she gasped in a quick breath, capturing Tyson’s attention.
Cal was now holding Johnny…as Dad and Hudson stepped away from the grill. Paige couldn’t tell what the conversation was about, but it was clearly something serious, given the fact Hudson wasn’t smiling.
“Shit,” she breathed. “Everything has been going so well between them.”
“And it probably still is,” Tyson reassured her. Then he pointed. “There. See?”
Paige watched as her dad and Hudson shook hands, Dad even going so far as to place his hand on Hudson’s shoulder.
She didn’t have a clue what had just transpired, but given the way Dad and Hudson were now smiling, it wasn’t a bad thing.