Florentia studied her husband for a moment.It is right there, I can see it. On the tip of his tongue—but even now he is too scared to say it.
Perhaps if the situation had been different, Florentia might not have been so quick to forgive. Certainly, she would at least have let him know how much he hurt her, and quite possibly make him work to earn back her affection. But with all things considered…she was still not sure what had happened, although it appeared that she had almost died, and she decided then and there that there simply wasn’t time for such games.
The love I have felt for Hudson for weeks now has not faded, and it seems that finally he is ready to admit the same. If that does not cure whatever this is that ails me, I do not know what can.
“I am no longer scared. And I see you for who you are. Hudson, will you please speak plainly? Although I never imagined that you would have much difficulty with that.”
“I have changed a lot since we first met.”
“Speak! Or I will have to ask you to leave.”
“Florentia...” He held her hands and her eyes both. “I love you. I have loved you for weeks now. Since before you told me the same. Since...since the night of the ball, I have loved you. I was just too much of a fool to admit it until now.”
“Better late than never, I think.”
He laughed. “I was just thinking the same.”
They smiled together, laughing softly, wrapped in a warmth that wasn’t caused by the fire or the fever that had taken Florentia’s body. The look they shared was a singular sensation, a knowing gaze that could only be understood by those who had ever felt the same. A look of shared love, from now until forever.
Florentia’s body was weak. Her stomach pained her terribly. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Yet all she wanted was to seal this announcement with the one thing their relationship was sorely missing.
“Hudson...” She looked at him pointedly. “Please, do not make me beg, but if you do not kiss me soon, I might choose to go back to sleep and I do not know if I will wake a second time.”
His eyes turned wide. “Are you...are you certain? I do not want to hurt you.”
She laughed softly. “You could never hurt me.”
Hudson’s eyes lit up and she could feel his breathing turn ragged.Is he nervous? He better be!Still holding her by the hands, he shuffled in closer, leaned forward, and then, ever so gently, he lowered his lips to hers and they shared their second kiss.
It might not have cured what ailed her. It might not have stopped the pain wrecking her body. It might not have brought her back to life or given her the strength to rise from the bed. But that didn’t really matter. The kiss they shared...it went beyond such terms as passion and fiery and amours. It wasn’t about the attraction felt, the sparks which flew, or anything like that. It was a simple kiss, a most natural thing, like breathing, it was something that Florentia knew she could not live without. She wondered how she had survived all these years without it.
Hudson pulled away, the feel of his lips leaving hers like having a limb torn free. She gasped, he started in panic, she smiled and assured him she was fine, and then he simply held her by the hands and started down at her with that same look of love he had worn since the moment she’d opened her eyes.
How did we get here? And where do we go now?Florentia had no answers, but that did not matter. She had Hudson, she knew, and from the way he continued to look at her and hold her, she felt sure that she would never lose him again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Florentia wasn’t getting any better.
Hudson tried to stay positive throughout the days that followed her finally waking up. The first day especially, after he admitted his feelings for her and she welcomed his apology and confirmed that she still felt the same for him. He did not leave her bedside once, even sleeping in the chair that he’d had brought to her room, terrified of what might occur if he was to leave her for even a moment.
But she was awake, and for that first day, that was all that mattered.
“May I ask you a question?” Florentia asked several hours after she had woken. She was still on her back, still pale and sickly, but the light in her eyes was what Hudson chose to focus on, believing that this was a sign that she would make a prompt recovery.
“You may ask me anything.”
She curled her nose as she looked at him. “Have you bathed once since returning?”
He grimaced, suddenly realizing how much he likely smelled. “I choose not to answer that.”
“So, that’s a no.”
“I have not had time!”
“Time is all you’ve had.”
“If this is your way of telling me that you are already sick of me, I can take a hint.”
