As soon as I did as asked, Hudson took over pulling my hat down over my hair as I tugged on gloves. He pressed a sweet kiss to the tip of my nose before he let me go. “Come on.” He slid his arm along my shoulder and pulled me into his side, so I put my arm around his waist to make it easier for us as we walked. It was amazing how natural it felt to be in his arms as he led us across the car park toward the building that housed the holiday apartments.
As we approached the outer staircase of the building I remembered Hudson said he was staying in one of the condos. “I thought you said youweren’tgoing to drag me to the nearest bed?”
He chuckled. “I’m not.”
“Oh.” It came out sounding way more disappointed than I meant it to and Hudson threw his head back in deep, rumbling, attractive laughter. I found myself staring at him as he did so, loving that I made him laugh like that.
“Soon,” he promised. “But today I want you to meet someone. Someonesactually. 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.
