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“I was super nervous when I heard someone from headquarters was coming to the resort, never imagining that the man who walked through my office door would be who I’d fall in love with.”
Her words unraveled the tension he’d been carrying as he’d tried to figure out when to tell Kayleigh he loved her. When she leaned forward, tipping her head up, Hudson bent to press his lips to hers.
Though he’d always thought a physical connection would come before confessing his love for someone, that hadn’t been the case with Kayleigh. When he’d decided to come back to Serenity and ask for a second chance, he knew that if Kayleigh agreed, their relationship would run a different course from any relationship he’d previously had, and any that Alexander had had.
And Hudson was just fine with that.
Since they didn’t spend time making out, Hudson savored the moments of physical connection they did share. And this moment felt even more special, given it followed such a significant moment in their relationship.
When their kiss ended, Kayleigh leaned into him again, a sigh escaping her. “I couldn’t have picked a better time and place.”
“Really?” Seemed to be his word of the day. “Even though I’m sweaty from losing at volleyball?”
“Even though,” she assured him with a smile. “This day has held a bit of everything I love. Church. Family. Tasty food. And you.”
“I never imagined this would be where my life ended up,” Hudson said. “And honestly, even if I had, I would never have imagined that I’d feel so content and happy in this type of life.”
“So you think you could be happy living here?”
“I already am, and I really don’t see that ever changing.”
Hudson had known what pursuing a relationship with Kayleigh would mean. But anything he might have sacrificed in moving to Serenity was being more than given back to him in what he had with Kayleigh.
As she smiled at him, her beautiful eyes shining, he had no regrets.
And he never would.
EPILOGUE
Kayleigh paced back into her bedroom to stand in front of her full-length mirror. It was a bit ridiculous to be so concerned about her outfit when Hudson had made it clear over the past year that he thought she was beautiful, regardless of what she wore.
He’d seen her sweaty and messy following a workout and all dolled up for the company Christmas party, and never once had he looked at her with anything but love and affection. Still, he’d been away for two weeks, and she wanted to make sure she looked her best while still being suitably dressed for their time together that day.
She’d chosen a pair of fitted dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved soft pink blouse. Though the snow had melted, the May days could still be cool, so she’d dressed accordingly.
Kayleigh lifted a hand to touch the pendant of her gold necklace, her heart swelling with love for the man who’d gifted it to her for Christmas. The pendant had two hearts intertwined with a diamond in the center. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, and she rarely went out without it.
Once she was satisfied with how she looked, Kayleigh grabbed a leather jacket and slid her feet into a pair of knee-high black boots that gave her about three inches of extra height.
Though Hudson usually parked his vehicle at the airport in Spokane when he flew out for his business trips, he hadn’t this time because the trip had been longer than normal. He’d had to fly to Singapore and also Tokyo. Then, on his way home, he’d flown to New York to spend a couple of days at the office there.
The nice thing about that was that he was flying back in the company jet, which meant he would land in Coeur d’Alene instead of Spokane. Kayleigh had driven him to the airport in Spokane to catch his flight out, and now she was going to pick him up.
And she could hardly wait.
The drive seemed to take forever, but finally she was pulling to a stop where Hudson had asked her to park. Since he didn’t have to wait for his luggage, he’d told her that he’d just come to her instead of her coming into the airport.
She sat in the car, trying to distract herself with her phone. Though she always struggled with worry when he was away, the worry had been more intense this time around. No doubt due to the length of their time apart.
She’d colored one verse in particular a few times over the past two weeks, trying to find peace and calm in the ocean of worry. The first verse of the sixteenth chapter of Psalms had resonated with her, though she’d paraphrased it just a little.
The original readWatch over me, O God, for in You I put my trust,but she’d changed it toWatch over him, O God, for in You we put our trust.Though she’d felt that God had given her the peace she’d longed for, Kayleigh knew she wouldn’t truly relax until she had Hudson back in her arms again.
One of the sketches she’d done would go to Hudson since he liked it when she gave him copies of the verses she sketched, saying it gave him insight into how she was feeling.
He’d even given her a few verses to sketch and color that were meaningful to him. Kayleigh had been more than happy to do those for him.
Her heart skipped a beat when she finally got a text from Hudson to let her know he’d arrived and was on his way out of the airport. Unable to just sit waiting once she knew he was coming, Kayleigh got out and leaned against the car as she watched the terminal.
