AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I reach Audrey as she is pulling back from hugging her mother hello and my hand rests on the base of her spine.
“Sorry about that, Mrs. Jones.” I’d always thought it strange that Audrey went by Kennedy, but she’d explained it had been at her grandfather’s insistence. I didn’t know the man personally but from everything I’d heard, he’d been a tyrant in business and a formidable man at home too. Yet Audrey always spoke fondly of him. All I knew was that Judge John Jones must be quite the man to allow it.
Mrs. Jones waved her hand in front of her face as she leaned in to give me a hug. “We don’t stand on ceremony here, Hudson. It’s Mom or Ruth.”
“Thank you, Ruth.” I hand her the flowers I’d snagged off the back seat before chasing after my wife.That will never get old.
“Oh, I can see why my daughter fell for you. Handsome and impeccable manners.”
I laugh as she takes my arm through hers and pulls me inside the house, Audrey trailing behind us. I turn and reach for her hand, and surprisingly she takes it. Ruth lets go and I see her watching us with a small smile and hope I’ve passed the first test.
Bending close, I lower my voice to my wife. “You doing okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Her haughty response fills me with something warm. I’ve always loved her spirited side and will take it over her heartbroken or pensive one any day.
I chuckle and drop a kiss on her cheek before pushing her gently in front of me to hide the erection just being around her gives me. A tiny gasp escapes her when she feels me against her back, only making my situation worse.
“John is taking a short nap, but he’ll be awake soon. Why don’t you show Hudson around while I check on dinner, Audrey?”
“Is Daddy okay?”
Instantly, I can feel the tension in her body, the change in her tone, and I wish with all my heart I could take this pain away from her. I know what she’s facing, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
Ruth turns to us, and the dark circles under her eyes tell the story better than words ever will. Audrey is the image of her mother, who is still beautiful despite the grief she wears. “The treatments exhaust him easily, but he’s coping.”
Audrey pulls away and I stand back, watching the two women together. Knowing I can’t do a damn thing but be here for her in any way she needs me.
“Can I do anything, Mom?”
Ruth cups her daughter’s cheek. “Sweetheart, you being here helps, and bringing your wonderful husband to join our family has been a huge boost to your father’s mood. Knowing you are loved is what he needs.”
I move up behind Audrey and cup the back of her neck as she looks up at me, and I turn to Ruth and hope like hell that she can read the truth in my words. “That I can do. Loving your daughter is the easiest thing I’ve ever done, and I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy until the day I die.”
Ruth blinks tears from her eyes as she squeezes my arm and Audrey just looks at me like I’m her salvation.
“I know, and I can see already how much she loves you.”
I wish that were the truth, but for now, I can settle for her not hating my guts.
12Audrey
“So,tell me about how you two met?”
I glance at Hudson when my dad asks the question. We’re eating minted roast lamb, my dad’s favorite, but he’s hardly touched his. Hudson takes my hand and threads my fingers through his, and I know he’s only doing it for show, but right now I need his touch to ground me.
“Well, Audrey and I actually knew each other in college, but I was young and incredibly dumb and let her get away. This time I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
His eyes find mine as he kisses my palm. I know he’s only saying it for my parents’ benefit, but after what he told me in the car, my emotions are all over the place.
“Second chance romance. I love that.” My mom claps her hands together as she gazes at us like we’re Romeo and Juliet without the tragic ending.
“So, all those times you stood in front of me in my courtroom, you were in love with my baby girl?”
My dad cocks his head at Hudson in question, and it almost feels like he can see through our story. Panic takes over, my heart beating like a drum. I don’t want my dad to find out it’s all a lie.
Hudson must sense my panic because he squeezes my knee under the table. “I was and honestly, sir, I never dreamed she’d give me a second chance, but she did. I’ll spend every single day loving her as she deserves to be loved.”
