If there was one thing this day had taught her, it was that she needed to have a little more trust in herself and what she could and couldn’t do. And she and Hudson, together? There wasn’tanythingthey couldn’t do. Starting a relationship with him now, minutes before he left to be gone for God knew how long, would take a leap of faith. But she’d done all the best leaps of her life with Hudson by her side. It was time to jump and know, with complete certainty, that he’d be there to fall with her.
Mac looked over to where Caleb and Hudson stood, their heads bent together as Marianne chatted with a customer off to the side. Without prompting, Hudson suddenly lifted his eyes to hers, holding her gaze. Mac’s heart fluttered in her chest, her stomach flipping like it did every time she was around him. Urgency driving her forward to tell him everything she’d kept bottled up for too long.
Their time was officially up. Hudson and Caleb had stayed much longer than they’d planned, which meant they’d be catching the last flight out tonight since they were due on base in the morning. Their first day back was going to be absolute horseshit, but nothing to be done about it now.
Besides that, he wouldn’t change the past twelve hours for anything. He was just thankful he’d been here when Kenna had needed him. Thankful he’d been able to provide support to her by her side rather than from thousands of miles away.
Though, if he was being honest with himself, it wasn’t just being there for Kenna that had made his adrenaline surge or pride swell in his chest. He wasn’t a stranger to that feeling, not when he was flying a helicopter—he just hadn’t expected to feel it outside the army. But there was no denying he’d felt it this afternoon.
“You wanna talk about it?” Caleb asked quietly while Hudson’s momma was distracted with a customer.
“Talk about what?”
How his head was all screwed up and he was confused as fuck about what it all meant? How Ella going missing and Kenna storming into the forest without a second thought like some kind of action movie heroine had him reassessing how fragile everything was? Caleb, as much as Hudson did, knew how lucky they were to get each moment they had. Hell, they knew that more than most, considering they’d fought in a war for ten years. Considering they’d watched friends and brothers-in-arms be wounded beyond repair, or worse—die in battle and never get to return home again.
Life was precious and fragile, and you never knew when one day was going to be someone’s last. The thought of something happening to his momma or his sister or Kenna while he was deployed had always been a whisper in the back of his mind. A whisper that had grown louder after his momma’s accident. And now…he didn’t know if it was being home, or Richard’s heart attack, or Kenna marching straight into danger without hesitation, but suddenly that whisper had turned into a roar he couldn’t ignore any longer.
Caleb let out a soft snort. “That’s how you’re gonna play it, huh?”
“I don’t know what the hell you mean.”
Crossing his arms, Caleb stared at him hard, studying Hudson in a way that made him feel emotionally naked. His best friend always had a way of stripping down the bullshit and getting right to the heart of the matter in as few words as possible.
“Seems to me with all the tourism they’re bringing to the town, there’d be a business in Havenbrook for an experienced pilot. Someone to do helicopter tours of the Range, or offer full-service guided hikes from the ground. Plus, help out with the new SAR team I’ve heard whispers about all day.”
Hudson narrowed his eyes on his best friend. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about? You plannin’ to drop your papers and move to Havenbrook?”
“Not today. Just making an observation.”
Hudson stared at Caleb—who only had eyes for Lilah—and tried to shake off his words. But, like with most things Caleb said, they settled deep, burrowing in so far, Hudson had no hope of escaping them.
Was Caleb right? Was it possible that Hudson could have the adventure he craved and provide life-saving assistance when needed, all while being where his family was? WhereKennawas?
True, he’d have to give up fulfilling his dad’s dream of retiring from the army—the one his dad had never gotten the chance to complete himself. But Hudson could finally admit it hadn’t ever beenhisdream. He could never resent his time in the army. It’d given him the adventure of a lifetime and had linked him to his dad in a way he couldn’t have been otherwise. It’d given him one of the best friends he could ever hope for and a lifelong brotherhood he’d have been hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
But it didn’t feel like home anymore. Hell, if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure it ever had.
Nope, home for him was in the eyes of the girl currently striding toward him. The girl who’d had his heart wrapped around her finger since he was eight years old. The girl he was going to fight like hell for today. And tomorrow. And the next day. And every day in the foreseeable and not so foreseeable future. He didn’t know what the future held for them—for him. He couldn’t answer that today. But what he did know was that he wouldn’t stop fighting for them until his heart stopped beating.
Tugging on CB’s leash to follow him, he met Kenna halfway, the two of them toe-to-toe amidst the cacophony of a celebrating Havenbrook. He ran his gaze over her. She hadn’t even gone home to change or shower after the rescue, so her hair was a mess, her makeup smudged, and she looked absolutely exhausted, but he’d never seen anything more beautiful.
He reached up and plucked a small twig from her hair. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she answered, her gaze tracking over his face as if she were trying to catalog every one of his features. “I’m sorry you missed your flight.”
“I’m not.” He swept his finger down her cheek, tracing the soft skin from her temple to her chin. “I’m glad I could be here to support you being a complete badass.”
She huffed out a laugh. “I’m glad, too.”
Well, that was something, wasn’t it? She hadn’t told him to get lost or to fuck off, so he was winning in his book.
Caleb cleared his throat from the side, drawing Hudson’s gaze, then tapped a finger on his watch, lifting his brows in awe gotta rollgesture. Hudson turned back around and ignored him. He’d fly the two of them back to Seattle himself if he had to in order to get even five more minutes with Kenna.
But he couldn’t deny that time wasn’t on their side. Which meant if he was going to open his chest and bare his heart to her again, now was the time.
“I might be a glutton for punishment,” he said.
“With how often you continue to challenge me to a bet even knowin’ I’ll kick your ass, you definitely are.”
