He’d worked himself under my skin and into my heart, one smile at a time. Before I could ask for more details, Lennox came around the corner. “There you are, Mason. Drew was looking for you. He said you felt sick.”
Mason turned to look at him. “I’m fine, Lennox. Not sick. Just needed to eat.”
Lennox looked concerned as he took in the two of us, but didn’t comment. Looking at our plates, he nodded. I could tell hewanted to call bullshit and ask a million questions, but he left it alone. “Okay. I’ll tell him not to worry. Enjoy your dinner.”
As the quarterback turned to leave, Mason picked up his fork. “Tell me about Ireland. What was the best part?”
I pointed my fork at him. “We’re not finished here. We’ll pick this up when we leave.”
He smiled, then started eating. “Whatever you say, Agent Kingsley.”
After we finished eating, we rejoined the others outside. Right before the party ended, Evan got everyone’s attention. He hung his arm over Hudson’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Before everyone leaves, don’t forget about our engagement party on Thursday. Six o’clock, and don’t be late. No gifts or any of that shit. Just be there, if you can, to celebrate with us. That’s all we want.”
“What do you want us to bring?” Lennox asked.
Evan shook his head. “Nothing but your smiling face.”
Chapter 5
Thomas
The following Thursday, we arrived as requested for Hudson and Evan’s engagement party. Unbeknownst to us, they decided there was no longer any reason to wait to be married. So when everyone arrived, Evan made the announcement, and their friend, Preston James, stepped up to do the honors. “I was ecstatic when Hudson asked me to perform this ceremony. I mean, really fucking over the moon.” Everyone laughed because most of the people here knew Preston’s husband, Nick, was Evan’s ex-boyfriend. “So, without further delay, let’s get Evan officially out of my hair.”
I was happy for them even though weddings usually made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure why, because I’d never had one. The closest I came to that life was in Quantico. And after that night, I swore I wouldn’t allow myself to get attached romantically to anyone ever again. Becoming a workaholic was the best alternative. It kept my body and mind busy, and didn’t leave me time to consider what I might be missing.Mason was all I needed, and that alone was enough for me.But being there for Hudson was a different story. I would always be there for him, and tonight was no exception.
Sipping mythirdclub soda and lime, I was slowly becoming more accustomed to my new role as a guest. The urge to jump in and see if I could assist Adley was difficult to resist after standing in the shadowsall those years. Luckily for me,the party was winding down when Hudson headedmy way. With a smile on my face, I held out my hand to him. “Congratulations, Hudson.This was a nice surprise.”
Hechuckled as he took my handand pulled me in for a hug. “Thank you. It was Evan’s idea.After seeing the agony Carson went through and watching them inAustralia,itinspired ustomove things along.We didn’t want to wait.”
Whenashadow crossed his face,I knew who he was thinking about.There was no way the Hudson I knew could go through this life change without thinking about Carrie. When she died two years into his second term, there were times I wasn’t sure he’d ever recover. But we slogged through, taking it day by day. “She would be happy for you.”
His lips curled in as he took on a wistful smile. As strong as he was, his grief had taken him to his knees, even though he knew it was coming. Unlike when I lost Nessa, he had time to prepare. “She would. She made a video in case this day ever happened. Adley’s been carrying it around, waiting to wreck me and deliver theI-told-you-so.”
I knew the video well, because I had a copy stored away as a backup. Adley didn’t want to chance losing it.“Sounds likeMrs. Gatlin. She liked to be right. Although I’m sure it wasn’t meant to wreck you. She wanted you and the kids to be happy again.”
He averted his gaze to search out his new husband. When he found him, his eyes softened,and a sweet smile took over his face. He’d found his lifeline. “She got her wish, Thomas. There were times Ithought I’dneverbe happy again. But she proved me wrong. Again.”
I turned to follow his gaze at the same moment Evan found him. It was good to know Hudson no longer had to carry all the responsibility after allowing Evan into their lives. He could breathe and concentrate on being a dad and husband.
“You’re a lucky man,” I said quietly. “Evan adores you and the kids. You’re going to be just fine.”
My friend turned back to me with a lovesickexpression. “I think so too.” He paused and put his hand on my shoulder. “Iwantto thank you.”
My brows furrowed at his words. “For what?I’mnot responsible for any of this.”
He shook his head. “Not for this, but for making sure I survived that first year. Without you in my corner, holding me up, I don’t know if I could have finished my term. There were days I was so numbthatI didn’t know what I was doing, and you quietly stood like a sentinel and stepped in to make sure I held things together. And all the times you helped with the kids…” He trailed off as his memories took him back to the most difficult time in his life. “You were my best friend, and didn’t even know it.”
Swallowing, I cleared my throat. “No thanks necessary, Hudson. You would have done it for me. And I wasn’t the only one who tried to help. Adley was there too, even though she’d lost her sister.”
He looked across the room to where his former sister-in-law and her mother circulated through the room,collecting dirty plates. “She was. And I’m grateful she was there forJack and Erin. But I want you to know how indebted I am that you stepped in when my walls began to buckle. I know you were the one who kept the endless supply of organic milk in our fridge.”
I smiled and rubbed my fingers across my lips, remembering Mason’s incessant teasing of my organic food. It was the kind Vanessa used to buy. “It was nothing. But there’s no growthhormone or antibiotics in organic milk. It’s better for them, and doesn’t go bad as quickly. Not that it was ever in danger of expiring.”
Hudson chuckled. “I was clueless aboutallof that.”
“You know now.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Evan making his way over to us. “And you’ve got a new husband to help you balance your life, and help you raise them. You’ve given Jack a whole new football family that’s going to pay off one day. You wait.”
“That I do,” he sighed as Evan slipped his arm over his shoulders. After a quick kiss, Evan grinned at me. “Thanks for coming, Thomas. It means a lot to us to have our friends here.”
