CHAPTER FOURTEEN: HUDSON

HUDSON COULDN’T stand the worried expression on Kit’s face, though there was little he could do to alleviate it. But maybe there was something—perhaps spending the rest of the day lounging by the pool would help improve everyone’s mood.

“Would you be up for taking a break this afternoon and lazing by the pool?” Hudson suggested to his companions.

“Sold!” Kit’s face lit up with excitement as he grinned at Hudson. Taking both his and Connie’s hands, he hurried them toward their temporary bedroom.

“Isn’t the construction crew working back there?” Connie asked as they walked into their bedroom. “Not going to be a lot of privacy.”

“Oh.” Kit frowned, coming to a halt. “Well, damn.”

“No problem. We’ll hit the lake instead,” Hudson said, closing the door behind them.

“That sounds good to me,” Kit said. “Let me take off my makeup while you guys change.”

“Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you that my parents are coming to visit,” Connie said to Hudson as he headed into the small walk-in closet to grab his swimsuit. He also got Kit’s and Hudson’s and brought them out.

“When?” Hudson asked.

“I’m still waiting to hear.”

Kit froze in the middle of the room and groaned. “And here Hudson was just telling me to try and not get stressed out too much.”

Connie dropped their swimsuits on the bed and walked over to Kit. Taking his face, he gently kissed Kit’s lips. “There’s nothing to be stressed out about. My parents are some of the most easygoing people you will ever meet. I promise you that.”

“You seem really sure that they’ll like me,” Kit said.

“Of course I am. They’ll like you because I like you. I am, after all, an excellent judge of character.” With one last kiss, Connie backed off.

Kit bit his lip as he stared at Hudson. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You just lost your own mother. Is that—”

“Oh, babe.” Hudson quickly went to Kit. “I adore Connie’s mother and her mates. Is there a tiny part of me that grieves that my mother is dead? Of course. I’m not completely heartless, although she pretty much was.”

Kit shuddered.

“Exactly. It’s hard to have a relationship with someone when their narcissism is their main personality trait. It’s a shame she had to die that way, but I’m not devastated by it. Not like you or our Connie would be. I simply did not have that kind of relationship with her. I never did.”

“I am so sorry,” Kit said softly. “I truly cannot imagine what that must be like.”

“Be glad. I like your parents, and I like Connie’s. That’s enough for me,” Hudson said.

Kit nodded, his eyes reflecting a mix of relief and lingering worry. “Okay, I’m going to go wash up,” he murmured and slipped into the bathroom, leaving Hudson and Connie in the bedroom.

Connie glanced at Hudson, a slight frown tugging at his lips. “You okay with them coming to visit? The timing could be better.”

Hudson shrugged. “It’s fine, sweetheart. Actually, it might be good to have some normalcy around here for a change.”

Connie chuckled, changing clothes. “Normalcy? With a wedding coming up? Besides, we’re dragons. We thrive on chaos.”

“Good thing, huh?” Hudson replied, changing clothes. He went over and helped Connie select a couple of blue beach towels from the stack in the closet.

They heard the bathroom door click open, and Kit emerged, bare faced. He quickly changed into swim trunks that highlighted his slender frame, a stark contrast to Hudson’s and Connie’s more athletic builds.

“Ready?” Hudson asked, grabbing a bag and tossing in sunscreen for their mate.

“Yeah,” Kit answered.

They all trooped out of the house, heading toward the lake that lay shimmering under the midday sun. Sunlight dappled through the high branches in warm patches, and the air was filled with the scent of pine resin and fresh water.

Reaching the lake’s edge, they set their things on the nearby picnic table. The water looked invitingly clear, beckoning them to shed their worries.

As Hudson watched Kit tentatively dip his toes into the cool water before wading deeper, he felt an acute sense of protectiveness mixed with admiration. Kit let nothing get him down. No matter what, he kept going; it didn’t matter what was thrown at him. That was a quality Hudson greatly admired.

With an impulsive burst of energy, Connie charged into the lake with a whoop, splashing water high into the air and breaking the serene quietude.

Kit laughed—a bright sound mingling relief with joy. Hudson shook his head fondly at their antics.

In that moment, playing under the sunny blue skies, the problems with Lennox, the attacks by the hunters, and Don seemed distant and muted. For now, laughter was enough. It filled up the spaces between them, making everything else momentarily unimportant.

For hours, they swam and lounged in the sun, the tension from earlier seemingly dissolved in the cool lake waters. Hudson watched as Kit floated on his back, eyes closed and face relaxed under the sun’s gentle touch.

Moments like these reminded Hudson why he lovedimpromptu escapes—they were necessary breathers from the chaos of everyday life.

AS THE sun set, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, Connie suggested they have a cookout. He even volunteered to run back to the main house and scrounge up some hotdogs, buns, drinks, and chips. Kit offered to go with him to help carry the stuff back.

While they did that, Hudson gathered wood for the small grill by the picnic table.

Once the fire was crackling merrily—a flick of his wrist had conjured the fire he needed—Kit and Connie returned with their goodies. They roasted hot dogs and marshmallows—Stella had the best ideas—their faces aglow from both the flames and their laughter.

Night fully set in, the stars twinkling brightly above them.

“It’s like we’re in our own little world here,” Kit whispered to Hudson.

Hudson nodded, wrapping one arm around Kit and the other around Connie. “Sometimes I wish we could just stay in this moment forever.”

Kit sighed contentedly. “Me too.”

As they sat there under the starlit sky, surrounded by the sounds of the night and crackling firewood, a profound sense of peace settled over Hudson.

Yes, they would have to return to reality soon—with all its complications and confrontations—but for now, this perfect escape was all they needed.

THEY WENT back to work the next day, which was a Tuesday. Hudson managed to drag his feet until Kit and Beckett finally left.

“Hey, sweetheart, I’ll be back in a moment. There’s something I need to do right quick,” Hudson said to Connie.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. There’s just something I need to do before we leave. Give me about thirty minutes, then meet me in my office.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then.”

The construction in their bedroom made Hudson grit his teeth, but he was a man on a mission. After speaking to Kayden, Hudson stepped into his hoard, a frown on his face.

The wedding rings question had been preying on his mind, and he was still no closer to an answer than he was before on whether he should tell Kit what he was thinking.

From the research Connie had done, wedding bands seemed to be a human thing. Kit hadn’t said anything about them, but they were having a human wedding. Why wouldn’t he want that?

Hudson didn’t have a problem with wearing a ring, although it would have to be spelled so it didn’t shatter when he transformed into his natural form. Same for Connie.

He wanted to surprise Kit—and Connie, although he was pretty sure Connie knew what he had planned. Connie was the one who’d done the research, after all, but that was his thing. He liked research. It was one of the reasons he was an excellent Right Hand.

“So, if I was a human mated to a dragon, what kind of wedding band would I want?” Hudson mused as he walked among the treasures in his hoard.

Hudson honestly had no idea what Kit would want, and trying to put himself into Kit’s shoes was not helping. His mate owned a lot of costume jewelry, but Hudson had never noticed any similarities in what Kit owned. In other words, there wasn’t a certain color or shape he tended to gravitate toward.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Here lately Kit had become obsessed with pearls, but that was most likely due to the pearl body chain Hudson had gifted him. From what he’d heard, pearls seemed to figure prominently in their wedding too.

Hudson stopped at a chest full of gems, thinking. The pearls on top of the mound of stones glistened in the light. “Hmmm. The stone for the wedding bands could be pearls.”

After a moment of consideration, Hudson pulled his cell phone out and Googled what pearls represented. “They can symbolize many things, including love, purity, wisdom, and luck. The meaning of pearls is also varied depending on the occasion, the recipient’s taste, and the color of the pearl.”

Hudson slipped his phone back into his pocket. He liked the idea of using pearls, but he also knew they were delicate. Pretty, but delicate. They were “soft” gems. He didn’t like the idea that whatever gem they went with could possibly erode over time.

There was nothing soft about him, Connie… or Kit, for that matter.

His very human mate had withstood a very traumatic introduction to the paranormal world. There was nothing soft about Kit, so Hudson discarded the idea of using pearls. That gem didn’t fit them.

From across the way, another stone caught his eye, and he wandered over to that chest. The fire opal was a beautiful gem also. They symbolized the joys of the heart.

Kit and Connie definitely brought joy to Hudson’s heart. The gem was rumored to attract money—which was always a plus in Hudson’s opinion. But it was also somewhat delicate, the same as pearls.

Hudson let it fall back into the chest. From the corner of his eye, a red flash caught his attention, and he turned. The large ruby Kit had commented on previously was still sitting where Kit had placed it.

Bending, Hudson examined it. Rubies had always been his favorite stone. He was drawn to the color red, but he was especially drawn to the sharp and brilliant red color of rubies.

Out came the phone again, and he Googled the meaning of rubies. “Okay, they can symbolize love and commitment, making rubies a popular choice for wedding rings.”

Hudson glanced at the stone. So far so good.

“And passion—the ruby’s intense red color can evoke emotions of passion, energy, and life.”

He liked those traits too.

“What else? Oh. A ruby’s lush color can signify wealth and success.”

That was another point for using a ruby.

“And finally, protection—rubies have been used in protective amulets.”

His dragon liked that selling point the most.

“And would you look at that. Rubies are as resilient as sapphires and only slightly softer than diamonds, meaning they are among the toughest and most enduring gemstones known to mankind. That’s perfect, then. Rubies it is.”

He could use the ruby Kit had found, but he didn’t want to break it up. Instead, he rummaged around in another chest until he found a pile of rubies and colorless diamonds. All of them were of the highest grade and small, which would be perfect for wedding bands.

The stones sparkled in the light, and Hudson grinned. Oh yes, he liked this idea the most. Maybe there would be enough left over for him to make a matching bracelet for Kit too.

Now for the design. He did a search on wedding bands, and by Gaura, why were there so many? Just picture after picture after picture after picture.

This… this was turning out to be harder than he’d imagined. There were just so many choices. How did anybody choose? Damn. Maybe he should talk to Kit.

What if his mate didn’t want small stones? What if Kit wanted a big rock that stuck up on his finger? He’d seen Kit wear both. And he wanted his mate to be happy with whatever he wore.

Hudson tugged on the braid next to his face, irritated. He desperately wanted this to be a surprise, but he really needed Kit’s input. For that matter, Connie deserved to have a say on this also.

Hudson sighed, discouraged. He really didn’t care what the bands looked like, one way or the other. There was already a soul bond between the three of them, so the outside trappings of a human marriage weren’t that important to him.

But they were to Kit.

Taking the stones with him, Hudson left his hoard. After he secured the entrance, he placed the stones he’d retrieved in a small box in the safe in his office.

LATER THAT evening, Hudson sat on the back patio, enjoying a drink while he waited for Kit and Connie to join him. The construction crew had left for the day, so they had privacy. Even though their room and bath were a mess, there was still a path to the deck and pool they could use. Hudson heard Kit and Connie joking and laughing as they entered the bedroom.

Connie stuck his head out through the doorway. “I found Kit.”

“I see that. How about the two of you join me out here? There’s something I want to talk to the both of you about.”

Kit popped up beside Connie. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course, babe. You would’ve known if there was something wrong, remember?”

“I know. I’m just checking.” Kit shrugged. “You’re looking serious there.”

“He has his thinking face on,” Connie said, staring at Hudson.

Hudson chuckled.

“Thinking face, huh?” Kit winked at Hudson, taking the seat next to him.

“What’s going on?” Connie asked, sitting on the other side of Hudson.

Hudson didn’t know how to broach the subject, so he just jumped straight in. “Connie has done research into human weddings.”

Kit raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

“Yes,” Connie said.

“He’s emailed me some of his notes on the traditions of a human wedding, which brings me to the subject at hand….” Again, how was he to broach this?

“And that subject at hand is?” Kit teased.

“Wedding bands.” Hudson cleared his throat. “Humans like to wear wedding bands, so I was wondering if that was something you were interested in. If you are, I think I can speak for Connie when I say we’d be happy to take part in that tradition.”

There. He’d put that rather nicely, if he did say so himself.

“Damn straight I’m interested, and damn straight the two of you are going to wear a wedding band too. I know paranormals will know we’ve mated thanks to scent, but humans won’t know that.” Kit declared. “And I can’t have you two sexy men walking around without any sort of ownership claim on you.”