“Yes?”
Hudson set the chair down beside her. “I was wondering if you’d like to spend the holidays with me and Nick. I mean, it won’t be anything as elaborate as what you’re probably used to, but we could go out, or have dinner here, open presents.” He shrugged. “That sort of thing.”
She’d never seen him so flustered. It was downright adorable. “Sounds perfect. I’d love to spend the holidays with you and Nick.”
He smiled, then offered his hand to steady her as she climbed onto the chair. She still couldn’t reach the top. The tree hadn’t looked nearly this big at the lot. Of course there it had been in the shadow of one that stood fifty-feet tall. She stretched on tiptoe to reach the top and had no sooner set it in place when she lost her balance. Hudson caught her as she fell back into his arms. He held her cradled against his chest, rather like a groom carrying a bride across a threshold. She laughed at her own clumsiness and braced herself for Hudson’s inevitable quip.
But when she met his gaze she found his expression somber. “It would have killed me if you’d married him today.”
His ardent declaration and the thought of how close she came to losing him forever caused a lump to form in her throat. Her fingertips stroked his cheek. “I love you, Hudson.”
He dipped his head, kissing her sweetly, almost reverently, before setting her on her feet. “So, what’s next on the never-ending list?”
She smiled. In spite of his Grinchlike exterior, Hudson was enjoying himself. He was just too proud to admit it. Or maybe he just enjoyed teasing her. Either way, she was having more fun than she’d had in years. “I need to put the last batch of cookies in the oven. Why don’t you build the pyramid?”
“Bossy little thing, aren’t you?” he said dryly. “Perhaps I’ll put that ribbon to good use after all.”
“If that was supposed to be a deterrent, it failed.” She sashayed to the kitchen, swinging her hips in an exaggerated motion. The groan from the dining room confirmed it hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Allie shook various colors of sugar crystals onto the last batch of cookies and then placed the tray in the oven. When she turned back around Hudson was sitting at the dining room table, sorting the delicate wood carvings now piled in front of him. As she watched him assemble the base of the pyramid, she was struck by how the scene would look to any outsider. Hudson working on a project while she fussed about in the kitchen. It was downright domestic, and so. . . . so . . . She searched for the right word to complete her thought before finally settling on normal, because this was what normal couples did on the weekend. It felt right, the two of them spending a quiet Saturday together, and yet strange. They had an undeniable connection, but there was still so much they didn’t know about each other. Even more she didn’t know about him.
Images from earlier that morning flooded her mind. To the rest of the world Hudson Chase might have seemed the always-in-control CEO, master of not only his own destiny, but so many others as well. Underneath that perfect exterior, however, was a man with demons that surfaced when he was asleep and at his most vulnerable. Having seen the effects firsthand made her desperate to help him. But to do that, she’d have to get him to open up to her, and that would take time. Based on what little she knew, she suspected it had to do with some trauma from his childhood, something even worse than what he’d already shared. But what could be worse than losing his mother to a drug overdose and his younger brother to a system that shuttled him from one foster home to another?
“What are you thinking about over there?” he asked.
Allie met his curious stare. “Hmm?”
“You’re frowning. Is there some kitchen crisis that needs to be averted?”
She gave a small laugh and shuffled the decorating supplies on the granite counter. “No, just wondering if I bought enough icing for the cookies.”
Hudson shook his head and smiled as he turned his attention back to the small pyramid taking shape on the table in front of him. The second tier was in place and he was about to add the third. “You do realize there will only be the three of us?”
“Yes, I know that.” She rolled her eyes, knowing full well he couldn’t see. “I just want to make this special for Nick. And you,” she added quietly.
His gaze flicked up to meet hers and his eyes softened. “It will be special because you’re here. The rest of this,” he waved his hand vaguely through the air, “while appreciated, is inconsequential.”
A feeling of warmth spread through her. “Thank you, but I happen to like all of this, so get building,” she teased.
“Ribbon, Alessandra. Plenty of it left.”
“Bring it on, Chase.” She laughed. “But after you’ve finished your work.” Leaning her hip against the counter, she watched as he placed tiny figurines on each level. As he did, the expression on his face changed. Gone was the devious grin that had accompanied his delicious threat, and in its place was something much more innocent. Hudson had always seemed so much older than his twenty-nine years, but in that moment it was if he were a young boy again, marveling at the decoration his parents had put on display.
“Is it like the one you used to have?” Her voice was hesitant. As much as she wanted to know about his past, she didn’t want to push him to a place he wasn’t ready to revisit.
“I have no idea,” he murmured.”I have a picture in my mind, but I’m not sure if it’s accurate. My mom stopped putting it out after my dad was gone. She stopped celebrating Christmas altogether.”
Allie’s chest tightened at the thought. Hudson had never mentioned his dad, much less why he wasn’t in his life, but clearly that had been the case for quite a while. It was hard enough to imagine two little boys growing up without their father. But picturing them with a mother so despondent she couldn’t bring herself to celebrate the holidays caused tears to prick the backs of her eyes. She was about to go to him, to wrap her arms around him and tell him he’d never be alone again, when he surprised her by saying more than just those few initial words.
“Nick and I would sit at the table, watching, while my dad built it,” he said. “He’d let us play with the little guys until he was ready for them. Nick would cry if he didn’t get to hold Santa Claus, even though my dad told him the most important one was the baby in the manger.” He gave a half smile. “But that baby wasn’t the one bringing presents, so Nick couldn’t care less.”
One by one Hudson began adding the thin propeller blades to the top of the pyramid. Allie held perfectly still, not wanting to interrupt the moment in any way. Hudson was talking, sharing a memory from his childhood, and a happy one, no less. Which only made her all the more curious as to what had happened to so devastatingly alter their lives.
“When he was finished he’d let me light the candles.” When the last blade was in place, Hudson gave them a gentle push and the levels began to spin in alternating directions. He sat back in his chair, watching it turn.
The oven timer chimed and Allie jumped. Hudson looked up and all traces of the young boy vanished. “Better not let them burn,” he teased. “The woman in charge around here is a real nightmare.”
“Only when her elf is slacking on the job,” she shot back, relieved to see his mood hadn’t taken a dark turn. “But since he’s completed everything on his list, he’s in the clear. Might even get a reward.” She grabbed a hot mitt and bent over to pull the last tray of cookies out of the oven.
Hudson was suddenly behind her, his hands cupping her backside. “I can think of a few rewards I’d like to claim.”
Allie gave her hips a little shake and he smacked her on the ass. She yelped as she stood. “You’re lucky I didn’t drop these,” she said, setting the tray on the counter to cool.
“They smell delicious.”