Reluctant groom, p.30
Reluctant Groom, page 30
Hudson sat beside him and palmed Lucas’s thigh. “I thought there would be more people on the plane.”
“We’ve nearly got it to ourselves,” Lucas said, without bothering to look in Hudson’s direction.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
Hudson cleared his throat, causing Lucas to wince. “Want to tell me what’s bothering you?” Hudson asked. “Ever since we finished at the office, you’ve been tense.” He curled his fingers under Lucas’s chin, forcing him to look at him. “Lucas?”
“It’s nothing.” He couldn’t tell Hudson about the past. Not now. “It’s our wedding day.”
“Almost.” Hudson didn’t let go. He narrowed his eyes, like he did when he was deep in thought. “I heard from Lia a few hours ago.”
His stomach churned. They weren’t even in the air yet, and nausea overcame him. “And?”
“She’s happy for us. I believe she said I should snap you up.” Hudson crooked his eyebrow. “I told her I was trying to do that.”
“You are.” Lucas toyed with the ring. If Hudson’s father knew he’d been given that piece of jewelry, he’d croak.
“We have a few hours to kill and I’m tired of you being jumpy.” Hudson rested his hand on Lucas’s thigh again. “How about we get a few things straight.”
“Sure.” Lucas nodded, despite wanting to jump out of the plane and the stressful situation.
“Sir?” One of the flight attendants touched Hudson’s arm. “You’re wanted in the cockpit. This way.”
Hudson left his phone on the seat. “I’ll be right back, but this isn’t over.” He left Lucas alone and headed for the front of the plane.
Lucas picked up the phone. He had no idea why Hudson left the device behind. They weren’t off the ground or taxiing yet. The phone buzzed. Without thinking about his actions, Lucas swiped and checked the notification. A text from Cassie and an email from Stan. Probably an ass chewing and itinerary stuff.
Lucas retrieved the text. Just as he’d suspected, Cassie wasn’t happy.
You embarrassed me in front of Marie. You were supposed to like her. What’s wrong with you?
With friends and sisters like her, who needed enemies? Lucas deleted the text. Right now, Hudson didn’t need the headache. Cassie could cool her heels for a while.
He checked the email in case there were changes to the itinerary. The last he knew, they’d land, get the swipe cards for the suite, switch into tuxedoes, and head back downstairs to get married. No time to think or change his mind.
The subject line of the email made him pause. Lucas.
Why would Stan email Hudson about him? To persuade him to change his mind? Lucas brought up the email.
Here’s that file. Read it or don’t. It’s up to you, but your father knew about him.
Lucas’s blood ran cold. The elder Mr. Granger knew? About him? Fuck. He looked at the message again. Until he’d opened it, the thing looked unopened. Or had he imagined it? His hands shook. He had no idea what might be in the file, but a few things came to mind. His stomach churned again. Once Hudson learned the truth, he’d change his mind. He’d order Lucas off the plane and out of his life.
Hudson sank onto the seat. “Turns out I went to college with the pilot.” He tipped his head and elbowed Lucas. “Are you okay? You’re pale. Do you need an airsick bag?”
“No.” Lucas shoved the phone between his knees. Maybe Hudson would forget about the device.
“Why are you tucking my phone between your legs? Are you planning on getting off when it buzzes?” Hudson didn’t smile, despite making the joke. “Lucas?”
“Are you sure you want to marry me?” Lucas clutched the phone. “I haven’t been honest with you.”
Hudson nodded. “I thought this might happen.”
“You did?” Oh, shit.
“That you’d change your mind? Sure. What were you thinking?”
He trembled. “There are some things I need to tell you.”
“Go on.” Hudson held Lucas’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere and no one will interrupt us.”
He made this sound so easy. Lucas bobbed his foot. “Do you remember the night we met?”
“I do.” Hudson half-smiled. “You were seventeen and bussing tables at the country club. I felt like a dirty old man watching you, but you were so damn cute with the way you looked at me. No one has ever looked at me that way before. I felt the heat across the room.”
“It was real.” Lucas fortified his nerves. “I knew I was too young for you then, and I was afraid to make a move—I knew you’d put me off.”
“Until you turned eighteen anyway.”
He bobbed his foot faster. “Your father figured that out, too. He saw the way I brushed your hand when I cleared the table and the way I looked at you when I was at other tables. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”
Hudson’s smile grew, but he said nothing.
“Your father stopped me that night before he left. He stood right in my way.” As he told the story, he was transported back to the evening. The memory of the scent of the gardenias and rum never quite left his mind. He could still see Hudson in his black suit, the one that fit like a second skin. He shook his head. “Your father knew I’d applied to work at the office as a go-fer. I’d work the mailroom, run errands … anything as long as it was a job until I headed to college.” He stared at his hands. “He stopped me in the hallway on the way to the bathrooms and said if I ever laid a hand on you, he’d not only have my balls, but he’d ruin my chances of working anywhere. He’d get me thrown out of college, too.”
“He didn’t.”
Lucas nodded as Hudson’s smile fell. “He did,” Lucas said. “He said he knew all about me, and his son wasn’t going to hook up with a silly teenager looking to move up in the world.”
“Lucas.” Hudson sighed. “That sounds like my father.”
“From that moment on, I kept distance between you and me. I’d stare at you, but made sure no one saw me,” Lucas said. “I managed to graduate from high school and got into college—apparently that threat wasn’t good. When I applied for an internship, I had no idea I’d be selected to work with you. I thought I’d end up at a bank or something.”
“You got me.” Hudson squeezed Lucas’s fingers. “You’ve been a great help.”
“Maybe.” Lucas fortified himself again. “The first day, before I even ran into you, your father cornered me again. He insisted I work those first six months with him. Every day, he reminded me I had no business talking to you or trying to get closer. If I did, he’d cut off my balls. Then he produced a file.”
“A file?” Hudson asked.
“This one.” He offered up the phone. “I knew Stan knew about it because he’d helped your father compile it. My criminal record.”
“Your … criminal…?” Hudson sat up straighter but didn’t let go. “I knew you had one. Stan told me today.”
“I’m sure he did,” Lucas said. “Your father had no idea when I was hired on as an intern that I had a record. It was a juvenile offender record and sealed. I thought nothing of it, since it was sealed, but he gave a hellfire-and-brimstone lecture about the value of work and being a convicted felon. He scared me silly.”
“Wait. Felon? I know nothing about that.” Hudson frowned and leaned into Lucas. “What happened?”
“I’m not a felon, but he liked saying it to make me feel small.” Lucas lowered his voice. He didn’t want everyone on the plane to know about his past. “I was fifteen and rode in a stolen car. I didn’t know it was stolen at the time. I’d shaved my hair half off at the time and looked like a punk. My friend crashed the car into a hydrant and ran when the cops showed up. I took the rap for it, but he eventually was caught. Still, it was considered a misdemeanor because I wasn’t driving and hadn’t stolen the car. That said, I had to go to court, had to plead, pay a fine with money I didn’t have, and got ninety days’ probation. The only reason I got the job at the country club was because they’d let me pay off the fine and the judge knew the head of the club. I worked in the laundry room until I was seventeen and had removed my piercing as well as sorted out my hair.”
“You looked like the average teenage guy,” Hudson said. “So, they sealed the record?”
“When I turned eighteen, it was sealed, and I moved on with my life. I never forgot about you or the way you looked at me,” Lucas said. His skin heated and his case of the nerves returned. “Your father threatened to tell everyone I was a felon. It worked and kept me in line.”
“Then you ended up with me.”
“I begged Rosie in human resources. I told her you’d requested me, and she must’ve felt sorry because she managed to get me moved.” Lucas curled into himself. “I don’t know how Lia knows about my past, but that’s it. I made mistakes and I’m willing to own up to them.”
“I see.” Hudson sat back in his seat. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“Have I?” He didn’t understand. Hudson should be ordering him off the plane. He’d lied to him and withheld information. How could he want to still try to be married? Lucas glanced out the window. “We’re in the air.”
“We took off while you and I were talking,” Hudson said. He sighed. “I’m not sure what to say. I thought we were honest with each other. I thought you felt comfortable telling me everything. I guess I was wrong.”
“I was ashamed.” Didn’t he understand that?
“So? Did you think I’d make you leave?” Hudson’s eyes blazed as he shook his head. “I’m not my father. I believe people can have a second chance and make the most of themselves.” He groaned. “Fuck.”
“You had my file on your phone,” Lucas managed. “You knew what I’d done, but you hadn’t said anything to me. You keep mentioning love and forever, but you don’t bother to see how I feel. He told me not to try anything with you because he saw me as a social climber. That I’d use you.”
“Are you?”
“No.” Lucas shrank back in his seat. “Leave me alone.”
“Sure.” Hudson unbuckled and darted toward the back of the plane.
Lucas scrubbed both hands over his face and sighed. His heart hammered in his chest. No, his heart tore in half. Part of him wished Hudson would tell him the past didn’t matter and they’d be all right. That he loved him. The rest of him knew the score. He’d screwed up. He should’ve told Hudson the truth from the start and taken the consequences.
Every time he looked at Hudson, he fell in love deeper. How was he supposed to tell Hudson how he felt when the man of his dreams didn’t seem to care any longer?
****
Hudson avoided Lucas for the remainder of the flight. He wanted to return to him, but he wasn’t sure what to say. My father was an ass, but I’m not him? I don’t care what you did because I love the man you are? Both were the truth, but neither seemed enough.
The light came on, signaling him to return to his seat. He settled beside Lucas. He still wanted to go through with the marriage, but he wanted Lucas to come on his own terms.
“You’re back,” Lucas murmured. “I’m not so repellant after all?”
“You’re being an insolent shit right now.” Hudson buckled up and forced his attention to Lucas. “We’re landing in a few minutes. Once we’re on the ground, it’s up to you what you decide. I’m going to the suite to change, and I’ll be at the chapel at the designated time. I hope you’ll show up, but I can’t force you. I know this isn’t what you want and you’re just doing this to help me out. I don’t want to be married to a man who feels forced. I hope you do come to the ceremony, but it’s your decision.”
“I don’t know if I can.” Lucas pulled at his fingers like he did when his nerves got the best of him.
Hudson stilled Lucas’s hands. “I know.” He couldn’t let this moment pass without trying to fix things. “I pushed you too hard, I get it. You think I just decided today that I liked you and wanted to get married. You’re partly right. I decided today about the wedding because my father demanded it in his will. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like you all along. That heat and indescribable connection from the first time we met never died. I knew you were too young then, but you’re not now. It’s been hard as hell to keep my hands to myself for these past six years. You wear those suits and know what to say … you’re what I wanted. I don’t give a shit if you’re a felon or had a misdemeanor when you were juvenile. We all make mistakes. I don’t give a shit if my father did tell you to stay away. That’s his hang-up. Back when we first met, yeah, we shouldn’t have tried to get together, and we didn’t. Now we’re both adults, and this is very different. I never lied to you when I said I love you. Never.” He rocked in his seat as the plane landed.
As Hudson suspected, Lucas said nothing. Hudson notched his chin and forced a brave face. “All you have to do is tell the people at the front desk you’re with the Granger family. They’ll set you up with your own room. I’ll get you a ticket to go home, if that’s what you want.”
“It’s what’s best.” Lucas’s chin quivered, but he didn’t cry. “Thank you.”
“Welcome.” Sometimes, he hated being the adult. Most of the time, he saw Lucas as his equal. Right now, Lucas reminded him of a scared kid. “You make me happy, Lucas. I do love you.” He stopped short of mentioning marriage again. Every cell in his body screamed to not only beg Lucas to go through with the ceremony, but to understand his love was true. Instead, he gave Lucas space.
Hudson left the plane and didn’t look back. His father wanted him to act professionally and not crumble. Fine. No one would know he was upset, even if he was falling apart inside. He filed into the back of the limo and his heart shredded when the driver closed the door.
So much for his happy ending.
Chapter Five
Lucas stared at Hudson’s phone. He should’ve given the device back. Hudson wouldn’t get into his suite without it. But he didn’t know how to face Hudson. Jesus. The man had been as stand-up as could be. He’d given him the chance to back out of the wedding, allowed him to have a hotel room without strings, and would arrange for a flight home.
“What are you doing?” Stan stopped Lucas in the terminal. “Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m doing what’s best for the both of us.”
“Are you?” Stan nodded to his wife. “I’ll catch up to you.” When she left, Stan turned his attention back to Lucas. “I heard what he told you. He meant every word. He really has loved you since that day all those years ago, and he really doesn’t care if you’ve messed up in your past. When he gives his word, it’s gold.”
“I know.” Lucas clutched his garment bag. “I’m scared.”
“Of? Marriage? It’s going to be tough no matter how much you’re in love. Everyone argues and it gets sticky, but the good times outweigh the bad,” Stan said. “I’ve got almost thirty years with Melissa. I wouldn’t trade a one, even if we struggled. She’s the best thing to happen to me.”
“What about when the papers get a hold of this? What’ll they do to Hudson then? They’ll say I’m a kid and he’s robbing the cradle. If they find out about my past, they’ll say I’m a charity case and he’s trying to redeem himself or they’ll trash his reputation. I can’t put him through that no matter how much I love…” He snapped his mouth shut. Fuck.
“That’s what I thought.” Stan put his arm around Lucas. “You’re trying to talk yourself out of this because you’re worried about him, but you’re not seeing the worry is on account of how much you love him.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but why bother? Stan was right.
“Let him stew in his juices a bit. In the back of his mind, he knows you’re not going to stand him up. Come with me and Melissa. We’ll get your sorted out and ready for the wedding.” Stan grinned. “This is what should’ve happened all along. You both had time, albeit not much, to realize you do love each other.”
“I do.” Lucas nodded. “More than I ever thought possible.”
“Good. Remember that line. It’s going to come in handy in about an hour.” Stan nudged him forward. “Reluctant, my ass. All you needed was the right push.”
Lucas chuckled. He did love Hudson and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. Now that he accepted the truth, he couldn’t wait to see him and exchange vows. For the first time since learning about the shotgun wedding, he looked forward to the future with Hudson. “Let’s do this.”
“That’s my boy.” Stan herded Lucas through the terminal to the waiting car. “He’s going to be so surprised.”
“He sure will.” Lucas rode in silence. He might be with Melissa and Stan in the vehicle, but his mind never roamed far from Hudson and his confession. He’d thought his fiancé had acted out of pressure. All along, Hudson did love him.
When the car stopped, Lucas followed Melissa into the hotel.
“This way. We’re on the eighth floor.” She directed him to the elevator. “Do you know I was afraid to marry Stan?”
“You were?” He stepped into the elevator car with her. “You seem so perfect for each other.”
“Right now we do.” She pushed the button for the correct floor. “About five years ago when our son went to college, Stan and I drifted. I barely knew him and he spent all of his time at the office.”
“I remember. Mr. Granger loved it.” And if he recalled, Hudson wished his father hadn’t expected so much from Stan. “You’re still together, though.”
“Because I told him either he could be married to the job or to me.” The bell dinged, signaling the floor. The doors opened and she marched out first. “We’re in eight-fifteen.”
“Thanks.” He kept up with her. “You’ll have to help me with my bowtie. I’m awful at it.”
“Not a problem.” She flashed her phone in front of the door. “Perfect.” She allowed him into the room first. “Stan didn’t know how to tie his neckties when I met him.” She put her bag down on the rack. “Now, let’s get back to your question. I told Stan it was either Granger or me. We talked, cried, and said we were through. By the end of the evening, we changed our mind. We were more important than the job.”
