covered with the best milk chocolate I’d ever had, was decadently delicious.
I shook my head when he held out the box to me again. “I ordered Chinese. I’m still stuffed. I got extra food in case you were hungry. I can heat some up for you.”
He put the lid back on the box and set the chocolates on an accent table. “I had dinner, and that chocolate was a perfect dessert. I’m good.” He paused before he added, “I have something for you, too.”
He shrugged out of his suit jacket, and pulled something from the inside pocket before he draped the garment over a chair.
Hudson held out a small, pink velvet box with an uncertain expression on his face.
I popped the lid immediately, curious as to why he looked so apprehensive.
My heart skipped a beat as I saw what was inside.
“Oh, my God.” My hand was shaking as I picked up the pendant necklace.
It was the one Mac had given me, my talisman, but it was also…different.
Hudson said hoarsely, “I asked Prince Nick to try to find it in the rebel camp. Unfortunately, the only thing that turned up was the dragon. No pearl, no chain, and nothing in the eye sockets. I had it restored the best I could. I wished we would have found it intact, but at least the dragon is the original.”
I lifted it carefully, temporarily stunned into silence.
The pendant was recognizable as the original, but the additions made it even more beautiful than it had been before.
The eyes that were originally made of green glass had been replaced with small emeralds of excellent quality that shone brightly against the white gold of the pendant.
And oh, sweet Jesus, the pearl encased in the cage tail was stunning.
I moved a little so I was directly underneath one of the recessed lights in the ceiling, and rolled the pearl a little.
Holy shit! The luster was incredible, and it was shaped perfectly round. It was really high quality, and probably somewhere around 16 millimeters.
The pearl was probably the most noticeable difference since the original pearl was manmade. This one…was not.
“Is this a South Seas Pearl?” I asked as I continued to gape at the gorgeous pendant.
“It is,” Hudson answered. “It took some time to locate one that large in a high grade. Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether you’d be thrilled that the pendant was restored, or heartbroken because it had been so badly damaged.”
I fingered the thin but sturdy long chain that was stamped 14 karat, and matched the white gold pendant.
“I wish we could have found the original pearl and the eyes,” Hudson continued. “But it just wasn’t possible. Nick and his men went through that camp with a fine-toothed comb, Taylor.”
The chain was long enough that I could get it over my head, so I slipped it on, and then wrapped my fingers around the pendant.
It felt so damn good to have it back.
Tears sprang to my eyes, and this time, I couldn’t stop them from falling.
My heart ached just thinking about the time and energy Hudson had put into finding something that had been precious to me, and then had painstakingly tried to put it back together again.
Just to make me happy.
To me, that was priceless.
I tried to swallow the enormous lump in my throat, but I couldn’t.
There was nothing I wanted more than to tell Hudson exactly how I felt.
How much I loved him.
How much this meant to me.
God, it was killing me not to say it, and my frustration was trickling down my face in the form of tears.
“I’m sorry, Taylor. You’re crying,” he said huskily. “Maybe I should have just let it go.”
Anger rose up inside me, a fury born of frustration that he was actually second-guessing his decision.
I punched his shoulder. “I am not sad,” I said irritably, and then punched his other shoulder. “You gave me back something I never thought I’d see again. And now it’s really special because it’s part you, and part Mac, the two most important men I’ve ever had in my life.” I started pounding on his chest, tears coursing down my face until I was nearly blinded by them. “Don’t you have any idea how much this means to me?”
His powerful arms wrapped around my body, and crushed me against him. “Do you always beat on the men you see as special?” he asked drily.
“No!” I exclaimed. “Just you.”
I knew I was out of control, but at least my anger stopped me from telling him