front of the building with her. All eyes were on the two of them when they stepped out into the open, and Hudson found himself damn proud that she was his.
She walked him to his truck, and he gave her one last kiss before reluctantly climbing inside. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he said, his door open, finding it difficult to leave her.
“I’ll be ready,” she told him. Then she blew him a kiss before turning and walking back to the school where she was accosted by people who he was sure were asking her a thousand questions.
Hudson finally managed to shut his truck door, start the engine, and drive away. He turned up his radio and sang along. Was this what it was like to be in love? Had he met his match?
His grin faded as a new thought occurred. Holy hell! Had he just caught the marriage flu?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hudson sat with his brothers, his grin lighting his face, his mood excellent. It was a beautiful day and he didn’t think anything could bring him down.
“Okay, spill,” Crew demanded. He was looking more stressed than ever before.
“I might be in trouble,” Hudson admitted with a shrug.
“What kind of trouble?” Joseph asked as he stepped inside the room, his voice echoing off the walls.
Hudson turned to look at his uncle who still seemed a little stressed but didn’t have quite as dark of circles beneath his eyes as he’d had before Katherine had went in for her surgery.
“Before we talk about me, how’s Aunt Katherine doing?” Hudson responded.
Joseph smiled, getting that dreamy look in his eyes he always carried when his wife was mentioned. “She’s getting stronger every single day,” Joseph answered. “I still worry, and I wake up at least twice every night just to assure myself she’s breathing normally and sleeping well, but she assures me she feels brand new. The doctors did a scan today and they say they got all of the tumor. But cancer is tricky and there’s a part of me that worries it will come back.”
“I’m sure you’ll be on top of it so fast it won’t stand a chance,” Finn said.
“You’re damn straight I will,” Joseph said. “I can’t imagine living in this world without Katherine. She’s my everything.”
“I’m starting to know how that feels,” Finn said. “I haven’t had nearly the amount of time with Brooke that you’ve had with Aunt Katherine, and I already can’t picture a life without her. I wouldn’t trade what we have for a billion dollars, but there are days I wish I wouldn’t have fallen in love because the thought of losing her is so terrifying.”
“Any man who’s truly loved a woman has faced those same thoughts,” Joseph assured his nephew. Then he zeroed back in on Hudson. “Now tell me more about what’s gotten you into trouble.” Joseph never questioned, he demanded. There was a clear difference.
“How did you know you were in love?” Hudson asked.
Those words had an instant effect on the entire group. Joseph beamed at him as if he’d just won a gold medal. Crew rolled his eyes and smirked. Finn and Noah chuckled, and Brandon slapped his back.
“When you’re asking your family about love, it’s a pretty good indicator you’re in it,” Finn said.
“I agree with your brother,” Joseph said. “Have you told Daisy?”
“I haven’t even told myself. I like to take things day by day and live in the moment. I don’t want to make declarations and talk about an uncertain future, just like I don’t see a point in living in the past. I want to enjoy what the two of us have right here and right now.”
The door to the room opened and Damien Whitfield walked in.
It was almost comical how different each of the brothers were, and how they reacted to different situations. Finn immediately stood and held out his hand to Damien, who took it and nodded his head. Brandon was next, a smile on his lips, greeting their lost brother. Noah nodded and asked how he was doing, and Crew sent a hey there. Hudson nodded, but he found himself not very interested in getting to know this man.
Sure, Damien was his brother. The DNA proved it. But just because they were blood didn’t make them siblings. Hudson had grown up with Finn, Noah, Brandon, and Crew. Damien might’ve come from the same womb, but he hadn’t been raised with them. It was hard to think of him as a brother.
“Good morning,