Release Me (19 page)

“Try thank you.”

He looked up. “Thank you, Hudson.”

“You’re welcome. Glad you like it.” Hudson felt his phone vibrate in the ass pocket of his pants. He dug the thing out and with his thumbs working, punched a message before slipping the phone back in his pocket. “Dinner’s ready.” As soon as he finished his sentence, his phone vibrated again.

“We better get our asses upstairs,” Nick said, swinging his leg over the bike in a dismount.

“Yeah.” Hudson typed a reply and put the phone away again, then shot his brother a stern glare. “No drinking and riding, feel me?”

“Dude, when are you going to let up? Sober, remember?” Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a thirty-day chip. He flicked it at Hudson.

Hudson caught the chip, studying one side, then the other. There were numerous things to say, yet he stood there with not a damn thing coming to mind except, “This is my Christmas present, Nicky.” He cleared his throat. “We better hit it before Allie starts texting my ass again.”

Nick laughed. “So whipped.”

“No denying.” He grinned. “And one day, it will happen to you.” Hudson clapped his brother on the shoulder as they headed toward the elevator. On the ride up, he launched into more details about Nick’s new piece of horsepower. While he pontificated, sound effects rumbled out of Nick’s piehole and echoed off the wood paneling.

When they stepped off, Allie looked up from setting a platter of food on the table.”Perfect timing. Grab a seat, you two.”

“Can I help you with something?” Hudson brushed his lips against her cheek.

“No. Oh wait, yes! The wine.” She jockeyed between the table and the kitchen, trying to work out which way to go.

“I got it.”

Allie stopped him with a touch to his forearm. “Unless you’d rather not.” She glanced at Nick, who was sticking his finger in the sweet potatoes.

The affection this woman had not only for him, but for his brother as well, was an arrow to the heart. “We’re good, baby.” Nick had made it clear he didn’t want everyone walking on eggshells around him. He wanted things as normal as possible, and since Hudson would normally serve wine with a dinner, he would tonight as well.

He’d just returned from grabbing a bottle of Chardonnay out of the wine fridge when Allie came out of the kitchen. Her arms were loaded with yet another dish, but damn it was his favorite: green bean casserole with extra crispy onions. The dish might have been low-rent to some, but hell if it wasn’t a classic.

“You’ve outdone yourself,” he said. As out of her element as Allie had seemed, everything was pulled together perfectly.

Hudson released the cork with a soft rush of air and started to fill their glasses. Allie brought out the last dish, and fuck him, he was going to drop down on bended knee.

“Oh shit, are those scalloped potatoes?” Nick blurted before he could even get a word out.

“You got it.”

“Dude, Hudson, she’s a keeper. Don’t fuck this up.”

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Sit, please. Eat while it’s hot.” Allie sat down, and just as she did her phone let out a muted shrill of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

Hudson raised a brow at the 1980s tune that was a pop-culture anthem to do just that.

“Harper.” She smiled sheepishly. “She programmed it, not me.”

Hudson and Nick both laughed at her quickly offered defense.

“Hey there,” she said into the phone. “How’s St. Louis? Uncle Eddie still have his pants on?” A frown marred her perfect brow. “You’ve been at O’Hare this whole time?” She stood and moved toward the panoramic windows overlooking Lake Shore Drive. Snow shifted one way, then sharply to the other with each gust of wind. “It’s coming down pretty hard, but traffic is moving.” There was a beat of silence. “Well obviously you’re not getting a flight tonight . . . No, we haven’t eaten yet.”

Hudson slid the napkin from his lap, resting it on the table.

“Why don’t you hop on the L and come spend Christmas Eve with us? . . . No, it’s no trouble.” Allie was back at the table lifting the platter of scalloped potatoes as Nick was spooning into them. “Oh no, the food won’t be ready for another thirty minutes, so it works out great.”

Hudson and Nick shot each other a look that their own hunger might become a liability.

“Head on over,” Allie said before ending the call. Without pause, she turned to Hudson and Nick. “Will you give me a hand with the rest of these?”

“What the fuck?” Nick’s words rushed out under his breath as Allie left the dining room with an armful of platters.

“Just go with it.” With that they both worked on hauling plate after plate of food to the kitchen. Allie raced to set another place setting and Hudson reached for his phone.

“Max, there will be a feisty redhead arriving soon by the name of Harper Hayes. Send her up.”

Allie gaped at him. “Max is working tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Send the man home. It’s bad enough you’ve had him follow me everywhere for the past two weeks, but it’s Christmas Eve.”

“Crime doesn’t break for the holidays.”

“I’m in your penthouse. Nothing is going to happen to me here.”

Hudson exhaled. “After she arrives, you can leave for the night,” he told Max.

She lifted a brow.

“And I’ll see you on the twenty-sixth,” he added reluctantly before hanging up the phone. While he wanted Max on standby, Allie was right. He shouldn’t keep the man from enjoying time with his family.

“Thank you.” She kissed his cheek. “Maybe give Nick the rest of his presents?”

“I could think of a better way to spend the next half hour.” He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Drop the cookie, Nick,” he said, without looking up. He turned to catch his brother red-handed, then kicked his chin in the direction of the tree. “There are more presents with your name on them.”

“Sweet hell,” Hudson muttered under his breath when the elevator doors opened. Harper looked like she’d brought her whole damn closet in the guise of two suitcases the size of an Escalade. With his hands planted on his hips, he checked out the set of mix ’n’ match luggage. If he didn’t know better he’d have sworn the redhead was moving in.

Allie rushed to the elevator at the same time Harper started to unravel herself from the layers of clothes she’d armored herself with against the weather. All he could see at the moment was a set of bright green eyes.

“Oh my God, you must be freezing,” she said.

“Not too bad.” Harper’s teeth chattered and the snowflakes along for the ride dusted his wood floor. She sat down on the bench in the foyer and tugged off her . . . Christ, were those fire-engine red boots?

“And I didn’t know you had all this luggage.”

“Hello, have you met me?” Emerald-green gloves came next, falling to the floor with a wet slap.

“We should have met her at the L stop.” Allie shot a frustrated look at Hudson. “Come on, let’s get you in front of the fire.” She glanced over her shoulder at him and Nick as she ushered Harper toward the living room. “Will you take care of those?”

The two brothers looked at each other. Hudson ran a hand through his hair and bit back a curse. It was bad enough he was playing host-with-the-fucking-most, but now a goddamn bellhop? Jesus Christ, he was going to drag his brother down with him. “Well, don’t just stand there, make yourself useful.” He threw out his arm, slapping Nick against the chest with the back of his hand.

“Ouch.” Nick mock-flinched. “Know your own strength, bro?”

Hudson moved toward the elevator, and as soon as he reached it, jerked one extending handle up while Nick grabbed the other. The two brothers hauled Harper’s luggage—a multicolor polka-dot and a rainbow stripe—into the foyer and clicked the handles back down. When they were done, they found the two women sitting in front of a roaring blaze. Allie had obviously tossed in a couple more logs, turning the living room into an inferno.

“Why in the world do you need that much luggage?” she asked. “I thought you were only going for a few days.”

“One has the presents for my nieces, my mom’s Frango mints, and . . .” With her head finally free of outerwear, Harper fully took in her surroundings. She let out a descending whistle as her eyes darted around the Great Room, from the oversize tree that was visible from space to the Kapoor sculpture, to the Fazoli piano and the vaulted ceilings.

Hudson had only met Harper a few times, but gauging by the opportunities he had, he was sure as hell that few things ever cut off her capacity for speech.

“Holy cow,” she finally said.

“I sort of overdid it with the decorations, huh?”

“Sort of. But crap, this place is
huge.
”

Nick laughed. “There’s no half-assing it with my brother. It’s always ba—”

Hudson cut Nick a look, effectively silencing him from finishing what he knew was a sentence that would contain the word “balls.” “Something to drink, Harper?”

“Um sure, thanks. Maybe a glass of wine?”

“Red or white?”

“Whatever everyone else is having is fine by me,” Harper said. She shrugged out of her coat and any further thoughts on host duties were derailed by the outfit that was revealed. Allie’s friend was done up in a mixture of patterns and colors that might as well have been an outfit from 1985, with a retro twist of the hipster movement. Hudson was clueless when it came to women’s trends, but even he could tell this woman marched to the beat of her own drum.

“Get her something to warm her up a bit first,” Allie said. “She can have the wine with dinner.”

Demanding little thing. Hudson smirked at her, then lifted a brow at Harper. “Scotch?”

“Sure, why the hell not.”

He felt his stomach growl as he made his way to the bar. Cocktail time had expired about two hours ago, but the fact that he was pouring scotch and starving to death was proof he’d say or do anything to keep that look of happiness on Allie’s face. Hell, who didn’t deserve a good shot of happy?

“So what’s the story with the redhead?” Nick asked. Hudson cut his brother a glance out of the corner of his eye and as he poured the amber liquid, having a brief moment of concern over Nick being in such close proximity to the liquor.

“Allie’s . . .” He paused as he put the crystal stopper back in the decanter. “BFF.”

Hudson held back on doing the whole finger quotations, but Nick couldn’t stop himself. “BFF?”

“Yeah, ‘Best Friends Forever,’” he said, picking up two crystal glasses full of high-octane scotch.

Nick laughed. “How long did it take for you to figure that one out, bro?”

“Hell of a lot faster than you.” Hudson strode over to the two women huddled together by the fire, deep in some female, fast-as-lightening convo.

“So after three delays and an aircraft switch, we were all set to board and then the tower closed the runways.”

“Your mom must be so disappointed.”

“She’s been in a panic since this morning.” Harper mimicked her mom’s voice. “‘Al Roker is saying it’s going to be worse than the blizzard in 2011.’” She shrugged. “But hey, it could be worse. I could be like those people stuck at O’Hare, sleeping on a cot on Christmas Eve. At least I get to have dinner with my bestie and sleep in my own bed.” Hudson held out the tumbler and Harper took it without missing a beat. “Thank you.”

“Did they rebook you for the morning?”

“Yeah, if this snow ever stops.” She glanced at the flakes coming down in a curtain of white outside the window, then took a sip of the scotch and choked. “Whoa, that will put hair on your chest.”

“Sign of a good scotch.” Hudson smirked. “Too much?

Harper took another sip. “Nope, all good. Although this one better be careful,” she said, nodding to Allie. “One glass and I’m liable to spill all her secrets.”

Hudson watched as Harper took another slug of scotch. Well, well, well. Perhaps the evening would be more interesting than he first thought.

Allie pushed to her feet. “Okay, loose lips—”

“Sink ships?” Harper smiled and Nick chuckled.

“Put the drink down and come help me get dinner on the table.”

Harper uncurled herself from the couch. “How about I bring my drink with me and help get dinner on the table? I’m starved!”

Good God, that made two of them, Hudson thought as he took another swig of his scotch. “Need help in there, baby?” He crossed his legs ankle to knee and hoped like hell she didn’t drag his ass into the kitchen and find another apron for him to sport. Though Nick looked to be game-on.

“We got this.” She bent to press a quick kiss to his lips and he was a goner.

Hudson cupped the back of her head, holding her to him. “Make it quick, I’m eager for dessert,” he murmured against her lips. Allie turned and walked into the kitchen with Harper’s arm slung through hers. He watched her leave, then glanced at his watch, counting the minutes until dinner would be over and he could have her under him shouting his name.

‘Tis-the-season-of-giving.

From the kitchen he heard Harper’s voice pitch to a new octave. “Shit, this kitchen is the size of a studio apartment.”

He chuckled into his glass.

“Looks like the white stuff is really piling up,” Nick said from behind him.

Hudson craned his neck. In the distance the frozen lake was barely visible. He joined his brother at the window for a better view. The cars below them moved at a snail’s pace down Lake Shore Drive and were nearly covered with the snow.

“Dinner is served,” Allie said. She and Harper came into the room carrying two dishes a piece.

Already in motion, Hudson moved aside the table settings that seemed to be multiplying by the hour and found space for the platters weighing down their arms. “Smells amazing,” he said. When she smiled it knocked him upside the head: this was her Elysium. This disjointed family coming together at the last minute, weather be damned, was exactly what she needed.

Cutting through the sentimental meditation was Nick’s baritone laugh and Harper’s cheerful voice. “It sure does,” she said. Her gaze dropped to the empty place settings and a string bean that had jumped ship. “But seriously, guys, you didn’t have to wait for me. I’m sure the last thing you wanted was to put dinner back in the oven.”

Allie’s mouth popped open in surprise.

Harper rolled her eyes. “Please, like I couldn’t hear all those plates clanking together. And for the record, I totally pictured you snapping your fingers at these two,” she swung her pointed finger between Nick and Hudson, “to help you race it all back to the kitchen.”

Nick laughed. “Sounds like she’s got your number, Allie.”

“Like I said, I know all the secrets.” Harper smiled at Nick as she lifted her glass to her lips and took another sip of the throat-burning scotch. “You know,” she said glancing down at the crystal tumbler. “This stuff gets a lot smoother the more you drink.”

“Definitely no more for you, then,” Allie teased as Hudson filled the wineglasses.

“So where are you supposed to be tonight?” Nick asked.

“St. Louis,” Harper said, digging into the sweet potatoes and scooping up extra marshmallows.

“Is that where you grew up?” Nick asked. He’d loaded his plate with protein and the sum of a teaspoon of veggies.

“Yeah. Allie told me you guys grew up in Michigan. What part?”

Nick halted the spoon midscoop in the stuffing and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Um, yeah, we moved around a lot.”

“Northern peninsula, mostly,” Hudson interjected. Nick’s discomfort mirrored his own. Their past was a closed subject as far as he was concerned. Needing a change, he switched gears to a safer topic. “So tell me, Harper, what sort of celebration is going on in St. Louis tonight?”

“Oh jeez, let’s see.” Harper heaped another spoonful of potatoes on her plate and it dipped from the added weight. “Well, my mom for sure made a big bowl of her famous eggnog, the one Aunt Sue swears doesn’t affect her even though she’ll start singing show tunes on the way to midnight mass. My nieces and nephews are probably so amped up on cookies and candy canes by now that if we open the window we can probably hear my sister yelling about Santa’s hotline all the way from here.” Harper set her plate down and glanced at her watch. “And in about an hour Uncle Eddie will be passed out on the couch watching
It’s a Wonderful Life
with his hand tucked into the waistband of his pants.”

“Not sure we can compete with all that.” Hudson chuckled. “But I might have a copy of
It’s Wonderful Life
upstairs in the theater.” He lifted his fork and met Allie’s gaze with a warm smile. “And I’m quite certain Alessandra stocked the fridge with enough eggnog to inspire a song or two.”

Harper’s eyes grew wide. “You have a theater in this place?”

“Yeah,” Nick answered. “And a sick game room. If you want I can give you a tour after dinner. Maybe play a bit of pool?”

Hudson shot his brother a look, but he just shrugged. When did his place become Nick’s personal fun house?

A sly grin curved Hudson’s mouth as he contemplated putting a spark into the conversation at Allie’s expense. “Do you play darts, Harper?”

“I’ve played a bit at pubs, but I can’t say it’s a big hobby of mine, no.”

“Alessandra is quite good. Especially when blindfolded.”

Allie sputtered into her wineglass.

“Are you alright?” he asked, placing his hand on her back. She nodded and wiped her mouth with her napkin, then pegged him with a hard stare that warmed as he cocked a grin.

“So tell me more about yourself, Nick,” Harper said before lifting a fork loaded with a combination of potatoes, cranberry, and turkey to create the perfect bite.

Nick looked suddenly shy and maybe. . . holy shit, was his brother nervous? People would be ice-skating in hell tonight. He took a big gulp of sparkling water and managed to choke out two syllables. “Like what?”

Harper stabbed a green bean with her fork. “I don’t know . . . boxers or briefs?”

Now it was Nick’s turn to choke on his beverage. Jesus Christ, this shit kept getting better. His brother was actually blushing. But knowing anything was liable to come out of Nick’s mouth, Hudson held a breath and hoped like hell he wasn’t going to answer her question with a solid “commando.”

“I, um . . .” Nick stalled.

“I’m kidding.” Harper laughed. “How about something easy, like what do you do for a living?”

Nick would have been better off if she’d stuck to underwear, Hudson thought as he cut into his turkey.

“I just started a new job, actually.”

Hudson stilled with his fork in midair. “You did?”

“Yup. You’re looking at Starbucks’ newest barista.”

“That’s great, Nick,” Allie said.”Which location?”

“Dearborn and Division.”

“If you needed a job you should have come to me,” Hudson said before popping the forkload into his mouth.

“Nah, bro, it’s all good. You’ve done enough for me. Besides, I know what kind of ship you run.”

Harper smiled. “I hit that location almost every weekend. Maybe I’ll see you there sometime.”

“We could go together,” Allie tacked on.

“Oh, lord.” Harper’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not sure Nick is ready for your special orders yet. Better give him a few weeks before you hit him with a request for a two-pump skinny vanilla latte, extra hot, light on the foam.”

Allie turned to Hudson, who threw up his hands in surrender. “Don’t look at me to defend that one.”

“Fine.” Allie directed her attention to Nick. “Then maybe you can teach your brother how to use his espresso machine.”

“Sorry, but dude’s a lost cause.”

Everyone laughed at his expense, but Hudson couldn’t have been happier. The conversation flowed easily between the foursome, and he couldn’t help but notice how Nick and Allie smiled throughout dinner. Harper joined in, even pitching Nick a roll from across the table. For nearly two hours the room was filled with the sounds of forks clinking, wineglasses chiming, and the laughter that was the icing on the cake.

Nick leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “Damn, Allie, that was good.”