Page 11 of With This Ring
As he steered into his aunt’s driveway, his headlights swept across her white Cape Cod–style home. The paint on the house and the gray shutters were starting to show their age, and he made a mental note to have the house painted this spring.
He slipped his gray Infiniti QX80 into Park. His best friend and business partner, Darren, liked to remind him that the Infiniti was completely unnecessary since they lived in Manhattan. Still, the SUV was one of the few splurges Hudson had allowed himself since he’d become a CEO. He enjoyed his spacious, four-bedroom apartment with its balcony and spectacular views in a great building, along with tailored designer suits, which were necessary in his line of work. Other than that, his money was invested, saved, provided to his aunt and sister, or given to his favorite charities.
He climbed from the SUV and trotted up the front steps. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door swung open. His aunt stared up at him from across the threshold. “Hudson,” she exclaimed. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
“After the way my last conversation ended with my sister, I thought I’d better come see her in person.”
“Well, I’m sure glad you’re here.”
He allowed his aunt to pull him in for a warm hug, and he breathed in her comforting scent—Bengay mixed with baby powder. It seemed like only yesterday that he had to stand on his tiptoes to hug her, but ever since he’d hit his full height of six foot three at the age of nineteen, he’d adapted to bending to meet her five-foot-four height.
She patted his cheek. More wrinkles lined his aunt’s bright-hazel eyes, and her medium-brown hair was highlighted with more gray, but she insisted her spirit was much younger than sixty-five. “I suppose you’re here to discuss her wedding plans?”
“That’s right.” He glanced at Layla’s gray Toyota Camry, which he’d purchased for her last year when her older Hyundai started having problems. Then he met his aunt’s curious expression. “Is she home?”
“Right now she’s on the phone. She’ll be so surprised to see you.” She beckoned him into the house. “Bring in your luggage. I’ll make up the cot in the craft room for you, just like we do at Christmas.”
“Thanks, but I booked an Airbnb a few blocks from here.”
Aunt Trudy’s eyes lit with excitement. “You’re back to stay for a while?”
“Possibly.” They fell into step on their way inside the house. “Darren and I are in the process of finalizing the sale of the company, and I have a few offers on the table for my next position. I figured I’d spend some time here before I decide what to do next.”
Aunt Trudy rubbed his bicep. “Maybe you’ll decide to stay in Flowering Grove.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, but I’ll be here for longer than usual.”
“I guess I’ll take what I can get.”
He followed his aunt into the small family room, where Layla was sprawled on the sofa, her cell phone to her ear. When her blue eyes met his, they rounded.
“I have to let you go,” she said into the phone. “My brother is here. Love you too, Shane.” She disconnected the call and dropped her phone onto the sofa beside her. “Are you here to tell me what a jerk you’ve been and how sorry you are for hurting my feelings?”
Hudson sank into the armchair across from her and rested his elbows on his knees. Normally Layla was happy to see him during his brief holiday visits, but she was obviously still upset with him. She hadn’t responded to his voicemails or text messages since she’d hung up on him last week. While her silence pricked at his heart, he still hadn’t changed his mind—she was too immature to get married, and he was here to tell her so whether she wanted to hear it or not.
“Layla...” He sighed. “I just want to talk to you.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
He licked his lips. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“You are?” She sat up straight.
“But I don’t approve of this wedding.” He hated seeing his baby sister’s face fall, but she was moving way too fast.Again.Layla had a bad habit of finding “true love” every other week. Sure, Shane had stuck around the longest, but Layla was a hopeless romantic—emphasis onhopeless—who picked out baby names after a first date. She also had a terrible habit of giving her true loves money—a situation Hudson had bailed her out of more than once.
Aside from that, Shane had a sketchy past. Layla had told Hudson that Shane had been kicked out of school for drugs and alcohol and fighting—all of which didn’t make him the best choice for a husband. “I’m here to talk some sense into you.”
Her blue eyes narrowed to slits. “I don’t need you to talk sense into me.”
“Layla,” he began, his voice holding a hint of warning, “remember what you put Aunt Trudy and me through when you were in high school? You made some pretty bad decisions back then.”
His sister hopped up to her feet. “You’re bringing that up now?”
He stood, looking down at her. “You ran around with the wrong crowd and got into a lot of trouble back then. How am I supposed to trust your judgment after all of that?”
Her face turned as red as a tomato. “That was seven years ago, Hud. How dare you hold that against me? I’m not the same person I was.”
“You were impulsive back then, and you’re being impulsive now. You haven’t known Shane that long. Three months is a blip in time, and marriage is a big commitment. I think you should date him for a while longer and see where it goes.”