“I’m not used to people taking one look at me and deciding they don’t like me. We don’t do that where I come from.”
He tugs at the string around his gym shorts, waiting for me to leave so he can get in the shower, but I’m still not through.
“Look, I don’t want to sit here and go in circles with you, Maribel. Believe me when I tell you that whether or not Helena Rutherford likes you is irrelevant. I like you. Even if you don’t like me. I think you’re a good person. A smart person. A beautiful person. And I appreciate the sacrifice you’re making for me. I’m asking a lot of you, and it’s not lost on me.” He glances over my shoulder and toward the doorway.
I’m quiet, soaking in what are possibly the nicest words this man has ever uttered to me.
“All right, fine. It’s just that, if we were a real couple, I would never respect a man who couldn’t stand up to his mother. If we were really in love and you let that go? I don’t know if I’d be able to stay with you,” I say.
“Did she offend you in some way? I don’t see what all this fuss is about.” His fingers trail beneath the waistband of his shorts, stopping. “Did I miss something or are you making this into a thing because you’re anxious about how this is going to play out?”
“She was cold,” I say. “And she stopped by for a visit, supposedly, but she couldn’t get out of here fast enough. It was just odd to me.”
“Should I have asked her to stay?” He lifts a brow. “You seemed uncomfortable, Mari. Like you needed as much breathing room as she did.”
“No.” I pull my bottom lip between my thumb and forefinger, exhaling. “I don’t know. The whole thing left me feeling unsettled. She was polite and all … but I don’t know … I don’t know.”
“You keep saying that,” he chuckles. “You’re nervous. Don’t be. Let me do the worrying. You just need to smile and nod and act like you’re crazy about me.”
My mouth tips up at the corner. Months of waiting on this man hand and foot contradict the way he wants to take me under his wings and bear my burdens. Maybe he’s not such an asshole after all? I could get used to this redeeming side of him.
“Trust me. I intend to stand my ground this summer. You will be my number one. I’ll ensure you’re comfortable in everyone’s presence, and I’ll personally see to it that you’re treated as one of the family,” he says, moving toward me. He places his hands on my shoulders and exhales, and I drag in a lungful of his pheromone-laced masculine scent. “All you have to do is convince them you’re in love with me. Everything else is in my hands. Can you do that for me? Can you leave the rest to me?”
Swallowing the nervous lump in my throat, I nod, exhaling my Hudson-scented breath, and then I show myself out.
“Oh, and Maribel?” he calls seconds before I close his door.
“Yes?” I peek back in.
“Find us a flight to Omaha today, will you? I’d like to leave as soon as possible.”
“Omaha?”
“Yes. You’re from Orchard Hill, Nebraska correct? That’s just outside of Omaha from what I understand,” he says. “This morning’s incident has me thinking that I’d like to meet your parents sooner rather than later.”
Ten
Hudson
* * *
“It’s so …” I glance out the window as our plane makes its descent. Checking for the airport, I don’t see it yet. I only see a whole lot of … nothing.
“Farm-y?” Mari finishes my sentence.
“I was going to say flat, but farm-y works.”
The plane begins to shake and dip, every move exaggerated by the impossibly small size of this plane. Mari tightens her lap belt and grips the handles of her seat, closing her eyes. I tilt my head from side to side, stretching my strained neck. I can’t remember the last time I flew coach, and I can’t recall if I’ve ever flown on a plane this small that wasn’t headed toward some tropical island paradise destination, but alas, this was all they had coming out of JFK to Omaha.
“You okay?” I ask as the plane pushes through another bout of turbulence. The door to the lavatory swings open, hitting the wall, and a flight attendant rushes to secure it. I feel the urge to reach for her hand because she really seems to be in distress, but I don’t know if that would make things worse.
Mari nods as the plane drops in altitude. “I’m fine. This turbulence is … making me sick to my stomach.”
The captain’s voice comes over the speakers, telling us it’s a balmy seventy-two degrees over Omaha right now and we’ll be landing in approximately seven minutes.
“Here.” I reach for the airsickness bag and hand it to her, but she waves it away.
“I’ll be fine,” she says.
“You’re yellow. I’ve never seen a yellow person before.” I half chuckle.
Without saying a word, she yanks the bag from my hand and covers her nose and mouth, squeezing her eyes tight. The plane drops once more and Mari empties her pretzel-filled stomach with one sickening retch.
I check the time on my phone as Mari comes out of the women’s restroom just outside our terminal. Her hair is combed, her lips are slicked in balm, and the faint scent of mint trails from her lips.
“Feeling better now?” I ask.
Her hand rests on her lower stomach and she nods.
“Let’s grab our luggage. Did you order a car service for us?” I ask.
“My parents are picking us up.”
“Wait, what?”
“They insisted. My dad’s a great driver. You won’t even notice he’s not wearing a suit or driving a limo.” She fights a smirk.
“Smart ass.”
We follow the signs to the baggage claim, arriving just in time to see our luggage pass by. Lunging simultaneously, we nearly knock each other over before turning to see a woman with bushy gray-blonde hair trotting in our direction with open arms.
“Mari!” the woman shrieks, happy. She wraps her arms around Mari and squeezes her tight, her matching blue eyes brimming with tears. “It’s so good to see you. Look at you! You look great! We’ve missed you so much. Come on, your father’s parked in the pick up lane. I told him not to, but you know how he is. Man won’t listen to save his life.” After a second, her smile fades and she turns her attention to me, seemingly unsure if I’m with them or simply following them.
“Mom, this is Hudson,” Mari says. “Hudson, this is my mom, Margo.”
Margo stares in my direction, taking me in like she’s never seen a big-citied suit before.
“Mari, you said you were bringing a surprise, but I didn’t know you meant you were bringing home a boyfriend.” Margo’s thin red lips spread into a smile as her expression lightens. Before I realize what’s happening, she’s wrapped her arms around me, her face pressed against my jacket. “He’s so handsome, Mar. And he smells good too!”
I chuckle. I’d hug her back, but she’s got my arms pinned to my sides.