A laugh vibrated deep within his chest. “As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm,” he said before his gaze darkened and his voice grew gruff, “and as much as I can’t wait to claim you as my wife, there are a few traditions that need to be upheld.”
He set her on her feet, and for the first time Allie took in the sight of the living room. A small round table had been set up in front of the fireplace, where flames danced over two birch logs. White linen was draped over the tabletop and a bowl of white roses sat between two elegant china place settings. As she drew closer she could see that dinner had already been served, and an open bottle of champagne waited in a silver ice bucket. Whatever team of “elves” Hudson had assembled to pull off this very private reception hadn’t been gone long.
“It’s perfect,” she murmured.
Hudson pulled out Allie’s chair and waited while she sat. But instead of rounding the table to take his own seat, he reached for her butter knife and began clinking it softly against her glass.
“What are . . .” She giggled as the answer to her unfinished question popped into her head. Hudson matched her grin with one of his own as he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. “Wow, you weren’t kidding about the traditions, were you?”
“Only the beginning, baby.” He gave no further details, but rather went about the business of pouring them each a glass of champagne and offering a toast that made her heart swell and her toes curl. They dined by candlelight, making small talk about the ceremony and laughing over what the minister’s reaction must have been to seeing her walking down the aisle dressed in jeans. Or how the sleigh driver must have considered them worse than a pair of horny teens. But mostly they just gazed at each other with an unspoken appreciation of the moment.
Allie had just finished her last bite when Hudson reached across the table and took her hand. “I love the way my ring looks on you,” he said, his thumb brushing back and forth across the platinum band.
“Staking your claim?”
He chuckled. “Something like that. Since I’m assuming a tattoo that says ‘Mine’ is more than likely out of the question.”
Allie frowned.
“Hey.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I was just teasing.”
She cracked a small smile. “I know.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Her gaze fell to their entwined fingers. “I always thought once I put a wedding band on I would never take it off.” She gave an apologetic shrug.
Hudson lifted her hand and pressed his lips to the band. “The day will come when this ring is never off your finger.” His gaze darkened momentarily before a lighthearted mirth lit his eyes. “But for now, time to cut the cake.”
“Cake?”
He pushed back from the table and stood. “Oh, yes. I might not be a professional event planner, but even a mere mortal such as myself knows a bride and groom need to cut a cake.”
Allie turned and watched her husband stroll into the kitchen, completely smitten by him. The fact that he’d made the effort to incorporate so many traditions into their makeshift reception was all kinds of cute. Still, she couldn’t help but think of the traditions they were missing out on, ones they couldn’t have had either way. Even if they’d invited half of Chicago to their wedding, Allie’s father still wouldn’t have been there to walk her down the aisle. Hudson still wouldn’t have been able to dance with his mom.
She straightened in her chair and shook the unsettling thoughts from her head. While it was true that she and Hudson had lost a great deal, they had each other, which was far more than either of them had thought possible a short time ago. And they had Nick and Harper. A slight frown tugged at the corner of Allie’s mouth at the thought of not sharing the occasion with the two people who meant the most to them.
Hudson was suddenly behind her, his lips at her ear. “We’ll do this again with the people we care about,” he said in yet another example of the uncanny knack he had for reading her mind.
The cake he set on the table in front of her looked almost too beautiful to eat. With three layers and a cascade of flowers shaped out of what smelled like her favorite buttercream icing, the miniature creation was exactly what she would have chosen, just appropriately sized for a reception for two.
“I believe the honors go to the bride,” he said, passing her a cake knife with a white satin bow tied around a crystal handle. Allie took it from him, noticing the interlocking A & H engraved on the wide blade along with the date.
“I believe we’re supposed to do it together.”
Hudson placed his hand over hers as they cut a single wedge of cake. He broke off a small piece with his fingers and lifted it to her lips. “Open for me, baby.” The tenor of his voice matched the mischievous gleam in his eyes.
Allie pulled back and fixed him with a hard stare. “Don’t even think about it, Chase.” Smashing cake in each other’s faces was one tradition Allie was more than happy to skip.
“Or what, Chase?” His serious expression dissolved into an amused chuckle. “Relax. While I did enjoy the end results, a repeat of our cookie decorating is not what I have in mind for tonight.”
“And what do you have in mind for tonight?”
“Cake, Alessandra,” he said, ignoring her question.
Allie resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead simply held his gaze as he eased the bite into her mouth. “Delicious.”
“Let me have a taste.” Hudson buried his fingers in Allie’s hair and pulled her to him. His lips moved softly over hers as his tongue dipped inside her mouth in a leisurely kiss. When it ended she was more than ready to leave the reception and head straight to the honeymoon suite, but Hudson seemed to be in no rush. He reached for a remote that had been resting on the table and pressed a button. “Time for the first dance.” Over the speakers Ed Sheeran began to sing the same song the cellist had played as Allie had walked down the aisle.
A smile spread across her face as she took Hudson’s hand. “You really have thought of everything, haven’t you?”
He lifted Allie’s arm above her head and spun her into the middle of the living room. “I wanted tonight to be special for you.” He slid his hand to the small of her back and eased her against him. “For us.”
She gazed up at him. “Every night I spend with you is special.”
“Ah, but this is your first night as my wife.” He spun her away and then yanked her back against him. “Had to up my game.” An almost boyish grin lit his face. It was the same one from long ago, somehow both devastatingly handsome and curiously shy. Ten years had done nothing to lessen the effect it had on her, and she knew in her heart no amount of time ever would.
They swayed in time to the music, sweeping across the living room as Sheeran crooned about never-ending love. Hudson’s arm tightened around Allie’s waist and he dipped her low, slanting his mouth over hers in a passionate kiss. “Hmm.” He hummed against her lips, then in a quiet murmur quoted the song as it drew to a close. “Till we’re seventy.”
“I want much more than that, Mr. Chase. Ninety is the bare minimum.”
Hudson laughed, but when he pulled her back up, his gaze was soft on her face. “Forever wouldn’t be enough,” he said. He traced her bottom lip with his finger, then dipped his head to brush his lips softly against hers. It was the briefest of contact, but enough to make every nerve in her body come alive. He teased her with gentle licks, then covered her mouth with his, kissing her long and slow and deep. She moaned softly as his tongue moved against hers in lush strokes, and when his hand slid down her backside, she pressed against him, longing to feel his bare skin against hers.
The soft click of a camera came from beside her. Allie turned her head to discover Hudson had snapped a picture of the two of them with his phone. “Smile pretty for the camera,” he said. They were the same words he’d spoken when the photographer interrupted their dance at the Field Museum. As the camera flashed, Allie couldn’t help but think about how far they’d come since that chance encounter three months prior. Deep down she knew they still had so far to go, but she pushed those unwelcome thoughts out of her mind. This was her wedding night, and the only thing that mattered was the man with his arm banded around her waist and his temple pressed to hers.