“Come, Mrs. Chase,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up into a mischievous grin. “Your wedding reception awaits.”
Allie lifted a brow in question as she placed her hand in his. “What have you been up to?” She’d no sooner set one foot on the side rail when he bent forward and swept her into his arms. “Hudson,” she squealed. “What are you doing?”
He chuckled. “Carrying my bride across the threshold.” He held her tight against his chest as he carried her effortlessly up the stairs. When they reached the top he pushed the front door open without ever tearing his gaze away from hers. “I love you,” he whispered just before their lips touched. The kiss started softly, almost reverently, but then Allie’s hands found their way into his hair, holding him to her as his tongue slid greedily over hers. His arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss. She felt his every thought, every emotion, in the way his mouth moved with hers. Tasting her, consuming her, loving her.
When he finally pulled away, she could hardly catch her breath.
“That’s quite a smile,” he said. “And you haven’t even seen my best work yet.”
Allie knew she was grinning like a fool, but she didn’t care. She was married to the only man she’d ever truly loved. And she was about to spend the rest of the night showing him just how much. “So I was thinking . . .”
“I’m usually wary when you begin a sentence like that, Alessandra,” he teased.
She gave his shoulder a playful shove. “I was thinking that one good thing about a private ceremony is now there’s nothing to keep me from getting you naked. Pronto.”
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.”