Page 71 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

“Well, well,” she said, folding her arms and tilting her head at me. “I see you’ve got that ‘future military spouse’ glow about you tonight.”

I choked on my sip of cider, coughing as Grace patted my back, not even trying to hide her grin. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Ida said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “If you plan on following Hudson from base to base after his three years in Harrisburg, you know what that means, right? You’ll have to get married. That’s how it works. No marriage license, no guaranteed spot on his orders, nowhere to live even if you followed him anyway. You’d be stuck here, pining away while he’s off who-knows-where.”

Grace snorted, clearly enjoying this way too much. “Those are a lot of good points, Ida.”

I crossed my arms, giving them a noncommittal shrug. “Well, if Hudson asks, I’ll say yes. Problem solved.”

Ida’s grin widened, and for a second, I could’ve sworn her eyes softened. “Good answer, sweetheart. That’s what I like to hear. And you should be thanking me, by the way. If it weren’t for me and Joan, you two lovebirds wouldn’t even be here together tonight.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Thank you for meddling. Seriously, though… thank you.”

Ida’s expression softened further, and she placed a hand on my arm. “You’re welcome. Seeing you two together, knowing he found someone like you… it makes me happy. He deserves this. You both do.”

Her sincerity caught me off guard after so many teasing barbs, and I blinked back an unexpected sting of emotion. “Well, you raised an amazing man. You should be very proud.”

“Oh, I am,” she said, her smile both warm and a little smug. “But don’t tell him I said that. He’s still my nephew, and I’ll still tell him when he’s being an idiot.”

We all laughed at that, and Grace leaned in conspiratorially. “She’s not kidding. She told Tommy he was being an idiot just last week.”

“It’s my job,” Ida said with a wink. Then she turned back to me, her voice quieter but no less firm. “Hudson’s lucky to have you, Sofia. Don’t let him forget it.”

“Trust me,” I said, smiling as I glanced across the room to where Hudson was standing. “I won’t. In fact… I think I’ll go steal him for a dance.”

“Oh, don’t let us stop you,” Ida said with a wave.

I turned, finding that Hudson had wandered to the stage area to chat with Nick. My heels clicked against the tile as I crossed the room, and his gaze found mine before I even reached him.The way his face lit up like I was the only thing in the world worth looking at made my heart stutter.

“Hey, there,” I said, slipping my hand into his. “Dance with me?”

“Always.”

He led me to the dance floor, his strong hand resting on my lower back as he pulled me close. The music slowed, and we swayed to the rhythm.

“You know,” I said, tilting my head to look up at him, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

He smiled, his hazel eyes soft as they searched mine. “That makes two of us.”

I leaned up, brushing my lips against his, and the tender way he kissed me back was enough to make me forget anyone else existed.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you, too. So much.”

As the song continued, all of the people and the chaos of the ball blurred into the background. But then, out of nowhere, a kid—one of Holly and Nick’s, I realized—tripped over his untied shoelace and stumbled right into me. He’d been holding a cup of punch, and now, unfortunately, the contents of the cup soaked my dress in a sticky mess.

Chris’s face crumpled, clearly terrified he was in trouble. But I laughed to show him he wasn’t, crouching down to his level. “Hey, it’s okay. Accidents happen. And look, I’m wearing black. You can’t even see it.”

He nodded, his lip wobbling, and Hudson reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Go find your mom, bud.”

Chris scurried off, and I stood, inspecting the damage. “Well, now I’msuperglamorous.”

Hudson chuckled. “You still look beautiful.”

“Charmer,” I teased, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “But Ifeelvery sticky. I’ll be right back. I gotta see if I can do something about this.”

He nodded and let me go, his fingers trailing down my arm as I went. “Hurry back.”

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