Page 46 of Coming Home

I shake my head. “I’m going, honey.”

She sucks in a breath and tips her chin at me. “Well, then let me go with you.”

Her hair is in some kind of knot on the top of her head, and a loose strand is hanging in her face. I tuck it behind her ear. “You’re not going. Promise me you’ll stay put.”

She crosses her arms over her chest and pulls out of my arms. “This isn’t right, Huddy.”

I let my hands fall to my sides. The truth is, I need to look at this as just another mission, and if I keep touching her or holding her, then I’m never going to leave. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay here. My brothers are all downstairs. If I’m not back by the time you go to sleep, then sleep in my bed.”

“Huddy. I don’t know.”

I kiss her and then start backing out of the bathroom. “I do. And I know that I want to sleep in a bed with you.”

She nods her head. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

I give her a little wave and then walk out of the bathroom and close the door firmly behind me. I put one foot in front of the other and force myself out of the room. The only thing that makes me feel better is knowing that the sooner I get this taken care of, the sooner I get to come back to Ellie.

Chapter24

Elle

He’s been gone for five hours.

I’ve played every card game with Hudson’s brothers.

They’ve told me all the stories about him growing up, and now I’m sitting on the corner of the couch, anxiously waiting.

Lucas is sitting across the room, and I can’t resist asking him even though it’s only been a few minutes since I asked him last time. “Have you heard anything?”

He makes a point to check his phone again, even though I’ve seen him check it twenty times in the last few minutes.

I’ve been so caught up in my own worry that I’m just now realizing that these four physically and emotionally strong men are worried too. And it’s all because of me. If I hadn’t come to Whiskey Run and to Blaze Whiskey, none of this would be happening right now. Yeah, I’d probably be dead in a ditch, but Huddy would be safe. He should be here playing card games and eating steaks with his brothers, not me. Not that I’ve eaten anything. I haven’t been able to do anything but sit here on the end of this couch and worry.

I’ve tuned into their conversations a little bit. Lucas is excited to be a dad, and they’ve all made fun of the names that Isabella and Lucas have picked out so far. Ford, Lilian, and Ollie are planning a trip south in a few weeks. Austin doesn’t say anything, not even one story about happenings at the distillery, which is odd for him. He always has a funny story about the workers out there. At one point, Ford asks Beau about Natalie, and only when I notice the silence do I turn to Beau. He’s distraught. “I don’t want to talk about it. Not today.”

Everyone lets it drop, and instantly I feel even worse. All these men have their own lives and things that are going on with them, and because of me, they’re dealing with this too.

I turn to Lucas. He is my boss, and he is the one that ultimately hired me. “I’m sorry, Lucas. I’m sorry for bringing this to you all… to Huddy.”

“None of this is your fault, Elle.”

I know he’s just saying that. He’s too much of a nice guy to call me out, but we all know the truth… this is all my fault.

I let out a sob, “It is my fault, though. If I hadn’t come to Whiskey Run… if I hadn’t come to work at Blaze Whiskey… Huddy would be right here with you guys. Why haven’t we heard anything? Something bad has to have happened, right? It’s been over five hours.”

Austin comes to sit next to me on the couch. He puts his arm around me and squeezes gently. “It’s okay, Elle. No one blames you.”

“You should,” I sob.

He’s patting me on the shoulder, and I’m leaning forward with my face in my hands. “Look, this is who Huddy is. He was like this when we were little. He’s a protector. There’s no changing that, and let me tell you, don’t start talking about how you wish you hadn’t come to Whiskey Run or to Blaze Whiskey. There’s a reason you came here to us. One of them being is to make Huddy happy. Damn, I’ve never seen the guy smile. Maybe when we were kids, but he’s always been no nonsense. He’s smiling now, and that I do blame you for. He’s going to be okay.”

I try to soak in his words. Could I be enough to make Huddy happy? But I can’t think of anything except to wonder if he’s safe. “Why haven’t we heard anything? We should have heard something by now.”

I no sooner get the words out than the front door opens. Huddy walks in, and his gaze goes around the room and finally lands on me. I should stay where I’m at. His brothers are all up and moving toward him, and I try to wait my turn, but I’m too impatient. I need to have my hands on him. I slide around the guys and stop next to Huddy. He opens his arms and pulls me into his side before kissing the top of my head.

I know I look a mess. I have no makeup on, my hair is still in a knot on the top of my head, and I’m wearing my oversized sweats and sweatshirt. I’m no prize, but as Huddy pulls me in close, none of that matters. All that matters is he’s okay. He’s home and he’s okay.

Each of the guys hug him, but he never lets go of me.

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