“Good. Now kiss me, Beautiful, Buff, Not-So-Bad Braden.”
He chuckled. And he kissed her. The Delta Protection and everything in the world could wait. Kissing and being with Maddie was his mission now.
He’d never had such an incredible assignment.
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Thank you for reading Maddie and Braden’s story. I hope you loved them as much as I do!
Read on for the first three chapters ofReturned, Hudson and Kelsey’s story. Also included are two complete bonus books—Risking it All: A Hawk Brothers RomanceandThe Feisty One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance.
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Delta Family Romances
Deceived
Abandoned
Committed
Betrayed
Devoted
Compromised
Endangered
Accepted
Returned
Devastated
Returned - Three Chapters
Chapter One
Kelsey James held her son Mo tightly in her arms as they waited for the wedding of Thor Delta and Shelly Vance to begin. Part of the reason she clung to him was Mo was itching to run around and bouncing impatiently on her lap. She knew the instant he saw Shelly and her brother Klein walk down the aisle, he was going to want to throw himself at them. Kelsey was one of the in-home nurses for Klein and Shelly’s Granny Vance. Klein, Shelly, Thor, and Granny were so loving, Mo assumed he was part of the family. Thor didn’t know Mo was his nephew. At least she didn’t think he knew.
The other reason she held her boy tightly was to calm her own nerves. Mo’s father was standing less than twenty feet in front of them and Kelsey’s stomach was flip flopping, her pulse racing, and her palms sweating. She wished she could blame the nerves on the stress of hoping nobody connected the dots of who Mo’s dad really was. She’d been hiding that truth for four years now and wasn’t about to spill it at this huge and beautiful wedding and ruin the day for all the Deltas.
Though she wouldn’t mind ruining Hudson Delta’s day. It ticked her off that she still wasn’t immune to the charming, funny, heartbreaking, daredevil. She was terrified that she never would be. The daily reminders of Hudson with her adorable, impetuous son who shared his father’s blue eyes, delightful personality, and no-fear attitude made it impossible to forget how much she’d once loved Hudson. Her “Brave”. She hadn’t said that nickname aloud in a long time. Tried not to even think about how he’d rescued her from the rattlesnake she’d almost stepped on, plucking her off the ground and swinging her to safety then springing into a tree like Tarzan as he barely missed being struck by the rattler.
She’d called him Brave after that. Her Brave Hero. Not anymore.
Why did he have to be so handsome and appealing? He stood next to his brothers and cousin in a dark gray suit and pale blue tie. His dark hair was perfectly mussed. His blue eyes sparkled like he had a funny secret he wanted to share with everyone, he used to share them all with her but not now. His far-too-delicious lips were turned up in his patented smirk. A shadow of a dark beard covered his cheeks and jawline and made him look older and even more handsome than the last time she’d seen him in person. Four years ago.
She tried to focus on the beautiful scenery—the green sweep of grass down to the gorgeous, calm blue lake, the thick trees and mountains surrounding them and the sun going down to the west making the clouds streak with pink and orange. It was beautiful. Nothing was as beautiful as Hudson’s face.
She occasionally let herself Google him, but it hurt. Not only seeing him with a variety of other women but how she simply ached to be the one he was laughing with, holding tight, and whispering his funny comments to.
They’d loved each other desperately in high school, but they’d mutually decided to go their separate ways to pursue their dreams. Of course they would weather a long-distance relationship and have their happily ever after. They adored each other. He’d promised he would come back for her when he got himself established and she was through school. He’d be an extreme athlete sensation by then and she’d be a registered nurse. She’d doctor up his injuries and help children throughout the world. It sounded like the perfect plan, but it was going to be a long time coming. She’d thought it would break her heart to be apart from him, and it had. They’d kept in touch with Zoom calls and Snapchats and they were both busy so somehow she made it through each day.
The summer after her Sophomore year she was home helping her mom in the ice cream shop and he’d surprised her and his family with a visit. That first night back together had been magical and intense and … they’d both let any self-control slip.
She would never regret it, but obviously he had. He’d taken her home very early in the morning with one last, lingering kiss, and then he’d disappeared. She’d received a short text explaining that he blamed himself, prayed she could someday forgive him, and he’d come back when he learned perfect self control. She texted back that she didn’t blame, him, she loved him, and she was just as much too blame for not stopping as he was. He claimed it was all on him and he was going to become stronger than ever and be the man she deserved.