Man, where the hell is my boom box when I need one?
He steps back, my fight obviously not yet done. If he goes back to Maine, there’s a possibility I will hunt him down and bring him back to San Francisco. My boss gave me a few days off for the kidnapping and there’s money in my account to buy a plane ticket. I’ve never felt such conviction for anyone the way I do for Hudson and I’m not going to give up.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said my boss is short staffed. He’s looking to hire a team of people this summer to cover the jobs.”
“I feel bad for him,” I say, but there’s no feeling in it because I don’t feel bad for him at all. Hudson is mine. “If he’s half the man you say he is, he’d want you to be happy.”
Those words stop him for a couple of seconds as he thinks. “I still think you deserve more.”
Hudson reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing my fingers together. There’s a bruise on the left side of my face, and I hope he doesn’t notice. It could set us back.
“We don’t hang out in the same circle of friends.”
“Would you stop with that? I don’t care about any of those things. I just need someone who knows how much I love him.” I use the word love without even thinking, and there’s no hesitation after I realize I have. Who knew you could love someone so fast? I would’ve said it was impossible, but now I know it isn’t. “It seems you are not someone who understands what I feel for you, so I guess you’ll have to learn.”
“You want me to say San Francisco? And work for your best friend’s husband?”
I roll my eyes because I cannot believe we’re going over this again. “Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.” Didn’t this man once accuse me of having a thick skull? Why are the big pretty ones always the densest?
“You have to be sure, Amanda, because I love you. And if I stay here, that’s it for us. You will wear my ring and you will have my children.”
A smile breaks out across my face, and I practically throw myself in Hudson’s arms. He kisses me and my whole mouth explodes in happiness. There’s something in this kiss that wasn’t in the last few, and sharing it with him while his arms hug me tightly fills the empty parts of my soul I didn’t realize were lacking.
There’s a forever waiting for me with Hudson by my side in San Francisco. He’s not a computer billionaire, or a business leader, a soccer star, or even taking over a large investment firm, but he’s all mine and he’s more than I could ever ask for.
I don’t know where the next story will lead us or exactly how our words will be written, but I know we’ll be together, and in the end that’s what matters.
Epilogue
A few weeks later
“Wow, Finn hooked you up.” My eyes blink a few times trying to adjust to the overpowering glare of so many television screens in one room.
Hudson laughs as he steps behind me. “Ridge taught me you can never have too many cameras.”
“Well, you definitely put his words into practice.” No less than thirty flat screen TVs line a wall in the room Finn and Hudson started calling the war room. I’m pretty sure Finn has a camera everywhere Aspen may go in San Francisco. There is even one in the comic shop. The transition has gone well for the most part. Finn and Aspen had a heated debate over her bodyguard situation.
Once Hudson accepted the position, he didn’t waste time. It’s been less than three weeks and he has a war room set up and is spying on half the residents of the city. My man gets shit done.
“Are you happy?” I ask turning around so we are face to face.
Hudson rolls his eyes and says something silently to the ceiling of the room. He’s recently taken up praying as a form of dealing with my brand of crazy. At least that’s how he explains it. “Amanda, stop asking if I’m happy. I’m here, aren’t I? I have a war room.” He stares at the television screens lovingly like he has thirty little babies. “What man wouldn’t want this?”
“I feel that, but you did move halfway across the country.” The way he talks about the people in Pelican Bay makes me worry he’ll miss them. Or already does. I never want him to regret making the move for me.
He shakes his head again. “We’ll visit. But only in the summer when it’s warm. You can meet everybody.”
We kiss, him bent over and me stretched on my tippy toes. Warmth spreads against my skin as we stay connected. Each kiss from Hudson is a reminder that life is perfect. He’s everything I could want, and I plan to spend the rest of my life happily basking in him.
Enjoy the burritos of life, and all that. Marissa’s favorite quote has a new meaning for me. Or maybe I finally understand the meaning. Funny, it wasn’t food related at all.
“There are no cameras in here, right?” I ask when Hudson and I pull apart.
He looks to his left. “Well…”
“Hudson!” I take a step away as if it will make it any better.
He laughs, grabbing me and sending a shockwave of happiness in my direction. “There are no cameras in the war room.”
