It’d only been hours since the bet she’d made with Hudson, which meant she hadn’t had nearly enough time to wrap her brain around what she was about to do—or surround her heart in bubble wrap. And Hudson would be there any minute to pick her up, so time wasn’t on her side.
The plan was to drive to the base of Havenbrook Ridge, then hike to the top, where they’d camp out for the weekend. It’d be a new adventure for them both since Hudson had never been, and while Mac loved camping, she didn’t have a lot of souls willing to go with her. She wasn’t dumb enough to hike through the harsh territory of Havenbrook Ridge by herself. Because of that, camping usually consisted of just her and Ella in the woods on their property.
If only she could blame her nerves on the newness and excitement of what she was about to do. Hiking the Ridge had been on her bucket list for more than ten years, and she was finally going to do it. That’d be enough to set anyone’s stomach aflutter.
Except…she never got nervous over things like that. Even on her first excursion—oranyexcursion—with the kids in the outreach program, she was cool as a cucumber. She’d been in a new place, hadn’t known a soul, and hadn’t had any idea what to expect, and yet she’d strode in there without a single worry.
She could try to fool herself all she wanted, but there was no denying the real reason for her stomach churning like a Category 5 hurricane. It was Hudson, plain and simple.Sheand Hudson, more specifically, and just what the hell was going on between them.
Nothingshould be going on between them. They didn’t have time. He was leaving in ten days—not that she was keeping a running mental tally or anything—and then…what? Then they’d go back to what they’d been these past ten years—barely friends—and she wasn’t sure she could go through losing him like that all over again.
She lifted her head toward the rumble of Hudson’s truck, her gaze connecting with the dark blue rusted beast bouncing down the drive to her house. God, that truck brought back a lot of memories, and she couldn’t believe the damn thing still ran. It’d carted them to every football game, every day of school, every weekend at the lake… They’d hunted down Nat and her two best friends, Asher and Nash, in that thing too many times to count.
Mac’s favorite memories in it were when they’d go out to Old Mill Road and lie in the truck bed, staring up at the stars and talking about their futures. That was where they’d concocted their plan to go to college together—a plan Hudson had bailed on only days before they were set to leave.
Why that still caused a sharp twist in her heart, she didn’t know. He’d done what he’d needed to do, and it wasn’t as if his choice had been selfish. He was fighting for the freedom of an entire country, so why had it hurt her so bad when he’d left? Why did itstillhurt?
Hudson stepped out, shut his door, and strode toward her, looking like a walking sex dream, all confidence and charm. His fitted Henley did a poor job at concealing the bulges and dips of his muscles, though she certainly wasn’t complaining. He wore hiking boots and dark pants, aviator sunglasses hiding his eyes from her. Though, that was probably good—Lord knew he could melt her with a single glance, and she needed to stay solid as a rock.
He took the two porch steps in one stride, and then he stood there, hands braced on his hips, chin dipped toward Mac’s backpack resting against the railing. “Your phone workin’?”
She furrowed her brow and glanced down at the phone that’d been mocking her all morning. “Yeah, why?”
“You get my texts?”
The ones she’d been staring at for thirty minutes? “Yeah…”
“Did you…read them? ’Cause I’m pretty sure I told you I’d take care of all this—” he gestured to the pack by her feet “—and you didn’t need to worry about it.”
She stood and hefted the backpack over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows. “Yeah, well, I was always taught to come prepared, so…” Besides, it felt too intimate to allow him to take care of that for her. Like something a boyfriend would do, and he certainly wasn’t that. It was probably a dumb thing to draw a line in the sand about, but there she was…drawing it.
His lips twitched, and he inclined his head, tucking his sunglasses on his collar. “Point taken.” Stepping into her space, he rested his hand on her hip, his thumb sneaking under the hem of her lightweight puffy jacket to rub faint circles on her skin. He moved closer until he was eye level with her. “But you know I’ve got you covered. I’d go without before ever I let you.”
Oh…no. She could feel her walls melting right where she stood, andnope. No sirree, this could not happen. She had to buck the hell up and brush it off—brush off his sweetness and his consideration and his protectiveness over her, even if she wanted to burrow in just to see what it was like to be the center of someone’s attention.
But if she had any hope of surviving this weekend with her heart intact, she needed to ignore all of it and focus on what would be left of her after he’d gone.
As she stared up at him, the weight from her shoulders lifted, but she didn’t avert her gaze. Couldn’t. Because his eyes were blazing as he looked down at her, hunger so blatant in them he might as well have a banner flying above his head. She only hoped hers weren’t revealing the same.
“You ready?” he asked, the rough, gravelly note to his voice shooting straight to her long-neglected lady parts and lighting them up from the inside out.
She was so completely fucked.
Without waiting for her to answer, he took her hand, interlacing their fingers, and tugged her behind him toward his truck. It wasn’t until they’d walked half the distance that she realized Hudson was carrying her pack.
“Hey,” she said, trying to tug her hand from his to reach for it. “I can carry it.”
He squeezed her hand, not letting it go, and glanced at her over his shoulder. “’Course you can.”
She nearly stumbled but managed to keep pace with him. Managed to slide into the passenger’s seat as he hefted her pack to sit right next to his in the truck bed. Managed, even, to put on her seat belt and engage in menial conversation as they drove toward Havenbrook Ridge.
But through it all, she couldn’t stop replaying what he’d said. It was only three words, three tiny words—and not even the three words she’d ached to hear from him for so long—but they still sent a rush of warmth flooding her system.
For most of her life, she’d been trying to prove something to everyone. As clichéd as it was, she was the stereotypical middle child—the one easily forgotten because she didn’t overshadow any of her siblings. She couldn’t touch Rory—the straight A student and all-around perfect child. She wasn’t a troublemaker like Nat, always stealing the focus from everyone else and placing it squarely on herself. And though she was closest to Will, even she was a magnet for attention—her mix of book smarts paired with her affinity for making bad choices a recipe for drawing all eyes to her.
But Mac had always just sort of…coasted by. She was a solid B student who hadn’t strived for more. And while she’d been an excellent athlete, that alone hadn’t been enough to drag anyone’s attention away from the other three.
Then she’d flunked out of college, and she’d gotten the attention she hadn’t even realized she’d been craving, but it’d been all wrong. People had started looking at her, all right. Looking at her like she was a failure and couldn’t be trusted to do…well…anything. And her daddy led the charge.
