“It still sucks. I’m sorry.” I flashed her a soft smile. “At least you have your family. I don’t know what I would’ve done without Avery’s support.”
“I’ll trade you Avery for my parents and sister any day.” She snorted. “My fiancé is a lawyer, so they like to remind me that he’s out of my league, and I should just accept all the lines being crossed by his self-proclaimed ‘work wife.’”
“Dang, that’s even suckier than I thought.” I winced. “I hate how much you meant it when you said you understood. I wouldn’t wish that kind of situation with the man you loveon any woman. Except maybe Maddie and the woman causing trouble for you.”
“Maybe we can work on jinxing both of them, but not tonight.” Lila brightened again, switching back to professional mode. “Right now, I need to get you looking like the goddess you are. And Hudson Holt better have his shit together because if he messes this up, I’ll personally help you hide the body.”
I laughed, the sound loosening something tight in my chest. “Noted. Just be prepared for my teenage sister to set stuff on fire while we’re digging.”
Her answering laugh eased the remaining tension in her expression. “Will do.”
When she finally stepped back, I looked like I was ready to walk the red carpet. The dress fit like it had been made for me. The crimson brought out the warmth in my skin and made my eyes look brighter. Simple diamond studs and a delicate tennis bracelet completed the look—elegant but not overdone.
Lila gave me a once-over and nodded approvingly. “He’s going to forget how to speak when he sees you.”
A knock sounded at the front door exactly at seven, and butterflies swirled in my belly.
Avery, who had been hovering in the hallway pretending not to eavesdrop, grinned at me. “Go get your man. But make him work for it.”
I walked downstairs on slightly unsteady legs.
Hudson stood in the foyer in a perfectly tailored black suit, with a crimson tie to match my dress. When he saw me, every trace of the polished actor disappeared. His eyes widened, then darkened with heat. “I don’t even have words to describe how beautiful you are.”
I managed a small smile. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”
He offered his arm, and I took it. The drive was short and quiet, the city lights blurring past the tinted windows. When wearrived at a restaurant we’d been to before, I was surprised when he led me upstairs to the private rooftop terrace.
It was breathtaking.
Soft candlelight flickered across the space. Strings of warm lights crisscrossed overhead. A single table was set with white linens, fresh flowers, and two place settings. A soft playlist of songs from our early days played low in the background. And the city lights stretched out below us like a sea of stars.
Hudson pulled out my chair, his fingers brushing mine before he circled the table to sit across from me. “I wanted tonight to be private. Just the two of us enjoying each other’s company without the pressure of anyone watching.”
“This is perfect.”
Dinner was intimate and unhurried. We talked about my newest project securing financing, Avery’s latest debate win, and his extra workouts to prepare for the next action movie he was scheduled to film in the spring. The conversation flowed smoothly, and I enjoyed how closely he listened.
Every time he remembered a small detail from our early days, hope tried to bloom in my chest. But right behind it sat the cold reminder of how many times I’d believed in the strength of our love only to watch him defend Maddie again.
When we finished dessert, soft music began to play. Hudson stood and offered his hand. We danced under the string lights, his hand resting respectfully at my waist. One song bled into the next until he finally cupped my face gently and kissed me.
It was full of all the love I knew he felt for me. My hands fisted in his shirt as I kissed him back, giving myself up to the moment for one breathless second. But when his fingers tightened at my waist and heat started to build, the old fear rushed in.
I pulled away just enough to breathe. “I need a little more time before we go there again.”
He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Then we wait, as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
We stayed on the rooftop for another hour, dancing and talking quietly. When he finally walked me to my door, he didn’t try to come inside.
He brushed a kiss to my forehead instead. “Thank you for tonight.”
I watched him walk back to the car, my heart full and aching at the same time. I was starting to see a future for us again, but I was still afraid that one more misstep could shatter everything we’d rebuilt. I needed to be sure he would catch me this time. And that I was strong enough to walk away if he didn’t.
18
HUDSON
Being offered the male lead opposite Serena in her new project was a curveball I hadn’t expected. The script was one I’d normally pass on, but the producer had called my agent, excited about the chemistry we’d had in our one and only rom-com years ago. We’d been electric working together, but it was more likely that he was really interested in the free press that could come from having us star in a movie together after all the shit that had gone down with Maddie.
