The silence stretched between us, the ocean crashing softly outside the windows.
Serena’s fingers tightened around mine before she finally whispered, “I was scared you’d put someone else first again. That I’d always be waiting for the next time you chose wrong. But you’ve been showing me differently. Every day. In so manydifferent ways. And now you’re even putting my needs above your own.”
I appreciated that she saw it that way, but I didn’t agree. “The changes I made are small in the grand scheme of things. If I lose a role because the studio isn’t willing to work around my requirements, then it wasn’t the right fit for me anyway. And let’s be real, if neither of us ever acted again, we’d still have more money than we could spend in a lifetime.”
“We, huh?” she asked, quirking a brow.
It took me a moment to realize which part of what I’d said she was referring to. I flashed her a sheepish grin. “Just because I’m not putting pressure on you doesn’t mean I don’t see us growing old together, Serena. As far as I’m concerned, what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is yours until you decide otherwise.”
She laughed, but it was shaky. “What am I going to do with you?”
I reached up and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger against her cheek. “Whatever you want. I’m yours, baby. Always will be.”
“I guess I’m ready to admit that’s a good thing.” She squeezed my hands. “I want you in my life, Hudson. All the way in. And I think I want you in this movie with me. If I’m going to make an Oscar run with a breakout role, I’d like to do it with you starring opposite me.”
Relief and love crashed over me so hard my knees almost buckled. I pulled her into my arms, holding her close as I breathed her in.
“Then I’ll call them tomorrow,” I murmured against her hair.
She tilted her head back to look up at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. When she stepped closer and rested her forehead against my chest, I felt the last of her walls come down.
“I’m still scared,” she whispered. “But I’m choosing to trust you anyway.”
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Then I’ll spend every day making sure you never regret it.”
For the first time since I’d almost lost her, it felt like we were finally on the same side of the fight. I still had work to do every day, for the rest of our lives, but I knew I was ready to do whatever it took. I was never letting her go again.
19
SERENA
Acouple of months ago, I couldn’t have pictured us together like this again. But Hudson had done more than I ever could’ve asked to prove to me that I could trust him. And there was only one way I wanted to celebrate our reconciliation.
Looking up at him with my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat, I murmured, “Take me to bed.”
Hudson went completely still, his eyes searching mine. The need on his face nearly undid me. “Are you sure? I didn’t tell you about the house deed and the offer to rush you. We can wait as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
The genuine care in his every word cracked the last piece of fear I’d been carrying. I slid my hands up his chest so I could cup his face, enjoying the familiar scrape from his beard on my palms. “I’m sure. I’ve waited long enough. We both have.”
He let out a shaky breath, then nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. “Okay. But if you change your mind at any point, we stop. If there’s some reminder of what?—”
I cut him off with a kiss, letting him feel how certain I was. And how much I needed him.
We made it to the bed in a haze of kisses and wandering hands. The moment we reached the edge of the mattress, my gaze caught on the nightstand.
There was a new photo there—a candid shot of the two of us from our first movie together. We were laughing on set, his arm slung around my shoulders, my head tilted back in pure joy. It hadn’t been there before.
I stopped, my throat tightening with sudden tears.
Hudson noticed immediately. He stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.
“I put it there the night after the interview,” he murmured against my hair. “The lonely nights without you were brutal. That picture reminded me of why I was fighting so hard to get you back. It helped me get through the times when I was sure I’d lost you for good.”
A tear slipped down my cheek. I turned in his arms and kissed him again, pouring every ounce of love and forgiveness I had into it.
“Then stop talking.” I tugged at the hem of his shirt. “And show me.”
He chuckled, but there was a hint of restraint in it. “Easy, baby. I’ve waited months for this. I want to savor every second.”
