Proving the gift bag she carried was more for show than anything else, she scanned the yard until she spotted Hudson talking to one of Avery’s friend’s dads at the other end of the dessert table, and her whole face brightened.
“Hey, Hudson!” She was loud enough that several heads turned. “Sorry I’m a little late. Traffic was brutal.”
I hadn’t invited her, but she was striding across my patio like she belonged.
Avery glanced at me, confusion flickering across her features before she pasted on a polite smile. “Hi, Maddie. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course, birthday girl!” Maddie handed over the gift bag, then immediately turned and hugged Hudson like they’d been apart for weeks instead of a day. “I figured since I helped plan everything, I should at least drop by and make sure it all went smoothly.”
I barely held back my snort of disbelief. Her version of “helping” had cost me a cross-country flight and a lot of pride. Now she was acting like this was her party too, and my boyfriend wasn’t calling her on her crap. Instead, he smiled as he squeezed her shoulder. “You didn’t have to do that, Maddie. But thanks.”
I swallowed the retort burning on my tongue. This was the wrong place and time to force Hudson to finally open his eyes. Not in front of Avery and twenty of her friends from Harvard-Westlake.
Taking a deep breath, I cut some more slices of cake while my stomach twisted tighter with every laugh that floated from Maddie’s direction.
She wasted no time inserting herself. Within ten minutes, she was taking group photos with Avery’s friends, posing like the fun older sister. My eyes rolled when I spotted the caption of a post she made on social media.
Big brother energy at Avery’s Sweet 16
#HudsonAndTheBirthdayGirl.
I caught Avery watching me more than once, her furrowed brow letting me know she wasn’t buying my performance. No matter how good my acting skills were, she knew me too well.
After an hour of Maddie’s crap, Avery finally drifted over to me.
“Want one of my friends to push her into the pool??” she asked, her voice barely carrying over the music. “Because I can make that happen.”
I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s fine. Let’s just enjoy your night.”
“Okay, but the offer stands.”
I flashed her my first real smile since Maddie arrived. “I know, and that’s only one of the reasons I love you so much.”
By the time we moved inside for presents, I was seriously contemplating pushing her into the pool myself. To remove temptation, I called, “Time for presents.”
The change of location into the house didn’t help much. Maddie used the time while the girls dried off to perch on the arm of Hudson’s chair. And when Avery pulled out the custom necklace I’d had made—a delicate rose gold A—Maddie clapped her hands and squealed, “Oh my gosh, that’s so cute! Hudson, you should get her matching earrings next year.”
Hudson laughed. “Good idea.”
Once all the gifts were opened, I excused myself to the kitchen under the pretense of throwing away the discarded wrapping paper. Gripping the edge of the counter until my knuckles went white, I reminded myself that I could handle the irritation for Avery’s sake. It was just one evening.
But when I stepped back into the living room, Maddie was leaning in to show Hudson something on her phone. Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder, and several of Avery’s friends were watching, whispering behind their hands.
My patience snapped.
I crossed the room and kept my voice pleasant but firm enough that only the three of us would hear. “Maddie, can I talk to you for a second?”
She blinked up at me with wide eyes. “Of course! What’s up?”
“In private.”
Hudson’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t argue when I led her toward the nearest hallway.
Once we were out of earshot, I turned to face her. “I don’t remember sending you an invitation.”
Maddie tilted her head, her smile never wavering. “Oh, I just assumed since I helped with the planning and everything…”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on how much help you were,” I muttered, shaking my head. “This is my sister’s party, in my home. I’d appreciate it if you respected that boundary.”
