She pressed a hand to her chest. “Serena, I’m so sorry if I overstepped. I was just trying to be supportive. Hudson’s like family to me, and that makes Avery family too, right?”
The words were sweet. The delivery was perfect. But that tiny flash of satisfaction in her eyes told me she knew exactly what she was doing.
Before I could respond, Hudson appeared around the corner, concern etched across his handsome face. “Everything okay over here?”
Maddie turned to him with a smile. “I was just apologizing because I might’ve overstepped a smidge since Serena didn’t technically invite me to the party.”
Hudson slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Maddie’s just excited to be included. Let’s not let it ruin the night, babe.”
I wanted to snap that I had purposely brought Maddie away from the girls so I wouldn’t ruin anything, but I refused to let my little sister’s sixteenth birthday party become about my relationship drama.
So I swallowed my retort, forced a smile, and let Hudson lead me back toward the party.
The rest of the night blurred. Maddie stayed until the very end, helping clean up like she lived here. When the last guest left and Avery went upstairs to crash, I finally pulled Hudson into the living room.
“This is getting weird,” I hissed. “She showed up uninvited, dressed like she was going clubbing, and spent the whole night acting like she’s part of the family. I don’t like it.”
Hudson ran a hand through his hair, his smile turning apologetic. “She was just trying to help, Serena. She feels bad about the cake thing and wants to make up for it.”
“This is my house. My sister’s party.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “She doesn’t get to assume she’s invited just because she’s your best friend from Indiana.”
He stepped closer, cupping my face with both hands in a way that usually melted me. “I’ll talk to her, okay? But tonight was about Avery, and she had a great time. That’s what matters.”
I searched his dark eyes, looking for the man who used to read my moods instantly. All I saw was the same gentle defense he’d been giving for weeks.
For Avery’s sake, I let it go. But as Hudson kissed my forehead and promised to text me when he got back to Malibu, the knot in my chest tightened into something heavier.
I locked the front door after he left and leaned against it as I let out a long, shaky breath. Maddie was taking up more space in my life than I ever agreed to give her, and the worst part was that Hudson still couldn’t see how much it was costing me.
4
HUDSON
Ifelt a strain in my back when I turned the wheel to make a left. The close-combat scene we’d filmed this morning was well-rehearsed, but the choreography was complex, so it’d taken a dozen takes to get it right. Filming was due to wrap at the end of the week, so things were hectic on set. Still, I’d carved out twenty minutes between takes because Serena’s smile was worth blowing off a producer on a movie that was almost done anyway.
My Range Rover hummed along the 405, the brown paper bag on the passenger seat making my mouth water. I was tempted to dig in, but the whole point of this little trip was to share lunch with the woman I loved, so I focused on the road ahead.
My phone rang through the speakers, and Maddie’s name lit up the dash.
I hit the answer button on the console display. “Hey, Maddie.”
“Hi, Hudson! I hope you’re hungry. I’m near your set, and I have that leftover pork from the other day, all heated up and ready to go.”
I winced, feeling bad that she’d gone to all that trouble for nothing. “Actually, I’m heading over to Serena’s set right now. She’s got a short break between scenes.”
“Oh. Right. Of course.” Her voice stayed bright, but I could hear the soft disappointment underneath. “I figured since you had a little downtime during all the hecticness, we might grab something quick. Like old times.”
“Maybe another day.”
“Sure.” There was a short pause. “Since you’re going to see Serena, could you let her know again how sorry I am for overstepping yesterday?”
“About that…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I get where you were coming from, but I wish you’d have mentioned you planned to come to the party. Then Serena wouldn’t have been caught off guard.”
Maddie let out a soft laugh that sounded embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to crash or anything. You know how it was growing up, where we didn’t need an invite. I figured it was the same here since we’re besties. Back home, it was so easy. LA feels so big sometimes.”
I grimaced, feeling guilty for not anticipating this. She was right about how things were in North Liberty. Everyone had an open-door policy, where if you knew about the party, then the invitation was implied. I’d just lived in LA for so long that it hadn’t dawned on me she’d assume it was the same here.
“I get where you’re coming from.” My hands tightened on the wheel. “But check with me first next time if it’s something at her house, okay? She’s protective when it comes to Avery.”
