Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
She smiles, her eyes already welling with tears. “Oh.” A short laugh. “I wasn’t sure. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely certain of it. I just told your parents.”
“YOU WHAT?!”
The question bursts out of her, drawing a few curious stares from nearby wedding guests.
“I didn’t plan it like that. It just happened. I felt it was important that your father know.”
“But what about your promotion?” She covers her mouth in horror. “Oh no, Hudson.” She shakes her head adamantly. “No. I won’t let you suffer because of this. Your work is all you care about.” She’s already taking my hand like she’s going to tug me over to her father and fix things this very second. “I’ll explain everything to him, take full blame. We’re going to get you that promotion if it’s the—”
I resist her tugging and instead, loop my hand around hers, keeping us where we are. I wait until she looks back at me, to be sure she’s listening. “I don’t care about it.”
“You what?”
“It’s absurd.” I laugh. It’s pure joy like I’ve never felt. Oh my god, I’ve gone horribly soft, and worse, I don’t even care. “The promotion doesn’t matter, Scarlett. It’s you I want, with profound, unwavering certainty. Please say you want me too, say this isn’t one-sided. I really will cry. It feels like the worst agony. Lucy said it’s supposed to get better, but—”
“You’ve discussed this with Lucy.”
“Yes. I thought I had the flu at first.”
Scarlett considers this. “Is that why you were sick the other day?”
“Yes.” I shrug. “Lovesick, I guess.”
“Love…” She mulls the word over like it’s still shocking to hear.
“Love,” I confirm.
I watch her hard facade splinter. Those steely eyebrows, that determined set of her jaw—gone, in an instant. Her chin wobbles, and she releases a weak little “Oh.”
And though it’s insane and hokey, I get the sudden realization that I would—if I had the ring in my pocket already—drop down to my knee on this dance floor and ask her to marry me on the spot. Later, when I do propose—because I know I will—I’ll tell her that. I’ll tell her I wanted to do it right here and now.
“I love you too, actually,” Scarlett tells me, her voice full of bewildered surprise.
“Is it so shocking?”
She nods. Then, weirdly, reverses course and shakes her head instead. “No, actually. Not at all.”
“I’m not exactly lovable.”
“You are though,” she says, coming toward me until we’re chest to chest. She tips her head back and stares up at me. “You’re so lovable. I couldn’t resist you even if I tried.”
Then her gaze slips down to my lips and I bend down and kiss her, and though we don’t know it, won’t hear the story until tomorrow morning at breakfast, Katherine, Anders, and Lucy are standing just to the side of the dance floor with a perfect view of the cake and a perfect view of us and when I kiss Scarlett, the three of them start to clap. Anders even whistles.
It seems the Elwoods are about to add one more to their ever-growing family.
Epilogue
Scarlett
“Think your parents mind?”
“That you’re walking me back to my hotel room?”
He looks at me sidelong, a glance so chock-full of charm I’m surprised my knees don’t give out. It’s a look that says, I’m not simply walking you back to your hotel room.
I hum and pull out my key from my clutch then hold it to the door until the light turns green. Once I’m inside, Hudson follows me into the room and shuts the door quietly behind us.
My heels are the first things to go. I toe them off with a long sigh. Oh my god. Sweet relief. I toss them clear across the room and look over to see Hudson watching me. He doesn’t look distressed now, not in the least. All the worry he’s been carrying is gone now.
We spent the last hour out on the dance floor together. For a corporate lawyer, Hudson has major moves. Lucy was out there with us, my parents too. I watched Hudson spin and dip Lucy while she laughed. My dad and I danced together near the end of the reception.
“You’re happy?” he asked simply.
“Beyond” is the one word I was able to form. Anything else would conjure a flood of tears.
“Good. I like you two together. It fits. I thought it would.”
I reared back. “You thought it would!?”
He smiled and angled me out so he could twirl me back toward him. “You’ll have to ask Hudson about it.”
I plan to, some other time. Now, I walk toward him and turn to present my back. I pull my hair forward in front of my shoulder so he can access my zipper. He knows what to do, tugging it down and kissing my bare shoulder before pushing the material apart and helping me step out of it.