Page 206 of Beautiful Collide

“Well, Hex.” Hudson shoves his hands into his pockets. “Ready for the next part of your grand tour of the Wilde farm?”

I glance at him, squinting against the late-morning sun. In the fresh light of the day, the farm looks so peaceful.

It’s obvious why Hudson loves to come here.

Hell, I haven’t been here that long and I already love it too.

The grass is sprawling. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s almost as though it stretches out all the way toward the horizon.

None of this feels real.

A picture-perfect red barn sits off in the distance, and I can just make out a weathered fence that wraps around the whole property.

It’s unreal, straight out of my dreams.

“Do I have a choice?” I joke, raising a playful eyebrow.

“Not really,” he says, his grin widening. “Come on. This is the fun part.”

“The fun part?” Together, we walk farther onto the property.

“Welcome to the farm.” He spreads his arms wide as he leads us toward our first stop.

Up close, the barn is exactly how I imagined it.

It’s straight out of a movie, with red paint, a slightly crooked roof, and the faint smell of hay.

Perfection.

“You’re going to love this.” Hudson pushes open the doors.

The first thing I see is the stalls for the horses. “You have horses?” I say, shock evident in my voice.

“We do.”

“Wow. You really are a man with secrets.” I laugh before walking farther into the barn to see what else Hudson’s been hiding from me all these years.

Obviously, it wasn’t intentional since I never allowed myself to get to know him. But now that I am, I really like this side of him.

“This,” Hudson says, pointing at a dusty corner near the back, “is where I learned how to skate.”

I blink, confused. “In the barn?”

“Yep,” he says, grinning. “My dad made me an indoor rink. I’d spend hours in here practicing.”

“That’s . . . surprisingly resourceful,” I say, impressed.

He shrugs. “When you’re a farm kid, you make do with what you’ve got. I didn’t step foot on a real rink until I was eight.”

“Eight?” I echo, surprised. “But you’re so good. How did you catch up so fast?”

He smirks. “Talent, Hex. Pure, natural talent.”

I roll my eyes because he’s ridiculous.

Next, we visit the chicken coop, where a flock of hens cluck and peck at the ground.

“Meet the ladies.” Hudson gestures grandly.

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