Page 246 of Beautiful Collide

Could it really be . . .his?

My mind flashes to that day. I can still feel the heavy weight of the jacket being draped over my shoulders.

The warmth and comfort I needed.

It was Hudson.

All these years, the stranger who saved me, who gave me something to hold when I was falling apart . . .

It was him.

“Molly?”

I swallow hard, my pulse racing. “I-I need a minute,” I stammer, backing toward the door.

Mary nods. Her brow furrows, but she doesn’t press. “All right, but come back soon. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes.”

I barely register her words as I push open the door and step outside.

The next thing I know, I’m striding toward the barn.

My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might burst, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop.

I need to see him.Now.

When I reach the barn, I push open the door.

“Hudson.” My voice is shaking.

He turns around to face me. “Hey, Hex. What’s—”

I close the distance between us, and before he can utter another word, I grab his face and kiss him.

He freezes for half a second, then kisses me back.

“Not that I’m complaining.” His voice is low and husky.Freshly kissed.“But what was that for?”

Tears prick at my eyes, and I take a shaky breath. “It was you,” I whisper.

His brow furrows. He has no idea what I’m talking about. It’s clear as day that he thinks I’ve lost it. “What was me?”

“The jacket,” I say, stepping back slightly and gesturing to it. “You gave this to me.”

His eyes widen, then his mouth drops open. “That was you?”

I nod, tears filling my eyes. “I was about to have a panic attack. I had just seen my uncle. I was sitting there, trying to hold it together, and then you—” My voice catches, and I press a hand to my mouth, trying to steady myself.

Hudson takes a step closer, his hands reaching out to rest on my arms. “I didn’t even see your face,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “I just . . . I saw someone who looked like they needed it more than I did.”

My chest tightens. My heart is ready to explode. “Do you realize what you did for me that day? This jacket. I held on to it every time things got bad back then. And now . . .” I shake my head, tears streaming down my face. “Now I know it was you.” He pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly as I bury my face in his chest. “Fate,” I whisper against him.

“What?” he murmurs, his voice low and soothing.

“Fate.” I pull back to look at him. “Fate brought you to me that day. And it brought us back together all these years later. Don’t you see? Every time I’ve needed someone, every time I’ve been on the edge, you’ve been there . . . Even when we didn’t know it.”

He cups my face, his thumbs brushing away my tears. “You’re right. It’s fate. It’s always been fate.”

“This is just . . .” I can’t think of the word I want to say. This moment feels too much for simple words.

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