Page 95 of Baking With A Rockstar

Is that why he’s been watching me so intently this whole trip? To gauge my reaction?

Is he expecting me to freak out?

Reaching out, I snatch his hand from his bouncing leg and intertwine it with mine. “We’re here, and we’re gonna have fun watching your friend tie the knot, all right?”

One corner of his mouth pulls up before it morphs into a small smile. “Yeah. I think I’ve been gone for too long already from all of this, so it’s stressing me out more than usual. I can’t handle the thought of one of those paparazzi douchebags looking at you the wrong way, or making a rude remark.”

“Hey. I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself.”

“I know.” His fingers play with mine as he avoids my gaze. “I still don’t like it.”

“Hudson.”

His gaze snaps up to mine, and the vulnerability is clear as day.

I pull my hand from his and brush it over his cheek. “I’m here because of you.You’rewhat’s important in this whole scenario, not any of the other stuff. But I’ll get used to that too.”

Mira chooses that moment to lean her head back and yawn. Poor thing hasn’t slept since we left the house this morning.

Hudson kisses Mira’s forehead before getting off the bed. “Why don’t you put her down, and I’ll jump into the shower quickly.”

I nod. “Sounds good.” I get up but pause before going into Mira’s adjacent room. “Okay, remind me again. The rehearsal dinner is at five tonight, and the wedding starts at eleven tomorrow?”

“Yup.”

“Is that normal to have a wedding that early? I’ve never been to one before.”

He drops the hem of his T-shirt he’d just started to lift.

Dang it. Bad timing.

It never gets old to see him without clothes.

Hudson walks over to me, tilting his head to the side. “You’ve never been to a wedding before? Really?”

Shaking my head, I shrug my shoulders, making Mira move around in the process. “Nope. Never known anyone pregnant either—in case you were wondering.”

Closing his eyes for a moment, he smirks at me. “Smartass. I guess I’ve just never thought about the possibility that not everyone’s going to these things.”

He’s close enough that Mira can smack him in the face before she does the same to me. Hudson snatches her little hand and showers it with kisses. “Someone’s getting grumpy, better get her to bed fast.” After another kiss for Mira on the cheek, he leans in to give me a quick peck too—but not before Mira smacks him over the head one more time. “Save me from this wild baby. I’ll see you in a minute.”

This time, I don’t interrupt him as he pulls up his shirt, tossing it on the bed on his way to the bathroom. Mira’s whimper makes me sigh, my focus snapping back to her as we make our way into her temporary room.

She passes out the second her head hits the mattress, and with the baby monitor in hand, I rush back into our room, making a straight beeline for the bathroom. Thankfully, Hudson’s been taking his time. After I manage to strip off my clothes in record time, I step into the shower behind him.

He sighs loudly when I slip my hands around his middle, kissing and nipping at his back until he turns around. His hands cup my cheeks as he pulls me into him, his hardness pushing into my belly. With his hands, mouth, and tongue everywhere, I’m hot and ready in no time at all, feeling like I might combust at any moment. Hudson seems to feel the same when he whispers, “I need you,” in my ear.

A minute later, I’m hoisted up against the shower wall, listening to Hudson’s guttural grunts as he pushes himself into me, over and over. Thank goodness we had the whole birth control talk last week. I’ve quickly realized having sex without a barrier between us brings the experience to a whole new level. It still surprises me every single time how good it feels.

* * *

Hours later, I’m holding my belly, unable to remember the last time I laughed this much. The rehearsal dinner has been a ton of fun, way more than I expected. Most people have already left, leaving only us and Hudson’s band members, plus their significant others.

Hudson just told everyone how we met, even though I’m still not sure why. Not only did I attack him, but I also didn’t recognize him. You’d think that’s something he wouldn’t want to tell his friends, but here he is, with the biggest smile on his face while everyone around the table howls with laughter.

Jodie—the bride-to-be—clasps my arm while wiping tears away. “This has got to be the cutest and funniest way anyone has ever met.” The others around the table calm down and start talking about something else while Jodie continues her conversation with me, her voice hushed. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I’m so happy Hudson’s found you—both of you.” She looks at Mira, who’s happily bouncing on one of my legs. “I’ve never seen him this happy, and even though the guys try to be all tough and manly, I know they’re thrilled for him too.”

“Thank you.” I give her a smile that I hope shows my gratitude. I’ve tried really hard to hide it from Hudson, but my nerves were pretty shot at having to face the very people he usually spends most of his time with.

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