Page 96 of Baking With A Rockstar

Worrying about fitting in, and people liking and accepting you never seems to get easier, no matter how old you get. Sometimes, it even seems to get worse.

She squeezes my arm again before letting go. “You guys make a great couple, and I’m so glad I finally got to meet you.” Her mouth stays open like she wants to say more, but she’s interrupted by a loud noise.

My eyes go wide, and my head automatically snaps over to look at Hudson.

A silent moment passes between us, where I’m still trying to figure out if I should be mortified or laugh about what’s happening.

Hudson’s lips are pressed together, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Was that what I think it was?”

We both look at Mira and her tomato-red face as she’s grunting, clearly preoccupied.

Hudson claps his hands together before pushing his chair back. “Well, guys. This was fun, but it looks like we just got our cue to leave.”

Just then, Mira lets out another groan, and it feels like her little bum is vibrating on my leg.

Poor baby. Pooping when you’re sitting on something just seems to be the most uncomfortable thing ever, yet it’s her favorite position to do it in.

Everyone around the table laughs as they catch on to what’s going on, and we quickly say our goodnights. We make our way out of there and back up to our room as fast as we can before we start stinking up the whole place.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

“Are you sure you’re okay?”Hudson rubs my back for what must be the three hundredth time today.

Nodding through my sniffles, I see him biting his cheek and have to chuckle. “Stop it.”

“What?” He’s laughing now, holding out his hands in surrender. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.” I wipe at my eyes, crossing my fingers I don’t look like a raccoon, or worse. “Plus, it’s not really my fault, you know?”

He shakes his head, trying to keep a straight face. “Of course not.”

Gosh, he’s so freaking cute, I could kiss his face all day long. I would, if it wasn’t for a baby in my arms, and the fact we’re currently standing in the hotel lobby. I needed a moment to collect myself after witnessing the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever seen before we head to the wedding reception. “It was so much better than it is in books or movies. I mean, gosh, did you see them?”

Hudson wraps his arm around me and gives my forehead a kiss, quietly grinning against my skin. “I did see them. It was a great wedding.”

I sigh loudly, leaning into his body, and let the familiar scent and warmth comfort me. “So beautiful. Makes me wanna go to a wedding every day.”

He laughs into my hair, and I get it. Most men are probably not as much into weddings as women. For a lot of women, it seems to almost be a part of the female DNA; a built-in wedding strand, so to speak. But I’m okay with that—more than okay, actually. Witnessing Elijah and Jodie exchange their wedding vows and seeing their love for each other was one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever seen. It was almost like another person in the room, it was that visible.

A wedding spirit.

I think it got to me.

Hudson squeezes my shoulder before letting go, taking Mira out of my arms. She’s been trying to crawl to him for the last minute or two, impatient as ever. Hudson tickles her before looking back at me. “Do you think Mira is going to be okay for a while longer, or should she have a nap first and then we go to the reception afterward?”

“We should be good. It was really perfect timing this morning, with the wedding starting shortly after she woke up from her morning nap. And it didn’t take too long either, so she should still have some time in her before she needs to go back down.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go get something to eat then.” Hudson grabs my hand and pulls me in the direction of the ballroom, where the reception is being held.

“Charlotte?”

My feet stop, and I’m suddenly unable to breathe. My eyes grow so wide, they start burning, while my stomach rolls in a way that makes me look around in alarm, not sure I’ll be able to keep my breakfast down.

My hand goes limp, slipping out of Hudson’s, and my eyes close briefly. I force myself to focus on breathing in and out before my body fails me. The panic that has taken over is a living thing, trying to crush me from all possible sides, and I feel extra weak, afraid my heart won’t ever recover from this shock.

“Charlotte.” This time, the voice is louder, closer, and I cringe.

When I open my eyes, Hudson is right in front of me, a worried expression on his face that makes me swallow loudly. I whisper, “This can’t be happening,” under my breath before turning around, facing the inevitable.

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