Page 46 of Secret Hudson

Hudson still brushes my mouth with his in a fast peck but turns back toward his veggies and chopping board. “Stir fry. Gonna throw some shrimp in there, too. Should be plenty.” He glances back at me over his shoulder. “Anyone else coming by for dinner?”

I shrug. “If you don’t close that window, yeah. Blaise gets a whiff of this over at their house and we’ll have at least three more people here.”

“Three?”

I nod, crunching on a carrot I stole from his pile. “Ava’s sister, Addison, showed up just as we got home. She had a big ol’ bag with her, so you know, that’s not a good sign.”

Max starts pulling dishes from the cupboards to set the table. “Maybe she’s just here for the wedding.”

“Doubt it. She goes to school at CSU, so no need to bring any luggage for a visit.” I go to grab another carrot but get my hand smacked. “Ouch.”

“Never mind your ouch. Do you need to go over there and make sure everything is alright?”

I shake my head. “No way. I’m getting married in three days. ‘Ava drama’ is on her until after we get back from Bora Bora.” Our honeymoon, compliments of Ava and Blaise. They’ve been going every six months since their first trip there and I feel both honored and scared that they want us to share in whatever it is they experience when they go. As long as they don’t wind up in a bungalow next door, we’ll be all good.

“He’s right,” Max agrees. “I’ll go see.”

I’m not gonna lie. I feel a twinge of jealousy as I watch her walk out of the room to head over to the Nolan/Jennison household to handle what was once exclusively my business. But I guess this was what expanding the family is all about it. And she definitely feels like family to me.

The next few days fly by and we spend most of them indoors thanks to the swarm of photogs permanently camped out in front of our gate in hopes of capturing some new footageof me and the man they sought to ignore thus far. It’s weird and sort of pathetic really, that after all this time and all of the media attention equal marriage rights and celebrities who are openly gay have already gotten, my marriage to a man is still cause for such a frenzy. Even stranger perhaps, is that none of it makes me panic anymore. And it isn’t like all of the attention we’re getting is positive, but the fact that it’s so newsworthy makes me realize just how important going public with it has been. Two people falling in love, really shouldn’t make headlines anymore. Or, maybe, that’s exactly the type of headline we need more of.

Then, before I know it, I’m waking up and it’s April 2nd. Our wedding day. Hudson takes off extra early with Max and Carlos, while Blaise, Derek and Angel come by the house to hang out with me. There haven’t been any bachelor parties what with the non-stop partying that accompanies our lifestyle the bulk of the year, so this little gathering is sort of in its place.

“You ready?” Blaise is busy straightening out my collar. I’ve been fidgeting with it for ten minutes and wound up making a mess of it.

“Yes, I’m ready. Why? I don’t look ready to you?” Shit. I don’t sound ready.

He laughs. “Oh no, you look more than ready. But you may want to take off your shoes and put some socks on.”

Damn. The one time I could have benefited from having Ava lay out my clothes for me and she’s nowhere in sight. “Man, where’s your woman anyway?”

“Why? You need her to pick your socks out for you? I can probably handle that. I’m thinking black with your tux, right?”He’s still grinning when I turn away and make a beeline for my dresser.

“Seriously though. How come Ava isn’t here?” Angel leans in the doorway eating one of the muffins Ava had delivered as part of our bachelor brunch...or whatever it is we’re having.

“She and Addison went to make sure everything was all set up and perfect for the wedding at the Portofino,” Blaise answers as he yanks the blue sock out of my hand and gives me a black one to match the one I already have.

“Bam Bam’s here? I mean, I guess it makes sense she’s coming to the wedding.” Even in the midst of my sock fiasco, I can tell Angel’s tone is off. Blaise doesn’t though. Nor does anyone else seem to think it’s weird that after all these years, Angel’s still referring to Addy as Bam Bam. Maybe he hasn’t seen her in a while because at twenty-one she’s a far cry from the eleven-year-old who used to crash our band practice in hopes of getting a chance to bang around on his drums.

“Addison’s here for the wedding and then some,” Blaise explains. “She’s staying with us until further notice. Had a bag the size of a U-Haul truck when she showed up here.”

Before I can ask Angel about his sudden interest in Ava’s baby sister and welcome the distraction with open arms, Derek chimes in.

“Car’s here.”

“Perfect timing. Royce is fully clothed and ready to go.” Blaise leads the way out of my walk-in closet, then stops and turns back. “You are wearing underwear, right?”

I shake my head and smirk. “Going it Blaise and Angel style.”

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

From here, I can’t really say what happens. My mind is like in a fucking haze, mostly just replaying the last few months and how I’ve gone from thinking I was destined to spend my life alone because I’d never be able to be figure my shit out enough to have someone else be willing to take it on, to being here, in this moment where the man I love is about to promise me a lifetime of partnership, family and safe haven.

One by one, the guys hug me and head up to the altar to take their places. Angel winds up on my side next to Blaise, while Derek is lined up nicely beside Carlos, standing directly across from Sammy, who’s sitting right up front with Francis.

“Hi, gorgeous.” Ava hooks her arm in mine.

“It’s about time you showed up.”

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