Page 28 of Don't Make Me Fall
I nearly drop my laptop bag at her words. “What?”
“So, I know this sounds crazy, but I want to stay in Cinnamon Creek.”
“Like for an extended vacation?”
“Like…forever.”
“What did I miss?” I ask, shocked at this declaration. Does Erin plan to hide out in this mountain town and avoid reality for the rest of her life? “I mean, I wouldn’t blame you for never wanting to go home and face Chad and the aftermath of all that?—”
“It’s not what you think,” she reassures me, sounding…sane. Okay, so this isn’t some overreaction to having to call off her wedding because her ex-fiancé cheated on her with her stepsister. I breathe a little easier at that knowledge.
“Please tell me Gabby didn’t talk you into actually hiding a body this weekend?”
“No, silly,” Erin laughs. “Look, I’ll tell you everything. But first, I want to know about Hudson.”
“What about Hudson?” I ask, swallowing hard. My stomach twists in knots over the thought of never seeing him again. Never mind the stupid, immature fight this morning. Emotions were heightened on both sides, which I suppose can happen when love is on the line like that. But that doesn’t mean I know what to do about it.
“Do you love him?” Erin asks.
“How do you even know who Hudson is?” I ask my best friend, studying her easy expression for clues.
“I made some connections,” she answers with a shrug. “Now spill it, Alanna. We’re running out of time.”
So I do.
I tell her about the first meeting at the back of the van the night we arrived, the hike to Sunset Point, getting stranded after a rockslide, throwing my phone off the top of the mountain, the night in the tent built for one, the job offer, all of it.
“Hudson’s not actually in charge of hiring, just so you know,” Erin points out. “Your brother is.”
“Winnie,” I say with a laugh.
“She’s like the grandma neither one of us ever had, right?”
My heart warms at the thought. “Something like that.”
“I think you should stay, Alanna.” Erin clasps my hands in hers. “But not because you’re worried about me. You should stay because there’s something between you two, and I think it’s worth exploring.”
“But wouldn’t that just be uprooting my life for a man?”
“Yes,” she says. “But there’s a big difference between putting your life on hold for a man and uprooting your life forlove. Tyler held you back for his own gain. He made you small. Youare anythingbutsmall, Alanna Gray. I know I’ve been MIA this weekend, but I have a strong suspicion—possibly backed by a reliable little birdie—that Hudson loves you foryou. That he?—”
“That he wants nothing more than to see you flourish into your full, amazing, stubborn potential,” Hudson says from the doorway, leaving me to wonder how long he’s been standing out in the hallway listening.
“Hey,” I say to him, a single tear rolling down my cheek. A part of me thought I’d never see him again if I got on that plane. The relief at his presence now is almost overwhelming.
“Hey,” he says back, a ghost of a smile spreading across his lips.
Erin pats my knee as she rises from the bed. “I’ll let you two talk.”
Once the door clicks shut, I go to him. Or maybe he comes to me. All I know is that one second I’m sitting in my chair, the next my body is molded into Hudson’s. He holds me so tight I can hardly breathe. But I don’t care about oxygen. Not when I came so close to walking away from love.
“I love you,” I murmur into her neck. “In case there was any confusion about that part.”
“If there’s any confusion, it’s because I caused it,” Hudson says, pulling back just enough so we can look one another in the eyes. He rests his forehead against mine. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I know that sounds like some romance novel cliché?—”
“It’s still nice to hear,” I admit.
“I love you, Alanna Grey. I love you so much I don’t even know what to do with it. I didn’t want you to completely uproot your life for some guy you just met three days ago. But this isn’t just some vacation fling. Not for me. If I thought the city life would make you happy, I’d move there in a heartbeat to be with you. To see this through.”
