Page 44 of Waiting for Forever
Paige reached for his hand, tucking herself into Hudson’s side. “Everything okay over there?” she asked, dying to know what they’d said.
Hudson nodded, giving her nothing. “Yep. All fine. Just wanted to let you know the hot dogs and hamburgers are ready if you want to tell everyone to dig in.”
Paige tried to stare him down, hoping he would relent, but she should’ve known better. Hudson just doubled down, winking at her, then chuckling as he walked away.
Tyson watched the exchange, amused. “Why don’t you go ask Dad what they talked about?” And because he knew she wouldn’t, her rascal of a brother leaned closer and murmured, “Dare ya,” in her ear.
She swatted at him playfully. “Idiot. I’ll get it out of Hudson later. I’ll wear him down with my feminine wiles.”
Tyson groaned. “I really don’t want to think about my kid sister’s wiles, Paigie Poo.”
She snorted when he whipped out the silly nickname he’d used for her when they were growing up. It used to annoy her, but now it made her laugh.
“Okay,” she called out loudly. “Soup’s on.”
Her family immediately started jostling for position, everyone lining up at the end of the picnic table, anxious to fill their plates with all the delicious food. Her family put on one hell of a potluck.
Because she didn’t have enough seats for everyone, she’d asked folks to bring their own camp chairs, so they sat in small groupings, balancing plates on their laps as they talked. Paige realized she probably should have warned her neighbors she was having a picnic, given the ever-rising volume. She sat next to Hudson and his granddad, the three of them laughing their asses off as Macie, Adele, and TJ entertained everyone with their tall tales.
Paige and Mom had just finished bringing out desserts when a loud “Oh my God!” captured everyone’s attention.
The entire family turned as Lacy said, “My water just broke!”
Logan, who’d been singing along with Harley and Cal as Tyson strummed his guitar, bolted from his chair. Chaos ensued, as everyone rushed to help Lacy and Logan to their car, reassuring them everything would be okay. Evan promised to stop by their place to pick up the hospital bag to bring to them.
After that, everyone excitedly placed guesses on when the babies would be born and what their names would be. Logan and Lacy had refused to tell anyone the names, wanting them to be a surprise.
Soon after all the dishes were cleaned up and the leftover packed away, people started heading home. Gia and Xanderoffered Hudson’s granddad a ride, so before Paige knew it, it was just the two of them.
Hudson took the dishcloth from her hand as she finished wiping the counters, tossing it into the sink. “Come sit with me.”
She followed him to the front porch just as the sun dipped behind the houses across the street.
They swung back and forth in silence for a little while, both of them relaxing after a busy, hectic afternoon.
“You know,” Paige said. “We must be getting old. It’s only seven p.m. and everyone has gone home. I can remember when our family celebrations lasted for hours, the parties never winding down before midnight.”
Hudson chuckled. “The Sparks family has entered the Kids Era. Might be a while before you get your all-night parties back.”
Paige shrugged. “I don’t mind things this way. It’s fun having babies around again.”
“They are cute,” Hudson agreed. “You know. It occurs to me that we probably don’t want to hop into this new Sparks era too late.”
Paige looked at him, curious. “What do you mean?”
Rather than respond, he stood, and as he turned to face her, he reached into his pocket.
Paige gasped when he knelt before the porch swing, lifting his hand to reveal the most beautiful engagement ring she’d ever seen.
“Oh my God,” she said, hand outstretched. “Put it on me!”
Hudson chuckled. “I haven’t even asked you yet.”
Paige wiggled her fingers. “Put it on while you ask.”
Hudson, the shameless tease, closed his hand around the ring. “That defeats the purpose of the question. Now, be patient.”
She narrowed her eyes, letting him know he needed to get the lead out.
