Page 113 of Truth or Dare

Hudson silenced me with a kiss, slow and deep. When he pulled back, his eyes were serious. "I can't promise we won't mess up," he said. "But I can promise you this - I'm all in this time, Presley. No more games, no more running. You're it for me."

My heart soared at his words, even as a part of me remained wary. "How can you be so sure?" I asked.

He smiled, a hint of his old cockiness returning. "Because I've tried living without you, sweetheart. And it sucked. I refuse to do it a third time."

I couldn't help but laugh, some of the tension easing from my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "Well, when you put it that way..."

As Hudson's lips met mine again, I let myself get lost in the sensation. The past still lurked in the corners of my mind, but for now, I chose to focus on the present - on the feel of Hudson's skin against mine, on the promise of a future together. Whatever came next, we'd face it together.

EPILOGUE

Presley

Four years later

Itook a moment in the bathroom of the church, checking to make sure the square of paper was safely pinned to the inside cuff of my wedding dress. I must’ve been crazy to have a winter wedding, but it was the earliest we could do after our engagement six months ago.

I considered us lucky with my father and Alex’s connections to Oliver Fox. The Diamond Square Hotel had a beautiful wedding space and choosing a Friday evening reception made it easier to get a date. It was a week from Christmas and the city was done up in all the colors of the season.

The note was there, safely secured. I put my hand over my wrist and closed my eyes, smiling at the memory in theplanetarium. We’d been inseparable since that afternoon even with the eight miles between us. Numerous phone calls and texts, Facetime was a daily occurrence when we couldn’t get together physically.

Hudson often surprised me with flowers delivered to my apartment or a quick video to tell me he loved me. The wounds from our past healed. I would forever have the scar of Evan’s teeth on my shoulder, but I would never let the attack cripple me.

Last I heard, he was somewhere out west working on a cattle ranch. He enjoyed the hospitality of the New York State penal system for twenty-two months for what he did to me. I hoped to never see him again.

My mother knocked on the door, pulling me from the past. I gave one more quick look in the mirror, deciding I couldn’t improve anything else and stepped out.

“You look beautiful. They’re starting.”

My parents escorted me to the front of the church while over two hundred people watched me. Neil stood as Hudson’s best man. My brother had grown into a strapping, wide shoulder nineteen-year-old with plenty of women buzzing around him begging for attention.

As I got to the altar, I handed Jennie, my maid of honor, my bouquet before my parents kissed me and Hudson took my hand in his. He was handsome in a tailored black tuxedo which fit him perfectly. He raked his eyes over me before we turned to the pastor to take our vows.

The Diamond Squarehad a private bridal suite where we could relax and Hudson took full advantage of our privacy, slipping his hands under my dress. I slapped at them.

“No,” I hissed.

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, so now that you have my ring on your finger, I get nothing?”

I giggled. “You must be joking. We had sex twice before you left last night. It’s not even twenty-four hours.”

His eyes were twinkling when they met mine. “It could be two hours, and I would need more.”

He grasped my wrist, hearing the crinkle of paper. His brow furrowed as he folded back the cuff of my sleeve.

“What’s this?” he asked, referring to the safety pinned square of paper.

“The note you gave me at the planetarium.”

Hudson unpinned the note, unfolding the small square and smoothing it out.

“Truth – I can’t live without you. Two magnets,” he read.

I dabbed at my eyes. “I love you.”

“You better,” he chuckled. “You have my name.”

“I think we should greet our guests,” I said, rising from the couch.

He took my hand, and we exited the bridal suite. I let out a breath, releasing any tension as we stepped into our new life together.

The End