13. Hudson

13

HUDSON

S he remembered.

She remembered who my favorite brother was. She has an unopened pack of my favorite gum in her purse. The gum she insisted was inferior to all other gum.

And she’s fucking here. I can’t decipher the floating sensation in my stomach. The one that causes a natural quirk in my lips as I fight a smile.

Although, I’m not fighting half as hard as she is. She is beating her feelings down like the next upcoming UFC fighter battling for the top spot, fortifying herself with platinum steel, and I have every intention of breaking down those ridiculous, unnecessary walls.

We ease into the type of conversation we had on the plane, and it makes me feel exactly the same. Like she’s absolutely perfect. Everything between us is so easy and natural—when she’s not wrestling with her feelings and beating them to a pulp.

“So, what’s with the sexy suit?” Her eyebrows lift to her hairline.

“I had a meeting with my...” here goes nothing, “coach. ”

She squints, looking back down at her phone. “Coach? What kind of coach?”

“I got called up, well technically, it’s a trade, since I was with another team, but I’ll be starting as the new catcher for the Seattle Smashers this year.” I shift my gaze to her as her eyes meet mine.

“You play professional baseball?”

“I do, now,” I reply with a smile that I can’t hide because I’m so goddamn excited. “As of today, yes.”

“Congratulations!” She grabs me, pulling me for a genuinely excited hug. I reluctantly keep one hand on the wheel and release a small grunt when she squeezes a bit too hard.

“Sorry.” She releases me. “I got excited for you. I know you mentioned you played baseball, but I thought you meant for fun, not professionally.”

I can’t help but chuckle. She’s so adorable.

“Your team has to be pretty pissed about our ‘marriage’. If you’re a big league player, I can imagine that’s a total media nightmare for you, right?” she asks.

She is so carefree and light when she’s not holding back. I love it and will do whatever it takes to keep her in this space.

“Actually, I need to talk to you about that,” I reply, and turn to her, since we’re stopped at a red light. There is a small squint in her eye as she gazes back at me with her head tilted to the side. I’m hesitant to start this conversation right now, since we’re around the corner from her hotel, but I need to figure this out.

Just as I’m about to talk again, a banging on the side of the truck rips us from our conversation. My head snaps in the direction of the banging as Ember jolts forward, belting out a startled scream.

There is a guy, a very unstable guy, pressing his face against the passenger side of my truck. You can see the track marks on his arms, and he’s a few too many notches from sober, and a little too desperate for his next fix to be predictable.

The light turns green, and I step on the gas, leaving him behind. Ember’s safety is first, and he was completely unpredictable.

I take a right on the next corner. The Pine Lake Blvd. sign half hangs off the light post. The green reflective surface is weathered and dull from age, and you can barely read the words with the graffiti painted over the top.

This must be the dirtiest street I have ever seen in my entire life. There is garbage all over the sidewalk; the wind ominously carries plastic bags and other trash particles throughout the street. There are broken bottles scattered along the curb, bars on every single window, and more questionable people wandering around.

I couldn’t have paid for a better set up to get Ember to agree not to stay here.

There are three guys standing in the walkway next door to the hotel. As I pull up to the curb, one of the guys, with a hoodie over his head and a cigarette hanging from his lips, stares directly at Ember. I can see the whites of his eyes through the smoke that is levitating from the end of the lit cancer stick.

Naturally, Ember’s body shifts closer to mine, attempting to further herself from the passenger door. Her hand finds my thigh, and just her touch sends lava flowing through my entire body.

“Here we are,” I say, with a big fat smile on my face.

She turns to me, her eyes wide with a slight shade of horror on her face.

“Right,” she whispers.

She slowly reaches for her purse, and I’m now worried I’ll lose this battle to her extreme stubbornness. I was waiting for her to change her mind on her own accord, because there is no way in hell I’m letting her step one goddamn foot out of this vehicle. If I have to kidnap her so she doesn’t stay here, I fucking will.

“So, where did you say your place is?” Hesitation laces her tone.

“About five minutes from your office.” I state facts only.

“Right,” she says again.

She takes another glance around, then turns to me. “If, um, you’re okay with it...”

I don’t allow her to finish or give her a millisecond to change her mind. “I thought you’d never ask, little red.”

I shift back into drive and pull onto the street, driving us straight to my hotel, wondering how the hell today worked out like it did.