Page 67 of Curvy Desire's Second Shot

It was probably nothing. Just a random passerby. But the feeling of being watched didn’t fade.

The drive home was uneventful,though the unease stayed with me. Every glance in the rearview mirror felt like a checkfor something that wasn’t there. My mind wandered to darker places, memories of the past that I thought I’d left behind.

By the time I pulled into the driveway, I was more than ready to shake off the strange tension. I grabbed the groceries and stepped inside, calling out as I always did.

“I’m home!” I shouted, setting the bags on the counter. But the house was quiet. Too quiet.

“Huds?” I called, my brow furrowing as I peeked into the living room. Empty. The faintest flicker of unease crept back in. “Hudson?”

No answer.

I reached for my phone, ready to text him, when I heard the faintest rustle from the hallway. My heart jumped, and I turned toward the sound, my keys clutched tightly in my hand like a makeshift weapon.

“Surprise!”

The shout startledme so much I nearly dropped the keys. Hudson stood in the doorway with a wide grin, the twins—now two years old—peeking out from behind his legs. Both of them were grinning mischievously, their faces lighting up at the sight of me.

“Mommy!” they squealed in unison, running toward me with their arms outstretched.

I dropped to my knees, scooping them up as they barreled into me. “What is going on?” I asked, laughing as they hugged me tightly.

Hudson stepped forward, his hands tucked casually into his pockets, though his smile betrayed his excitement. “We wanted to surprise you.”

“Surprise me with what?” I asked, glancing between him and the twins, who were practically vibrating with excitement.

“Show her, guys,” Hudson said, crouching beside us.

The twins exchanged a conspiratorial look before one of them reached into their pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. They handed it to me with an air of importance, their tiny fingers gripping it tightly until I pried it free.

“What’s this?” I asked, unfolding the paper.

It was a crayon drawing—bright and colorful, depicting a house with a garden, a swing set, and four stick figures labeledMommy,Daddy, and their names scrawled in wobbly letters beneath the smaller figures. In the corner, there was a sun with a smiley face and a heart drawn around it all.

“It’s our new house,” one of the twins said proudly. “Daddy said we’re gonna have a swing!”

My breath caught, and I looked up at Hudson. “What is this?”

He smiled, his hand brushing my cheek. “It’s ours, Naomi. The house, the swing set, the garden—all of it. I signed the papers this morning.”

Tears filled my eyes as I stared at him, my chest tightening with emotion. “You... you did this?”

“We did this,” he said softly. “For us. For them.”

The restof the evening was a blur of joy and laughter as Hudson told me all about the house. It was everything we’d dreamed of—a fresh start, a place where our family could grow, a home filled with love and laughter.

As I tucked the twins into bed that night, their sleepy smiles warmed my heart. Hudson joined me a few minutes later, wrapping his arms around me as we stood in the doorway, watching them drift off.

“You’re incredible,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my temple. “You’ve given me everything I didn’t know I needed.”

“You’ve done the same for me,” I said, leaning into him.

We stayed there for a while, the quiet of the night wrapping around us like a warm blanket. The fear and uncertainty of the past felt like distant memories, replaced by the steady rhythm of a life we’d built together. This was our family, our future, and for the first time, it felt complete.

Hudson’s voice broke the silence, his tone filled with conviction. “This is it, Naomi. Our forever.”

I smiled, resting my head against his chest. “It’s everything.”

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