Page 102 of Best Kept Secret

“Maybe she should do it. Give him a chance to redeem himself, I mean,” Kelsey said, surprising them all.

“Is that what you’re planning to do with Hudson?” Stacy asked softly.

Kelsey nodded and then gave voice to her decision. “Yes. We’re going to talk after the party.”

“That’s great,” Nick said, beaming at her.

“I’m so glad you decided to hear him out,” Stacy added.

Kelsey looked at her friends and smiled, touched by their concern and support. Then she narrowed her eyes at Nick. “Hey. Why didn’t you tell me he was going to be here tonight?”

“I honestly didn’t know until after I talked to you. Even then, he wasn’t sure he should come.”

“Oh.”

“We just want you to be happy, Kels,” Stacy said.

“I want that too.”

But after everything that had happened, could she be happy with him? She would soon find out…

Thirty

Hudson couldn’t wait for the party to be over. Not because he was having a bad time, but because he wanted to be alone with Kelsey. She looked so beautiful tonight in her dress and heels and with her hair up that he couldn’t stop staring at her. No matter where she was in the room, his gaze landed on her, and he’d caught her looking at him too.

He continued to give her space throughout the evening, watching her interact with her friends, and striving for patience. She had such a vivacious personality that it was no surprise people flocked to her. As the night went on, she seemed looser, and she even smiled at him once or twice. She kept her distance, though, as if she still wasn’t sure she could forgive him.

Forgiveness. He’d thought about that a lot over the past week, not only from her standpoint but from his own. Aside from wanting her forgiveness, he needed to forgive himself too. He’d made some mistakes, but he wouldn’t let them define him. He’d taken a major step toward making a fresh start, but it wouldn’t be the same without her.

Finally, the party started to break up, especially after Nick announced that he wanted to be alone with the birthday girl. Stacy blushed crimson, and everyone laughed.

As the guests began to leave, Hudson hung back and waited for a cue from Kelsey. Jared had left an hour earlier after assuring Hudson he’d be staying at Amanda’s overnight. Having Jared’s support certainly made things easier, and he was grateful that he hadn’t lost his friendship in this whole mess. He still had a lot of hard work ahead of him, though.

He glanced over and saw Kelsey saying goodbye to Stacy, Jenna, and Nick, which was his cue to leave too. She waited by the door for him, but she didn’t have to wait long. He wasn’t a fan of long goodbyes, especially tonight, when he had more important things on his mind.

Nick gave him a firm handshake and whispered, “Good luck.”

Stacy thanked him for coming and gave him an encouraging smile, and Jenna muttered something that sounded like a warning. He brushed it off as he joined Kelsey and walked outside with her.

It was a balmy midsummer night with barely a breeze. The sun had gone down quite some time ago, but the air was still thick and heavy. His shirt clung to his body like a second skin, but he didn’t let that bother him. She was there, and that was all that mattered.

“Do you want to walk to my place?” he asked.

“Maybe I should drive.”

“Mind if I come with you?”

She shrugged. “I guess so since we’re going to the same place.”

It wasn’t much, but it was something. The drive to his building was short and silent, but that didn’t bother him either. It gave him a few minutes to gather his strength for whatever came next.

She parked the car and followed him up the path to his building. Soon they were inside his apartment, which was blessedly quiet and dark except for the dim light coming in through the open curtains.

He went to turn on a lamp, but she stopped him. “Leave it off,” she said, her voice a ragged whisper.

Her request surprised him, but so did a lot of things about this woman. She kept him on his toes, which was one of the many reasons he’d fallen in love with her.

They both sat on the couch, but she’d left a space between them that seemed as wide as the Grand Canyon.