Who am I kidding? I’m ready now.
My palms are sweaty, and the headache story isn’t far off with the way I’ve been stressing over this event. Regardless, I have to make an appearance, which is why I keep placing one foot in front of the other.
I took extra time getting ready. It started out as a way to stall, but then I realized if this is the last time I’m going to see Hudson for a year, I want to look good for him. Not that he’ll know that, but I’ll know. I’m wearing a casual V-neck spaghetti-strap swing dress. I bought it on a whim last summer and found it in the back of my closet. My hair is done in a waterfall braid, and my makeup is what I hope is on point, considering I did it three times. I didn’t want it to look as if I was trying too hard when, in reality, that’s exactly what I’m doing.
“Hey! I didn’t think you were ever going to get here.” Raven rushes toward me and wraps her arms around me.
“I’ve been fighting a headache all afternoon.” I feel like a tool for lying to her, but this is the plan, and I’ve committed to it.
Her brow furrows in concern. “Did you take anything?”
“I did. Just waiting for it to kick in.”
“Well, let’s get you a drink,” she says, linking her arm with mine.
“Just water for me.” She nods and leads me to a row of coolers. She opens three before she finds the water.
“I told them they should have just gotten a keg and been done with it,” Raven says, pointing at all the coolers.
“We know you ladies like those cooler things,” Clayton says, walking up behind us.
“Hi, Clay,” I say, feeling emotions begin to well in the back of my throat.
“Riles.” He winks and pulls me into a one-armed hug.
I hug him back.
“Thought you were going to skip out on us.” He smiles down at me.
“No. Just fighting a headache.” I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile of my own.
“Damn, I guess we’ll have to save the fruity stuff for you until later.” He winks.
“Maybe.” I don’t want to commit because the plan is still to run as fast as I can once I’ve stayed for an appropriate amount of time. I’m thinking an hour tops, and I’m out of here.
“Have you seen Hud yet?” Clayton asks.
“Not yet. I just got here.”
He nods, and his lips tilt up into a smile. “Well, we need to go find him.” He downs the rest of his beer, tosses the bottle into a nearby trash can, and opens his other arm. “Raven.”
Is it just me, or is his voice huskier than normal? I chance a look at him, and he’s looking at my sister like he wants to eat her alive. My eyes turn to Raven, and she bites down on her bottom lip. It’s not a seductive move. It’s an emotional one.
She’s on the verge of tears.
“Come here, Rave,” Clayton says softly.
He still has one arm wrapped around me, and my sister doesn’t hesitate to walk into the other. He hugs her tight before pressing his lips to the top of her head. “You Burke women are good for a man’s ego.”
He’s joking, trying to lighten the mood, but there’s no use. We’re both sad as hell. “I’m going to miss you,” Raven confesses.
“I know, baby. I’m going to miss you too,” Clayton softly confesses.
I feel like I’m interrupting a moment between them and should pull away, but before I can, Clayton stands taller and turns our trio. Raven and I follow his lead as we make our way across the room where Hudson is sitting with Jacob, Brett, and Bruce.
“Look who I found,” Clayton announces happily.
I smile and wave to Bruce, Jacob, and Brett, and then my eyes land on him. On Hudson.
“Hey,” I greet him. I plaster a fake smile on my face and hope that my friends can’t see through me.
Hudson tilts his head to the side. “You okay?”
Perceptive bastard. “Yeah. Just fighting a headache.” He studies me far longer than I’m comfortable with, at least in this crowd. I force myself to look away from him. “Where are April and Darcey?” I lean over Clayton’s broad chest to ask my sister.
“They might have pre-gamed just a tad.” Raven holds up her index finger and thumb, showing me how much she thinks our friends drank before they got here.
“Luckily, my family is here, and they will be the designated drivers for each of us,” Clayton explains. “It’s not often we all get to cut loose at the same time.”
“For sure,” I agree. It’s true. One of us always remains sober when we go out. The last time for me, it was Hudson. Suddenly, the kiss we shared comes rushing back to me, and I can feel my face heat. Not with embarrassment, but with want for him. The man is standing no more than three feet away from me. He’s so close I could reach out and touch him, but I won’t.
I know he can’t, but I almost feel as if he can read what just ran through my mind. Is he thinking about it too? I hurt his feelings, and I’d say it’s safe to assume he’s been avoiding me this week just as much as I’ve been avoiding him.
“I’m going to go say hi.” I pull out of Clayton’s hold and move toward the other side of the room. I don’t ask Raven to come with me. I know she wants to be where Clayton is, and I’m okay with that. I’d give anything to be holding on tight to Hudson the same way, but we’re just not there, and honestly, I don’t think we ever will be. That’s something I’m going to have to learn to deal with.
“There she is!” Darcey lifts her drink in the air to greet me.
“Took you long enough, but damn, you look hot!” April declares.
I can’t help but laugh. “And you are buzzed.”
She giggles, something April only ever does when she’s wasted. “Maybe,” she says, taking a long pull of the bottle in her hand.
“I can’t believe Hudson’s going with him,” Darcey blurts. “That’s two of our friends leaving and two of this town’s most eligible bachelors. Gone. Poof.” She spreads out her fingers as if she’s casting a spell.
“What?” April whips her head around to look at our drunk friend. She stumbles from the action, and I reach my arm out to help steady her. “Are you into them?”
“No. Of course not. I was just speaking facts. It’s not like there are a lot of eligible men in this town.”
“Um, Brett, Bruce, and Jacob.” April holds up a finger as she says each name.
“Outside of our friends,” Darcey sighs. “I need to get out of this small town.”
“Not you too.”
“Nah, I’m a lifer. I love this place. I just wish there were more options for relationships.”
“Maybe someone you’ve never considered is right under your nose,” I suggest.
She grins at me and points her index finger at my chest. “You have a crush.”
“No.”
“Come on, you can tell me.” There’s a glimmer in her eyes, and I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or if she knows that I have a thing for Hudson. I’ve tried really hard to keep it hidden over the years, but I’m sure I did a shit job.
“Leave her alone.” April comes to my defense. “Besides, she needs a drink.”