Page 72 of Hale

“I’d die before I spent the rest of my life without you, Hudson.”

Sweet, beautiful girl.

“I sure as hell wouldn’t want this life without you either.”

She smiles. “Like Romeo and Juliet.”

“Why does our love story have to be a tragedy?”

Tears well in her eyes. “Mom and Dad’s love story was a tragedy. I guess all the good ones are.”

“Not ours, baby. Ours won’t be a tragedy.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Rylie

“Burgers or pizza?” Hudson asks as he hunts for his shoes.

I pull my dress into place and pat down my messy hair. “Hmmm. Burgers sound good.”

He stops looking for his shoes to walk over to me. His arm hooks around my waist and he pulls me to him. “I’m glad you’re eating. It makes me happy.”

I smile shyly at him. “You make me hungry.”

His grin is boyish but kind of wicked too. “You make me hungry too.”

We both laugh but then his mouth is pressed to mine again. Even though my stomach has been growling, I could go for another round. Our twenty-minute break where we cuddled quietly was enough to recharge us both. His palms squeeze my ass through my dress. My breath hitches when he starts sliding the fabric up again.

The door bursts open and we both jerk apart. His friend Nick takes in the scene and his goofy grin falls.

“Did I interrupt something?” His brows furl together. “Rylie?”

I give him a little wave. “Hey.”

He turns an accusing glare to Hudson. Before he can open his mouth, Hudson takes a step toward him, his shoulders tense. The testosterone in the room is suddenly thick and palpable as Hudson silently challenges Nick to say something.

“We were going to grab burgers if you’re hungry,” I chirp, hoping to distract him.

“Uh, right,” Nick says, stepping back. “Burgers sound good. Jada and Caitlin invited a bunch of us to the lake again.”

I wince at hearing Jada’s name.

“I think we’ll pass,” Hudson says, sensing my unease.

“I think you should go,” Nick bites out, his gaze darting my way.

He knows. Just like Aunt Becky knows. I can feel it.

“We’ll go. I was just trying to console Hudson. He’s had a bad day. That’s what sisters are for.” I beam, hoping to convince him I’m merely doing my sisterly duty. “We’ll go.”

Nick, clearly smarter than he looks, glances over at the disheveled sheets and the discarded towel Hudson used to clean us up with. The room smells like sex, no denying it.

“Right,” he utters, his lip curling up slightly as if he’s disgusted. “Probably a good idea.”

Hudson looks over his shoulder at me and I flash him an encouraging smile. A smile that says we need to do this to show him we’re simply a normal brother and sister who aren’t fucking.