Page 94 of Promise Me

I glance back to gauge his reaction to her comment, but he’s talking to his brothers. They seem to be teasing him about something. It must not be anything serious though, because they’re all laughing.

Still, he planned this before he knew what today was going to be like. He planned it before he kissed me ... before last night.

Brooke grabs my hand, stealing me from my thoughts, and pulls me to the back right corner of the room.

I spy white balloons and two gold ones that read twenty-eight. There is a unicorn piñata hanging just behind them.

“On your twenty-eighth birthday,” Brooke starts, “you thought it would be hilarious to get a piñata and fill it with candy like when we were kids. Of course, we only picked Reese’s and Kit Kats, but still. In this corner for the next hour, we will celebrate you turning twenty-eight.”

“And when that hour is up,” Betty chimes in, “we will move to that front corner.”

I glance to where she points to see big gold numbers that read twenty-nine. “We had a wing eating contest that year.” Linc laughs. “You won, but I’m ready for a rematch.”

I laugh, trying to keep the tears on lockdown.

“And after that hour,” my dad says and locks his arm with mine. He turns me to face where Hudson is standing next to the gold number balloons that read thirty. They are held down by a balloon weight that sits on the little white and gold table between the reading chairs I added a few weeks ago.

My dad lets me go as Hudson approaches.

“When you are done with those birthdays, we will celebrate this one.”

I bite my lip and then cross my arms, eyeing him curiously.

“You planned all this?”

He nods. “Thirty is a big year, but so were the last three years, so it’s only right that you get to celebrate them.”

I can't believe he did all this.

“I don’t see my twenty-seventh birthday,” I tease.

He rubs the back of his neck and moves past me for the bar. “Your dad and brother said you refused to celebrate that yearsince it was soon after your mom passed, so …” He reaches for something behind the bar.

Suddenly, a gold two and a gold seven balloon appear.

“So, I wasn’t sure where to put these.”

I take a quick glance around the room. No one is really paying attention to us, so I take this moment to throw my arms around him and hug him as tightly as I possibly can.

He hugs me back, and after everything that has happened in my life, I’ve never felt more at home than right now.

I haven’t just formed a crush on Hudson Asher.

I’m well on my way to falling in love with him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

HUDSON

I can’t remember the last time I laughed the way I have tonight.

Year twenty-eight was a success. Sadie crushed that unicorn piñata, but if you ask Linc, he set it up for her. If you ask me, it’s a good thing Linc didn’t play baseball.

Year twenty-nine was underestimated. When Linc and Brooke told me about the wing-eating contest Sadie had on that birthday, I remembered them telling me back then how she ate more wings than Linc, and he claimed she cheated. Back then, I can admit that I agreed with him. But now, knowing Sadie and witnessing it for myself, Linc lost fair and square. To be honest, so did I. I might have put up a better fight if I wanted, but I was too busy watching her.

I wasn’t lying when I told her that outside the rink. Watching her and being in her presence has been my favorite part of the past few weeks.

I’m well aware of the sap I’ve turned into when it comes to her, but I don’t really care.

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