Page 104 of Pictures in Blue
“Yes, the three of us,” Charlotte gestures to herself, then Sky, then me.
“You run your photography studio, live out your dreams here. Take pictures of the moments that matter for the people that matter. Meanwhile, I can use the space upstairs to paint. Open a studio, maybe teach lessons in the future if I decide I want to deal with kids or even teach adults. This town needs some art culture in its bones, anyway.” Sky explains.
“Meanwhile,” Charlotte adds. “I will design the inside of the space for you. I can find work here with interior design. I’ve already talked to Cordie about redesigning the rooms at the inn and I can help you here too. Be your go-between, your assistant, whatever else you need me to be.”
The tears are falling now, trailing down my face and cascading to the dust-covered floor covered in dust and specks of purple paint. It’s then that I notice the photos in frames lining the center of the walls.
They’re… mine. All of them. They’re the photos I have taken since I arrived in Blue Grove. I walk toward the wall and look at them, each one nestled in a simple wooden frame. Frames that I recognize from Hudson’s shop. My mouth hangs open, amazed at the amount of work Hudson must have put into this to get them printed and framed.
There’s one of Fran working behind the counter atBooks & Beans.One of the shelves of books lining the other side of the store. A black and white one featuring Henry’s book recommendations. Ethan helping Cordie at the inn. The town crowded intoFrank’sfor a town meeting. Several are of the mountains behind Hudson’s house and the field of wildflowers that fill the backyard. When I come to the end, the photos become more intimate. A soft smile playing at the edge of Hudson’s lips, one I took when he thought no one was paying attention to him. Another of him sleeping on the couch, his head propped on the edge with his legs stretched across me, mouth slightly open. The rest are a collection of him and the dogs, moments in time I wanted to remember of my stay here. Moments I wanted to burn into my memory. Lock them in a vault to take out when I needed to feel happy again. When I needed to remember what it felt like to be in the presence of someone who loved me unconditionally.
I come to the last picture in the line, one I don’t remember taking. Our feet are framed, legs tangled together on the blanket in his backyard, the picture he snapped on our date. The camera is focused on the glow of the lantern softly illuminating the area around it, creating a soft glow. The mountains are framed in the background, out of focus, but still prominent enough to be noticeable.
I chuckle as I notice a post-it note stuck to the bottom of the frame. I lift it off and read the words through blurry eyes.
Stay with me, Sunshine?
I love you.
-H
I look over at Hudson to see him looking back at me. He is quietly standing off to the side, hands in his pockets and shifting nervously from one foot to the next.
“What about California?” I ask Charlotte, my watery gaze still on Hudson.
“What about it? I have nothing there. No job. No family. I only have you and this place is what makes you happy.Heis what makes you happy,” she points to Hudson.
“So, that’s our proposition,” says Sky. “You go into business with us. Live your life here and be happy with my annoying brother.”
My eyes don’t leave Hudson’s as I wait for him to say something. Anything. “You did this for me?”
Finally, he closes the distance between us. “I’d do anything for you, Avery. Two weeks with you was never going to be enough.” He frames my face with his hands and leans his forehead against mine.
“That’s our cue. I’m not staying to watch them make out,” Sky says. I hear the bells jingle again as she and Charlotte leave us alone for a moment.
“Two lifetimes with you isn’t enough, Reid. You’re everything. My cabin and my life are dull without you. Without my sunshine. Come back home. Stay with me. Please.”
Please…that word, his confession, the note he left on the photo. I know he’s never been more vulnerable, more open than he is with me now.
And I can picture it. My life with him. His dogs. His family. His town.Mytown. In just three short, life-changing weeks it has become mine.Hehas become mine. And I have become his in more ways than I can even imagine. There’s no doubt in my mind now that I am where I’m supposed to be.
Something brought me here. Fate, the universe…Charlotte. Whatever. It brought us together to heal each other. To find ourselves in the other. And suddenly, I can’t remember my reasoning for going back to California in the first place. I hate my job. I have no family now that I have cut ties with Sharon. The only family I have is standing outside the shop and she’s now moving here apparently. But, most importantly, there’s Hudson. I love him. I am in love with him and the moment I walked in this room, I knew what my answer would be. I’ve known it since he asked me if I am being honest with myself.
“Yes,” I say finally and he lets out a sigh of relief, his warm breath whispering against my skin. “I love you, Hudson.” Saying it out loud sounds like the perfect mix of notes I have been trying to find for a long time. A melody that finally clicks. A crescendo in my head until a smile spreads so far across his face, it reaches his eyes. He lets out another sigh of relief and a small chuckle before pulling me to him hard. My lips crash into his.
He deepens the kiss, tongue invading my mouth and I feel his arms circle me. The heat travels with his hands as he plants them on my backside and lifts me up, my legs automatically closing around his torso. He spins me around like we are in our own romantic comedy movie at the end of the story, about to live our happily ever after. And I feel that last bit of me slide into place, my heart finally whole after years and years of it cracking and crumbling piece by piece.
He pulls his head back to meet my eyes and tucks a few loose strands behind my ear, his other arm wraps around me, holding me in place. His forehead gently touches mine and he breathes in, the smile never leaving his face.
“I love you too, Sunshine. Let’s go home.”
He gently sets me down, his hands never leaving my skin, his hand now tangled in mine. The smile stays on his face as he kisses me again and again like they are his oxygen and he cannot live for more than a second without his lips on mine.
I laugh against his lips and look around one more time, thinking of all the possibilities now in front of me, before pulling him toward the door. But he pulls me back so he is in front of me and drops my hand. He turns with his back to me and crouches down.
“Need a ride?” He says, looking back with a sly, knowing grin.
I roll my eyes with a laugh and put my hands on his shoulders. Bending down, I kiss him again deeply, his head angled back, his scent mixing with fresh paint, and stained wood.
