Page 13 of Amelia and Her Prince Charming
“It’s lovely, dear. It’ll be so popular.”
Wait. I was still processing what Anita had said. I already knew Hudson adored me—the feeling was mutual. We’d known each other since college. Became family. He was my best friend for the last couple years. I didn’t know if I washisbest friend or not, but I knew he’d do anything for me. Had doneeverythingfor me.
But there’d been something in Anita’s tone that made the little hairs stand to attention on the back of my neck.
“Hudson is so pretty,” Quinn said. She put her hands under her chin and blinked up at him coquettishly, which was almost adorable enough to distract me out of my weird thoughts.
Hudson met my gaze and quirked his head to the side playfully, but his expression was reserved. The same way he used to look at me, but in the last couple of years, that reservedness had changed to openness, and it reminded me of when we’d first met. I didn’t want to go back to him only showing me the public-Hudson face. I wanted the real one.
“Thank you, Quinny,” Hudson said with a charming grin for her. I stared at him, the sunlight hitting through the window at the perfect angle to cast him in a golden glow. With his thick hair, stunning blue eyes, and the kind of smile that could take you out at the knees when given in full force … Whywasn’tHudson in a relationship?
He’d had girlfriends, a few serious ones even, but not in the last couple of years. Selfishly, I was glad he hadn’t, because that meant he could devote all his time to me and Quinn. But that wasn’t fair either. Yet, if I knew one thing about these stubborn Blaire boys, it was that they weren’t going to do anything they didn’t want to do.
Once, about six months after Hudson had moved to Montana, the guilt of everything he was doing for us started to eat me up. I was in a bad mood—maybe related to hormones—and I told him he was helping us too much, at the expense of his own life.
“You and Quinn are my life,” he’d said simply.
I’d flung my arms around him and started ugly-crying, with the red-blotched face, snotnose, hiccupping breathing and all. But I was so relieved he hadn’t left, even when I tried to be the bigger person and push him away. Because the fact was, I needed my best friend. I needed Hudson.
But he was acting off, and I didn’t like it one bit.
Chapter 8
The Matchmaking Mommas Group Chat
Bret
We need to get them alone.
Gage
Is there something you need done for the wedding, Rosie? An assignment you could give the two of them?
Bret
Maybe they could be a stand-in at the altar while we’re setting up for the wedding, under the pretense that we need to make sure it’s in the right place. And what if we had the officiator accidentally marry them?
Rosie
Genius.
Gage
Guys, no.
Rosie
You’re right, Gage. We’re getting married at the park on Main Street, so we can’t set anything up until the morning of. Besides, my brother is officiating, and I don’t think he’d agree to surprise marry someone.
Gage
That’s a relief.
Gage
What if you assign Amelia and Hudson to work the grill at the barbecue together? It’ll give them time to chat and work toward a common goal.
Rosie
