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Peyton smiled, the kiss becoming more teeth, and then sharing the breath of a laugh. “Like us,” he repeated.
Hudson’s heart beat to the rhythm of his certainty that this was absolutely it.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Hudson’s eyesnarrowed at the look on Rain’s face. Something was up. Eli had been laughing into the sleeve of his sweater earlier, and Hudson didn’t like it. The last time they’d been giggling like this, his office had been rigged with canisters of silly string.
And granted, hewasa more forgiving guy now that his future was looking up and he’d cut out as much of the toxic rot as he’d been able to. Plus, he was getting good sex on the regular, and Peyton had practically moved in, using his own place mostly for baking.
Hudson couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken up alone that year, and while there were still moments he was petrified to open his eyes and find out it was all some sort of fever dream, he was starting to feel secure.
He was starting to believe in their future together.
So yeah. He was in no mood to clean up a mess in his office, but he wouldn’tfirethem over it.
Probably.
“Think very carefully about what’s going to happen when I go through my office door,” Hudson warned as he wheeled closer. “Think very hard about how many hours you want to spend here tonight doing inventory.”
Rain snorted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I left you lunch on your desk, so you should hurry up and get inside there and eat it.”
Yeah, he wasn’t doing that. Whatever the fuck Rain left him wasn’t going in his mouth. He’d made that mistake once, too. A sandwich with strawberry edible lube instead of jam.
Rain had to grovel for two weeks before Hudson forgave him for that one.
Feeling a small pulse of trepidation as he headed toward his office, he eyed the fact that his blinds were closed and he stopped, pulling out his phone.
Hudson: I think the guys fucked with my office. They’re acting so weird.
Peyton: Wouldn’t surprise me. But you can’t let them win. Be brave, go in, and then make them pay for it later.
God, he loved that man. They’d been together a year—their anniversary having come and gone in the last week. Peyton had been in Portland for a Food and Wine festival thing, so they’d missed celebrating it, but Hudson promised him it was fine. Told him he wasn’t really big into holidays anyway. He wasn’t the kind of person with very fond memories of getting gifts or being remembered.
His mother had always made everything about her, leaving him wallowing in some sort of misplaced guilt, and Austin had always demanded extravagant gifts, but never acknowledged that those days were for Hudson too.
God, how had he put up with that for so many years?
How had it taken him this long to know what real love felt like?
And he knew Peyton meant it when he said he understood that anniversaries made Hudson uncomfortable, but the truth was—it was a ruse. Hudsonhadbought something for Peyton, but he’d done that months ago, and it was sitting in his desk in a small box waiting for the right time.
Whenever the fuck that was.
He’d had several opportunities to pull out the ring, but every time, he panicked. Every time, the voice in his head would laugh and say, ‘Why the fuck would he want to marryyou?’ So, he’d slip it back into his desk until his head went quiet again.
Not that it mattered, really. He wasn’t going anywhere, and he could see from the look in Peyton’s eyes every time the man met his gaze, he wasn’t leaving either. They were an eclectic home of sex toy blueprints, baked goods, a bird with an attitude, a cat who never outgrew the kitten phase, and the two of them who were ridiculously in love.
It didn’t get better than that.
Wheeling close to the door, he held his breath in case of something as bad as a stink bomb, and he pushed it open.
And at first, he saw nothing.
There was no attack, no silly string, no bucket of water falling on his head.
It was just a dark space, which was odd because he was pretty sure he hadn’t turned his lights off, but…whatever. He wheeled in further and let the door shut, and then there was the sound of a striking match. His heart leapt in his chest and when he turned, he saw a figure he recognized.
Peyton was holding a long match, touching the flame to wick after wick. The room began to glow, and Hudson could see the nerves playing out over Peyton’s features.
