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Norrie kisses my cheek and hugs me tight, before pulling back to look at me. “You okay?”
I nod, worried if I speak, I’ll collapse into sobs of despair.
“You’re not, but you will be. We’re going to get you through this, Audrey, and for the record, you’re way hotter than Harrison.”
“Hey!” He comes up behind her and swats her ass.
“Oh calm down. You know I think you’re the sexiest man on the planet.”
I laugh at their antics as I’m enveloped in hug after hug from my friends. Each one of them bolstering my bruised heart. But even as we spend the night laughing and getting drunk, with a hefty helping of my tears thrown in for good measure, I know it’s not the same.
I love these people, but Hudson is my soulmate. He’s the person who I thought got me in a way nobody else ever did.
“So, he just told you to go home?”
Amelia is weaving slightly, her words slurred as she sits between Beck and Xander.
“Okay, you’ve had enough, Wildcat.”
Xander takes her drink, and she frowns. “Hey, you’re not the boss of me.”
Xander smirks. “No, but he is.”
His eyes flit to Beck who smirks and finishes the rest of Amelia’s drink. God, they’re so hot together. I’m not into sharing but if anyone could tempt me it would be the heat between those three.
“Yep, told me to go home, after saying I hadn’t forgiven him because I couldn’t even say I loved him.” I huff and knock back my drink.
“Wait. You never told him?” Lottie and Eden are the only sober ones in the room, apart from Isaac, who is asleep in my spare room.
“Nope.”
Ryker cocks his head as he strokes Eden’s thigh. “Did he say it?”
I nod, my eyes closing, my brain a foggy mess of emotion I’m scrambling to put into order. “Yep.” I pop the P on the word and try and focus. This isn’t the best way to drink a twenty-year-old McCallan whiskey but whatever. It’s getting the job done and numbing me from the pain of losing him. I hiccup a sob and Xander puts his arm around me as Eden reaches for my hand. I lean into his hold and close my eyes, pretending it’s Hudson, but it’s no use. Nobody feels like he does when he holds me. Like I’m the most beautiful precious thing in the world.
“Why didn’t you tell him?” Lottie’s voice is soft.
“Because the last time I did that he left me, and I was right. One little mistake and he pushed me away. Jerk.”
“Yeah, jerk.”
Lottie slaps Lincoln on the arm. “Stop that. Hudson is a good man, and he loves her.”
“Funny way of showing it.”
Harrison raises his glass to mine, and we clink, spilling liquid down the side and onto my thirty-thousand-dollar black rug.
“Oops.”
“No, I agree with Lottie and you boys are hardly in a position to talk. Linc, you had a tantrum and took a woman back to your apartment. And, Harrison, you threw me out of the house and threatened to take Isaac away. And you, Xander. You ran so fast you put the Flash to shame.”
“Hey, I fixed it and apologized.” Harrison looks contrite and I snigger.
“Yes, you did, and I’m sure when Hudson pulls his head from his ass, he will too.”
“He already did, via text.”
“See, he fucked up, but he loves her, and I don’t think you guys realize how hard this tight-knit group is to break into. Hudson wasn’t born with a silver spoon. He fought for it.”
