This is the first time I’ve ever doubted my trust in her.
“What they don’t know won’t hurt them. If the truth does come out, I’ll tell them you had no idea.”
Stella turns around at the same time my attention goes to the door when it opens. Hudson is staring at us with a bloodthirsty expression on his face.
“Excuse me for interrupting,” he huffs out. “I was searching for my bride-to-be.”
Did he hear our conversation? The look on his face confirms he heard something, but how much?
“I wasn’t eavesdropping … at least, not at first,” he goes on. “Some words of advice: when you have a conversation about fucking someone’s life up, you might want to lower your voices.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “Hudson, please,” I beg. “Please don’t tell him.”
He moves into the room, closing the door behind himself, and thrusts his finger my way. “Don’t you fucking dare ask me to keep this from my brother.” His piercing stare goes to Stella. “And please tell me you weren’t going to agree to it.”
Stella’s eyes swell as she throws her arms out toward me. “She’s my best friend!”
“And he’s your soon-to-be brother-in-law who deserves to know!” he yells. “That’ll be my niece or nephew. Did you even wonder how keeping this to yourself would hurt me and my family?”
Talk about a fucking loud mouth.
“Keep your voice down,” I hiss in warning.
His face hardens, almost appearing sinister, and sweat builds along his forehead. “I swear on everything that I will hate you if you do this. You don’t pull shit like this on a man, especially one who is as good of a father as Dallas. He’s not some piece-of-shit, deadbeat dad.”
I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to not only stop the tears, but to also block out the view of Hudson’s disgust. “It has nothing to do with him. It’s what’s best for me.”
“Bullshit. It’s you being selfish.”
“Hudson,” Stella snaps. “Enough!” She pulls herself up from the floor and helps me to my feet. She doesn’t release my hand until I’m stable. “What are you so afraid of, Willow? What’s the worst that could happen?”
Fear does the Macarena in my stomach. I can’t tell them the truth. “Everything,” I release. “He’s a grieving widower who regrets touching me.”
Stella’s face softens. “This secret will add to his hurt when he finds out later.”
“That’s if he finds out.” I peek over at Hudson, the anger still manifested everywhere on his body.
He locks eyes with me and shakes his head. “Un-fucking-believable. You fucking do this to him, Willow, and I will never speak to you again.” His glare goes to Stella. “Good memories of our engagement night, huh?” He turns his back on us and slams his hand against the wall before opening the door and storming out.
“He’s going to tell him, isn’t he?” I ask.
“I’m sorry,” Stella replies. “I shouldn’t have pushed you, but you have to tell Dallas before Hudson does. Maybe this baby will bring some joy into his darkness.”
“I’ll tell him. Just give me a few days, okay?”
She nods. “As much time as you need. I can’t say the same for Hudson though. You know how close they are.”
“Fuck!” I scream, grabbing the ends of my hair and pulling it.
“That’s what put you in this situation.” She smiles when I flip her off.
“I need another fucking cupcake.”
PURCHASE JUST ONE NIGHT | READ FOR FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED
Acknowledgments
I’m terrible at writing these things. I never want to forget anyone. If I have, I’m sorry.
Thank you to my other half, per usual, for supporting me. You help when I doubt myself, plotting issues, and never care about my lack of cooking skills. Thank you for understanding how much time and attention goes into my books.
Thank you to the editors that are the bomb.com: Jovana and Bex.
Thank you to the marketing pros: Give Me Books and Collen with Itsy Bitsy Book Bits.
Thank you to my readers—you are the real MVPS. You have given me so much happiness—I can’t even explain it. There are so many books out there, and you picked mine up and used your valuable time to read it.
Thank you to my Reader Group, the ARC readers, and those who have taken their time to leave a review for any of my books.
All of you are so appreciated.
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www.charityferrell.com
Also by Charity Ferrell
BLUE BEECH SERIES
(each novel can be enjoyed as a Standalone)
Just Her Bodyguard
Just One Night
STANDALONES
Pop Rock
Bad For You
Beneath Our Faults
Pretty and Reckless
RISKY SERIES
Risky
Worth The Risk
Just Exes Page 25