Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(105)

“Which is why I’m praying your test has the right sample and comes back negative.”

“Yikes. I hope you won’t blame me if this all blows up.”

He thought of her in the shower with him this morning, the way he’d enjoyed touching her and kissing her even though they’d already made love. It reminded him that she was different from all the other women he’d known. He was going to ask her to be his wife. “I won’t. We’re in this together, remember?”

Her voice softened. “Yeah, I remember.”

They ended the call, and he found the entrance to the hospital.

“Hudson, there you are!” Craig said as soon as Hudson opened the front door and the media reporters who’d been waiting with him came rushing forward.





27

Hudson didn’t get home for several hours. “Sorry I was gone so long,” he said as Ellie slipped into his arms to welcome him. “That was a bigger deal than I was expecting.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad you could visit those kids. I’m betting it meant a lot to them. And I’ve been busy, anyway.”

“Doing what?”

“Working out,” she said proudly.

“You?” he asked, joking.

“Yes, me!” She gave his arm a playful slug. “Why does that surprise you?”

“I guess there’s a first for everything.”

She rolled her eyes. “Have you heard from Aaron?”

“Just talked to him on the drive home.”

“How’s he doing? He can’t be happy that you got called out of town so suddenly.”

He tossed his keys from hand to hand. “He’s doing great. He understands that I have my own life to lead and can’t be at New Horizons all the time.”

“Any more news on his condition?” Ellie was almost afraid to ask, especially today, when Hudson was already so wound up, but he’d said Aaron was doing better lately, so she thought it might be okay...

“I talked to Aiyana, too. She told me the doc thinks the cancer’s in remission. They’ll keep checking him, of course—once a year. It could crop up again.”

“But for now he’s in the clear?”

“That’s the latest,” Hudson said. “Any news from the lab?”

She glanced at her phone as she’d been doing all day. “Not yet.”

“Have you tried calling them?”

“I have. They say they’re working on it.”

“Do they close at five?”

She nodded. That meant they had two hours before the end of the day.

“Let’s go grab an early dinner. Maybe that’ll make the time pass more quickly. There are a lot of good restaurants in LA I can introduce you to.”

She went to put on her shoes and get her purse. When she returned, she was surprised to find Hudson looking at her with a strange expression. “What is it?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’m not ready to eat—unless you’re hungry.”

“I had lunch a couple of hours ago, so I’m in no rush. What would you rather do?”

“Look for a ring.”

“A ring?”

He took her hands and pulled her close. “If you’ll marry me...”

Ellie felt her jaw drop. “You’re proposing? Right now?”

“I should’ve waited. Planned something special, but... I don’t know. I can’t delay gratification on this.”

She gently touched his cheek.

“Is that a yes?” he asked. “Because I’d really like to hear you say the words.”

“That’s a yes,” she said. “I love you. I’ve told you that.”

“Do you know what the next few weeks—what football season—will be like if Matisson is my father? The media storm if that comes out?”

“Doesn’t change anything.”

She saw his chest lift as he took in a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go buy you a diamond.”

If she’d made a mistake by falling in love with Hudson, she was only making it worse by pledging the rest of her life to him. But she could no longer believe that loving him was a mistake. Sure, there’d be hard times, but every marriage had those. She felt they were meant to be together, that she was the luckiest woman in the world to have found him. “When would you like to have the ceremony?”

“I don’t care—as long as it’s before the baby comes.”

“That only gives us a couple months! And it puts me in a wedding dress looking like this!” She pressed her hands to her pregnant stomach.

“You look gorgeous to me.”

“This isn’t how I want to be seen as a bride!”

“Do you really mind that much? Because I always wanted a traditional family, so that’s what I’d like to give our baby.”

“It’s not just putting on a wedding dress while I’m in my final trimester, Hudson. Do you feel confident making this commitment? There’s no rush. Don’t marry me unless you’re sure you love me. Why not wait until we’ve been together a year or two? See how it goes?”

He raised her chin with one finger. “I’ll be honest, Ellie. I’m not sure what love is. I guess that’s why I haven’t said the words. But if it’s feeling as if I can’t wait to see you whenever we’re apart, then I love you. If it’s wanting to touch you constantly, even if we just had sex, then I love you.” His voice dropped as he grew more earnest. “If it’s feeling like I’d rather die than let anything happen to you, then I love you.”