Epilogue
HUDSON
A few months later…
The thing about peace is… it’s quiet.
Especially, if you’re someone who has spent years waiting for the next disaster to happen, the next mistake, the next ghost from your past to find its way back into your life.
But this?
It’s different.
It’s the kind that settles deep in your bones instead of rattling them. The kind that feels earned. The kind that feels like her.
I’m parked right outside Ivory’s campus building. The engine is off, and the window is cracked just enough to let the early spring air drift in. The breeze carries the smell of freshly cut grass and cheap cafeteria coffee. And for whatever reason, it hits me right in the chest.
She’s tucked away in there somewhere, probably sitting in the front row, notebook open, legs tucked under her, while her dark hair falls around her face as she scribbles down every word like it matters.
She loves it here.
And I love that she loves it.
My phone buzzes with a notification from the business line; another client inquiry. That makes six this week. The security company I started in this new town is doing better than I expected. Better than I thought I deserved.
I silence the phone.
Work can wait.
Ivory never asks me to pick her up. She says she can take the shuttle, or walk, or ride with friends. And she’s right…she could. She’s growing into herself more every day.
But I like being here.
I like seeing her walk out of that building with her backpack slung over one shoulder, cheeks flushed from the cold classroom, eyes bright from learning something new.
I like being the one she walks toward.
The doors open, and students spill out in groups; laughing, talking, shoving each other playfully. And then I see her.
She’s wearing a soft cream sweater and jeans that hug her ass in a way that tests every ounce of self-control every damn time.
Her hair is falling loosely down her back, with a few strands framing her face.
She’s smiling at something one of her friends says, and the sight of it hits me like a punch.
She looks… happy.
Really, genuinely happy.
I didn’t know how much I needed to see that until now.
When she spots me leaning against the truck her whole expression changes. Her face lights up, making me feel as if I’m her favorite part of the day.
She says goodbye to her friends and starts walking toward me, her steps small but confident. She moves differently now. Less like she’s trying to disappear, and more like she knows she’s allowed to exist.
“Hi,” she says sweetly, stepping into my space.
“Hey, angel.”
Instinctively, my hand finds her waist. It always does.
“You’re early,” she teases.
“Or you’re late.”
She rolls her eyes but is still smiling. “I made a friend today.”
“I saw.” I brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You looked happy.”
“I am.” She says it like she’s still getting used to the feeling. “Are you?”
I don’t answer right away. I just look at her; really look at her.
The girl who used to keep her head down, flinching at her own shadow, now stands tall and confident.
The girl who whispered instead of speaking out loud or when spoken to, now laughs loud enough for the world to hear.
The girl who thought she was a burden now knows she has a purpose.
And for some reason, she chose me.
She's mine.
“Yeah,” I finally say, my voice low. “I’m happy.”
Her fingers curl into my shirt. “Good.”
I open the truck door for her, but she doesn’t get in. Instead, she steps closer, rising onto her toes, her hands sliding up my chest until they rest on my shoulders.
“Hudson,” she whispers, and the sound of my name on her lips does something to me that I’ll never admit out loud.
I lower my head, brushing my nose against hers. “Yeah?”
“I missed you.”
I swallow hard. “You’ve only been gone for three hours.”
“But I still missed you.”
God help me.
I cup her jaw, tilting her face up to mine. “Get in the truck before I bend you over this truck and fuck you right here.”
Her eyes darken, pupils widening. “Maybe I want you to.”
I exhale sharply. “Ivory.”
She gives me a small, knowing smile, and it's dangerous. “Okay. I’ll get in.”
She climbs into the passenger seat, and I circle around to the driver’s side, gripping the wheel as I pull away from campus. She rests her hand on my thigh, and I have to remind myself to breathe.
The drive home is quiet. Satisfied with just her presence filling the space without needing words.
When we get to the house—our house, even though she still blushes when I call it that—she follows me inside, dropping her bag by the door. She toes off her shoes and pads across the living room, admiring the way the sunlight catches the dark strands of her hair.
I watch her.
I always watch her.
She turns around and catches me staring. “What?”
“Nothing.”
In reality, it’s everything.
She walks toward me slowly, deliberately, knowing exactly what she’s doing to me. When she reaches me, she slides her hands under my shirt, letting her fingertips trace the lines of my stomach.
“You can kiss me now.”
And I don’t need to be told twice.
I cup the back of her neck and pull her against me, kissing her slowly at first, then deeper as she melts into me. She lets out a soft whimper, and it shoots straight to my cock.
Her hands grip my shirt, pulling me closer. My thumb strokes the hollow place of her neck, feeling her pulse racing under my fingertips.
“Hudson,” she breathes against my mouth.
“Yeah, baby.”
“I love you.”
I close my eyes for a second, letting the words settle in my chest. They still hit me like they did the first time… every time.
“I love you too,” I murmur, kissing her again, slower this time, savoring the way she leans into me like she trusts me with every part of her.
She pulls back just enough to look up at me. “Will you take me upstairs, and fuck me senseless?”
My breath catches. Not because I’m surprised by her boldness; she’s gotten really good at this dirty talking thing, and has been more open with me over these past few months, but because she says it with this mix of innocence and certainty that destroys me.
“I think we can make that happen,” I say, voice rough. Noticing the way her pupils dilate at the sound of my words.
I take her hand and lead her up the stairs, her fingers small and warm in mine. When we reach the bedroom, she turns to face me, cheeks flushed, eyes bright.
I brush my thumb along her jaw. “Just so you know, angel. Not only am I going to fuck you senseless. But I’m going to make you come so hard, with my mouth, you’re going to have to beg me to stop.”
“Yes, please.”
I kiss her again, deeper this time, letting the moment stretch, letting the heat build. My hands slide down her back, cupping her ass as I pull her body against mine, feeling her breath as it hitches against my mouth.
We spend the rest of the day devouring one another as if we are learning each other all over again. And when I make her come, as I promised, the sound of my name on her lips is breathless and full of trust. And it’s music to my ears.
A few months ago, I was a man trying to outrun his past.
Now I’m a man building a future with the woman I love.
And for the first time in my life, the future doesn’t scare me.
Still not done with Halo City…