Epilogue
EPILOGUE
JULIETTE
T he day started a little slow, but after my morning coffee, I feel rejuvenated. I have a couple of errands to run, after which I’ll meet up with a realtor, and we’ll go check out some of the places I can use as my bakery. I look at my phone as I finish my coffee. Still no call from Hudson. I got a text from him yesterday that he’ll call me soon. That was three days after the big news about Frank came out. I’ve paid close attention to the financial world in the last couple of days and strangely, Hudson’s name doesn’t come up at all. All news outlets say the source of the news is an anonymous tip, and there are theories that it’s a whistle-blower within Frank’s company.
I know it’s Hudson. I can tell by how detailed the news is. And the fallback and takeover of Frank’s bank and all his other businesses were so well done I knew they were all Hudson’s plan,
Well, all of that doesn’t matter to me. He isn’t here.
I rinse my cup, pick up my hat because the sun is out already and step out of my house. Walking down the stairs, I see two men walking up to me. They are both dressed in suits and have some communication devices in their ears. I want to run back into the house, but they hurry and stop me.
“Ma’am,” one of them says and shows me an ID. “We’re with the FBI. You need to come with us.”
“What is this about?” I ask them.
“Hudson Sinclair,” the other says.
“Hudson? Is Hudson okay?”
“No, he isn’t. We can’t talk here. Please come with us.”
I start to panic, wondering what could have happened to Hudson. Is that why he hasn’t called back even though his text promised to call me?
The men lead me into their car, and as they drive on, all my request to know what is wrong with Hudson falls on deaf ears.
“Please tell me. Where is he? Will I see him?”
I get no response back, just tepid looks.
Soon, the car pulls up by the corner, and one of the men dressed in a suit gets out. He opens the door for me and asks me to get out.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
“Come with me,” he says, leading me into a building. He opens the door but doesn’t step in with me. “Someone will be with you shortly.”
I’m confused now. This isn’t the FBI office. The space is large, mostly empty and given a good touch, I could make a good bakery out of it.
HUDSON
“How did the interview go?” I ask Elizabeth on the phone as I watch the car pull up, and one of the men walks over to open the door for Juliette.
“Good. Alison took the job. The investors were happy to have me in control of things. You put in a good word for me. For me and Alison.”
“That’s great.”
“Where are you?” she asks me.
“About to take the most important action of my life,” I tell her as I cross the road.
“The most important action of your life?” She asks, her voice sparkling with interest. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” I reply. “Have to go now, I’ll talk to you later,” I say.
Ending the call, I put the phone away, needing to focus. I nod at the men, who get into their car and drive away, and I cannot believe how nervous I am. Actually, I can believe it, and my only hope is that this will go well. I’m quite certain that I will be ruined otherwise.
God, I still cannot believe what I feel for her… how much she means to me. Pausing for a moment, I inhale a deep breath to stabilize my nerves and then release it. Mustering as much confidence as I can, I pull the door open and walk in. Juliette turns around to see who just entered.
She seems startled, and for the longest time, all she can do is stare at me.
“It would look good for a bakery, wouldn’t it?” I ask her, but I don't get an answer.
She still continues to stare at me and then out the window, but the men are obviously no longer there.
And then it hits her.
“Oh my God,” she says more to herself than anything else. And then she looks around at the space and then back at me.
“Wait.” Her eyes go wide then, and her hand slaps across her mouth.
“Oh my God.”
I can’t help my smile as I watch her, feeling my nerves dissipate. The important part is yet to come, but as I watch her face brighten up with sheer happiness to see me, I feel a very strong, unshakeable sense of hope that all will go well. That this will be a success and that I will be able to start the next best phase of my life.
She runs at me, and I’m surprised. But nevertheless, sharing in her enthusiasm and always ready to catch and protect her, I brace myself for her hug as she jumps on me.
I stagger slightly at the force, but I don’t let her fall. Never. Instead, I hold her thighs, feeling the entire world melt away as my senses register nothing beyond her. ‘Unfucking believable.’ I hold her tight, breathing in the smell I had missed so much.
“Hudson,” she whispers over and over in the crook of my neck. “Hudson.”
She doesn’t say any more after this, and I completely understand.
Eventually, though, she pulls away from me and looks into my eyes.
“The men…” she says, “was that all you?”
I can still see the hint of worry in her eyes and hope that I would tell her that it was indeed all me so that she truly wouldn’t have any cause whatsoever to worry.
“Yes,” I tell her. “Were you worried?”
“They said you were in trouble!” she says and hits my arm. “What do you think? Of course, I was worried.”
“Ouch!” I exclaim, welcoming the pain. “I’ll take it that regardless, you are more than happy to see me.”
“Shut up,” she chuckles. “And yes, yes, I am.”
She hugs me once again, and the most serene, wonderful silence passes between us, and then I proceed to mention the elephant in the room.
“I bought this place for you,” I tell her.
I know she already suspects it, and of course, it takes her a little while to process. She pulls away from me, and while I can see the excitement in her eyes, I can also see the fear.
“I suspected as much,” she said. “It would be perfect for a bakery.”
“Yes, it would,” I replied.
“I’m excited, I swear,” she said. “So excited I didn’t know how to react but also concerned. You already gave me more than I could have ever hoped for when I started this whole thing. You didn’t need to do this.”
“Well,” I say, nervous all over again. This is the defining moment of my life, and as the next words come out of my mouth, I can’t help but worry and pray that I’m saying the right things. That she won’t reject me.
“Well, it is important that my wife has the best things in the world, and really, I don’t see how seventy thousand dollars is enough to start a bakery.”
“I have more money saved and—” Juliette starts and then stops. “Wait, did you… what did you just call me—your wife?”
There’s nothing left to do now but to show her with words that I hadn’t misspoken. I had meant every single word that had left my mouth.
Finally, I go to one knee and take her hand in mine. “You have the ring already,” I say. “But this time, for real, no fake engagement. Will you marry me, Juliette?”
She doesn’t respond as she continues to stare at me, still in somewhat of a shock. I’m very concerned now because perhaps I should have put on more of a show. Have some balloons floating in the air or something? Or perhaps I could have taken her on a trip? There were so many options, and so in this moment, when my life was hanging in the balance, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was enough. I wanted to get her the bakery, to show her that I care deeply about the things she loves the most. Maybe I should have filled this empty goddamn space with a million balloons.
“I spent the last few days away from you and realized one thing. Juliette, all I want is you. Every other thing is secondary. If I have you, I’ll be the happiest man I can be?—”
“Yes,” she says. And then her smile goes so wide that my heart skips several beats. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Hudson. With all my heart, yes!”
I nearly can’t believe it, but not until she’s reaching for me do I stand up and kiss her. I’ve wanted to do that since I saw her walk across the street. I’ve been starved of those lips for so long. She throws her whole heart into it, and I feel it and reciprocate. She moans as our lips merge, sparking pleasures that we’ve learned.
“Let’s do something naughty here,” she leans into me and whispers into my ear. Her eyes widen, and I know exactly what she wants, especially as she starts to look for a private space.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” she replies. “I can’t wait. I need you. I’m so fucking excited. I’m going to lose my mind.”
“I have absolutely no complaints,” and so I agree.
I’m nearly unable to contain the warmth in my chest as I watch her try to find us some privacy. Whatever we do here would be fucking for sure. Raw, primal, no constraints fucking. Fast and intense, our emotions spilling all over the place, but I know it will be the perfect christening to the future before us. I would be making love to her, once again taking her as mine, and I want nothing more.
“Yes,” I reply, grabbing her hand and taking her with me. “I know just the place.”
Squealing, she follows after me, and my hold on her tightens. I know that I will never let go.
I lead Juliette down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest with anticipation. The reality of what just happened still hasn’t fully sunk in. She said yes. She’s going to be my wife. The thought alone is enough to make my entire body buzz with excitement, but the way she’s looking at me now—with that fiery hunger in her eyes, that raw need—is what pushes me over the edge.
We reach a small, secluded room at the back of the building. It’s mostly empty, just a few pieces of old furniture covered with dust sheets, but it’s perfect. I shut the door behind us, and in that instant, the world outside ceases to exist. It’s just the two of us, and the electric tension that’s been simmering between us for too long now explodes into a wildfire.
Juliette wastes no time. She pushes me back against the wall, her hands already tugging at my shirt, her breath hot and ragged as she kisses me with a fervor that leaves me dizzy. I respond in kind, my hands roaming her body, feeling the softness of her skin, the curves that drive me wild. Our kiss deepens, becoming more urgent, more desperate, as if we’re both afraid this moment might slip away if we don’t hold onto it with everything we have.
She breaks the kiss just long enough to pull my shirt over my head, her eyes dark with desire as she takes in the sight of my bare chest. I can see the need in her eyes, the way she’s practically trembling with anticipation. I don’t waste any time either; I reach for her dress, my fingers deftly finding the zipper and pulling it down in one swift motion. The fabric falls away, revealing her to me, and for a moment, all I can do is stare. She’s breathtaking, her skin glowing in the soft light, her body every bit as perfect as I remember.
I pull her close, my hands running down her back, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my palms. I want to take my time, to savor every inch of her, but the hunger between us is too intense, too overwhelming. I press her against the wall, my mouth finding hers again, my hands already working to free her from the rest of her clothing. Her bra comes off with a quick snap, and I take a moment to admire her breasts, my hands cupping them, my thumbs brushing over her hardened nipples. She gasps at the contact, arching her back, pressing herself into me, her need matching my own.
I can’t wait any longer. My hands move down to her panties, sliding them down her legs, my fingers grazing her soft, smooth skin as I do. She’s completely naked now, her body pressed against mine, and I can feel the heat radiating from her, the way she’s already so wet and ready for me. I can’t help but groan, the sound low and guttural in my throat, as I let my fingers explore her, finding her slick and swollen, her body responding to my touch in the most delicious way.
“Hudson,” she breathes, her voice trembling with desire. “Please…”
That one word is all it takes to break what little control I have left. I pull away just long enough to undo my pants, letting them drop to the floor. My cock is already hard, throbbing with need, and when I look at her, standing there, naked and waiting for me, I nearly lose it. But I force myself to hold back, just for a moment, because I want this to be perfect.
I step forward, closing the distance between us, my hands finding her waist, lifting her up so her legs wrap around me. I press her back against the wall, the cool surface, a stark contrast to the heat between us. And then, with one powerful thrust, I’m inside her, her wetness enveloping me, pulling me deeper as she cries out in pleasure.
“Fuck,” I groan, the sensation overwhelming as I start to move, slow at first, savoring the way her body grips me, the way she’s already trembling in my arms. But it doesn’t take long for the urgency to take over. The need to fuck her, to claim her as mine, to make her feel every ounce of the love and desire I have for her.
Juliette’s nails dig into my back, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as I pick up the pace, thrusting into her harder, faster, our bodies colliding with a force that sends shockwaves through both of us. The sound of our flesh slapping together fills the room, mingling with her moans, her cries of pleasure as I drive her closer and closer to the edge.
I feel her tighten around me, her body tensing as she nears her climax, and I know I’m right there with her. My hands grip her hips, holding her steady as I fuck her with everything I have, the primal need taking over, the desire to make her come, to make her scream my name.
“Hudson,” she gasps, her voice barely audible as she tilts her head back, her eyes squeezing shut, her entire body trembling with the intensity of what’s about to happen. “Oh god, Hudson…”
And then it hits her. Her orgasm crashes over her like a tidal wave, her body convulsing around me, her nails digging deeper into my skin as she screams out my name. The sound drives me over the edge, my own climax ripping through me with a force that leaves me breathless. I bury myself deep inside her, spilling into her as I hold her close, our bodies shaking together, our hearts pounding in unison.
We stay like that for a long moment, both of us panting, our bodies still locked together, the aftershocks of our pleasure still rippling through us. I can feel her heart beating against my chest, her breath warm against my neck, and in that moment, everything feels right.
Eventually, I pull back just enough to look into her eyes, my hand gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. She’s smiling, her eyes glowing with happiness, and I can’t help but smile back, my heart swelling with love for her.
“I love you,” I whisper, my voice hoarse with emotion.
“I love you too,” she replies, her voice just as soft, just as full of emotion.
I lean in and kiss her again, this time slower, more tenderly, savoring the taste of her lips, the feel of her body still pressed against mine. And as we stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, I know that this is just the beginning of our future together, a future filled with love, passion, and endless possibilities.
We eventually find ourselves on the floor, wrapped in the warmth of each other's embrace. I can feel her heartbeat slowing down, matching mine as we lay there, our bodies still entwined, the light from the window casting a soft glow over us. I run my fingers through her hair, my touch gentle, as we bask in the afterglow of what we just shared.
"Juliette," I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. "You're everything to me."
She smiles, her eyes closing as she snuggles closer, her breath warm against my chest. "And you're everything to me, Hudson."
That’s all Folks