Page 222 of Bridesmaid By Chance
“The moment I met Hudson in Bora Bora, I thought he was beautiful.”
“Christ,” Jude mutters.
“I did, and when you helped me get a job with him, well, I took it very seriously. I was incredibly grateful, but the more time I spent with him, the more I started to like him.”
“Jesus, Sloane.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. But I never acted on anything, ever, and he wouldn’t give me the time of day either. He took the boss-assistant relationship very seriously. So nothing happened.”
“Okay,” he says, letting me continue.
“Then we had a meeting at Maggie’s, and that’s where things got tricky. Sheridan and Archie were meeting with Maggie to discuss needing another bridesmaid for their wedding because one of theirs broke her leg. They assumed I was for hire and said I was perfect. Hudson said I could do it, but you could tell he immediately regretted it after. Either way, Hudson gave me the opportunity to back down, and I didn’t take it.”
“Why not?”
“I knew he needed the help. But I think it was also because that day when I went home to talk to Stacey about it, we’d gotten a letter from our landlord, saying that he was going to sell the house. He gave us the option to rent to own, but we needed a down payment and neither of ushad the money.” His eyes grow angry, but I keep going. “We didn’t want to lose the house; it has meant so much to us over the years, and well, I came up with a plan. During that meeting Hudson had, he found out that he needed access to the Mayfair Club to get close to Terrance, and to become a member, you have to be married, so I proposed that I would marry him if he gave me a down payment for the house.”
“Jesus fuck, Sloane. Are you kidding me right now?”
I shake my head. “I’m dead serious. And…oh shit, I forgot, after the meeting at Maggie’s, he fired me.”
“He what?” Jude roars.
“It was deserved, I was being insubordinate, and I didn’t take it well. But when I saw the letter from the landlord, I panicked and asked him to marry me. He said no. Several times. For days. He said he would never do that to you, to me. But I kept pressing until I wore him down.”
Jude rubs his hand over his forehead. I can only imagine what is going through his mind. “Sloane, when I got you this job with him, I was expecting you to act professionally, not take advantage of my business partner.”
“I did, I was acting very professional, but I don’t know, panic set in and we didn’t want to ask you for help. We wanted to do it on our own?—”
“By selling yourself?” he nearly roars.
I hold back my wince and stay strong. “The arrangement benefitted both parties, and I refuse to feel bad about it. I refuse to feel bad about any of it because after we got married and went to London, something changed between me and Hudson. We had both been harboring feelings, but in London we got closer, got to know each other better, and those feelings developed.” Jude lifts his brow. “And then we fell for each other.”
“What?” he says, looking confused. “You fell for each other?”
“Yes,” I answer. “I love him, Jude, simple as that.”
“Hold on.” He blinks, trying to comprehend. “You…you barely know him. How could you love him?”
“I know him better than you do. I know the kind of man he is outsideof the conference room. I know that he’d do just about anything for me, that he’s protective and sweet and funny. He can let loose, and when he needs to, he is protective and will hurt anyone who comes near me. He takes our relationship very seriously, and he’s one of the bestandimperfect men I’ve ever met. I know that he was willing to give me up, despite not wanting to, in order to make you happy, in order to make everyone else happy but himself. And I refuse to let it happen. I refuse to let you dictate what happens in our lives.”
“Sloane,” he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You don’t know what love is. You’re too?—”
“Do not sayyoung,” I say, growing stern with my brother. “I’m not too young. I know exactly what love is. I feel it when I’m with him, and no one else makes me feel that way. No one. I feel joy when I’m with him. I feel comfort. Ease. He makes me happy, makes me feel special, and I know it’s the same feeling you get when Haisley is in the room because you’ve told me about it. You’ve gone into detail about how Haisley makes you feel. It’s the same thing, Jude.” He starts to shake his head again, but I place my hand on his and say, “You need to stop thinking of me as the little girl that you protected when we were growing up and start seeing me as the woman I’ve become.” His eyes meet mine and I continue, “I love you, Jude. You’ve given me so much in this life, and I’m so grateful for it, but I need you to recognize that if you can’t grow with me, then I’m going to have to leave you behind.”
“What?” he asks, looking offended.
“It’s not fair for you to keep me in this box you created many years ago, a box where you believe you’re keeping me safe. You might be protecting me, but you’re not letting me grow, you’re not letting me find my way in this world?—”
“Because you don’t have a way.”
“I do,” I say, growing frustrated. “And Hudson is one of the people who helped me realize what I am passionate about. I want to do good. Iwant to help those who were in a situation like us growing up. Stacey and I talked, and we are turning the house into a safe haven. We’re going to start small, but we plan on growing once we have the right funding and business plan. But the house, that’s the beginning. So please don’t insult me, don’t insult us, by saying we don’t know what we’re doing. You need to trust that you helped us grow into the resilient women we are today and that we’re making good decisions, even if in an unconventional way.”
He sits back and clears his throat. “You want to make a safe haven?”
“Yes,” I answer, hoping that he’s starting to ease up. “I was watching what Hudson and Hardy were doing, offering more affordable housing, and it made me realize we had the opportunity to do something too, you know? Stacey loves the idea, although we need to find her a place to live once we get the house ready and find a family to host?—”
“What about you?”
