At least…that’s what I planned.

Until I actually read the next short entry…

Dear Diary,

Today I went shopping. I don’t know much about jewelry, so I took my sister with me. She was a royal pain in the ass.

I smiled, imagining Hudson and Olivia shopping. His idea of shopping was walking into one store with the purpose of buying three suits and walking out within a half hour. Olivia, on the other hand, didn’t as much shop as graze. She would set out to buy a pair of shoes to go with a dress and come home with a new dining room set, a coat for Mason, a toy for Charlie, and some electronic gadget for the office from The Sharper Image. The shoes she set out to buy would no longer be necessary, because she’d also have a brand new dress.

I’d actually been with her once when she’d gone to shop for shoes for one outfit and come home with a completely different ensemble—only to realize she still needed shoes for the new item she’d brought home. Olivia was the woman who walked out of a mall with fourteen different shopping bags. Hudson was a man who requested they ship his suits to him when they were done being tailored, so he didn’t have to return to the store.

But as I went back to reading, I realized Hudson hadn’t mentioned he’d gone shopping with his sister. He also hadn’t come home with any new jewelry recently… So I curiously returned to my diary.

We went to six stores. Anything I liked, Olivia hated. Anything she liked, I nixed. After a full day, I went home empty-handed and aggravated. My beautiful girl came home about ten minutes later—smelling like a forest. She’d been at the lab since early this morning working on her new Signature Scent for men. But she wrapped her arms around my neck, brushed those pouty lips with mine, and my shitty day evaporated. That’s when I realized the problem with buying my love jewelry was that I hadn’t found anything half as special as her. It took me thirty-one years to finally get it right, and I wasn’t going to half-ass showing her what she meant to me.

-Hudson

Oh my God. There was no way I could stop reading here. Hudson was shopping for jewelry that’s special for me? Could it be… Looking over my shoulder, I glanced into the house. Everything was still. It would take Hudson at least twenty minutes to walk to the liquor store and back with the dog. I had to read a little more—one more entry, at least.

Of course one entry led to two, and two led to three, and suddenly I was on the last page. Hudson had gone on a half-dozen shopping trips, written another vividly steamy entry about things he wanted to do to me, and penned a heartfelt few pages about the night my parents had come over for dinner. It had taken me a long time, but yes, my parents and I had finally seen each other in person. I’d had to work my way up to it, and I’d been a nervous wreck, but in the end, the evening had been pleasant. I hadn’t yet rekindled my relationship with my sister, though I’d finally told Hudson the full story and admitted who Aiden had had an affair with. I remained hopeful that maybe someday I’d find a way to forgive Cecelia, too.

From what I’d heard, she and my ex had since broken up—after she’d found him cheating with one of her friends. I probably should have felt good learning that, but I didn’t. I felt bad for Cecelia, which is why it gave me hope that there was a chance for us after all.

None of Hudson’s entries specifically said what type of jewelry he was shopping for, but it was pretty obvious it was a ring. What other type of jewelry had to be so perfect and took so many shopping trips?

My pulse raced as I read the final pages.

Oh my God! He bought something.

And he hid it where he’d hidden my Christmas present in our room last year!

And he isn’t planning on giving it to me until his birthday.

Hudson’s birthday wasn’t for two more months! No way could I wait that long to find out.

Hudson had no idea I’d stumbled upon his little hiding spot in the back of his closet last year. So I could—no, I really shouldn’t.

Blood swished through my ears, and my hands started to sweat.

Maybe I could just go see if it was a ring box?

I didn’t need to open it or anything.

Imagine the anticipation that would build over the next couple of months… Now imagine what would happen when the big day finally came, if he handed me a square box with…earrings?

There would be no way in the world I could hide my disappointment after waiting months. It almost felt like I had to go look now. Whatever he was shopping for had taken him a damn long time. He’d feel awful if I burst into tears, unable to hide how letdown I felt. So, in a sense, I would be doing it for him.

Sure you are.

I looked at my watch and glanced back over my shoulder into the house one more time. Maybe I should wait until a time when he was going to be gone longer…

No. I shook my head, even though I was answering my own thoughts.

I definitely couldn’t wait.

So I rushed into the house and ran directly to the front door. Opening it, I looked right and then left to make sure Hudson wasn’t already coming down the block. Finding the coast clear, I hurried to the bedroom. The door was closed, and I was such a nervous wreck that I had to take a moment to steady myself. My hand trembled as I took a deep breath before turning the doorknob.

But my heart stopped as I walked inside.

“Looking for something?” Hudson raised a brow. He was sitting on the edge of our bed with Charlie on his knee. Hendricks laid at his feet.

I blinked a few times. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d left.”

He prompted his daughter to jump off his lap and stood. “What am I doing here? I could ask you the same question. What are you doing in the bedroom right now, Stella?”

“I, uh…”

He walked over to where I stood, frozen. With a grin, he took my hand. “You didn’t read ahead, did you?”

My mind was so jumbled. When did he get back from the store? And where did Charlie come from? What the hell was going on?

Though I didn’t need to wait very long for the answer. Hudson held out his hand to his daughter. Charlie took it with an ear-to-ear smile. If I’d thought I was nervous before, it was nothing compared to how I felt as I watched the man I loved get down on one knee.

He brought my trembling hand to his lips.

Seeing a bit of nervousness on his face as he looked up actually helped calm me.

“One year ago today, I met a beautiful, smart woman,” he began. “When I’ve heard you tell the story of how we met, you say you crashed my sister’s wedding. But the truth of the matter is, you crashed my heart. You’re the kindest, warmest, strangest, most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

I lifted my hands to cover my mouth, and happy tears filled my eyes as I laughed. “The strangest? You make that sound like a good thing.”

Hudson smiled. “It is. And I love you because you’re a little strange sometimes, not despite it. You’ve spent years reading everyone else’s love stories, and tonight you read the last chapter of mine…” He winked. “…even though you weren’t supposed to. But my last chapter is only the beginning, sweetheart.” He looked over at Charlie, who pulled a little black box from behind her back and handed it to her father. “Stella Rose Bardot, let me give you your happily ever after. Be my wife, and I promise to try my hardest to make your life better than anything you’ve ever read in a book.”