Mirrors

June 12th, Wednesday

So tired, so tired, but I can feel myself waking up. Slowly. It feels so warm, I like this. I move my hand a bit and realize that my arm is draped around Hudson and we're in bed. I lift my head and look at him, he's still sleeping, looking like the little boy in the pictures.

But I furrow a brow and wonder if I just woke up a lot earlier than usual, I glance at the clock and see that it's almost eleven. Maybe Mrs. Davies forgot to wake us up, or Hudson. He usually wakes up at seven and leaves by eight.

I find this to be very strange and I have to think back to what day it is; Wednesday. Why is he home? This isn't like him.

Resting my head on his shoulder again, I gently coo him awake. "Darling, wake up."

He stirred for a moment but then began to fall asleep again, so once more I woke him up. "Hudson, darling. Wake up." I lifted my head again and looked down at him.

"Yes?" He murmured, breathing deeply. I felt bad for waking him up, but I smiled as I gazed down at him. Despite having a bedhead hairstyle, he looked perfect and the smattering of freckles across his nose and face were lovely. I wasn't used to waking up with him and being able to watch him for a moment, since we've come here he's always been gone by the time I'd awake.

"You're home and in bed with me." I spoke quietly.

His eyes were still closed but he smiled, "Yes, I know."

"Why?" I lightly laughed.

He laughed and finally opened his eyes, blinking and gazing up at me. "I took another day off. I saw the how hurt you were last night, with what happened, and I knew I couldn't leave you. So let's spend time together, at home, you and me. I let the staff have a day off, so we're the only ones in the house."

My heart had jumped a little and I smiled at him, "That's really lovely Hudson...thank you."

He sat up a bit and rested on his elbow, "Shall we go downstairs so I can make us breakfast?" He outstretched his arm and placed his hand on my belly. I gave a small smile, "Okay." I realized how foreign this was to me and it all felt new. Really new.

So we got out of bed and I followed him downstairs into the large kitchen that neither of us spent much time in. With a personal chef always on hand, waiting to satisfy any culinary craving of ours, we didn't need to spend any time in the kitchen. Hudson didn't even need to practice his culinary talents in there since he spends so much time at La Maison London.

Wrapped in a blanket, I sat on a stool as Hudson strolled to and fro the large stainless steel and white tile kitchen, that was left completely spotless and shiny by the staff. He collected a few items from the refrigerator before reaching up above the countertop to take down a frying pan from where it hung along with many others pots and pans.

"Plain ol' eggs and bacon? With sourdough toast?" He watched me from across the table.

I smiled and nodded, "The more simple the better."

He smiled back and proceeded to make our breakfast.

After it was all cooked up and ready for us, we went out to the balcony and sat at a patio table for two, the same one I sat at with Blair. The night I found out about Hudson and Nora...and Holbrook has yet to mention anything.

"So how are you feeling today?" He asked, forking up a small portion to balance on top of the fork's tines.

It was a lovely morning, you could hear the birds chirping cheerfully as I gazed down at the garden Mrs. Davies so keenly took care of. I turned back to Hudson and sighed, "I guess I'll be fine. I just wasn't expecting them to turn me down. I wasn't prepared. But I'll be fine, though I'm still disappointed about it."

He nodded, "Ave, you're a great writer. Right now you're doing fine, you're writing for Interview magazine and living as a housewife. I don't know how it could get any better." He smiled.

I stared at him for a while before giving a half-smile, "Yes. Yes, I suppose I'm living the dream."

He smiled back in a naïve way and continued eating.

Looking over my shoulder again, I stared back down at the garden and listened to the birds sing.

The day so far was spent at home, walking the grounds, playing the Xbox in the game room, and watching a classic 80s movie in the home theatre. Covered in blankets and eating popcorn, we conversed with one another. "You know, I was thinking of cutting my hair." I said with a mouthful of popcorn.

"No, please." He chuckled, reaching into the bowl.

"Why not?" I laughed.

"I like your hair long. Why would you want to cut it?" He asked.

"I like it long too, but I don't know, I like the look of a pixie cut. And I think it'd be low-maintenance, so I wouldn't have to fuss with it in the mornings or after showers."

"Sweetheart, you're low-maintenance already. Just get a trim." He lightly laughed, his cell began to ring.

"Shh." I held my finger up to my lips, teasing him.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this." He chuckled, answering the phone. "Hey...yeah, just spent the day at home...what is it?"

He soon began to grin. "Are you serious? At my restaurant? When?...Yes, yes of course I'll come over, when is he coming?...That's brilliant, I'm coming over right now....'kay, bye."

My stomach sank when I realized that our day together had come to a close and I waited for him to tell me the big news.

"Avery, we need to go to the restaurant now. You'll never believe who's gonna be dining there at seven." He grinned, standing up.

"Who?"

"Joe Bastianich." He held up his hands, growing more excitedly.

"Is he a chef?" I blinked.

His smile faltered and he lightly laughed, "Well...he's a restaurateur, he's incredibly famous. And he's a judge on Masterchef. He's a cutthroat sort of guy and one of the best in the business."

I smiled, "He sounds pretty amazing. So we're gonna go meet him?"

He nodded, "Yes, he wants to come to my restaurant. Apparently he dined at the one in New York and was so impressed, he wanted to check out the London location."

"That's really great." I smiled, slowly rising from the comfy chair.

"So let's quickly get ready and we can go." He clapped his hands, striding out of the theatre as I shuffled behind him.

After a quick twenty minutes of prepping, the doorbell rang and I was in the middle of picking out earrings, so Hudson went down to answer the door.

He was straightening the collar on his shirt as he reached the door and he glanced through the peephole. Letting out a long sigh, he turned the handle and swung the door open to reveal Blair on the other side. Comeau was leaning against the door frame holding a small white cake box, his long index finger curled around the top strings of the box.

"What are you doing here?" Hudson asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm here to see Avery." Blair replied nonchalantly.

"Well we're about to leave. What's that?"

He brought his hand back a bit, "A little treat for her. Where are you headed?"

I came down the stairs into the foyer, putting in an earring. I smiled when I saw Blair in the entryway. "Hey."

He nodded, "I heard you're going out."

"Just to the restaurant. Joe..." I forgot that person's name.

"Bastianich. Joe Bastianich is coming to the restaurant in twenty minutes. We're going to meet him."

"I can give you a ride." Blair offered.

"I've got my car in the garage." Hudson replied.

"And it will take you an extra five minutes to get it out. My car is parked out front and I'm a fast driver." Blair arched an eyebrow and waited for a response.

Hudson had no time to hesitate since I had already made the decision for us, "Yes, come Hudson, let's go." I had already walked past him outside and followed Blair to his vehicle. After locking up, he followed us and climbed into the passenger seat while I made myself comfortable in the backseat.

"Here, got you a sweet treat." Blair passed me a small white box in a white string.

I grinned, taking the box as we pulled away from the house and through the gate. Opening the box I smile widely, "Red velvet cake. My favourite."

"Here's a fork." He reached into the front pocket of his suit jacket and gave it to me.

Blair wasn't lying when he said that he was a fast driver. But after living in Europe for a long time and obtaining a license over here, he's obviously grown accustomed to the speedy driving in these cities. We arrived at the restaurant in no time and entered in through the front entrance. Hudson greeted the patrons as we passed them on our way to the kitchen.

Nora sat at the bar sipping on a Stella Artois, but when she noticed us she set down her drink and sprung from her seat. "He's not here yet. But this is so exciting!" She gushed.

"It is! Joe Bastianich in my restaurant. He wants to meet me!" He laughed, clapping his hands but quickly went quiet when the chimes over the front door jingled. We all looked toward the entry and in came this well-dressed man with two other people. They followed him, so I assumed that he was Joe.

Hudson smiled warmly and approached him, his hand reaching out for a shake. "Mr. Bastianich, I'm Holbrook Hudson. It's a pleasure having you come to the restaurant."

"Call me Joe, and the pleasure's all mine. I was impressed with not only the food of La Maison New York, but with the professionalism. I knew I needed to come to the London location to meet the man who started it all."

Hudson smiled and shrugged a shoulder, "Thank you, that means a lot to me. Would you like to have a seat? I'll show you a wine list along with a menu."

"I'd love to." Joe replied, slipping into the booth that Holbrook showed him to. "If you and your people aren't busy, please join us."

"Of course, thank you." Hudson turned to us and gestured Blair, Nora, and I to sit down. After he had slid into the booth next to Joe, Nora sat next to him. I clenched my fist and inwardly sighed, taking a seat across from them with Blair.

"Joe, I'd like you introduce to you my wife, Avery." He smiled, gesturing toward me. I politely shook hands with Joe. "It's nice to meet you, you're a lucky woman. Married to a successful chef and restaurateur."

I smiled at him and glanced at Hudson. "I am."

Hudson continued, "And this is Nora, a dear friend of ours, and Blair, another friend."

Joe greeted them both warmly and continued a conversation with Huds.

About an hour and a half later and one bottle of red wine emptied, Blair and I were the last ones finishing up our spaghetti. Joe had wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin and set it down on the table next to his plate, "Holbrook, the chicken cacciatore was one of the best I've had in a long time." He remarked. "The sauce was spectacular."

Hudson thanked him.

"If that's your signature dish here, does that mean it's your favourite?"

Hudson straightened his posture and cleared his throat, "One of them, but I'd have to say the linguine and clams are my favourite. It's one of the first dishes I mastered after school."

"And you seem to like the spaghetti." Joe lightly laughed, looking at me.

I finished my bite and just smiled.

"She's a spaghetti lover. Especially now since she's eating for two." Hudson chuckled.

I dropped the fork onto the plate and stared across the table at him. I could feel Blair's eyes on me and Nora's on Hudson. I can't believe he would tell anyone this huge secret, especially when I was nowhere near ready to let anyone know.

Joe was the first to speak, congratulating us. Then Nora gave a light laugh, "You're having a baby? That's...incredible. Congratulations." She lightly smiled.

I remained silent for a while. Taking my napkin, I gently wiped my mouth before reaching for my glass of water, taking a small sip. "I think it's time for us to leave." I spoke, turning to Blair.

He nodded at me and reached for his keys, stepping out of the "U" shaped booth. "After you." He waited for me.

"Excuse me." Hudson said to Joe and asked Nora to move so he could get out. Blair and I were already walking toward the door when Hudson stopped me. "Ave, where are you going?"

"Out." I replied, my jaw clenched. I was furious with him.

"What's wrong? I thought we were having a great time?"

I sighed loudly and pulled him outside. After the door shut, I began. "You and Nora are having a great time. Hudson, in no way was I ready to tell anyone about my pregnancy. You had no right to tell anyone."

He blinked at me and nodded, "I'm sorry. I just...it just came out I guess. Ave, please, just go back inside and I'll ask them to keep it on the down low. Things are going so well, I don't want it to be tense."

Before I could speak, in the distance and quickly approaching us, Charlotte, Poppy, and David were together. Dressed elaborately and laughing, calling out Hudson's name.

"Holbrook, darling!" Poppy waved her hand as they joined us. "Let's go out and party tonight!"

"But don't invite him." David glared at Blair.

"Even if my life depended on it, I wouldn't party with any of you. You're too pretentious for my taste." Blair replied, rolling his eyes and leaving toward his car. The women looked me up and down with their dark eyes and thin lips. I narrowed my eyes at them, clenching my jaw again.

"Uh, I actually have a special guest in the restaurant right now, and I'm in the middle of talking to Avery." Hudson replied, looking uneasy.

They started up, protesting that he should join them anyways, demanding to know who this special guest was. The car was already started and I didn't feel like waiting anymore.

"I'll see you later, darling." I said, leaning in and kissing him on his cheek before walking toward Blair's car, getting in and leaving.