Page 107 of Tough Love

“Shut up, Adam. Just stop it!”

“Why are you getting hung up over that small-town yokel?”

I stalk to where he stands. “I said, shut up.” I shove him. But he chuckles.

“Come on, Addy girl. You know you and I are meant to be. I have forgiven you for your little fling. Come home.”

“You forgiveme?” I huff out an incredulous laugh. “Three years, Adam. Of you doing whatever you want and me letting you! We aredone. We were done over six months ago. And I amnotyours.” The words growl from my lips. My fists shake by my sides.

Ruby waves to the crowd. “You heard her, Hervey. Fuck off.” When she turns back her brows drop and her mouth twists. “Reed was trying to tell me Hudson was here. Guess he was a bit late?”

“I have to find him, Rubes.” I grip my hair in my fists. “God, I can’t believe the only time Hervey bothers to show up, it fucks everything up.”

“Irony is funny like that.” She grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s go home. Reed gave him our address; maybe he went there.”

We all but run the three blocks back to Ruby’s place. But when we dash up the four flights of stairs, Hudson is nowhere to be found. Ruby unlocks the door, and we sink onto the couch. I stare numbly at the black TV screen. “You want Reed to find him for you?” Ruby asks. The messages and calls I tried to find Hudson with have gone unanswered.

“I—”

She pulls me into her side. “I’m sorry, Adds.”

I have never cried so much in my entire life as I have in the past five days.

Ruby’s phone pings again and she groans. “You want me to tell him to drop it?”

I don’t answer. I can’t.

“What the?” Ruby utters, moving away from me a little. “Message from Reed to the Captain?”

When I turn to her with wide eyes, hers light up. “You know what that means, don’t you...”

I nod.

She glances down at her phone before looking back up.

“He says, ‘Come home and sign the paperwork, Captain.’”

I gasp.

Ruby turns the phone around... A salute emoji from Reed.

I chuckle a strained laugh. I need to video call Harry.

Right now.

Chapter Thirty-One

HUDSON

I’ve lost my mind. This is so much worse than last time, with Jemma. I thought I heard Addy’s voice in Ma’s study a few days ago. Heartbreak has gone straight to my head, ’cause she is gone, and I can still hear her. My heart shatters all over again.

Keep your hands busy, Huddo.

Solid advice from my little brother. Mack and Reed were here for my last heartbreak. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. But unlike last time, there is no coming back from this. The way that Adam guy slung his arm over her chair... I never pegged Addy for a pushover, but he is familiar, and maybe she needed that. I don’t believe it... At least, I don’t want to.

Silver lining, I’m sure Charlie enjoyed his first and last road trip. Back to the task at hand, I measure for the fifth time and line the trim up to the proper angle before letting the blade drop. After a full day working with the colt and wrangling cattle, my body aches. But my mind won’t quit, so I raise the blade and tug the trim from the deck.

Up the ladder, I hold it in place before nailing it between the wall and the ceiling with the pneumatic nail gun. The thwack echoes through this empty house, rattling through my heart witheach nail I send into the trim. And by the time I reach the end, my hands tremble.

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