by B. Love
Hudson’s dots popped up, but then they stopped. And his text never came through. Figuring he wouldn’t reply at all, Reina closed the text thread as Kendrick put her drink in front of her. This was what she’d been avoiding – his rejection of her. For whatever reason, she thought things could maybe work out between them. He didn’t treat her as if he hated or resented her. He even looked at her with love in his eyes.
But maybe that was just him being his normal, loving self.
“Thanks,” she muttered, picking up the glass.
After drinking as much of it as she possibly could, Reina redirected her attention to Kendrick in an attempt to enjoy the night as much as she possibly could. He may have been boring and dry as hell, but he was the key to new opportunities. So if he wanted to spend the night talking about himself, Reina would lend her ear for as long as he wanted her to.
Except… the more time passed… the weirder she began to feel. Even though she’d had three drinks, she had more than enough food on her stomach from dinner to handle the liquor. Reina was no lightweight, and even if she was, she hadn’t consumed enough to feel drunk.
But she did. Drunk, confused, dizzy, and weak as hell. Feeling as if she would fall asleep at any moment, Reina checked the time on her phone. It wasn’t even eleven p.m. yet. She tried to stand but ended up having to lean against the table for support. Kendrick stood, wearing a smug grin on his face. He wrapped his arm around her and led her away from the table.
“Let’s get you out of here, huh? Make tonight special.” Reina looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. “It’s a shame I had to drug you just to get that pussy, but I’m going to make sure you want to give it to me again before the night is over.”
His words went in one ear and out of the other as Reina felt herself growing weaker against his frame. The front door opened, and Hudson appeared. She was happy to see him, desiring to go to him, but all she could do was smile. Her arms couldn’t open, no matter how much she told them to. She watched as Hudson’s lips moved. Kendrick released her from his arm, and her body went limp instantly.
As she fell to the ground, her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
Reina was out cold.
Reina’s eyes slowly fluttered open. The moment they opened fully and looked towards the ceiling, Reina knew exactly where she was. She didn’t, however, know how she’d gotten there. The last thing she remembered was texting Hudson. Vaguely she remembered the bright lights of a hospital and throwing up, but that was it.
Looking towards the right, Reina smiled at the sight of Hudson. His head was buried in his phone until she muttered, “Good morning, handsome.”
He looked up instantly, smiling himself as he said, “Good afternoon, gorgeous.” Standing, Hudson walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. “How do you feel?”
“I feel okay,” Reina informed, closing her eyes at the feel of his hand on her forehead. “A little groggy but fine. What happened?”
Reina listened in shock and horror as Hudson ran down the events from last night. He told her that after she told him where she was and with who, he looked up Kendrick online. At first, everything seemed in order, but by the time he got to the third Google page, he saw a blog post that accused Kendrick of rap. He looked the woman up and sent her a message on Facebook before leaving his home.
Thankfully, she accepted his request and allowed him to call her on Facebook Messenger while he drove to Baxters. She told him about how Kendrick had given her a date rape drug after she declined his advances. Though they could prove the next morning that she’d been raped, they couldn’t prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was Kendrick even though he was the last person she was seen with.
Not wanting to ruin her chances of finding work in the industry, she ended up allowing Kendrick to pay for her silence, but that blog post was her way of spreading the truth after three years.
When Hudson arrived at Baxters, he could tell something was off with Reina, and when she passed out, he ended up beating Kendrick’s ass. The police arrived and Kendrick ended up confessing to what he’d done. Hudson was able to go to the hospital with Reina, where the police waited for a statement. They ended up leaving after Hudson assured them that he would personally bring her down to the station today to give a statement.
Reina’s stomach was pumped, and thankfully, Kendrick hadn’t violated her in any other way other than the powder he slipped into her drink.
“Thank you, Huddy. I’m so glad you came. If he would have taken me to his hotel room…”
“It doesn’t matter. He didn’t. We’re going to leave it at that.”
Her eyes watered as she bit down on her bottom lip. “You’re not going to be facing any charges, are you?”
His head tilted and shook as Hudson shrugged. “I ain’t gon’ lie, I beat his ass bad. But I doubt if they will try to press charges. They didn’t arrest me last night or try to get me to come in for questioning. Wouldn’t matter anyway.” Hudson paused and licked his lips, jaw hardening and eyes tightening when he added, “I’ll kill a mu’fucka over you. For real.”
Reina pulled Hudson into her arms. Whether they were together or not, she owed him a huge solid for saving her last night.
“I believe that and appreciate that, and I love you more for it. What time is it?” she asked as she released him.
“A little after three.”
“In the afternoon,” she almost yelled, pulling the covers back from over her body.
“Yea. I’m assuming you were worn out from getting ready for the recital because you’ve been sleep for quite some time. I had to pull a lot of strings to be able to get you released from the hospital since you were so drowsy and in and out of sleep. But I figured you would be more comfortable here.”
“You figured right. Thank you for letting me come here.”
Their eyes remained locked for a while before Hudson broke his spell and stood.
“Your people have been blowing you up of course. I told them I would have you to check in when you woke up, but still. If you want to freshen up and have some lunch, that may give you a bit more strength. I’ll be down at the pool if you need anything.”
Not even giving her time to reply, Hudson closed the door behind him as he left. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Reina grabbed her phone and called her mother, brother, and friends back. She even had a call from Paula who was calling to make sure she was okay. Paula apologized, feeling partly responsible for introducing Reina to Kendrick. When she was done with her phone calls, she went into the bathroom to shower and take care of her hygiene. After dressing comfortably in leggings and one of Hudson’s t-shirts and socks, she went downstairs to the kitchen where everyone, Rose especially, was happy to see her.
The two ladies talked and caught up while Reina ate her favorite, salmon salad, for lunch. As much as she was enjoying Rose’s company, she preferred to have Hudson’s. She didn’t want to push it, seeing as though he really didn’t have to do everything he’d done for her already, so Reina returned to the bedroom when she was done eating.
Rose must have felt sorry for her because she came into the room shortly after tugging Hudson in behind her. After sending Reina a wink, she locked and closed the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone.
Stuffing his hands into his swim trunk pockets, Hudson asked, “You feeling okay?”
Reina smiled and patted the space on the bed next to her. “Yes. You didn’t swim your laps?”
Hudson’s head shook as he sat down. “Nah. I ended up going down and getting lost in my thoughts.” His hand covered hers. “I have to confess; I didn’t like the way it felt thinking you’d moved on.” Reina’s heart skipped a beat, and she was unable to hide her smile. “You would have been justified of course. It’s been what… six months? But still. I love you, and that made you mine in my head. Always.”
Reina was blushing so much her chin damn near touched her chest. She covered his hand with he
r free one as she turned more in his direction.
“I feel the same way about you. Lord knows I didn’t want to let you go, but I felt like that was the only fair thing to do after the pain I’d caused you. I’m sorry, Huddy.”
His head shook as he sighed and leaned forward. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’ve long since forgiven you, Golden. And I no longer hold that against you.”
The breath she released also felt like the weight of hurting him falling off her shoulders. Her head hung as she composed her emotions, willing herself not to cry. Although Reina didn’t want to get ahead of herself, she couldn’t help but feel as if this was the perfect moment for her to lay all of her cards out. Her mother said she didn’t fight when it truly mattered. Now seemed like the time to fight.
Her head lifted, and she looked into his eyes. “I know the way we met was a bit… odd… but everything I’ve ever felt for you was real. No matter what it takes, I’m committed to proving to you that my love was true and that I’m worthy of your trust. If you just tell me what to do, that’s what I’ll do.”
For a moment, Reina was unable to read his expression. It was blank, and his eyes gave her nothing. It wasn’t until he lifted her hand and kissed it that he smiled and offered her heart some type of relief.
“What you agreed to do was fucked up, but I don’t know how else I would have met you without it. And I’ve loved you, since the moment I laid eyes on you. Even if I didn’t want to be, I am unequivocally, blindly, yours.”
Epilogue
Reina
Three and a half months later
Reina paced anxiously in front of the bathroom sink. For quite some time, they’d gotten lucky. So lucky she questioned if she was even able to have children. Throughout their entire relationship, Hudson never wore a condom or pulled out, but she never got pregnant. Now that they were together again… Reina wasn’t sure if that would continue to be the case.
She’d missed two periods at this point and was no longer able to be in denial. Hudson knew her body well enough to know when she was on her period, and he mentioned it last night. After having a mental breakdown over the possibility of being pregnant with Laditra, she assured her that everything would be okay no matter what. Once Reina was calm, Laditra offered to bring her a pregnancy test this morning.
While Reina would have loved to be a mother, she first wanted to be a wife and prima ballerina. She first wanted to live her dream before she completely devoted herself to her reality. And it was in that moment that she understood and respected her mother a little more. Laditra completely put her life on hold to be a wife and mother, even though she never wanted kids, because of the love she had for a man who didn’t love her enough to stick around.
And even though Reina would never understand or justify the toxic relationship Laditra allowed them to have for so many years, she was able to see from her mother’s perspective a little bit more.
But that in no way meant Reina would resent or abuse her own child. Why, if she was pregnant, she’d take time off from school with no hesitation. She made good money teaching classes at her dance studio and renting the space out, and it honestly fulfilled her to a certain extent. So what if she was a year or two late graduating school? What mattered most was that she graduated. And as long as she did, Reina would be proud.
There was a different kind of joy, wholeness, and fulfillment that would come from being a mother. And even if Reina didn’t feel prepared or deserving of that blessing right now, she would accept it and wholeheartedly thank God for it every step of the way.
The sound of glass shattering had Reina rushing out of the room and down the stairs. All she could think about was Wykeem and Bentley wrestling in the dining room and knocking something over that it would take years of their adulthood to be able to afford. With Reina and Laditra’s relationship growing day by day, she happily accepted when Hudson offered to build her a cottage a few miles down on his land. The offer came about a week before Rico graduated high school in May.
He had absolutely no plans of going to college or doing anything legal and productive with his life for that matter. There was only so much that Reina and her mother could say to change his mind. Rico needed his father, or at least the guidance and mentorship of a man. Hudson stepped in as much as he could, and he convinced Rico to go to school and make something positive out of himself. Because he’d pretty much played around his last two years of high school, his grades weren’t good enough for any scholarships – which meant no housing on campus as well.
There was no way in hell he would stay with his mother, and Laditra was ready to get out the hood too. So Hudson made the suggestion of Rico staying in the house and renting out the rooms to other college students and building Laditra a home that was closer to theirs since Reina had moved back in with him. Rico agreed, and he’d already secured two roommates that were paying enough for him to only have to work enough to take care of his smaller bills, necessities and wants. Since he wasn’t able to get any scholarships, Hudson also hooked him up with one through his business, and it required him to work a minimum of twenty hours a week at Hudson’s firm.
Hudson’s willingness to step up and be a positive role model for her brothers only made her love him more, and it further confirmed that he would be a good father himself.
While Laditra was looking over the progress that Hudson’s construction company was making so far, her younger brothers were at home with Reina. Even though she loved them dearly, it was times like this that made her want to strangle them. By the time she made it to the living room, neither of her brothers were in sight. They had in fact broken a vase that Bradley had quickly tried to clean up before Reina made it down.
She went from room to room looking for her brothers unsuccessfully. Knowing they were small enough to hide underneath and behind furniture, she searched the house a second time, this time, finding them both hiding under the bottom row of seats in the home theater room.
“Aye! Get y’all little heathen asses out here right now,” she ordered, holding back her laugh.
They’d been down there for quite some time, and both of them were looking at her spooked with wide eyes.
“What I tell y’all about running and wrestling in the house?” Neither of them answered, only lowering their heads after giving her puppy dog eyes. “Do you want to be banned from coming over?” Both shook their heads adamantly. “Then keep the playing limited to your room and the game room. Now, start thinking about how you’re going to apologize to Hudson and pay him back for the vase you broke. Understand?”
They both nodded as they hugged her, and what little anger she had left had dissipated. It was as she made her way back up the stairs that she remembered what she was in the middle of when the vase broke. “Shit,” she mumbled, jogging up the stairs quicker. “Shit, shit, shit.”
At the top of the stairs, Reina stopped all movement when she saw Hudson coming out of their room. His face was stone, making her believe he hadn’t gone in the bathroom to see the test. Smiling, he walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss.
“What you looking so scared for?”
“Uh. What you doing?”
“Looking for you. What was that I heard a few minutes ago?”
Reina released a heavy breath as her body relaxed. He couldn’t have seen the test. Thank God.
“The boys were running and playing in the living room and broke a vase. I’ll pay for it, and they are going to apologize.”
Hudson smiled again as he wrapped his arm around her. “It’s cool. Where are they now?”
“They were in the theater.”
“Aight. Your mom should be in soon. When she is, we can go out and have lunch before they head back home.”
“Sounds good,” she agreed as he released her.
Reina made her way into their room, happy to have dodged that bullet. She certainly didn’t want Hudson to find out she was pregnant by finding the test on the sink… especially before she’d come
to grips with the fact herself. When she made it to the bathroom, Reina closed and locked the door. She walked over to the sink, and the sight before her made her clutch the edge of it as her heart dropped.
Rocking forward, she whimpered, then smiled as she picked up the test.
Hudson had seen the test… and wrapped her ring around it as well.
She hadn’t even checked the results, too busy taking the ring off and putting it back on her finger. After looking it over for a few seconds, she looked back down at the test and almost screamed at the sight of PREGNANT. Backing up until her back hit the wall, Reina slid down it with her hand covering her mouth in shock. Her eyes watered and tears quickly poured as the realization that she was about to be a mother took over her.
Giggling quietly, Reina leaped up, dropped the test, and swung the door open to go and look for Hudson. But she didn’t have to look far… because he was standing right behind it. Well, kneeling right behind it, with his own smile on his face.
“Why didn’t you say anything,” she whined, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Because I figured you didn’t want me to know yet.” Hudson dropped her arms from her chest, took her hand, and used it to pull her closer. “I’ve been walking around with that ring in my pocket for a while now, waiting on the right time to give it to you.” He kissed her hand and exhaled a shaky breath. “What better time than us finding out you’re carrying our child?” Unable to contain her excitement, Reina’s smile spread as her shoulders hiked. She squealed and did a pirouette before putting her hand back into his, making Hudson laugh. “You gonna keep that ring on with your silly ass?”
“That’s how you’re going to propose to me, Hudson, really?”
“Hell, I gave your ass a romantic proposal the first time! Well second time. First time!” His confusion made her laugh, but it died down quickly, because she wanted to… had to… say…
“Yes, I’m going to keep my ring on. For as long as you will allow me to.”