From Ice to Flames
Page 21
“What is it?”
“What if they hate each other?”
She cracked up. “Dick never hated anything in his adorable life. He’d love a pet snake if you brought one home. How could he possibly hate Chester?”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Besides, he’s getting spoiled to death at the West’s house, isn’t he?”
I stuck out my lower lip. “Yeah, and I think he loves them more than me. But they adore him. Every day when I talk to Paige, she keeps saying she doesn’t know what they’ll do when he’s gone.”
Ells frowned.
“What now?” I asked.
She batted her hand. “Nothing.”
“Nothing my ass. I know you better than that.”
“You don’t think …” Her voice trailed off.
“Think what?”
She shook her head.
“What? Tell me, dammit.”
“Okay. You don’t think Hudson got you this puppy as a distraction so you’d give up Dick, do you?”
“No! He would never do that. He knows how much Dick means to me.” But then I started thinking. Paige was totally dropping major hints— how she and Rick had started walking together because of Dick, and how they’d really gotten into exercise. Grey was so happy about it because he’d been insisting they walk every day, but they never had until Dick entered their lives. “Oh, no.”
“You think so too, don’t you?”
I explained why and she said, “You know, I totally get why. Dick is much better off with a big yard and a house and not this tiny apartment.”
“You’re such a traitor, Ells.”
“No, I’m not. Their yard, from how you described it, is closer to what you and Harry had. I’m just thinking about what’s best for Dick.”
“Okay, pump the brakes, sister. I’m not giving up Dick.”
“I’m on your side. But what would the harm be in sharing him?”
She had a point. It would be nice if he had a place to romp around in, other than this tiny matchbox of an apartment.
“I get it, I do. But he’s my buddy, my friend, Ells. I can’t just let him go.”
Then she let out one of her belly laughs. “Aren’t we jumping the gun? They haven’t even come out and asked you, have they?”
“Not exactly. But Paige has dropped some clues.”
“What about joint custody?”
“Oh, and what happens if Hudson and I end up hating each other?”
She rubbed her chin. “I doubt that will happen.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Have you paid attention to the way he looks at you?”
“Yeah. Well, I think so.”
“The man acts like he wants to lick you as if you were an ice cream cone. He practically drools over you.”
“Oh, come on, Ells.”
“I’m not kidding.”
“I approve, especially if it’s gelato.”
“Hazelnut gelato,” she said.
“Mmm. Anywho, can we get back to the issue?”
“Listen, if you two hate each other, who gets Chester?”
“That’s easy. I do.”
She narrowed her eyes. I always hated when she did that. It spelled trouble. “Why is that easy?”
“Oh, snap. Ells already forgot something. He gave Chester to me.”
“Oh, snap. Mills forgot something too. Wiley loves that puppy. Are you just going to take a puppy away from a little boy?”
Oh, snap. I was in deep shit. “Does this mean Hudson and I are going steady?”
“I would say so. You have his high school ring hanging on a chain around your neck, baby sis.”
I chewed on a nail. “What should I do?”
“What is there to do? Take care of that puppy who is currently chewing on the leg of your coffee table.”
“Shit! Chester, don’t you dare do that.” Of course, I would never hit a puppy. I picked him up and he rained puppy kisses all over my face. There was nothing better than puppy breath. Why did dog breath stink as they got older? Too bad it couldn’t stay puppy breath forever.
“And Mills, if I failed to mention this earlier, he is hot. With a capital H. And let me add, you have certainly leveled up.”
“Leveled up?”
“Since Harry. Hudson is like Chris Hemsworth and Harry was like Pee-wee Herman.”
Seriously? Pee-wee Herman? “I can’t believe you just said that. Pee-wee Herman.”
“Look at the man. He is a god, Mills. And the sex—I can only imagine.”
“Um, no, you can’t possibly.” My face heated as I thought about some of the things he’d done to me.
She poked my cheek and smacked her knee. “I knew it! Ha! Much better than Harry.”
“Shut up. Harry couldn’t hold a candle to that. Let’s be honest. Harry could barely hold his own penis.”
“And your frozen vagina isn’t frozen anymore.” Ellerie never was a tiptoe around the daisies sort.
“That’s old news. Let’s just say it has thawed and is consistently running at boiling point.”
“See, I was right. I knew you’d find your Prince Charming.”
“More like my Prince McFoxy.” I chuckled at Ava’s nickname.
“McFoxy?”
“You have to meet my co-worker to understand. She practically fell at Hudson’s feet the first time she saw him.”
“And who could blame her?”
“Not me. Every time I was around him I had a major deodorant failure. God, it was awful. My armpits were practically a faucet. That’s how nervous he made me. But I got these standoff-ish vibes from him, only it turned out it was because of Wiley.” I gave her the rundown on that story.
She pressed her hands to her chest. “Oh, Lord. That’s terrible. That poor child. No wonder Hudson is suspicious.”
It was getting late, so we took Chester down for his walk. “I guess you might say we’re two peas in a pod. Do you have to leave the day after tomorrow? Can’t you stay for maybe a year? I’m getting used to having you here.”
“Really, Mills, if I’m going to stay even an extra few days, you’re gonna have to get a bigger place. I love you more than ice cream, but you’re a total bed hog.”
“Hudson doesn’t seem to mind.”
“No, because you probably rub your ass up against his—”
“Stop, you perv.”
“You started it.”
“Guess I deserved that.”
She stuck her arm through mine as we walked the pup. As soon as he did his duty, I picked him up and we went home.
“Make sure you wash his paws,” Ells said.
“Yes, Mom.”
I cleaned his feet and stuck him in his crate after kissing him goodnight.
“Let’s go to bed. Three a.m. will be here soon enough.”
We were getting ready for bed and all of a sudden, I got really sick. It was weird. One minute I was fine and the next … bam. I kicked Ellerie out of the bathroom just in time too. My stomach heaved and afterward I was better.
“Think it was something you ate?” she asked.
“Must’ve been. I’m still a little queasy. I’m just gonna crawl in bed.”
“Maybe you got the stomach bug. I think I’ll take the couch tonight.”
“Good idea.” My belly roiled, and I was afraid the last of it wasn’t over. “Do you mind going with Hudson to walk Chester tonight?”
“Not at all.”
“I’ll go if I feel better.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it. Just sleep.”
I crawled into bed with the intentions of setting my alarm for three but never did. Sleep claimed me almost as fast as I pulled the covers up.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hudson
At three in the morning, I knocked on Milly’s door. Disappointment soared when Ellerie answered.
“Hey, thanks for joining me,” she said.
“Where’s Milly?” I asked, trying not
to let dismay creep into my tone.
“She’s a little under the weather.”
“Oh, sorry to hear it. What’s wrong?”
“Stomach bug, maybe.”
“I hate those. Tell her I hope she feels better. Let’s get this little guy taken care of.”
We rode the elevator down in silence. But as we were getting off, she said, “Thanks for helping her out with Dick. You’ve been a huge blessing.”
“It was nothing.”
“Come on, Hudson. It was much more than nothing.”
“You’re right. It was.”
“Milly is special, and she’s been through a really rough time.”
Now I knew the real reason why Ellerie was here—to deliver the sister speech about telling me not to hurt her.
“I know. She’s told me.”
“She said as much. I flew down to be with her because yesterday was the anniversary of when she lost Simon.”
I stopped walking. “I didn’t know it was the anniversary yesterday. She didn’t say anything.”
“I suspected as much. She doesn’t talk about it a lot. Milly’s that way—holds everything inside. When that shit ex of hers left, I wanted to rip his heart out, because he did it on the heels of the loss of her baby, but Milly held her head high and never spoke an unkind word about him. That’s my sister. She’s strong as steel but soft as velvet. What I’m asking is, please don’t hurt her. Her heart has been through so much I don’t know if it can take any more destruction. She told me you’d been through a difficult time too. She wouldn’t say what it was, but I hope you understand enough about pain not to put her through any more. I guess what I’m saying, Hudson, is if your intentions aren’t true where Milly’s concerned, it’s best if you walk away now than cause any more damage.”
The more she talked, the more pissed off I got.
“Let’s get something straight, Ellerie. I appreciate your concern for your sister, I really do. But you’re forgetting a large piece of this puzzle. I haven’t gone into this blindly. In fact, I have my own shit to worry about. Not to mention there’s a five-year-old little boy upstairs who is crazy about Milly. Do you honestly think I’m a one and done kind of guy where she’s concerned, particularly since my son loves her? Have you stopped to consider that?”
She blinked a few times and damn if she didn’t remind me of Milly. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Then she smiled. “Milly’s ex was a major douche. I can’t begin to tell you how much. He was such a dick to her after she lost her baby. Not so much as an ounce of compassion in his body. She delivered the baby and he left the day after. She had to plan the funeral by herself. She was devastated. I’m only worried about her getting hurt again.”
My gut twisted as a thousand knives pierced it. When she told me about it, I knew he was an ass, but how could anyone be so cold to his wife, even if he was screwing around on her? She didn’t say he left like that. Or at least I didn’t think she had. Right after she had to deliver and then bury her son. My God, how cruel. That was his kid too. I couldn’t wrap my brain around that.
“Ellerie, I would never be that person.”
“Good. Now let’s take care of Chester so we both can get some sleep.”
Chester did his duties and we brought him back inside. On the way up the elevator, Ellerie said, “Thank you, Hudson. I like your vibe. Thanks for being so kind to my sister. She needs a good friend like you.”
I surprised myself by saying, “I hope she thinks we’re more than just friends by now.”
“I hope so too, but she’s a skittish rabbit.”
“When are you going back?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
“Then I hope to see you again. Goodnight.”
She smiled and let herself in the apartment. I pondered over our conversation. I knew about Milly’s loss, but her ex had been a major dick. He’d really stooped to lowest levels with her. I’d like to smash the fucker’s face in.
That was all I thought of for the rest of the night. Milly was so sweet and kind. Even if their relationship had ended, show some compassion and empathy for what she’d gone through, for fuck’s sake.
That conversation soured my mood the next day. I was a grouch at work and even Dottie wanted to know what crawled up my ass.
“You’re never this grumpy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you snap at the employees like this, even when Nasha was hitting on you.”
I groaned and shook my head. “Something happened last night that put me in a really bad mood.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“I can’t. It’s confidential.”
“Then I’m sorry and I hope it gets better.”
“Thanks. It’s actually water under the bridge, but it still pisses me off.”
“Sometimes that’s worse because you’re helpless to do anything.”
“That’s exactly how I feel.”
She patted my shoulder. “I hope it passes.”
“Same here.”
I went back to work and prayed it would take my mind off things. Later that afternoon, Mom called.
“Hey honey, I have a question. Do you think Milly would want to share Dick with me?”
“Not this again, Mom.”
“But he loves it here. He’s so much better with the regular exercise he’s been getting. He even looks healthier.”
“I can’t argue that point because it’s a valid one, but Milly adores him. How can I ask her to give him up?”
“Not give him up. Share him.”
“Mom, you’re just going to have to call her and ask her yourself.”
“You’re right, son. Thank you.” She hung up without saying goodbye. I hope she didn’t call her and not sugarcoat it. The last thing I wanted was something upsetting her today. I was suddenly feeling very protective of her.
“Milly, Milly, Milly. What have you done to me?”
“Did you say something, Dr. West?”
One of the techs had walked up behind me and I hadn’t been aware of it.
“No, I was only talking to myself.”
Her secretive grin told me she knew what I’d said. She carried on with her chores and said nothing. I began thinking that maybe I needed to do something nice for Milly. But what? Flowers? No, that was a bit morbid, almost funeral-ish. Maybe I should send her a spa gift certificate.
Grabbing my phone, I called my sister-in-law.
“What’s up, bro?”
I always laughed when she did that. “I need a favor.”
“Of course you do. Does this have anything to do with that gorgeous neighbor of yours?”
“It does. I need a spa recommendation because I want to send her a gift certificate.”
“Ahh, very nice.”
She rattled off the names of a few and told me which ones were the closest to us and the swankiest.
“The last will treat her the best, but not make her feel insignificant. You know how some of them can be uppity? That one, not at all. I think she’d like it.”
I asked her what the cost of a full body massage or something else she might like. Marin gave me a good ballpark figure and I called them and had the gift certificate delivered to her office.
About two hours later, I received a phone call.
“Hudson West, what are you thinking?”
“That you work too hard and need a little break, that’s what.”
“This is too generous. I can’t …”
“If you don’t take this, you’ll hurt my feelings.”
“Oh, Hudson.” Then I heard her sniffing.
“Are you crying.”
“No.”
“Liar. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“It’s just that this is the sweetest thing ever.”
“I thought the helicopter ride was,” I said.
“That too.”
“Make an appointment for after your sister leaves. I can handle Chester for you.”
“Okay.” Sniff sniff.
“I know. I’m sorry.” Sniff sniff. “You’re too good to me.”
“I like spoiling you.” And I found it was the truth.
“Your mom called. She wants to know if I’ll share my Dick with her.”
The mere idea had me laughing. “I’d rather share mine with you.”
“I’d rather you did too.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her we could try it on a temporary basis. If I miss him too much though, I’ll want him back.”
“That’s a very good arrangement. The best of both worlds.”
“I agree. See you tonight. And Hudson?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you very much for my gift certificate.”
“You’re welcome.”
As I was closing up the office, the new doctor, who was starting in a couple of weeks called to say he’d be in town the following weekend. He and his wife were signing their apartment lease and setting up their moving arrangements. I suggested we meet for lunch or dinner. He said it would be a quick trip and asked for breakfast on Sunday instead.
“That would be great if you don’t mind me bringing my son.”
“Not at all. I’ll call you to arrange a time.”
It was a beautiful day in early May, and I was walking home when my phone rang. It was Mom.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hey, darling. I talked to Milly and she accepted my offer on the grounds she can see Dick whenever she wants. Of course I told her that was fine. I was wondering if the three of you wanted to come out on Saturday.”
“No Sunday dinner?”
“I was expecting you to spend the night, so yes.”
“Fine. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
“Why not tonight?”
“Milly’s sister is in town so she’ll be spending some time with her and I won’t be seeing her tonight.”
“Oh, how lovely for Milly. She didn’t mention that.”
“If she was at work, she was probably super busy.”
“Yes, I suppose so. I’ll wait to hear back from you. Give Wiley the biggest kiss from me.”
“I will, Mom.”
When I got home, all Wiley wanted to do was go and see Chester.
“Pwease, Daddy, pwease. Can we?”
“Okay, but let me call first. I don’t want to interrupt.”