“You’re not going to cook yet, are you?”
“Not yet. They’re just getting things prepared.”
Milly stood up from where she’d been playing with Chester on the floor. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll run upstairs to shower before dinner.”
Mom said, “Take your time, dear. There’s no rush.”
When Milly was gone, I said to my mother and in a low voice so no one else could hear, “Mom, don’t say anything about kids again. It makes Milly uncomfortable and it gives my son false hopes. He’s had enough disappointment to last a lifetime. He doesn’t need anymore.”
“Hudson, I didn’t—”
“Think about what you said, Mom.”
We had a stare down until she finally relented.
I continued in my whisper-yell, “Not to mention, remember what happened the last time? With Lydia?”
This time, her hackles rose. “Don’t you dare compare the two. Milly is nothing like that woman. Nothing at all.”
She was one hundred percent right. Lydia had been selfish from the beginning, but I’d been young and blinded by the need to fulfill my sexual urges.
The tension in my neck and shoulders felt like a hot knife searing through muscle.
“You’re right. They couldn’t be more different. But there’s something else. Milly lost a baby and saying things like that makes her very uncomfortable.”
When her posture sagged, I knew I’d made my point. “Oh, Hudson, I didn’t know.”
“I realize that, but you have to keep comments like that to yourself.”
“I understand.”
Wiley came inside, and I asked, “Hey dude, what’s Bebop up to?”
“We got the griww ready.”
“Thanks for being such a good helper.”
“Your wewcome. Daddy, are you gonna see if Big Dick is okay?”
“Yeah. I can do that now.” I grabbed the stethoscope I’d brought and listened to his heart. Then I palpated his abdomen to make sure everything felt normal and listened to it with the stethoscope. Things sounded fine. Dick didn’t act like he was in any discomfort when I was poking around in there so that was an excellent sign. I was very pleased with his progress. Even his bruising must’ve healed. I’d like to get an X-ray of his ribs again, maybe in another couple of weeks, just to be sure, but for now, everything looked excellent.
“Is he okay?” Wiley asked.
“He’s excellent, dude.”
Wiley clapped his hands as Dick stared at him. Dad walked in and asked, “What’s the occasion?”
“Daddy says Big Dick is good.”
“Everything is checking out great.”
“Ah, that’s good news. I figured as much, with an appetite like his.”
Then we all heard a brrrrffft, followed by an obnoxious odor.
“Ugh, Dick made a stink bomb,” Wiley said, pinching his nose.
“What are you feeding him?” I asked Dad.
“The food you gave us, plus you know your mother. She gives him little treats here and there.”
“How can you stand that?”
Wiley was still pinching his nose and Dad was laughing.
“We’re used to it.”
“Your olfactory nerves must be shot.”
Milly walked into the kitchen and asked, “What’s going on? Oh, God, what’s that odor?”
“Big Dick made a stink bomb,” Wiley said.
Milly waved her hand in front of her face to clear the air.
“Mom, what kind of treats have you been giving Dick?”
“Why?”
Wiley, who was on my heels yelled, “He made a giant stink bomb.”
“Oh, that. It’s nothing.”
Milly looked horrified.
“Milly, I swear, it’s not always like this.” Turning to Mom, I said, “Mom, you can’t be giving him people food. It’s not good for his digestion.”
“I don’t give him that much. Besides, he’s so cute when he puts his head on the dining room table.”
“What! You let him put his head on the dining room table?”
“Hudson, it’s nothing. Now go back outside and help your father cook the steaks.”
Milly stared at Mom like she was twenty bricks short of a load, and I was certain she was. Who was this woman who would barely let us keep our dogs in the same room with us while we ate dinner? Now she was allowing Dick to put his head on the table while they ate? This had to be some kind of an illusion.
She shooed us away and when we got outside, I could only scratch my head. Thankfully the green haze of Dick’s stink bomb had finally dissipated so it would be safe to eat dinner.
Dad asked, “Did you get it cleared up with her?”
My finger pointed in the direction of the kitchen. “That woman in there is not my mother. Someone else has taken her over.”
Dad only laughed. “No use arguing with her. She always gets her way. On another note—Milly, how do you like your steak cooked?”
Milly was still staring at my mom through the kitchen window.
“Milly?” I prodded.
“Oh, sorry. What did you say?”
“Steaks. How do you like them cooked?” I asked.
“Medium rare, please.”
Mom stuck her head out and asked how long before the steaks were done. “About ten minutes.”
“I’ll go in to see what I can do to help,” Milly said.
When she was gone, Dad looked at me and said, “Your mother adores her.”
“I’m a little fond of her myself.”
“I wove her,” Wiley said.
I picked him up and tossed him up in the air. “You do?”
“Yep. And she woves you too. She’ww give you the bestest steak tonight.”
I chuckled at him.
When Dad was finished, we went inside, and I put Chester in his crate. When I went to do the same to Dick, Mom stopped me. “No, you don’t. He stays with me.”
“Mom. All the other dogs will be crated during dinner.”
“Not my Dick. He sits next to me every night.”
“You have ruined him for Milly.”
Milly was holding back a laugh because she tried her best not to spoil Dick too. I knew Chester would be a lost cause. What was it with women and their dogs? They treated them like their children.
Mom said, “They are our children, except we don’t have to send them to college, pay for their cars, or put up with their sass. Now let’s eat before the steaks get cold.”
I squinted. How did she always know what I was thinking?
“Gammie, did you make any of those green sticks?”
“You mean green beans?” she asked, correcting him.
“Yeah.”
“No, we’re having your favorites—mashed potatoes and salad. And then ice cream for dessert.”
“Yay!” Wiley ran into the dining room and took his seat in his booster chair.
As we ate, I noticed Mom sneaking pieces of steak to Dick. “You don’t think I see you?”
“I don’t care if you do. This won’t hurt him.”
“And when did you get your degree in veterinary medicine?”
Out came her fork as she aimed it at me. “Don’t get smart with me. I paid for that degree.”
I regretted that comment. “You’re right and I apologize.” Dad’s lips pressed into a thin line and I went on to say, “I’m really sorry. That was uncalled for.”
Dad set his fork down. “Hudson, honestly, what exactly do a few snacks here and there do to him? Do they really harm him?”
The truth was I wasn’t in favor of giving a lot of food like this to dogs because people sometimes went way overboard. But as long as it was in moderation, and the dog ate his regular healthy food, it was fine.
“No, as long as that’s not all he gets and I know you’re feeding him his other food.”
“Then can we just drop it? Dick brings your mother joy. He gives her a purpose and when she’s happy, I’m ha
ppy. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“It makes me happy, too, Bebop.” That broke the ice as Bebop laughed.
“Good, and how’s that steak, Wiley?”
“Good.”
The rest of the dinner went well and everyone, especially Wiley, loved the homemade sundaes. Afterward, we were cleaning up when the doorbell rang. Dad was outside scrubbing the grill, Mom was putting up the dishes, and I was drying, so Milly said she’d handle it. Wiley was on the floor with Chester.
Milly was talking to another woman and I figured it was the neighbor, but it wasn’t. I had just closed the dishwasher door when a blast from the past said, “Well isn’t this a cozy scene?”
I whirled around to see Lydia standing there. Mom froze, Wiley didn’t pay any attention to her, and Milly stood behind her with a questioning glance.
“Aren’t you going to say hello to your wife, Hudson?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Milly
The woman standing at the door asked, “Is this the West residence?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Paige and Rick West’s home?”
“Yes. Who are you?”
She didn’t respond, but shoved her way past me and marched down the hall that led into the kitchen.
When I heard, “Aren’t you going to say hello to your wife, Hudson?” my heart slammed into the floor and shattered into a million pieces.
His wife! That was Lydia, the one who abandoned them. What the hell was she doing here?
“Don’t you mean my ex-wife?” he asked.
She batted her hand. “Semantics. I was never there for the divorce.”
“You left. Abandoned us. Didn’t give a …” Then he must’ve caught himself because I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye.
“Ahh, there he is. My sweet little boy.”
Wiley was now on his feet, staring at this evil demon. What the hell must Hudson be feeling? And Paige looked like she wanted to rip the woman’s face off.
“Lydia, I think it’s best you leave,” Paige said through gritted teeth. I’d never seen such hatred on anyone before.
Hudson started twitching. His face twisted into a mask of fury and I was afraid he was going to punch her.
Rick walked into the house saying, “Glad that’s taken care of.” When no one answered, he looked up and his jaw smacked the floor.
“Hi, Rick. Aren’t you happy to see me?” Lydia purred.
Was this woman nuts?
“No, Lydia, we are not. I think you should leave.”
“Not until I see my son.”
Hudson took one step forward and said, “You decided the day you left, you didn’t have one.”
“I made an error.”
“And you keep making the same one. The only thing you’re interested in—”
“Hudson,” Paige interrupted.
It was time to intervene. I said, “Um, Wiley, why don’t you and I go upstairs with Chester?”
“That’s a great idea,” Hudson said.
“No. I want to see him,” Lydia said.
Then, to everyone’s shock, Wiley said, “You don’t wove me. Miwwy does.” He handed Chester to me and stuck his hand in mine, indicating it was time to leave. We walked out and up the steps. My whole body was shaking, but I had to stay strong for this little boy. If I appeared weak, he would know, and I did not want to let him down in any way.
We opened the door to his room and he climbed up on the bed.
“Why’d that wady come here?”
“You know who she is, don’t you?”
He hung his head, so I took a seat next to him.
“Yeah, she’s my mommy. But she doesn’t wike me. She ran away and weft.”
This was the worst kind of dilemma I’d ever been in. I had to tread very carefully here because whatever I said to this darling little boy could either patch him up or cause more damage than I could even imagine. And what would Hudson want me to say? That his mother was an evil bitch whore who didn’t care about a damn thing except herself? Or to put some plastic over her and make her look decent and shiny? I could do either, but I also didn’t want to give Wiley any false hopes.
“Wiley, sometimes grown-ups do things that no one really understands.”
“But why?”
“Who knows. What I do know is this. Your daddy loves you more than all the stars and the moon in the sky. And so does Gammie and Bebop.”
“And Fwimsy, Roscoe, and Scooter too?”
“Yes, all of them do too.”
“And Big Dick? Does he wove me?”
“He loves you like crazy and so does Chester. Just look at him trying to kiss you now.” Chester was crawling all over the kid, trying to lick his face. Wiley giggled up a storm.
“And what about you, Miwwy. Do you wove me too?”
“I love you more than a million hot fudge sundaes with whipped cream on top.”
“What about the sprinkles?”
“Oh, yes, sprinkles too.”
“Promise?”
“Pinky swear promise.”
“What’s that?” His eyes widened as he asked.
“Hold out your pinky finger like this.” I demonstrated as I held my own out. His tiny one stuck out waiting for my own and I wrapped my larger one around it, saying, “I pinky swear that I love Wiley more than a million hot fudge sundaes with whipped cream on top and sprinkles too.” When I released his, I added, “That’s the best kind of promise you can make to someone.” Suddenly, the little guy had his arms wrapped around me and was telling me how much he woved me. I was damn sure my heart would burst. I had to wipe my eyes before he let me go so he wouldn’t see my tears.
We both fell back on his bed and were lying there when the door opened, and Hudson walked in.
“Hey, you two. Everything okay in here?”
“Yep. Daddy, do you know what a pinky swear is?”
“Nope. What is it?”
“I can’t show you ‘til we got something to swear over.”
“Okay. How about this? I swear you are the best son in the whole wide world and I don’t know what I’d do without you because I love you sooooo much.”
“Yeah, that’s a promise, isn’t Miwwy?”
“The best kind,” I said.
“Now you gotta hold your pinky out. Right, Miwwy?”
“Right.”
Wiley held his out and waited for Hudson. It was so funny because Hudson’s was gigantic and when they locked together, Wiley said, “Say it.”
“Say what?”
“What you said before. About me bein’ the best and all.”
Hudson poked his tongue in his cheek, trying not to laugh. He cleared his throat, then began, “I swear you’re the best son in the whole wide world and I don’t know what I’d do without you because I love you soooooo much.”
“We’re pinky swored.”
“Awesome, dude!”
They fist bumped and my heart couldn’t get any more full of love. Somehow, I had fallen for this man and his adorable little boy. They were both wrapped around my heart and I honestly didn’t know where one ended and the other began. Hudson glanced at me and mouthed, “Thank you.”
I winked back at him.
“Hey wild man, Gammie and Bebop are downstairs and want to play with you and Chester before you go to bed. Why don’t you go down there with them for a little bit?”
Wiley’s eye rounded. “Is that mean wady still there?”
“Nope, she’s gone.”
“Promise?”
Hudson stuck his pinky out and said, “I pinky swear.”
Wiley squinted at him and asked me, “Miwwy, can you pinky swear on this?”
I nearly cracked up. “You can pinky swear on anything you want.”
“Okay.” Out came his little finger and they did the oath. I had a feeling these two would be pinky swearing over a lot of things. I hope Hudson didn’t kill me for this one.
Wiley scrambled off the
bed and ran out of the room. Hudson yelled, “Take it easy there. You don’t want to fall down the steps with Chester.”
“Okay, Daddy,” came back to us.
When the coast was clear, Hudson said, “Sorry about that intrusion. The bitch was a total shock. Took me off guard.”
“I’m sorry for letting her in, but she pushed right past me and didn’t even give me a chance to stop her.”
He sat down next to me and picked up my hand. “I can only imagine. I’m still reeling over how she just pranced in here, making demands like that.”
I circled a thumb on his hand. It must’ve been traumatic for him. “What happened after we left?”
“Thanks for getting him out of there. That’s the last thing he needed to be around.”
“Not a problem.”
“She went a little crazy when I reminded her she had no rights to him. Then she said she was going to take me back to court and demand custody again. I told her to try. It would cost her a sweet penny to find a lawyer to take her case. Then she changed her tactics to asking me for money instead, which was what she really wanted all along. I told her if she ever contacted anyone in this family again, I would call my attorney and ask for an order of protection to prevent her from that. She tried to act like the pitiful mother who’s been denied her child, but she finally came around and the devil emerged again. I don’t know what will happen, but I’m going to call Pearson and act on this. Wiley does not need that woman near him. My fear is that she’ll try something when he’s at school.”
With every word he spoke, my heart beat faster and harder. This was worse than I’d thought.
“What did Wiley say?”
“He wanted to know why she came here. I asked him if he knew who she was. I’ll be honest, Hudson, I had no idea where to go with this. He said he knew she was his mommy and she didn’t like him because she left him and ran away.”
“That’s about right.”
“I wanted to soften that blow. I knew what he’d been through because of what you’d told me.” I explained how I handled things and ended up with the pinky swear.
He chuckled. “I wondered where that came from.”
“He seemed fine with my explanations, but you never know. Oh, how my heart hurts for him.”
One minute we were lying side by side, and the next I was on top of him.
From Ice to Flames Page 23