Forever Love (Kingpin Book 3)

by Brooke Summers

  Mom's eyes flash with anger. "She took you from me."

  I've had enough of this shit. "Mom." My voice is hard. "She didn't take Dad from you. You were fucking Martin long before she came along. Why did you tell him where she was?"

  She shrugs. "I never intended for him to kill her. We were talking about your father and her, how they were separated, I told him that Tina was living in the motel."

  "How did you know where she was staying?" Dad demands and it's a good question, not many knew where she was living as her and dad were in the midst of getting back together.

  "I met Martin across the street from the motel, I watched her go into her room."

  "So you fucking told him?" Dad growls. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

  Mom's eyes widen. "I'm sorry, okay? I never meant for this to happen."

  "What did you think would happen when you told that fucking psychopath where she lived? That he'd bring her fucking biscuits?" Dad’s angrier than I have ever heard him before.

  Mom shakes her head, as she wipes away her tears. "I don't know, it was in passing."

  "What else did you tell him? Hmm? We obviously know you told him that Mia was pregnant."

  "No, I never told him that."

  I sigh. "Enough with the lies mom, there's no other way he could have known."

  "Hudson, I'm not lying. He knew before I did." As crazy as it sounds, I actually believe her.

  "So how?" Dad asks. "There’s no way he could have known unless he was dumpster diving or got access to her medical records."

  "I don't know Harrison, but it wasn't me," she cries. "I know that you may never believe me but I'm telling the truth. I'm sorry for my stupidity, for the hurt that my actions have caused. It was never my intention for this to happen."

  "What good is that now? He killed her, he killed my wife because you were fucking jealous." Dad gets to his feet.

  "Jealous?" Mom questions, a deep furrow between her brows.

  "Yes Marline, jealous. You hated Tina because I left you for her. You were jealous because I loved her when I never loved you."

  Mom scoffs. "You are a pig Harrison." She doesn't deny that she was jealous of him and Tina.

  "Stop," Mia cries, her tone strained. It must be hard to hear this shit, her mom died and dad and my mom are arguing like Mia's not in the room.

  "Mia..." Dad says, his eyes soften when they look at her.

  "It's over Harrison. Mom's gone and as much as you'd love to hate Marline, she didn't do anything wrong. She had no idea that Martin would kill mom."

  "Exactly, Tina is gone."

  Mia shakes her head, "She is and she's not coming back. My baby is never going to see her. So I need you to put your differences aside and get along. You have a child together and we're going to have your grandchild, you're going to have to get along."

  Dad sits down again, he looks winded. "Mia..."

  Tears form in Mia's eyes. "I know, it's going to be hard but I'm going to need you, both of you, in our lives. I would really appreciate it if you both could be civil. I know Hudson would too."

  Mom nods, "You're right, we need to sit down and talk, clear the air properly and then hopefully we can be civil."

  Dad releases a heavy sigh. "Fine, name a time and a place and I'll be there."

  "Tomorrow, stop by my house around four. I'll cook dinner and we'll talk," Mom says as she gets to her feet. "I'm going to go now, Hudson, thank you for allowing me to talk and explain my side of things. Mia," Mom's voice cracks at her name. "You are truly an extraordinary young lady. Your parents would be so proud of you. Thank you for your support." She bends down and places a kiss against Mia's cheek. "I'll see you soon. Take care and rest."

  Mia smiles, "I will do. Hope everything goes okay tomorrow for you both."

  "Harrison, I'll see you tomorrow." Dad nods at her words, he's still not in the mood for forgiving her and I can't blame him. I'd probably be the same if the tables were turned, she made him out to be the bad guy all along when she was just as bad as he was.

  "I'll call you tomorrow Hudson," she tells me and I nod. "I'll see myself out."

  I take a sip of beer, it's getting warm. The front door closes and dad instantly relaxes.

  "I can't believe you Hudson," Mia says with a growl.

  "What?" I ask in disbelief, what the hell have I done now?

  "Your mom poured her heart out and you didn't even get up and say goodbye properly. You were extremely chilly with her."

  "Mia, you can't expect things to be as they were," Dad tells her. "She's lied. You have to realize that Marline is a manipulator, she's finally shown her true colors. She's got a long way to make amends, and one conversation isn't going to help."

  I pull her body into mine. "He's right, Princess, but don't worry, mom and I are going to be fine." They're not going to be the way they were before but I'll be civil to her just as I used to be to dad. "Do you want to stay here for a bit longer or do you want to go to bed?"

  She smiles. "Stay here. Also, I'm hungry."

  Dad chuckles. "As am I. Boy, what are you making us?"

  I shake my head, damn these two are as thick as thieves. "I'm ordering take-out." I leave them to talk, knowing that they're both hurting right now. There's only one person that can put a smile on my dad's face and that's Tina, or talking about her. My cell rings and I see it’s Colby.

  “Hey man, what’s up?”

  “How’s Mia?” He asks, and I bite back my smile. She’s wormed her way into everyone’s hearts.

  “She’s okay.” I don’t think she’ll be out of my sight ever again.

  “That’s good. I found Martin’s laptop, the fucker hacked Mia’s medical records, it’s how he found out she was pregnant.”

  Mom was telling the truth, fuck. “Did you find anything else?”

  “So much fucking shit on your dad and Tina, but nothing on you. Thank fuck he’s dead.”

  “A-fucking-men to that.”

  “I’m still combing through his shit, if I find anything else, I’ll let you know.” He tells me and I don’t envy his job at all. Martin was a sick fuck and I can just imagine all the shit he’s going to have to look through.

  “Thanks.” I say and end the call.

  I hear laughter from the sitting room and the pain in my chest eases. They’re safe, that’s the most important thing, that fucker can’t hurt her anymore.

  Eighteen

  Mia

  Twelve weeks later

  "Mia," he murmurs, as his hand rests on my bump. He's waiting for the baby to move. Our little boy is like clockwork, nine am and he'll start dancing. "I know that you have a name in mind. Every time I suggest one you act disinterested."

  "I'm not disinterested, I just want to meet him first." I do have a name in mind but I'm not sure what Hudson will think of it. So until our son is born, I'm not saying a word.

  "Okay, he's having a lazy morning," he comments when the baby doesn't move. "Want some breakfast?"

  I nod. "I can make it," I tell him sitting up.

  "No, I'll make it, go have a shower and it'll be ready when you're ready." He gets off the bed and reaches for the sweatpants that are lying on the floor.

  I smile at him. "That sounds heavenly, thank you."

  He winks at me. "Don't thank me Mia, you're my wife, I look after you."

  Since I've been home from the hospital, he's been so attentive. He's delegated a lot more of his work so that he's home most of the time. I know that's because he's worried about the both of us, but also because he's able to breathe now that Martin's gone.

  We've been lucky, the tear wasn't as bad as I had thought and I've had bed rest since I've been home. It's boring and I've gone stir crazy but I've done it because it gave my baby the best chance of coming to full term which is three weeks away although the doctor said if he was born soon, he'd be okay, as I'm thirty-seven weeks. We're almost there and I'm grateful that we've got this far, each day that passes gives him more chance of survival. My
nerves are kicking in now, I'm scared for the labor. It's the fear of the pain that's going to come.

  I slowly get out of bed, Hudson's cell is ringing in the background somewhere. It's weird, now when his cell rings I'm not fearful for what's about to come. Walking to the bathroom, my hand reaches out and I hold onto the wall as a twinge of pain hits my stomach. It hits me hard and takes my breath away. Just as quick as it comes, it passes again.

  Gingerly getting into the shower, I can hear Hudson on the phone, it's probably his mom. She calls him every day, it took a while for him to forgive her, and even longer for Harrison but they've done so and their relationships are stronger than ever before. Marline and Harrison have been getting along and I'm curious if something has happened between them. The loving glances that she gives him are a far cry from how she would have looked at him only a few months ago.

  I cry out as pain hits me once again. Shit, the baby hasn't moved and I'm getting pains. Does that mean I'm in labor? It's too early, I shouldn't be. I should call Sarah, she'd know what this feels like. I wait until the pain passes before climbing out of the shower. I've never had a pain take my breath away so quickly, the fear I had about the labor has intensified. Wrapping a towel around me, I go into my bedroom and sit down on the bed. Reaching for my phone, I dial Sarah's number.

  "Hey Mia," she says chirpily

  Sarah and I are able to spend more time together now that there's no longer a threat to my life. It's been good to spend time with her again, and also be around Allie, that girl has grown so much and I love her more and more each day.

  "Sarah." I gasp as another pain hits me and I feel a popping sensation, glancing down at my legs, I see water running down it.

  "Mia?" she calls, "Mia are you okay?"

  "I'm not sure," I breathe, "I keep getting pains in my stomach."

  "Mia are you in labor?"

  "No, I don't think so, it's too early. Sarah, the baby hasn't moved this morning." I tell her as tears slowly fall.

  "Oh Mia, you need to go to the hospital. Now," she demands, I can hear the worry in her voice.

  "Okay, I'm going to get dressed and I'll have Hudson drive me." Water is still trickling down my legs, it seems to be getting heavier.

  "No," she shouts. "I'm going to get Jagger's mom to watch Allie and then Jagger and I are coming to you and bringing you to the hospital. Hudson's going to be a mess when he finds out you're in labor, you don't want him driving."

  Jagger chuckles in the background. "He's going to lose his damn mind."

  "Mia, deep breaths okay," Sarah instructs me. "I'll be there soon. Get dressed and wait for us."

  I get to my feet. "I will, thank you." I take a deep breath as pain hits me again. "Oh," I whisper as the water gushes down my leg now. "Sarah, I think my water has broken."

  "Don't worry Mia, Jagger's mom is on her way now. We'll be there soon."

  "Okay." Tears fall faster as my stomach tightens once again and pain hits me.

  "Breathe Mia, breathe," she tells me.

  I cry out as the pain intensifies. "Sarah, it hurts." Tears are streaming down my face. Where the hell is Hudson?

  "I know Mia, I know. It'll be over soon, I promise." She sounds as though she's crying too. "Oh, Jag's mom's here. We're leaving now. I'll stay on the phone and talk to you."

  I shake my head, even though she can't see me. My feet are soaked, as is the floor. I need to clean up. "No, go, I'll see you soon."

  She sighs. "Okay Mia, I love you. I'll be there soon."

  "Love you too." I hang up and throw my cell onto the bed. "Hudson." I yell, hoping he's in the kitchen and not his office otherwise he's not going to hear me.

  I get no reply. Thankfully my water seems to have stopped. I quickly waddle over to the wardrobe and take one of my maternity dresses off the hanger. I throw it on, not bothering with a bra. Once I'm dressed, I waddle over to the cupboard and take out a couple of towels. "Hudson?" I call out once again but still no reply.

  Kneeling down, I start cleaning the mess I made. Pain hits me again, once again taking all the oxygen from me. I try and remember the breathing techniques I learned while doing Lamaze classes but for the life of me I can't seem to remember them. It takes me a while to clean up, I throw the towels into the laundry basket and walk into the hall. The kitchen and sitting room are quiet, making my way toward the office, I have to stop as once again pain hits me. Once the pain passes, I stand for a couple of minutes to catch my breath.

  I open the office door, Hudson's sitting behind the desk, the phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear as he types on his computer. He glances at me, a deep frown on his face. "Aaron, hold on a second will you?" There's an edge to his tone. "Mia, what's wrong?"

  I walk toward him. He's focused on me, his eyes never leaving me. "Hudson, Sarah and Jagger are on their way."

  His frown deepens. "Okay, is everything okay?"

  My hands reach for the chair as pain hits me once again. "Ahhhhhhh." This one is worse than any of the one's before. I close my eyes as I wait for the pain to pass. They're coming almost every ten minutes. I need to get to the hospital.

  "Mia!" Hudson calls out, I can hear his feet moving but I don't dare look at him. "Princess, talk to me," he whispers, his hands on my face.

  Opening my eyes, he's staring at me, searching to see what's wrong. "Hudson, he's coming," I breathe once the pain has gone.

  The color drains from his face, he shakes his head. "Mia, it's too soon. Are you sure?"

  My eyes widen. "Hudson, my water broke and I'm having contractions. Of course I'm sure."

  His thumbs caress my cheeks. "Mia, I don't mean to be an ass. It's too soon."

  "I know, Jagger and Sarah are on their way. They're driving us to the hospital."

  He kisses my forehead. "Okay princess." His arms tighten around me, I rest my head against his shoulder, loving his protectiveness.

  "We haven't got the crib for our room ready yet," I whisper against him.

  "Don't worry, it'll be done. David and Aaron will do it."

  I raise my head. "David's back?" I smile, I've missed him. Even though he's usually silent, he's one of Hudson's men I really like.

  "Yeah, baby he's back. He's with Aaron right now."

  David was due back a couple of months ago but he found out something's about his wife that devastated him. It was then that I was worried about him the most, he stopped checking in with everyone and had gone radio silent. I honestly believed he'd never return.

  "Is he okay?"

  Hudson smiles. "Yeah baby he's okay. He's better than he's been in a while. He’s come to terms with everything that's happened and what he learned about his wife." The way he says his wife isn't great, he knows what happened or what was unveiled and he won't tell me. It’s not his place to say.

  "Hello?" I hear yelled and relief washes through me. Sarah and Jagger are here.

  "Come on princess, let’s get you to the hospital." He holds onto me as we walk out of the office.

  "Don't forget to get the bag." I've had it packed for the past six weeks. It's by the door so we'd know where it is for when we needed it.

  "I've got it Mia, Jagger's already putting it into the trunk," Sarah says as we walk towards her.

  "Thanks." I smile but that smile soon vanishes as pain hits me once again. "Ahhhhhhhhhh." I scream as the pain intensifies.

  "Breathe Mia," Sarah instructs me and I do as she says. "That's it, in and out," I copy her and I'm able to not panic.

  "Thank you." I say to them both as they help me out of the house and toward the car.

  "Don't thank me Mia, you did the same for me."

  I smile. "You never got me into this situation." I raise my eyebrows at Hudson who grimaces.

  "Shit, I'm glad I wasn't there for Allie's birth." Jagger laughs but I know that he's joking, he'd loved to have been there.

  "Try not to break Hudson's finger," Sarah jokes and I watch as Hudson visibly blanches.

  “Jeez, you doing ok
ay Mia?” Jagger asks, a horrified look on his face.

  I nod as Hudson helps me to get into the car. “Yeah, I can’t wait to meet him,” I reply to Jagger.

  Hudson climbs in beside me and holds my hand. "It's going to be okay."

  My hand rests on my bump. "Hudson he's not moved." I gently rub in hopes that it'll get him to move.

  "He's okay, he's just waiting to finally come out. We'll be at the hospital soon. Please try and relax," he tells me but I can hear the worry in his voice.

  "Relax?" I question, "I'm about to have at least a six pound baby come out of my vagina. Don't tell me to relax," I say through clenched teeth.

  Jagger laughs. "Dude, if you value your life, keep your mouth shut. Mia once you've had the baby, the pain will be forgotten."

  "You weren't even present at your child's birth, how the hell do you know that?" Hudson asks in disgust.

  It's Sarah's turn to laugh, "I'm obsessed with One Born Every Minute. I've made Jagger watch them with me. He seems to think that just because he's watched them it's made him some sort of expert. Ignore him."

  "So it's not true? You don't forget about the pain?" I ask, everything I've read or heard says that you do forget.

  She turns to face me, glaring at Jagger as she does. "Oh that's true, you do. Within seconds of Allie being born I couldn't remember how bad the pain was. Watching you have your contraction brought it all back. I don't envy you right now." She’s got a big smirk on her face.

  "You're not helping," I say through clenched teeth as once again I'm hit with a contraction.

  "Mia, we're almost here. Keep breathing." Hudson whispers as he rubs my back trying to sooth me. "Less than five minutes. You're doing amazing."

  I lean my head against him once the pain goes. "God, why do women do this to themselves more than once?" I've not even had the worst part yet and I'm already swearing off having anymore.

  "Fuck if I know," Hudson mutters.

  "Sex," Sarah says simply, "If the sex is out of this world, you're bound to get pregnant. It's like laws of physics or something."

  Hudson laughs, "No it isn't."