Page 204 of Bridesmaid By Chance
“Not surprised,” Hardy says and then grumbles, “Fuck. Has he contacted you?”
“No. I was wondering if he’s been in touch with you.”
“Not since he visited us in the office. Do you think he found out that day?”
“I’m assuming he did. He was looking for Sloane when he came into the office. My guess is that he called her, and then from there, he found out. Not sure how though. Fuck.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Have you heard from him at all, even email?”
“Nothing, and he was supposed to get back to me about a possible project down by the pier.”
“Shit.”
“I told you this wasn’t going to end well; I fucking told you, Hudson.”
“I know. I know.” I lean back on the couch and stare up at the ceiling. “Trust me when I say I’m living in hell.” I clear my throat and say, “I, uh, I didn’t really stay in contact with her while I was gone.”
“What?” Hardy yells on the phone. “Why the fuck would you do that?”
“I was trying to focus on one thing at a time,” I groan. “She…she’s a weakness for me, and I didn’t want to think about her out of fear that I wouldn’t be able to handle Dad. You know the kind of control he has over us…over me. I was nervous, fucking worried over the fact that Dad knew and was going to let the cat out of the bag. I was…I was stressed, and I just…I just tried to go one step at a time.”
“You’re a fucking idiot. Business aside, that’s shitty, man. After everything you put her through? That’s shitty.”
“I fucking know, Hardy. I know how shitty I’ve been. I can see it in her eyes; I can feel it in my chest. I knew the moment I read through her texts. I thought I was leaving her here strong, when in reality she was just putting on a front. And I’ve been trying to apologize, and she won’t let me.”
“Should I feel sorry for you?”
“No. I’m not asking you to feel sorry for me.”
“Then what the hell are you asking?”
“Nothing. I’m just telling you everything that’s happened.”
“Well, it seems to me like everything you’ve done has been a massive mistake, starting with marrying her, then fucking her, then leaving her and not talking to her. I mean, Jesus Christ, if you are trying to be anything but Dad, you’re failing miserably.”
My mouth goes dry and my stomach flips upside down. “What did you just say?”
“You fucking heard me,” Hardy yells. “You’re treating her like a possession, not like a human. That’s something Dad would do.”
“I’m not treating her like a possession.”
“Really? Because all I’ve seen you do is use her. Use her for business gain, use her for your own pleasure. What are you really doing for her? And no doubt she’s pissed at you since she won’t even let you apologize. Do you know what this is going to do to our business? Christ, Hudson. You thought me getting together with Everly was bad? This is a whole other level and could possibly fuck everything up for us.” I can practically hear him shake his head as he adds, “Didn’t talk to her, Jesus fuck, man.”
“I’m…I’m sorry,” I say somberly. I knew I was wrong, but labeling it a move Dad would make, that’s a revelation I was not prepared for because he’s right. He could not be more right. This is exactly how my dad would treat the situation. And here I am, walking into his office all high-and-mighty, when in reality, I’m just as bad as him. “I need to fix this.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Hardy asks.
Swallowing my emotions, I say, “Putting her first for once.”
Hardy is silent for a moment and then says, “Something you should have done from the beginning.”
“I agree.” I’m quiet for a second, thinking over what Hardy said. “I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want to be like Dad. He never put personal relationships ahead of business.”
“Because he assumed if business was good, then everything else was good, and I think we’re slowly starting to realize that if we put personal above business, then the business thrives.”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I like Sloane, Hardy. I shouldn’t, but I like her a lot.”
He sighs on the other line. “Enough to risk everything?”
I press my palm to my eye, rubbing it. “Yeah.”
