Page 90 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

Finally, after several stitches, he muttered, “This is ridiculous.You call the cops, they arrest him, end of story.”

I went still.Dead still.

Softly, I asked, “What about me?While the police are posturing outside the house or wherever and my father is killing me?”

Hudson looked up and for an instant I saw the same flash of annoyance Justin used to give me.As if me demanding he act on his love was a step too far.

I shoved away from the table hard enough the instrument tray rattled.My voice came out frighteningly calm.“You want to know what that man upstairs would do?”I jabbed a finger toward the viewing gallery where Timothy had frozen as if some sixth sense told him I was angry.“The one you think I should just get over andforget?”

“Not particularly,” Hudson muttered.

“If anyone touched his child or me, he’d destroy their entire world.”The fury in me turned cold and lethal.“Not threaten them.Not file paperwork.Not wait for someone else to save the day.”

Hudson finally looked up.

“He’d burn everything to the ground,” I said softly.“His entire family would be right behind him.Same as I’d be if anyone touched one of his family.”

Silence crashed over the surgery suite except for the steady beep of the monitor.

His eyes widened slightly.

“So you see, Hudson…” My chest heaved beneath the gown.“He’s the kind of bad decision I need in my life.The kind that can promise to keep what they love safe.No matter what.”I tilted my head.“Are you ready to do that for me?”

Hudson stared at me like he was seeing me clearly for the first time.And maybe realizing he had absolutely no idea what kind of woman he’d been trying to save.

“Hud,” I said, keeping my voice steady.“I respect you.You’re smart, you’re talented, but what you’ve built in your head about us isn’t real.It’s a fantasy.A crush.”

I exhaled through my nose, forcing the words into something cleaner than the mess behind them.“I’m difficult.I’ve got a hell of a lot of baggage.I need someone who can stand in the fire with me.Someone who doesn’t back away when I panic or when everything goes sideways.When it does, it isn’t pretty.It scared the hell out of Justin.His answer to that was to shut down on me, or turn to someone else.”

“Be reasonable,” Hudson said quickly.“I’m not Justin.”

“No,” I agreed.“You’re not.But you’re also not Timothy Hurst.”

His expression tightened at that.

My voice dropped lower, steadier now.“If anyone threatened him or his daughter, you can’t begin to imagine what I’d do to make sure they were safe.”

I pulled off my gloves one finger at a time, the snap of the latex loud in the quiet between us.“I think I’m done here.”

I dropped the gloves into the trash, didn’t wait for a response, and walked out.

Outside the surgery room, I got a drink from the water fountain, but it did nothing to cool me off.

I turned and stepped back.

“What’s wrong?”Timothy asked.

I pasted on a fake smile.“Why would you assume anything’s wrong?”

“Every tech in that room went real still while you had words with Hudson before you walked out.”

“Could you hear what I said?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t think I should tell you.”I let my eyelids close and took a few deep breaths.“I’m running hot right now.Very hot.”

“What’d he say?”There was amusement in his question He seemed far too happy I told Hudson off.