Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
GIA
Everything about last night circled through my mind.
No matter how I tried to sort through it, I ended up in the same place—a hollow ache of loss so sharp it felt like the end of something far deeper than my two-year marriage ever had.
It was a grief that didn’t make sense, a sadness tangled up with longing and regret.
I was too emotionally wrung out to fight any of it.
I’d dragged myself in for a morning shift at the small animal emergency clinic to help cover for Erika and then slept all afternoon.
When my phone rang at five-something, the name on the screen pulled an unexpected smile from me.
“Hey, Gia,” Hudson said. “I’m coming through Vision on my way home. Let’s grab dinner.”
I sat up in bed, suddenly aware of how tired I still was—bone-deep tired, the kind that had nothing to do with sleep.
“I’d like that,” I said softly. “But, Hud… I could use a friend right now. I don’t think I can handle something serious yet.”
“I can do that,” he said easily, without hesitation. “Can I pick you up? You can tell me where you want to go…in town or out.”
Relief loosened something tight in my chest. “I’ll drop a pin to my address.”
Once sent, he said, “Looks like about twenty minutes. That work for you?”
“Sounds good.” I did my best to make my voice sound lighter than I felt to hide the exhaustion and the lingering emotional wreckage from last night’s insanity. To my own ears, there was no disguising how drained I was.
Hudson picked me up, and we drove to the next town over for dinner at a little diner tucked off the highway. We talked about our recent cases and the minutia of life through dinner. Suddenly, he studied me across the table, concern softening his usual easygoing expression.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look like a woman who just got dumped.”
I hid behind a long sip of beer.
His brows lifted. “You did get dumped?”
I gave a quiet shake of my head. “I was the one doing the leaving.”
A crooked smile tugged at his mouth. “Great news for me…someday, of course.”
The joke landed wrong. Not cruelly. More casually, as if this was some messy ex-boyfriend situation that would sting for a month and then fade into a story I’d roll my eyes over later.
His teasing softened when I didn’t smile back. “I’m sorry. Was this going on for a while?”
A bitter laugh slipped out before I could stop it. “Almost my whole life.”
His forehead creased. “What?”
I stared down at the condensation sliding along my bottle, gathering the nerve to say something I’d never told anyone in Tennessee. Not even the man I married.
“Back in high school, there was someone,” I said quietly. “It wasn’t some teenage first-love thing I got dramatic about. He was…” My throat tightened. “He was there for me when I had no one.”
Hudson’s expression shifted, but there was still a trace of amusement there. Like he thought I was romanticizing some boy from the past.
“My father was cruel back then,” I continued.
“This guy was the only person who ever made me feel safe.” I swallowed hard.
“When I was sixteen, I ran away from home. I left him because I had to. If I’d stayed, my father would’ve killed me.
” My fingers tightened around the bottle.
“Probably him too, just for being there for me.”
“That sounds dramatic. Killed you? Really?”
He thought I was exaggerating. He didn’t exist in a world where men like my father threatened people.
He’d never believe how close I’d come to dying by my father’s hand.
It made me sad but pointed out how connected I’d always be to Timothy.
No matter what rested between us and no matter what tugged us apart, history wouldn’t change.
I tried to explain, “Our families hated each other for generations. Not just petty dislike, but a real, old blood feud kind of hate going back generations.”
Hudson tried for lightness. “Like the Hatfields and McCoys?”
“Something like that.” My voice went flat.
His smile faded at the edge of my tone. “Then you came back and it still wasn’t over?”
“I thought we’d outgrown it. I thought enough time had passed.” I looked away, blinking against the pressure building behind my eyes. “Turns out some things don’t loosen their grip on you just because you survive them.”
He studied me for a second too long before asking, “So you ended it? Has he turned into an asshole? Did he hurt you?”
A startled laugh escaped me. The question itself hurt more than it should have.
Hudson still didn’t understand. In his mind, this man had to fit into a familiar box—bad boyfriend, toxic ex, or a mistake I needed to recover from.
He couldn’t grasp that the person I’d walked away from was still the person I felt more connected to than anyone else in the world. Probably always would.
“God, no,” I said softly. “He would never lay a hand on me.”
I shook my head, and despite everything, a small helpless smile pulled at my mouth.
“The man he’s grown into would probably kill anyone who tried to hurt me, regardless of whether we were together.
” My smile faded into something aching. “He’s just…
” I searched for words Hudson would understand and already knew he wouldn’t. “A lot.”
Hudson studied me for a moment, curiosity flickering across his face. “I’ve met a lot of people around here. What’s his name?”
I hesitated, then said quietly, “Timothy Hurst.”
His eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right?
The Timothy Hurst?” He leaned back, letting out a low whistle.
“I’ve never treated any of his animals—his brother usually handles that—but I’ve crossed paths with him once or twice.
We don’t know each other, though.” He took a slow sip of beer, then frowned slightly. “He looks a little like—”
“No, he doesn’t,” I cut in, sharply. The force of it surprised even me. “He’s nothing like Justin. Not in any way.” My throat tightened. “He would never cheat on me, and certainly not with three other women.”
Regret flickered across Hudson’s face immediately. “Oh, hell, Gia. That’s despicable.” He reached across the table and wrapped his hand around mine, warm and steady. “Justin really did that to you?”
I nodded once.
Hudson’s expression hardened with quiet anger on my behalf. “He never deserved you.”
“No. He didn’t.”
“He was intimidated by you.”
“Perhaps.” I brightened a bit. “What about you? What ever happened to Sydney? I thought you two were serious.” We might’ve talked off and on every few months over the years, but we never broached our love lives.
“We split up last year. With me gone at all hours for work, she got bored and then drifted away after a year.”
“I’m sorry.” I could tell how much it hurt him even thinking back on it.
He shrugged. “You still love him, don’t you? The Hurst brother.”
My eyelids shut as the truth of it pressed against every wall I’d tried to build. “We had a moment last night that changed things.”
Hudson was quiet for a bit before he said, gently, “Maybe it’s best you give it a break.”
Emotion tightened my throat. I reached across the table and took his hand.
“I’m sorry I can’t be the person you want.
I think what you feel for me is familiarity, maybe even wanting something solid after everything you’ve been through yourself.
You deserve honesty from me.” I squeezed his hand.
“I don’t know that you and I could ever be romantic.
” I squeezed his hand harder. “What I can promise you is that I will show up for you. If you call me in the middle of the night needing help on a case, on the phone or in person, I’ll be there. ”
A quiet, almost disbelieving smile crossed his face. “I’ll take it for now.”