Chapter 24 Hudson
Hudson
Iwrangle Camden and Ally into their car seats with little issue.
They’re so excited about the visit because I buy them a new stuffed animal every time we go.
It’s well worth the money to ensure good behavior and an easy trip.
When we get there, I let them run around the toddler area first, tiring themselves out while giving Shannon and I a chance to talk.
This part also faces the front doors of the massive building, so I’ll be able to see Shannon when she gets here.
I grab a coffee and take a seat in the café, which is adjacent to the play area, only being separated by a low wall the kids can easily climb over.
It’s enough for parents to feel like they have some much-needed space from their little terrors, but also close enough that they can continue to monitor their safety.
It doesn’t take long for my niece and nephew to make friends and shortly after finding a couple of buddies, one of the moms approaches my table.
“They’re adorable,” she purrs, practically drooling in my lap.
Shannon seemed to enjoy my green Henley so much Monday night, I purposefully wore the black one today, thinking she’d like it too. Unfortunately, it seems to be drawing this woman’s attention as well.
“Thanks.” I smile so as not to be a complete dick, but I’m hoping my short answers and lack of a returned compliment or question will help her get the hint.
No dice.
“Come here often?” she asks, placing her hand on the back of the chair across from me, signaling that she wants to join me. Looking past her, I see Shannon pushing Serafina in a stroller and fuck me, she’s still wearing her work attire and she looks good enough to fucking eat.
Shannon stays still, certainly within earshot of my unwanted guest, but not yet making her presence known.
“Often? No,” I answer, still not asking about her in return.
“How old are they?” she continues, nodding to Cam and Ally.
“Three and four.” I roll my lips inward as I watch Shannon’s eyes narrow in jealousy.
The woman in front of me places a hand over her heart and gives a breathless laugh. “My, someone was busy.”
Shannon chooses that moment to join the conversation. Reaching into the stroller, she lifts Serafina into her arms and lightly taps the woman with her hip as she moves around her, directly toward me.
“And he still is,” she says, pouring Serafina into my arms. The little girl must either remember me from the lake, or whatever compelled her to reach for me that day has her smiling and clinging to my shirt again.
I like to think it’s because she can feel the admiration I have for her mother.
“Oh! She’s precious!” the woman says. “I’m Meghan. It looks like our munchkins have made fast friends. Thought I’d take a page from their book and try to do the same.”
Shannon holds out her hand. “Shannon. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Meghan doesn’t take the hint and sticks around, causing Shannon to speak up again.
“I hate to be rude, but I need to speak to…um…my husband alone while the kids are occupied.”
“Oh, sure, of course.” Meghan smiles and turns back to me. It’s unclear if she has gigantic balls or just a death wish. “I didn’t catch your name.”
I’m not an idiot.
This just became a pissing match, and while I understand I’ve been fooling around with another man’s wife behind his back, this woman is openly flirting with me in front of Shannon’s face, even after Shannon introduced herself as my wife.
Which has my heart doing really fucking crazy things in my chest that I’ll need to spend some time with later.
Meghan’s daring me to play. She wants me to give her my name even though my “wife” is clearly unhappy about her being here.
Whether this thing between Shannon and I dies out or grows brighter, I’m not the kind of man that feeds off that sort of attention.
“That’s because I didn’t give it. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to speak to my wife,” I say curtly.
Meghan gives a tight smile and nods before finally moving on.
Trying to keep up appearances, I cradle Serafina to my chest as I lean across the table, to kiss Shannon’s forehead, letting my whisper coast across her lips before I sit back down.
“My wife, huh?”
Her face flames with embarrassment. “I panicked,” she whispers, leaning in. “She wasn’t leaving and God, she was really eye-fucking you.”
Her serious tone makes me shout out a bark of laughter.
“It happens occasionally,” I tease, “but trust me when I say I see no one but you, Shannon. I’m not entirely sure that’s good, but it’s true.”
She squeezes my forearm before folding her hands on the table, her eyes moving over to where Camden and Ally are playing with two other little boys. We watch as Ally helps her younger brother collect all the blue blocks around them and put them in a pile.
“She’s a good big sister,” Shannon notes.
“They both have hearts of gold. Just like their dad.” Talking about Will always feels like taking a punch to the solar plexus, but it also ensures he’s not really gone. And I need that.
“Is that who your tattoo is for?” she asks even though the tattoo in question is currently covered.
“Yeah.” I smile, letting his memory fill me with light.
“We had this pipe dream of building our own boat and sailing to the Caribbean one day. Will had this ability to make you believe anything was possible. His enthusiasm for life was so contagious.” I realize as I talk that I think that’s what draws me to Shannon.
Her desire to make her days count. I feel the enthusiasm she once had for life radiating off her still, even though motherhood and her failing marriage have tried to stomp it out.
“That sounds wonderful. I believe you still can if that’s where your passion lies,” she says, her eyes full of sympathy for my loss. I’ve decided not to tell her about Gregor representing Jason Reed because I know Shannon would unnecessarily shoulder some of the shame.
“Seems kind of pointless to chase a dream without the dream caster,” I reply sadly.
“Perhaps that makes the dream even more worthy of chasing,” she points out. When I stay quiet, she switches gears as Serafina’s eyes grow heavy in my arms. “You said we needed to talk. That there were things we needed to discuss…” she trails off.
Although I’m deciding to hold the card about Jason close to my chest, there are others I need to show.
“I recently found out Gregor is representing the father of one of my best friends. His dad deserves to rot in jail for a long time, and the fact that your husband represents him not only makes this thing between you and I more complicated, it makes me worried for your safety.”
“Noted,” she says slowly, her brows pinching like she wants to ask who it is, but refrains. “More complicated as in you don’t want to do this anymore?” Her voice waivers.
“What? No. I just meant we need to be extra careful until you’re officially separated,” I explain. “Is he ever violent?”
“No. He gets loud sometimes, but I really don’t think Gregor would physically hurt me.” Almost as an afterthought, she adds, “That would leave evidence behind.”
Fighting the urge to vomit over the thought of him laying a single finger on her, I press forward. “Would he have you followed? Monitor your phone?”
She sits back in her chair, giving it some serious thought.
“Yeah, maybe,” she finally decides.
“Then we’re probably going to have to limit our interactions.”
She sighs. “I can’t stomach that thought, Hudson.”
“Me either, but we can’t underestimate him, Shan. Gregor already doesn’t like that you’re thinking for yourself. He’ll like it a lot less when you tell him you’re leaving.” My eyes move from Shannon to the kids still playing. “Speaking of, do you have a timeframe for that?”
She shocks me when she sits up a little straighter and says, “Actually, I do. Gregor’s law firm is hosting a getaway in the Outer Banks next Wednesday through Sunday.
I’ll have to work fast, but I have a couple of appointments to see apartments.
I know the trip is going to be miserable, and I plan to tell him once we get back home and I have a place to go. ”
A place of her own? A real separation? I could stand up on this table and do the jig.
“Shan, I don’t want to add any pressure. You’re doing incredible things and I don’t want you to feel rushed, but I do need to know your thoughts on this…on us, I mean. The farther we travel down this road, the more attached I become.”
My biggest fear is that she’s going to get her freedom and independence, and decide she doesn’t want this relationship tying her down anymore. She’d be well within her right to do that obviously, and hell, most people would probably suggest it, but selfishly, I don’t want to lose her so soon.
She reaches across the table and grabs my hand right as Ally walks a crying Camden over to our table. Quickly pulling back, Shannon gives a smile to the kids.
“Cam, what’s wrong?” I ask my nephew.
“I w-went d-down the s-swide and it pitched my f-finger,” he says through sniffles.
I can already see that although his finger isn’t bleeding, he does have a blood blister forming under the skin. “Well, you’re in luck, buddy. This is my friend Shannon, and she happens to be a doctor. Can you show her your finger?”
As Cam walks over to Shannon, Ally eyes the baby on my chest.
“Is that your baby?” she asks Shannon in a loud voice.
“It sure is. That’s my daughter, Serafina,” Shannon answers while pulling Cam onto her lap and giving his finger a thorough look.
“Can I hold her?” Ally asks. Like I said, already obsessed with babies.
Shannon looks up at me and I subtly shake my head no. There’s no couch for her to sit on to support the both of them, and as big as her personality is, Ally isn’t much bigger than the infant I’m holding.
“I’ll tell you what,” Shannon starts. “This is what we call a chocolate blister because only hot chocolate makes the pain go away. Why don’t we grab hot chocolate and you can push Serafina in the stroller and we’ll go see the fish?”
“YEAH!” Cam and Ally yell at once, racing to the counter.
I smile over at Shannon as I rise and tuck Serafina into her stroller. “You’ve come a long way from that exhausted woman I met back in August.”
She gives me a heart-stopping grin in response. “I think it’s safe to say you helped me find my way.”
I pull her to me by the waist and kiss the side of her head even though I want to do so much more. “No, baby, you did it all on your own.”