Chapter Twenty #2
“What?” Hudson’s head jerked back. “No, man. I screwed that up years ago. So, I want to ensure you don’t make the same mistake.”
Jeremy really didn’t give a shit what had happened between those two. That was their business.
He lifted his chin. “Thanks, but what’s going on between Elle and me isn’t your concern,” he stated and moved to head for the trail.
Hudson stepped in front of him and set a hand on Jeremy’s chest. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.”
Jeremy wasn’t firing on all cylinders and was in the mood for a fight. But common sense prevailed. He was a cop on and off duty. He had principles to uphold. An example to set. Brawling in public, in broad daylight with Elle’s ex-husband, wasn’t the right move.
Besides, it was stupid. They weren’t hormonal-driven teenagers in high school.
Still, he straightened his spine, ready to defend himself if the need arose. “I suggest you move your hand.”
Hudson’s gaze narrowed for a beat before he nodded and released him. But he didn’t move out of Jeremy’s way. “If you care about Elle, then you’re going to want to hear what I have to say.”
He clenched his jaw and his fists. Where the hell did this guy get off insinuating that he didn’t care about her?
“Look, I’m not here to cause trouble,” the ex said, holding up his hands and taking one step back. “I want to help. She’s about to bolt, man.”
A sharp pain stabbed through Jeremy’s chest, expelling his anger, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. “What?”
Hudson exhaled. “She told me she was thinking about finishing her books back in New York.”
Shit.
She was going to dessert him?
“You need to not make this about you,” Hudson said as if reading Jeremy’s mind. “Elle is scared. The reason we divorced was because she had it in her head that I was going to die because of her. And if I became a SEAL while we were married, she was certain I would not survive.”
Jeremy jerked his head back and frowned. “Why would she think that?”
It was absurd. A married military man and a single one had equal chances of coming home in a box.
“She thought that because her entire family was dead,” he declared.
“Everyone she ever loved was gone, so the fact she loved me put a bullseye on my back, and joining the Navy was the last straw. I tried to reason with her, but she was too stubborn, too sure she was right. I foolishly thought I could have both. That I could change her mind, but I was wrong. So she filed for divorce the day I enlisted.”
Jeremy began to see things clearer.
“It’s why she keeps herself closed off,” Hudson continued, “Certain that she is protecting people by locking up her heart. But you got past it.”
His pulse leapt. “How can you be sure?”
“Because you’re not only in the military, she told me you’re also a cop,” the guy replied. “The fact she even talked to you is a miracle, let alone started dating you.”
Jeremy wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but his heart swelled anyway.
“Elle is stubborn,” the guy stated.
Jeremy snorted his agreement. “With a capital S.”
“But I’m guessing you are too, so don’t give up on her. Don’t discount her fears. They’re deep-rooted, and the fact we are divorced and I survived my military career only deepens her belief. She actually pointed that out today.” He smiled ruefully.
“She’s really going to leave?”
Hudson nodded. “I’d bet on it. Elle told me she packed during the night. She’s running scared. Running away, thinking you’ll be better off without her. Safer.”
“That’s bullshit,” he muttered, shoving a hand through his hair.
“You and I both know it, but she doesn’t.” Hudson shrugged. “So don’t go after her all half-cocked. Get yourself grounded, and above all, you need to open up to her.”
Well shit. Even if he wanted to, Jeremy had no idea how or where to even start. It wasn’t his thing.
Hudson’s gaze narrowed again. “You love her, right?”
Love?
Jeremy’s chest squeezed and the tightening didn’t let up. Did he? Is that why it hurt to breathe? And why he couldn’t think straight?
“Does the thought of her leaving hurt like hell?” Hudson asked, quietly.
Jeremy exhaled. “Like someone’s carving into my chest with a dull spoon.”
The guy nodded. “That’s love. So don’t blow it like I did. Open up to her. You have to go in with your A-game and tell her how you feel. It’s all or nothing. She deserves one hundred percent from you. Time to fight for Elle. Otherwise, she’s leaving.”
Not going to happen. Jeremy refused to lose her. He didn’t know how, but he had to convince her to stay. If it meant opening up, then by God, he would. The thought of living a life of safety, never feeling, never giving, never getting, was no longer appealing.
Jeremy thrust his hand out to her ex-husband, seeing the guy in a completely different light. “Thanks for straightening my ass out and opening my eyes to her concerns.”
Hudson shook his hand. “Roger that. Now, go get her.” He released Jeremy and stepped out of the way.
He’d experienced life with Elle. Hell, he’d experienced love with Elle. As far as he was concerned, there was no going back.
With a nod to the guy, he hurried down the path, having no idea where Elle had been going, but counting on fate to lead the way. After all, it had brought them together.
Jeremy knew in his gut that they’d had help from above, and he wasn’t about to blow it.