Chapter 22
“Dakota!” Layla burst through the front door of the store with tears streaming down her cheeks.
With a gasp, Dakota rushed toward her and gathered her into her arms. “Layla, sweetie, what happened?”
“My wedding is off. Canceled!” She sobbed into Dakota’s shoulder.
“Oh no! That can’t be true.” Dakota rubbed her back as sadness rocked her. “Did you and Shane have an argument?”
Layla worked to get ahold of her emotions and sniffed. “No, it’s worse than that.”
“Come with me.” Dakota led her to the sofa by the dressing rooms and they sat. “Take your time and tell me everything.” Dakota
handed Layla a box of tissues, and Layla wiped her eyes and nose.
Layla sniffed. “It’s Hud. He ruined everything.” She explained how she and Shane had an argument over Hudson’s meddling, and
how Shane canceled the wedding.
Dakota shook her head as she listened. Everything she had feared would come true had happened. “Layla, I’m so very sorry.”
“So now I’m not getting married, and I don’t need the dress.” She blotted more tears with a fresh tissue. “Hud’s impossible.
I can’t talk to him. No matter what I say, he won’t listen to me. It’s always a losing battle with him.” She moved her fingers
over the arm of the sofa. “I’m so heartbroken. I thought I’d be taking vows in two weeks and changing my name to Layla Simpson,
but I’ve lost the love of my life. I don’t know how to go on without him.”
Dakota shifted closer to Layla and took her hand. “I’m sure you can work this out. Just give Shane time to calm down—then
you can talk to him.”
“No.” Layla shook her head. “He said it’s over.” She rested her cheek on Dakota’s shoulder as her sobs broke free.
Dakota rubbed her back again. “Shane’s going to realize he needs you as much as you need him. You can’t let Hud’s criticisms
break you up. And hopefully Hud will realize what a blockhead he’s been.”
“No, he won’t.” Layla ripped another tissue from the box. “He’s completely into himself. I’ve been trying to get you and him
together ever since he returned, but he can’t see beyond himself. He’s too self-centered to realize he could be happy with
you in Flowering Grove. He’ll never change.”
Dakota tried to ignore the shiver that Layla’s words sent through her. She wanted to believe that Hudson needed her and Flowering
Grove, but she also knew he was determined to leave as fast as he could.
She gave Layla’s shoulder a tender squeeze. “Honey, you can’t give up that easily on Shane. You two are meant to be together.”
“You think so?” Layla’s expression reminded Dakota of a confused little girl looking for encouragement.
“Yes, I know it for a fact. I’ve seen you and Shane together, and I can see your love for each other radiating in your eyes and your smiles. You can’t let him slip through your fingers. Forget what your brother says and just concentrate on each other and your future together.”
“It’s too late. The damage is done. And now I have to cancel my wedding. How will I even do that?” Her voice wobbled. “I’ll
have to ask Aunt Trudy to help me call everyone, but what do I say? Something like, ‘This is Layla Garrity. My fiancé broke
up with me because my brother’s a jerk, and now the wedding is canceled’?” She sniffed and started to cry again, leaning against
Dakota.
“Oh, sweetie.” Dakota sighed. “It’s going to be okay.”
“No, it’s not. Nothing will be okay ever again.”
Dakota held her close, and her heart fractured as her friend cried. She knew what she had to do. She had to tell Hudson to
fix this—and as soon as she could, she’d go and do just that.
***
Hudson dropped a book in a bag and brushed his hand over his face. Everything was in shambles. His sister didn’t want him
in her life, and he had no reason to stay in Flowering Grove. He just needed to keep moving forward, which was what he planned
to do.
After he’d texted Darren, they’d talked on the phone and worked out the details. It was time to put Flowering Grove behind
him for good. He was going to drive to New York tomorrow to tie up loose ends and meet with Darren before they headed to the
Middle East.
If only he could convince himself he was making the right decision. The strange niggle of doubt lingered at the back of his
mind. He set two more books in the duffel, and when a knock sounded on the front door, he headed to the foyer.
Pulling the door open, he found Dakota standing on the front porch with a scowl pinching her face. “Dakota. What a surprise.”
“We need to talk.”
He gestured for her to come in, and she followed him through the large foyer and into the enormous den. “Have a seat.”
“No, thanks.” She remained standing and crossed her arms. “Layla came to see me this afternoon.”
He leaned against a pony wall separating the hallway from the den and studied her, waiting for her admonishment.
“She was really upset,” she said.
He swallowed. “And I’m sure she told you that her wedding is off because I interfered with her relationship.”
“Exactly.” She eyed him. “Why are you here instead of working things out with her?”
He held his hands up. “She made it clear that she doesn’t want me in her life.”
“And you’re okay with that?” she asked. “She’s your sister, Hud.”
His eyes narrowed, and his anger sparked. “I’m aware of that, Dakota.”
“You should be doing everything in your power to work things out with her before you lose her forever. She’s positively heartbroken.”
His posture wilted and his throat thickened. “I know. I messed up, so the best thing I can do is leave and get out of her
way. If I stay, I’ll just make it worse.”
“That’s what you think?” She pointed a finger at him, her voice rising. “Your solution is to just run away from your problems
like you always do.”
“What does that mean?”
“You heard me,” she insisted. “You’re running toward more money because that’s all you care about, Hud.”
He stood to his full height and shook his head, glaring at her. “I’m so tired of hearing that all I care about is money. That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it though?” Her voice cracked. “You told me you couldn’t possibly make it here in this tiny, dead-end town, so you
had to leave. But you never even asked me what I wanted.” She sniffed. “You never asked me where I wanted to live. You assumed
we wanted the same things, but we didn’t.”
He studied her for a long moment, his thoughts whirling as silence swelled between them. The words hit him so fast and hard
that he couldn’t quite comprehend them. The past filled his mind, and he felt his heart break all over again when he remembered
how she’d thrown the ring in his face and said, “It’s over. I’m done. Go to New York without me.”
Finally, he took a step toward her. “So that’s what you think happened between us?”
“Yes, it is.” Her words wobbled, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You never considered me or what I wanted.
It was always about you.”
He kept his expression solemn, hoping to hide how deeply her words cut him. “No, it wasn’t always about me, but you made it
clear when you broke off our engagement that you never really loved me.”
She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “You’re so wrong, Hud,” she whispered, her eyes filling with fresh tears.
He swallowed as the lump in his throat expanded.
“I’ve always loved you, Hud, but you chose your career and money over me.”
Shock rocked him to his core. “That’s not true, Dakota.” His words vibrated with his heartache.
“It is , Hud. You’ve been obsessed with making money ever since you got your first job. You’ve made it the focus of your entire life. But when will you have enough?” Tears spilled down her face, and she brushed them away. “Make things right with your sister. She’s devastated, and running away won’t fix this.”
She pointed to the suitcase. “Layla is convinced she’s lost you and Shane, and you can’t abandon her this way.” She wiped away more tears. “She’s your only sister. Do the right thing. If not
for her, then do it in memory of your parents, Hudson. They wouldn’t want you and Layla to be estranged. Your sister and your
aunt are all the family you have left in this world.”
She started toward the front door, and he took off after her. He couldn’t leave things like this. He cared about her too deeply.
“Dakota,” he called after her. “Please wait.”
When she reached the door, she spun to face him.
“I need to know something,” he said, holding up his hand.
She blinked. “What?”
His hands fell to his sides. “I never understood why you broke it off with me. You said we wanted different things, but tell
me what I did wrong. How did I drive you away?”
“That’s the past, which doesn’t matter anymore,” she said, her words barely audible. “What matters is your sister and her
happiness, which you’re destroying.”
“Dakota.” He moved closer to her. “Tell me why you broke up with me. Please. I need to know the truth.”
“I thought it was obvious, but my brother recently told me it was time I had an honest conversation with you. And you know
what? I think he’s right.”
He tilted his head. “I hope you’ll always be honest with me.”
“I broke up with you because you insisted on moving away,” she said. “I didn’t want to go to New York. I wanted to stay here
and live my dream of owning a business in Flowering Grove, and that’s what I did. But now that dream is falling apart too.”
He shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Because I thought you knew,” she explained. “I was certain you were choosing your career over me.”
He felt his heart begin to crumble all over again. Why hadn’t he asked her what he’d done wrong back then? Why hadn’t he pushed
her for answers? “That’s not true.” He rubbed his eyes. “I wanted you with me in New York City. It all meant nothing without
you. You should’ve known that.”
She stared at him, and something unreadable flashed over her face.
“Listen to me,” he began, “you never came before my career. You were everything to me.” His voice was hoarse, and he felt the truth bubbling to the surface. “You’re
the love of my life, Dakota, and I never got over you.”
“If that’s true,” she whispered, “then why did you leave me?”
“You left me no choice. You told me it was over and gave the ring back.”
“Why didn’t you fight for me, Hud? Why did you just leave?”
“What choice did I have?” He held his arms up. “You made it clear that we were through.” He paused for a beat. “You know what,
Dakota, if you’re honest with yourself, you need to realize that you chose your career over me . You never considered coming with me and opening up a business in New York City.”
They stared at each other, clearly at a stalemate.
And then his aunt’s words from the day of the bridal shower echoed in his mind:
You were too afraid to fight for her and still lose her in the end.
Was his aunt right? Had he been running from his fear of losing her only to lose her anyway? And what if she had gone to New York City with him? Would he still have built a company with Darren while she opened a successful business of her own? Would they have gotten married and started a family?
None of that mattered. The past was behind them, and they needed to face the futures they had created for themselves.
“Look, Hud. Go talk to your sister. Do whatever’s in your power to fix this.” Dakota pushed open the storm door, her hands
visibly shaking. “Good night.”
He stared after her, unable to speak. The door clicked shut behind her, and her quavering voice filled his mind:
I’ve always loved you, Hud, but you chose your career and money over me.
Her declaration had rocked him. He’d spent the past seven years convinced she’d never truly loved him, but now he’d learned
the truth.
Why hadn’t he pursued her and demanded to know why she’d broken the engagement? Why had he let her go so easily?
He wiped his eyes with a napkin as the complete truth came into clear focus in his mind: His pursuit of money and success
caused him to lose not only the love of his life but also his sister.
And now he had to figure out what to do. Was it possible to clean up the messes he’d made, or should he just pack up and head
to Manhattan?
He let that question settle over his soul for a few moments, and then he stood up straight. Leaving seemed like the only logical
step.
Turning toward the den, he continued to pack.