Chapter 6 #3
“We lived in an alright neighborhood, and I had a lot of friends there. Their mothers all took turns feeding me, and Granddad sent rent money every month—directly to our landlord, because Dad would have drunk it. From my perspective, it was the perfect life because I didn’t have to deal with all the shit my friends did, like parents getting on their case for bad grades or making them eat their vegetables. ”
Paige huffed out a laugh. “Your granddad was right. You were feral.”
“Yep. And then it all went to shit the end of my seventh-grade year.”
“How?” she asked.
“My dad robbed a convenience store. The clerk was an old woman, and I guess he saw a shot to score some easy money. She rang up his cigarettes, and while the cash register was open, he shoved her down and reached in, grabbed a few hundred dollars. He didn’t even try to hide.
Just walked to the nearest bar and started guzzling down his ill-gotten gains. Cops arrested him there.”
“I’d heard he was in prison, but I never knew why.”
Hudson shrugged. “The cops were waiting with one of my friends’ mothers when I got home from school. She offered to look after me until Granddad got there.”
“I guess it did go to shit.”
Hudson grinned. “Oh, that wasn’t the shit part.”
“It wasn’t?” she asked.
The twinkle in his eyes told her he was about to make a joke. “One night, I’m young and wild and free in Dallas, and the next I’m in Maris, with a grandfather who enforced bedtimes and regular showers and eating those damn vegetables.”
“Oh, the horror,” she teased.
“Right? Looking back now, I can see what a prick I was, but back then, all I felt was angry. At suddenly having to follow rules and do homework. But I think most of all, I was mad at my dad for ruining everything. For robbing that store and getting caught and not thinking about how his actions would impact my life. I think that was the first time I understood his indifference was a bad thing.”
“So you acted out,” Paige said.
“For five years. I was determined to make sure everyone felt as shitty as I did. But I had three main victims.”
Paige nodded, perfectly aware her name was on that list.
“Granddad. Your dad. And you.”
“I can understand why Dad and your grandfather were on your list. But why me?” she asked. She’s always wondered, but in school, she’d been too afraid to ask. And since his return, she didn’t want to ruin the friendship they’d been forging. “Was it just because of who my dad was?”
Hudson shook his head. “That was part of it, but not all. You were just…so perfect.”
Paige crinkled her nose. “I’ve never been a fan of that word.”
“Really?” Hudson seemed surprised by that.
“Dad had high expectations of me and Ty, I told you that. Tyson handled them better because he was more self-confident, stronger-willed than I was as a kid.”
“You’re one of the strongest people I know, Princess.”
“Now,” she clarified. “In school, though, I was insecure and awkward and constantly fighting to live up to what my dad wanted me to be. I never exerted any independence because I was always trying to please him. I mean, I really wanted to quit piano lessons and the debate team, but I stuck with them because of Dad and his expectation that I,” she deepened her voice, mimicking her father, “follow-through on commitments you’ve made. ”
“And this is why I thought my childhood was idyllic when I was a kid.”
She snickered.
Hudson seemed to consider that. “To answer your question, I picked on you because you were an easy mark and your last name was Sparks. I wanted someone to hurt as much as me. I know I’ve said I’m sorry before, but—”
“But nothing. No more apologies, Hudson. I mean it. Besides, I think in some ways your presence in my life influenced the person I am today.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“When I went away to college, I made a conscious decision to change all the things I hated about myself. Top of that list was being someone who didn’t stand up for herself.
So I took a self-defense class, joined the clubs that interested me—rather than the ones Dad thought were important—stopped being such a timid, awkward mouse.
And once I’d worked up enough courage, I called my dad and told him I’d changed my major to business administration rather than pursuing law school like he wanted. ”
“How did he take that?”
“Honestly, I think he was so shocked I was doing something for me, he didn’t know what to say.
Of course,” Paige grinned, “by the next time we spoke on the phone, he’d come up with a list of ‘concerns,’” she finger-quoted.
“I responded to all of them, and he said he respected my choice. It took him a lot longer to respect my decision to bypass high-paying jobs in the big cities, in favor of coming home to work in the restaurant. Truthfully, I’m still not sure he’s there. ”
“You’re amazing, Princess. You always have been.”
Every word he said snuck deep under her skin, warming her from the inside out. “Thanks.”
They shared a soft, slow kiss, then Hudson tucked her against his chest, serving as her pillow as she looped her arm around his waist. Paige wanted to soak in every second of this closeness, so happy to be there with him.
Then, she recalled the second thing she was curious about in regards to Hudson. She lifted her head, eyebrow raised. “So…you stole a job from Beck today?”
Hudson gave her a chagrined look. “I intended to tell you first thing tomorrow.”
“I don’t care about that, Hudson. I knew you were bidding on jobs. I’m thrilled you landed a project so quickly.”
Hudson hadn’t gone into any detail about the jobs he was bidding on, claiming he didn’t want to jinx things. Regardless, due to context clues, she was able to figure out which job he’d landed.
“You do realize my dad works in the courthouse you’re going to be renovating.”
Hudson grimaced, though he didn’t look all that upset. Regardless, he never passed up the chance to give her a hard time regarding Dad. “Don’t remind me.”
She gave him a light slap on the chest, then lowered her head to his pec again. It was so cozy being tucked against him. “Mom mentioned city council had approved the budget for the renovations last week, when she and I talked on the phone, but she didn’t know who’d won the bid.”
Paige’s mom was seriously one of her best friends, and they talked on the phone at least once every other day, something that seemed to amuse Hudson.
Mom would be delighted by this turn of events, as she’d been not so subtly suggesting that Paige ask Hudson out on a date. Apparently, both her parents were worried about her long-standing single status.
“So what’s the job involve?” she asked.
“They want to do a total facelift, because the building was built in the fifties and very little has been improved since then. However, the taxpayers aren’t ready to support that kind of expense all in one fell swoop, so the city council divided the project into three stages.
For this round, my crew and I will be renovating one of the two courtrooms in the courthouse and a conference room.
If that goes well, in a year or so, they’ll hire Ryan Construction to renovate the second courtroom and the offices.
The third stage might not happen for a few years, but it involves updating the interior hallways, front foyer, public restrooms, etcetera.
The entire building is currently stuck in the stone ages. Sound familiar?”
“Changes come slow in Maris. Dad said the only reason city council agreed to the construction in the first place was because someone tripped and fell on the threadbare carpeting on their way to his bench. Sounds like you’ll have your work cut out for you.”
“I like a challenge. The job doesn’t officially start for a few more weeks, so I was hoping to convince you to let me move your plumbing overhaul up on the to-do list.”
Paige had already mentally done that, aware her days with Hudson serving as her handyman were numbered, and it was stupid to have a professional plumber stripping wallpaper when her pipe concerns were real and not going anywhere. “I think that’s a great idea.”
Hudson placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Good. I can’t wait to get those ancient pipes out of here. Wait until you see the difference it will make in your water pressure. You think you love this house now…”
“The house already looks a million times better, and we haven’t even started making it pretty yet.”
“It’s a great home, Princess. Not sure too many people would have looked at it and seen beyond the horror show. You were smart to snatch it up.”
It wasn’t the first time Hudson had reassured her she’d made a good purchase. She’d genuinely believed so at first, but tiny kernels of doubt had begun to creep in after seeing the faces of her family members when they’d helped her move in.
“Thanks, Hudson,” she said, sighing peacefully.
They talked for a little while longer, about the house and what an asshole Beck was and even the weather, until her eyes got heavy. Hudson’s breathing evened out and deepened as he fell asleep, and she let the soothing sound and gentle rise and fall of his chest push her into dreamland as well.