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“What’s going on?” Ellis asked, but Hilton just shoved him toward the door. I guess he was more observant than I’d given him credit for.
I shot to my feet. “You’re not leaving me because Mom’s being a bitch.”
Tav tossed his hands up. “So, you’re prepared to lose this company you obviously love to have me?”
“Yes!” I grabbed my phone and waved it around. “But I’m going to go down fighting.”
Tav shook his head. “She’ll just keep coming at you. She even thinks Hilton would be a better fit.”
I rolled my eyes. “She just sees his last name. The Bloombergs are big around town.”
Tav scrubbed his hands through his hair. “See! I wouldn’t even know that.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I grabbed him by the back of his neck and tried to kiss him, but he turned away. His eyes were sad as he spun toward the door. “Tav!”
“I’m going. I’ll get an Uber back to your place.” He tossed my car keys at me, then closed the door softly behind himself.
“Fuck.” I wanted to race after him, but Mom was probably serious—check that, she was dead serious—and I had a ton of phone calls to make. “Double fuck.” I sat down at my desk and started scrolling through my contacts. It was going to be a long day, and maybe I could think of some way to convince Tav that none of this was actually his fault.
My Puffin wasn’t going anywhere. Or else.
20
TAV
I wasn’t the type of guy to back down from a fight. I didn’t actively seek them out, but I also never walked away from one.
This time was different.
There was a lot more at stake than just me. Judah’s career and life was only the beginning. Now that Ellis and Hilton had an internship at Dailey Tires, their future was at risk, too. Ellis deserved the world, and Judah could give that to him, as long as he kept his position in the company.
I was a liability.
Judah hated backing out of a fight, too. This battle with his mum wouldn’t end. They were both too stubborn, and neither would show weakness. I needed to be the one to walk away, just like I had before, even if that had been for more selfish reasons.
Ellis texted me by the time I arrived at Judah’s house.
Ellis
Where did u go? Everything ok?
I stared down at the message on my phone screen and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. If I left right now, Judah would take care of him. Judah was a good person, and Ellis would live a better life with him. Yet, a part of me rebelled at the idea of leaving both of them. In a lot of ways, Ellis had become more than a kid I’d taken under my wing. He’d become a little brother I never had. And I’d only just found Judah again. Could I really walk away from us? If it meant saving his career, then yes. He deserved the world, and his mum could rip it from him, too.
Could I really abandon him again? I didn’t want to.
Was I taking the easy way out by walking away? I knew Judah would say it was.
I groaned and stared at the bag I’d brought my clothes in, which was now sitting inside Judah’s wardrobe. He’d cleared drawers for me, and it had honestly begun to feel like I was living here and not just visiting.
Did I really want to pack up my clothes and leave?
No.
Fuck no.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, burying my face in my palms. My head was a mess of questions and choices. Leaving Judah would’ve been the best thing for him, but I’d done that before and I’d lost him for twenty years. I couldn’t do another twenty, or worse, forever. It was selfish to leave, but it was also selfish to stay.
My phone buzzed again, and I checked the screen.
