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“No.” I shook my head, disbelief leaving my throat tight. She was doing this again? What kind of mother was she? “I don’t want money.”
“Ridiculous. Everyone wants money.” She stalked forward until she was close to me, and I took in the hard lines of her face that her makeup couldn’t cover. “Name a price.”
I smiled in shock and took a step back to open the door again. I gestured outside. “Nothing, now get out.”
Her eyes turned to flint. “I am not going to offer again. He lost his career because of you, Tavish. You ruined his future. You alienated his friends. You ran to my husband and tattled like a child. I’m giving you this one and only chance. If you give me a number, I’ll stick to it. Name it.”
Guilt formed a rock in my stomach, and the urge to vomit rose in my esophagus, but I held it down. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction, even as she pointed out everything I’d done to Judah’s life since returning.
“I love him. You managed to make me walk away before because you used my mother’s health against me. I was young and scared of losin’ Mum. This isn’t goin’ to happen.” I waved outside the door again. “Leave. Nothin’ you offer will ever be enough for me to lose Judah.”
Her nostrils flared. “This is where you’re going to stand? He’ll lose everything.”
“No, he won’t. Judah’s smart and driven, and he’ll start his own company while you destroy Dailey Tires. You’ve lost your son, do you understand that?” I made a sound of disgust. “Do you even care? He’s your only child.”
“I am doing what’s best for him.” Her face grew red under the layers of foundation.
I smiled sadly at her. “No, you’re not. If you were, you’d be happy for him.” I gave one final wave toward the door. “You can leave now. I mean it. I’ve heard enough.”
“You’re keeping him from hitting his full potential. And worse, you’re making a mistake. This could set you up for life. But no, no one wants to listen.” She swept past me, and I watched as she slid into a red Audi. My stomach churned, and a wave of painful nostalgia hit me. Before she’d blackmailed me with money as an eighteen-year-old, I’d always thought of her as a good woman. A loving mother. How wrong I’d been. Even now, her stubbornness made her a horrible person, whereas it made Judah frustrating but also sweet.
She reversed out of the driveway and left, and I closed the door so I could press my back against it and slide down the length until my arse hit the floor. I buried my face against my knees.
“Fuck.” If only I could make her see reason. She hated me, but I’d told her the truth. No amount of money would ever make me leave Judah again. Never. I’d already made that mistake and I wasn’t going to repeat it.
For the next few hours, I tidied the house and dusted, something I rarely did, but I was aimless, waiting for the guys to get home. When the door opened and the sound of Ellis’s and Hilton’s excited voices filled the house, I smiled, unable to resist the action even if I’d wanted to. They were always so cheerful and brought about a sense of happiness in a tense situation. Since he’d opened up after coming to live with me, Ellis had always tried to make things better, but he was even more upbeat now that he had a friend in Hilton.
I met them in the hallway, and Judah took one look at me before he turned to the boys.
“Why don’t you two take some bear claws and go upstairs? Play the Xbox,” he said gently.
Ellis stared at me for a moment before he gave me a small smile and grabbed Hilton by the elbow, directing him toward the staircase.
Judah waited until they were gone before he wrapped his long arms around me and dragged me against his chest. I buried my face into his neck and breathed in his natural scent, taking comfort in the pressure of his hug and the aroma of his skin.
“What happened, Puffin?”
“Your mum showed up.” I sighed and laid my lips over the pulse point on his neck. “She offered me money to leave you again.”
He stiffened and stepped back to stare down at me. Rage filled his face and twisted his mouth. “What?”
I’d made a promise to myself never to hide anything from him again and that started now. He deserved to know the truth. “She said I could name my price. I told her to go home.” I shook my head and touched my forehead to his. “I love you, Judah, and I promised you I wouldn’t go again, and I’m not going to. I don’t care about money. You’re what’s important to me.”
“She shouldn’t have come here,” he growled out, anger echoing in his tone. He shifted away from me and began to pace the hallway. “Fuck. What is she aiming for?”
I shrugged, sticking my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “She doesn’t want you with me. She’d prefer you with someone at your level.”
“Fuck that.” He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. “No. I chose you. She knows that and it chafes her ass. She expected me to back down yesterday.”
I saw what she’d been trying to do, too, and when Judah had told her he was leaving, she’d been shocked, and the satisfaction I’d gotten from her surprise was amazing. I’d never thought I’d see the day that we got a win over her, and while it was sad that it meant Judah was walking away from the company he’d built, it was great to see her falter. I had no doubt she’d run Dailey Tires into the ground, and she’d come back begging for his forgiveness. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to give it to her or not.
“Hey.” I reached out to slide my fingers between his and pulled him gently toward the living room. He came without a fight, and I pushed him onto the couch, where I joined him. I snuggled against his side and curled an arm around his middle, shutting my eyes to enjoy the closeness. “If you want to start a new business, I’ll support you however I can. I don’t have money and I never went to college, but there’s gotta be something I can do to help. I can drive you around wherever you need me to?”
He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “I didn’t need you to drive me in the first place. I just wanted to give you a job and have you around.”
I snorted. “You think I didn’t know that?” I tilted my head up and nuzzled his chin. “You’re not as sneaky as you think you are, Mr. Dailey.”
I kicked off my shoes and laid my thighs across his lap, bringing myself impossibly closer to him. There wasn’t any more space between us and that was how I liked it. Me and him, the way it should’ve always been.
