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“We belong with Ada.” His tone and the look on his face said his word was final. He was leaving.
Collin swore. “You’ve got five minutes.”
“No, Jud. Milo is still sick. Stay here with him.” Ada pushed her hair out of her face and looked around her room. She met my gaze and quickly looked away. “Um. I just need my purse and my keys.”
I nodded at Garvis and he grabbed the things he saw and shoved them in a bag he found in her closet. “She’s right, Jud. Milo needs to stay here.”
He spun on me and shoved me with both hands firmly planted on my chest. “Milo needs to be around good people. He needs to be around love. That’s not going to happen here. You made your mind up, Joe. Stay out of my way.”
“Jud, please. I’m- I’m okay.” Ada tugged the hem of her t-shirt lower and I realized she didn’t have pants or shorts on. She put her hand to her head and licked her chapped lips. “I’m going. Stay. I’m okay. I’m f-fine.”
Jud exploded, shoving security guards and cops both out of Ada’s room. “Get the fuck out! Now! Give her some privacy, goddamit!”
“Jud!” Collin tried to grab Jud’s arm but Jud threw a punch that landed squarely in Collin’s face.
“No!” Ada grabbed Jud’s arm and clung to him. “Stop. Please stop. I just want to go. Okay? I just want to go and stop this.”
“You fucking started this!” I shouted while pulling at my hair. “You don’t get to act like a wounded little bird now!”
“You’re right. Okay?” She turned to face me and held my gaze. Her eyes were red and her face was pale and she looked like she was on the verge of passing out. “I lied. I’m not a nanny. I lied and you have every right to hate me. I’m sorry.”
“You worked with Julie Mayhew to sell a story about us fucking you, Ada! You just ruined a political campaign we’ve been working on for two years!” I glared down at her. “You fucked this family over.”
“Julie Mayhew?” She frowned and shook her head, going even paler as she did. “I… I don’t know Julie Mayhew. I know her nanny. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Joe.”
“Give it up, Ada. You’ve already been exposed.” Collin sighed and held his nose. “I’m going to get ice for my face. Thanks, Jud.”
“Okay. Okay, I’m leaving. I don’t know what you’re talking about but it’s clear that you’re done with me.” She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them, they were filled with tears. “Can I say goodbye to the kids? I don’t want to-”
“No.” I walked towards the door and stopped in front of Jud. “Get her out of here. You’ve got five minutes before I send the cops in.”
“Fine.”
55
***Jud***
“Jud,I’msosorry.I lied. I wasn’t a nanny. I was a waitress at Henry’s. Henry fired me because of you guys. I was mad. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” Ada rambled incoherently, repeating the same things she’d been saying for hours. “I just played pranks. I messed up Joe’s closet. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I should apologize to them. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
I pulled her into my lap and wrapped the blanket around her shaking body. She was burning up with a fever. I’d given her medicine as soon as I’d gotten her settled in the hotel but it wasn’t working yet. “Hush, Ada. It’s fine. Just rest, okay?”
Her teeth chattered as she looked up at me. “You should hate me, too. I lied, Jud. I said I was a nanny and I wasn’t.”
“It’s fine, Ada. Just try to sleep. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”
She tried to sit up. “Where’s Milo? I need to check on Milo.”
Pulling her back into my chest, I stroked her hair and gently rocked her. “He’s sleeping, sweet girl. He’s fine. He barely woke up on the drive over.”
“He’s okay?”
“Yeah, he’s okay.” I could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she plastered herself against me to hug me. I didn’t like how sick she was and I was minutes away from calling Dr Morgan.
“I’m sorry, Jud.” She shivered in my arms and sniffled. “I’m really sorry.”
I wanted to kill my brothers. I couldn’t remember another time I’d ever been so angry at them. Their stupid pride and inability to listen to another person was going to cost them their happiness. I’d watched them with Ada and I knew they cared about her but they were too stupid to sit down and process their emotions before reacting like a couple of apes. I could forgive a lot of shit from them but kicking Ada out like they had while she was clearly sick was too far.
I didn’t need to see the shit they were shouting about to know that they were wrong about Ada. She came into our lives and made everything fucking sunshine and happiness. They could ruin their lives if they wanted to but I wasn’t losing Ada again. Once was too much.
