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“Did you all turn on her?”
“No.” Jud crossed his arms over his chest and held Mandy’s gaze. “I left with her. I’d still be with her but she left me because she didn’t want to let this family break apart over her. I love your daughter and I’d still be with her if she wasn’t determined to save a family that I’m not sure is worth saving.”
“That’s why you came back here?” I felt like he’d punched me square in the gut. “I just… I assumed you made that decision yourself.”
“Fuck no. She begged me to come back here because she thought you two and the kids needed me. She didn’t want to be the reason you two went back to being cold hearted assholes and she thought me being here could somehow prevent you from being yourselves.” Jud shook his head and scowled at us. “She told me she loved me and then she left me to try to save you two.”
I sank onto the couch behind me and pressed my fist into my mouth. Had I really managed to fuck everything up so royally?
“I always knew you were my favorite, Judson. Come here, sweetheart. I can tell you’re hurting.” Mandy pulled Jud into a hug and rubbed his back. “As for you two, Joe and Collin. You’d better find my daughter and make this right.”
Ken winced as he looked at me. “You activated momma bear. I’d feel sorry for you but you kicked my daughter out.”
“We’ll find her.” Collin stood up. “We were getting there on our own but we’re idiots so it was taking longer than it should’ve. We’ll go get her and bring her home.”
“After the way you treated her? You’ll be lucky if she’ll even look at you.” Jud pulled away from Mandy to show me just what he thought of us. “You don’t deserve a second chance with her. Neither of you do.”
I set my jaw and stood up. “That’s not for you to decide.”
“Just go get her.” Mandy sighed and grabbed her husband’s hand. “Come on, Ken. Even though we’re angry at Joe and Collin, no hotels will take us with Kitten in tow. We’re going to our room but we’re not happy about it.”
I watched them leave and tried to shake the feeling of being a little kid in trouble. I looked at Jud and held his glare. “Are you going to come with us when we find her and go get her?”
“I’ve been rejected enough for a lifetime.” He looked down at his feet and shook his head before looking back up at me. “Are you even going for the right reasons?”
“What are the right reasons, Jud?”
“Love. If you don’t love her and you’re just going to make yourself feel better, don’t go. I can’t go through this again.” He looked from me to Collin. “I love you both but I don’t know how to look at you right now when the reason the love of my life isn’t here is you. If you don’t love her, stay here. I’ll figure out a way to move on eventually and things can go back to normal here. Give Mandy and Ken her location and let it go.”
Before I could answer he walked out of the library, leaving me and Collin alone. I looked at Collin and raised my eyebrows. “Well. I think that all went about as well as we thought it would.”
“The nicest lady I’ve ever met just threatened us and said she was disappointed in us. I genuinely feel like throwing up.” He rubbed his jaw and looked away. “I need to think about what Jud said.”
“I’ll start the search for her and we can decide what we’re doing once we know where she is. Jud’s right. If we aren’t sure, we can’t go.”
“Agreed.”
63
***Ada***
AuntMaxineglaredatme from across her kitchen table and slammed her hand down, shaking everything on top of it. “You’re a little cheat. No one wins this many hands of rummy in a row.”
I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows. “You’re starting to sound like a sore loser.”
“And you’re starting to sound like someone whose food gets poisoned.”
“Aunt Maxine!” I shook my head and was about to tell her to shuffle when I heard a knock on the door. “Is Hank early today?”
“What the hell do you know about Hank? Who’s been talking?”
I laughed at her shocked expression and shrugged. “I’ll never tell.”
“Get the door, child. You’re starting to be as ornery as me and I don’t know if I like it.”
“No one has ever been as ornery as you in the history of all man-” I lost all train of thought as I opened the door and found myself face to face with Joe Carrington.
“Ada.” He moved forward a step and then hesitated. “Can I-”
