“I was good at my job. A hard worker. I took pride in what I did for McAllister. And they treated me badly. Even if I don’t get one cent out of them, at least I can hope they won’t do that to anyone else. Lots of people need jobs, Mrs. Adler. People like me. I don’t know what’s going to happen with Hudson and me, but it doesn’t matter. I will work because that’s how I was raised and because I enjoy it.”
She scoffs and waves her hand again, and that’s it for me. Standing, I turn to leave. But before I do, I add. “We’re probably never going to see eye to eye.”On anything.
She nods like the duchess she is.
Then, I say something I hadn’t planned. It feels right though. “I promise I will never keep you from your grandchildren. They won’t have grandparents on my side, and I’d like them to know you.” No matter how much I dislike her, keeping them apart would be wrong.
Mrs. Adler’s face blanches kind of like it did yesterday at the ballpark. “You’re pregnant?”
“No.” Geesh. “I––”
“You’ve trapped him.” Again. Not a question. “No wonder he chose you over his family so hastily.”
She’s not listening, and it’s pissing me off. Watch out. Kick-ass-and-take-names Clariday is back. “Would you please listen, for once?”
“How dare you?”
“How. Dare. You.” God. I’m angry. “I care about Hudson. He cares about me. I’m not pregnant, but I may be some day. If and when that happens, do you want to be in our children’s lives?”
Her head moves up and down so slowly I’ve got to wait for her to finish.
“Then knock it off.” My hands are on my hips. “The last thing I want is Hudson to be separated from his family. But keep doing this stuff and I won’t care anymore.”
I’m done. I’m out. Stomping toward the door, I pull it open, and as I’m about to step out, I hear her.
“Come back.”
I stop moving.
“Please.”
Oh, crap.She said please.
ChapterThirty-Seven
HUDSON
“You went to see my mother.”I know this because my mother called right after she left.
“I did.” Willa’s face is turning pink. “I should have told you I was going. I’m sorry.”
“You can do what you like, honey. I am curious why you didn’t mention it.”
“I didn’t know how it was going to go. I assumed badly, so I wanted to keep it on the downlow.”
“And?” Mother explained the gist of the conversation. I was shocked when Marilynn Adler called to tell me that she would like to give Willa a chance but that she was still displeased about a potential lawsuit and that she hoped I’d convince Willa not to go through with it––to think about the Adler name.
“And…we called a truce.”
That’s sort of what I gathered from my mother’s tone. It was resigned.
“That’s it?”
“Short version? I promised her I wouldn’t keep our kids from her, after which she decided I must be pregnant because that’s the only way you’d choose me over your family… blah, blah, blah.” Willa rolls her eyes, then cackles. “After that, we talked, and she agreed to lay off.”
Willa’s cackle would ordinarily make me laugh right along with her except I can’t even think of that because, the only thing I heard just then was “our kids.”
“When do you want children?”
