“No.”
The word cuts clean.
Sharp.
Cold.
It surprises even me.
“Mom, you are not coming here. Not today. And definitely not with that loser ex of mine!”
“Sweetheart, we’ve already discussed this?—”
“No, you discussed it,” I snap. “Without me. Again.”
Tommy wisely disappears into the back.
Smart kid.
“You can’t keep running away from your problems. A woman like you can’t expect the perfect mate, but unless you want to be alone for the rest of your life, I suggest you listen,” she continues like I didn’t speak.
“First, I didn’t run from my problems,” I fire back. “I left a cheater. There’s a difference. And a woman like me? Geezus, Mom, there’s more to me than my dress size!”
“Hadley, you know Judd is a great catch, and he is willing to give you another chance?—”
“Oh my Gods! I don’t need another chance, Mom. And don’t,” I warn, my grip tightening on the phone. “Do not say his name to me like that or call him a great catch when he’s the loser! Not me.”
“But he’s willing to forgive you?—”
“I don’t need his forgiveness. And I don’t want him!” I shout.
The words echo in the empty shop.
Raw.
Final.
“But Hadley?—”
“Listen to me carefully, Mom. I don’t want Judd. I don’t need him. And I sure as hell don’t need you or my sisters showing up here to hand me back to him like I’m some kind of failed project.”
Silence.
Heavy.
“You’re being emotional, Hadley. I thought now that you’re a businesswoman you’d see the value in getting mated and having cubs while you are still young enough.”
I laugh.
Because, of course, I am.
“Yeah, hard pass, Mom,” I say. “I am. And you know what? I’m allowed to be emotional. It’s my life. And being a businesswoman has nothing to do with that.”
I take a breath, steadying myself.
“If you show up here uninvited, you won’t be coming inside,” I say, my voice low but steady. “And if you bring Judd with you, I’ll call the local Pride to remove you. I mean it. Don’t come near me again unless you’re ready to see me as I am—not as something to fix or trade off. Until you can look at me and actually value me, not my relationship status, I don’t want a relationship with you. Do you understand?”
Another pause.
