Page 18 of Commit
The kitchen is clean and modern, and though the fridge and pantry are fully stocked, the stove still has the stickers on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found a whole drawer of takeout menus in here.
“Pizza’s here.” I turn at the sound of Abbot’s voice as he walks into the room with the food and drinks.
He sets everything on the island, opening the boxes and pulling the drinks and napkins from the bag. We both sit down and dig in. I grab a slice of cheesy goodness and take a bit as Abbot shakes his head in disgust before taking a bite of his own pizza.
We talk about nothing while we eat, and once we’ve had our fill, we clean up. Abbot puts the leftover pizza away, while I toss the cans in the recycling and the used napkins in the garbage.
Once we’ve finished in the kitchen, we continue to explore the rest of the house. Next is the family room. This room looks way more lived-in than the living room, which doesn’t surprise me when I see the oversized sofa and huge TV on the wall across from it.
Towards the back of the house, we find a locked door, which I assume is the office Hudson was talking about, before finding the door to the basement and checking out the fully equipped gym, game room with a pool table and bar, and home theater.
We head back upstairs and make our way to the top floor. I don’t know what I was expecting. I mean, I knew logically that Hudson’s room had to be up here, but I wasn’t expecting this.
“Wow,” I gasp at the view. “If this were my room, I don’t think I’d ever leave.”
“It might seem amazing to us, but to my dad, it’s probably no big deal. I don’t remember him ever being excited about anything.”
“That’s kinda sad.”
Abbot laughs, but there’s a hint of anger to it. “Don’t feel sorry for him, Starling. I don’t see him crying while he sits on top of all his money.”
“It is his, you know.”
“Huh?” He turns away from the view to look at me. “What is?”
“The money. He earned it. It’s his. I hate that he hurt you by leaving, but from everything I’ve heard, he did that to keep you safe. And he didn’t leave you penniless. Far from it. Derek wouldn’t have targeted your mom if she didn’t have money,” I admit with a swallow. “She told me about your and Landon’s college and trust funds and how he bought the house for her. He paid more in child support than most movie stars. And he, of all people, could have gotten away with paying nothing. Because you all pretty much admitted that whatever he does is less than legal, so I doubt he’s declaring all of his earnings to the taxman.
“Your clothes were all designer. Your car was brand new before you traded it in to help your mom. Hudson didn’t know about what happened over the last few years. And yeah, if he had come around more, he might have figured it out. But phones work both ways, Abbot. Your mom could have called him and explained what was happening. Derek took everything she had. I get that, but he only had access to it because your mom gave it to him. It’s easy to make Hudson the bad guy here, and I get it. Hell, it would be easy for me to write off all guys as bad. But in this case, I’m not sure it’s justified.”
I can tell my words have pissed him off. I’m not sure if he’s pissed at me or himself, so I leave him to stew. I reach the door but stop when Abbot grabs my wrist. He doesn’t hurt me, but he stops me from leaving.
“When did you suddenly become my dad’s biggest defender?”
“I’m not going to fight with you, Abbot. I think you’re too wrapped up in the past to look at this objectively.”
I turn to look at him, and something in his gaze makes me tense.
“That all it is?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Let’s just say I’m not the only one with Daddy issues.”
I jerk back like he slapped me, then lift my hand to return the favor. He catches my wrist and pulls me to him.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” His lips are on mine before I can say anything. I fight against him, but he holds me close.
After a while, I give in. My brain flashes up messages, keeping my panic at bay.
Abbot won’t hurt me.
Abbot has never hurt me.
Abbot protects me.
Abbot loves me.
I melt into him, surrendering control. He growls with approval. His hands move to the hem of my sweatshirt. He pulls it up over my body and tosses it aside before doing the same with my T-shirt.