Page 96 of With This Ring
A hush settled over the worksite, and everyone turned to stare.
“What are you talking about?”
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Because of you my wedding is canceled.” Her lips trembled. “I guess you got what you wanted. That was your plan all along, wasn’t it? You wanted to blow up my life. Well, congratulations, Hud. You did it.” More tears poured down her face.
“The wedding is canceled?” He should be ecstatic at the news. Instead he was cemented in place, witnessing his sister’s pain.
“Yes! Because of you!” When he tried to reach for her, she pushed him away. “Shane came to see me at work today. He said he couldn’t take it anymore. He said he’s tired of your issues with money. He told me you went to see him at work last month and grilled him about making enough money to support me. He said he’s done arguing with you about how money is the most important thing in life. Is that true?”
“Yes, but I was just trying—”
“You betrayed me, Hud. How could you go behind my back andtell my fiancé he wasn’t capable of caring for me?” She pointed to herself. “Now he doesn’t want to be with me because he thinks my family will always judge him.”
A ball of lead formed in his stomach.What have I done?“No, that’s not it. It’s more than that. I’m worried he’ll be a bad influence on you.”
She squinted at him. “What does that even mean?”
“You both made some big mistakes in high school. What if he falls back into that pattern and takes you with him? I couldn’t bear seeing you like that again.”
She gasped. “How could you even think that about me after all I’ve accomplished in my life since then? You’re overbearing, intrusive, and controlling, and you’re done controlling me.”
Hudson opened and closed his mouth. “Layla, I’m sorry, but—”
“Sorry isn’t good enough.” She sniffed and swiped away more tears. “I thought you were my hero. I believed you would always look out for me and take care of me.”
“I am. You’re my baby sister. I would do anything for you.”
“Except support my choices.” She shook her head. “I’m done with you, Hud.” She turned and marched out of the restaurant.
Hudson spun toward Gavin, who watched him with his eyes wide. “I need to go.”
“Go on.” Gavin waved him off.
Hudson took off running down the street to the parking lot where Layla was climbing into her car. “Layla! Wait!”
His sister turned to face him, her visage pale and ominous.
“Please wait.” He held his hands up to her. “Let’s talk about this.”
She slammed her car door closed and leaned against it. “Talk.”
“Everything I’ve ever done was to take care of you. I wanted you to have a stable life.” He blew out a shaky breath. “My earliestmemories of Mom and Dad were pure chaos. I wanted to give you security—something I never had.”
“You know, I’m glad you brought that up, Hud.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell me something. Why haven’t we ever talked about Mom and Dad?”
Where’d that come from?“What do you mean?”
“You’ve never wanted to discuss them. Every time I bring them up, you change the subject.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.” She shook a finger at him. “I remember when I was five, and I asked you what Mom looked like. You showed me their wedding picture.”
“Okay...” He tried to read her hidden meaning. “Why was that the wrong answer?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then I asked you what Mom sounded like. What did Mom like to sing? What was her favorite color? And you told me you had to do your math homework. Whenever I asked you about Mom and Dad, you had a reason not to answer.” She counted his offenses off on her fingers. “You were too busy. You couldn’t remember. You had homework to do. You were too tired. Or, my personal favorite, you just weren’t in the mood to discuss them.”
Guilt punched him in the gut. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember any of this. I never realized I was doing this to you.”