Page 21 of Breaking Hudson

“The world will be a better place without them,” she says. “You two are getting married?”

“Yes. We are getting married Saturday. It will be at our home on the gated property,” I say. “I’d love for you to be there.”

“Are you sure it’s not a burden?” she asks us.

“We are sure. You can’t just live your life running from them and not knowing if you will live another day. Let us take care of you the way you did for me,” I say.

“Okay,” she says tearfully. “Can I… can I hug you?”

“Yeah,” I say warmly as I hug her instead. She holds onto me tightly as she tries to keep in her emotions. Twenty-six years of not having her little girl with her when that is all she ever wanted. I might not know her as my mother, but she still is. I want to learn and grow with her. This woman has lived a hard life, and she deserves peace.

“Hey. We are coming out. Victoria is coming back to the house with us,” Hudson says into his phone. “Just move the SUV closer… yeah, she’s okay… Well, I am going to assume that she is not helping them considering she gets raped by her sons with some frequency… Mhmm. Just another reason to exterminate the bastards… We will be out soon.”

“Thank you,” she says.

“I want to learn how to be your daughter,” I say to her. “It will be confusing because I’ve only ever known the people who adopted me as my parents, but I know they will love you. Hudson’s family will love you. No matter if you had to give me up or not, you arestill my mother. You did nothing wrong, and I don’t want you to blame yourself.”

“I’m just happy that you are okay,” she sniffs.

“Let’s go,” Hudson says. “Victoria, there are five others that will be in the vehicle. They are trustworthy and will protect you. No one will hurt you.”

“No one can hurt me the way Boris and his horrid sons have,” she says. It’s almost eerie the way she doesn’t call them her children.

When we step out of the store, the guys quickly get us into the vehicle. I am in front with Hudson again and they have Victoria in the center between Dallas and Doug.

“Damn. This is creepy,” Dallas says.

“Must you?” Hudson says.

“What? I am looking at Colette in the future,” he laughs. “At least you know she will age well.”

“They’re children,” I tell Victoria.

“Better than monsters,” she says with a smile.

“Watch yourself, girl. I am not afraid of a cougar,” Doug jokes. Hudson is about to scold Doug when Victoria laughs. He isdefinitely attracted to her. I can see it all over his face and the way she melts a little when he leans into her slightly.

When we get back to the house, Mom, Dad, and Hudson’s parents are waiting for us. As soon as I get out, my mom and dad hug me tightly. “I have someone for you to meet,” I tell them.

“Oh?” Mom asks.

“Yeah. We are moving Victoria into the pool house,” I say. “You were right, she didn’t want to give me up. My biological father apparently killed a little girl before me, so she hid the pregnancy and gave me up. She made sure that she was in a hospital when she had me so that I could be looked after the heart issue. She was raped frequently by my biological father and her sons. Also, I definitely killed Akim. He is ten months younger than I am.”

“That poor woman,” Dad says. “I’m glad she is here now. I can’t imagine what has been done to her.”

Victoria walks around the SUV and Mom immediately hugs her. “Thank you,” she says to Victoria. “Thank you so much for taking care of her the way you did.”

“I just wanted to give her a life that I could not. She has grown into an amazing woman,” Victoria says. “It’s interesting to see how similar we look, though.”

“How those three dipshits didn’t notice it originally is beyond me,” Dallas says.

“If y’all could help her get what she needs, she doesn’t have anything,” I say.

“Of course. We will keep her company so she can be around people her own age. Not that you all are not fun to hang out with,” Mom laughs.

“You guys don’t have to do all of this,” Victoria says.

“That’s what family does,” I say. “Family is what you make it. You take care of one another unconditionally, without hesitation. You never hesitated to give me a better life, so I will not hesitate to make sure that you can find peace.”

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