Page 42 of Baking With A Rockstar

I stare at him as we study each other for a moment in silence, and I’m afraid I’m gaping a little too much. Then he points a finger at me. “I can’t believe it. He told you, didn’t he?”

The last thing I want to do is create problems in this family because of this whole situation. But I’m also not going to lie, so I nod.

Gabe’s voice is quiet when he speaks again. “Is it as bad as we think it is?”

What on earth is the right thing to say here? Itispretty bad, after all. “Maybe...probably.”

His face transforms in seconds, a light layer of red coloring his face. This time, it’s definitely out of anger, though. He looks like he’s ready to blow steam out of his ears.

“Man, I really can’t stand that woman. You should’ve seen Hudson when she was done with him. I’ve never seen him like that before.Ever. It was like his body was just this empty shell, and we were so worried he wasn’t ever going to go back to normal.” His eyes flicker to Mira on my back, and I wonder how much worse his outburst would be if it wasn’t for her.

Hearing about Hudson’s pain from Gabe feels like a little stab right into my heart again. “I can imagine how down he was. He told me it didn’t end well.”

Gabe’s looking at me with pleading eyes, making it rather easy to guess what he wants from me.

Pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and my index finger, I exhale loudly. “I can’t, I’m sorry. I totally understand why you want to know, and I really think you should—all of you, actually—but it’s not my place to tell.”

He rakes his hands roughly through his hair, and it’s hard seeing him like this. It’s clear how much his brother means to him and that they all have each other’s backs. Feeling helpless is probably one of the worst feelings out there, no matter what situation you’re in. “No, I completely understand. I should be the one apologizing, not you. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that.”

“Hey, I’m sure it’ll be all right. If not right now, hopefully soon.” I squeeze his arm gently, hoping it’ll reassure him, at least a little bit.

He gives me a small nod. “You’re right. And I’m happy he’s got you now to confide in. That’s a million times better than not having anyone.”

If he keeps saying things like that, I’m going to cry.

Gabe reaches out to snatch one of the muffins. Sneaky little thing. “I’m just worried about him, that’s all. It’s so typical of him to just dive into situations headfirst without thinking things through. I’m sure that’s what got him into this mess in the first place.”

“I don’t know, Gabe. Maybe it was a part of the issue, but from what I know, Addy was sneaky and untruthful about everything. I feel incredibly sad for Hudson. He didn’t deserve any of it.”

Gabe looks down at me, and I realize what I just babbled about.

My hand darts up to cover my mouth. “Shoot, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Relax. You didn’t say anything we didn’t already know. Believe me, we sat down as a group several times, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. We were so desperate to help him.”

They did? Wow.

I can’t deny that it feels weird to know something so personal about Hudson when his own family doesn’t. “You guys truly are the best family I’ve ever met. I really hope Hudson will tell you everything that happened one day. It sounds like it would be good for all of you to get some closure on this.”

“Charlie, you are absolutely right, as usual.” The sound of another voice in the room makes me widen my eyes, and Gabe and I both turn to look at Hudson.

“Is this a regular occurrence now, to eavesdrop on us?” Gabe walks over to Hudson, studying his younger brother. “Dude, you look like crap.”

“Thanks, I appreciate your honesty. Speaking of, I know I should’ve told you guys what happened last year.” He peeks around Gabe to look at me. “For some reason, it took this lovely lady over there to make me realize that.”

Automatically, I hold up my hands. “I didn’t do anything.”

Hudson gives me a small smile, and our gazes lock for a long moment. “You’ve done so much more than you’ll ever realize. Trust me.”

Gabe clears his voice. “So, did you take care of things, like you said on the phone earlier?”

Hudson lets out a big breath, shoving his hands through his hair, so similar to what his brother just did a few minutes earlier. “Yes and no. I did take care of things, but it was too late to stop the avalanche that Addy had already set in motion. I should’ve gotten on her case right away last week.”

“Why? What happened?” The bad feeling that’s been following us all week hits my stomach with a heavythud—especially after getting the confirmation he was indeed dealing with Addy when he wanted to come help me. I need to sit down.

I pull out one of the stools from under the table, but right before I lower myself, I feel Mirabelle stir on my back. A few seconds later, she starts babbling sleepily.

Hudson walks over to us. “Did I wake her up? I’m so sorry, she usually sleeps through all the chaos.”

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