Page 106 of More, Daddy
Hudson tosses another log onto the fire. Outside, the sun is quickly setting, and night is encroaching. It’s not cold yet, the open windows allowing for a gentle breeze, but the warmth of the fire is starting to feel good against my bare feet. I look at the dancing flames, vibrant oranges and powerful reds. I wish West didn’t do what he did. My chest hurts so much.
“It gets cold out here in the country quicker, so Huddy starts the fire early. That way the babies can sit in front of it after dinner,” she says. Hudson looks between her and me, then hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to Deuce and Everly’s to get the kids.” My heart nearly stops when Hudson drops to a crouch in front of his wife, presses his lips to her belly, and feathers soft words over her, to his baby. Then he reaches up, and with his strong, sun-kissed hands around her neck, pulls her down for a kiss.
“I’ll be back in a little over an hour.” Hudson gets to his feet, then dips his hat to me in the way that gentlemen in a small town do. “Miss Briar, I’d be happy to give you a ride back into town when I get back.”
I nod. “Thank you, Hudson.” My cheeks heat. I hate being an inconvenience to anyone, much less new friends. I really only officially met Hudson today, and I’ve only known Dolly for a collective few hours. “I feel so bad and truthfully silly for calling you,” I tell Dolly after Hudson has closed the front door and locked it.
Dolly pats my thigh before reaching for our mugs of cocoa, passing one to me. She sips hers, chocolate lining herupper lip. “Don’t even. We’re friends now. Club members, remember?” she winks, taking another sip of her cocoa.
My stomach roils at the mention of the club, the Kinky Married Moms Club. And I must not have a poker face because Dolly sets her mug down, and clamps her hand around my knee. “What happened? Your face totally slid south.”
I put my mug down, too, and tangle my hands together in my lap. “Can I ask, is there some sort of friendship vault?”
Dolly bobs her head. “I will not tell a single soul a word you tell me here, and by a single soul, I obviously mean I will not tell anyone except for Hudson, who is sworn to secrecy and would not reveal anything if I told him not to.”
I figured as much. And as much as I feel bad for sharing this with some of his friends, this spans far beyond what Maven Leemont can handle. Considering she’s still a virgin, too, I’m pretty sure coming to her with “my boyfriend tampered with my birth control and now I’m maybe pregnant, what do I do?” is not in her wheelhouse.
“Well, first, I think to even put any of this into perspective, I have to tell you the whole story. And…” I stop for a moment, overwhelmed by the fear that Dolly won’t want to be my friend after she knows what I did in order to meet West. The stalking, the payoffs, the stolen computer, the lies… But the truth is, if she dislikes me because of what I did, that’s what I deserve. I’m here because of West’s lie, but he would never have done what he did if I hadn’t gotten the whole thing started. I clear my throat, and then tell Dolly every single detail, leaving no stone unturned. After fifteen minutes, I wrap up the story by telling Dolly what just took place.
I told her the way I told West what she’d said at the diner. I feel very proud that the tears didn’t start until this late in thestory. And I hadn’t realized until the tears started to fall just how worried I am.
I thought I was just hurt.
But I think more than anything I’m worried that I won’t be able to move past this, and if I can’t move forward, I can’t be with West.
“I told him to pay for the test, I walked out, and I looked you up and called you.” I shake my head and swipe at the tears, and let the rest of the fears pour out of me. “I’m so sorry if telling you all of this puts you in a weird position. And if you think I’m completely a… I don’t know,” I say, throwing my hands in the air, “a total weirdo or something, I wouldn’t blame you.”
Dolly still hasn’t said a word, so I blow out a steadying breath and make my closing argument before I maybe get kicked out. “I just… I don’t know how to explain it, but one day at school I looked at West, and I just… I had this overwhelming connection to him, and I knew he was meant to be mine. And I didn’t want to lie and do all those devious things to get to him but… I felt, at the time, they were my only options. Okay, sure, I’ve made mistakes, but I don’t know, Dolly. I just don’t know.” That’s all I can say, and if it sounds crazy, then I’ll let it sound that way because it’s the truth.
My heart is racing so fast as exhaustion rails me, the combination forcing me into the soft couch. Dolly peers back, toward the front door, and again out the back windows before focusing on me. She even turns on the couch, angling her body toward mine, a hand on her belly.
“I love Hudson Gray more than anything, next to my kids, and he is my soulmate for this lifetime and the next.” She leans in, grabbing my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “But you just became my other soulmate, Briar Matthews.”
My ears tingle. “What?”
Holding my hand, Dolly smiles. “I stalked Hudson for years. Literally. Years. And when I say stalked, I mean the IT guy keystroke recorder thing? Psh.” She takes her other hand off her belly long enough to wave it down between us. “I used to wait for him to leave, break into his house and open his mail. Wear his clothes. Spray his cologne.” She levels her blue eyes at me, serious. “Use his toothbrush just because it was in his mouth.”
I start to laugh, because not only can I not imagine Dolly being anything other than a sweet but kinky wife, I love how proudly she admits it all. And gosh it feels good to laugh. I feel like I haven’t laughed in too long.
“Excuse me, break into his house?” I laugh, trying to imagine Dolly hoisting herself into a window or something.
She laughs. “Yes, but… I don’t know if you know this, I grew up in that house. The one my sister and her partners live in.” Dolly points to the only other house on the property. “When Hudson moved in, I fell in love. But I was young, so I loved him from afar until I could grow up. And his hang up was also that I was just too young for him. He thought everyone would think he was a pervert for having sex with someone so much younger.”
I shake my head. “Yeah, that’s where West was for years. Adamant he could never date someone younger because he would be a creep in the eyes of everyone his age or older. And also, he thought if he dated someone younger that our kink would be weirder.”
Dolly laughs, tipping her head back to expose her hickey-covered throat. “Kink is meant to be weird, that’s what makes it fun.”
“Truthfully, West’s reaction to finding out about us made West realize he was way too in his head about everything. Plus, the fact that his ex-wife traumatized him didn’t help.” Ishake my head, and finally have the desire to drink the cocoa. It’s only warm now, but I take a few mouthfuls until it’s gone. “We were finally in a good place. Past the deception. We took our month of hiding to figure us out. We were supposed to be starting our future.”
Dolly nods, patting my knee. “I know. And trust me when I say I’m on your side. What West did was wrong. He should not have gone online, ordered empty blister packs—ones he had to match to yours, which means he likely went through your stuff to find your pills and either took a picture for later or ordered them hurriedly while you were busy. Then he had to order sugar pills that fit the pack, and learn how to fill and seal a blister pack. So much effort. And it was so wrong,” she says, eyeing me in a way that makes me think she’s got more to say.
“It was wrong,” I agree.
“But,” she says, raising her palms. “Now hear me out.” She starts counting on her fingers, listing off the things he did again. “He ordered empty blister packs,” she says, pushing one finger down with another. “He made sure to order the correct ones,” she says, continuing onto her middle finger. “He learned how to make it look professional, and filled it,” and lastly, on her pointer finger she says, “and then he swapped them.”
I nod. “Yes. He did all of that. Behind my back.”
She nods. “But why did he do those things?”
