Page 46 of Say You Love Me

“She has you.”

Mum lets out a snort. “Her mother-in-law? A girl needs more company than that of her mother-in-law, my dear. She needs her husband. All she does is mope around all day waiting for you to come home. I can barely get her to get dressed most days.”

A flush of annoyance heats my cheeks. “What do you expect me to do? I’ve got a job, Mother. I need to work to pay—”

“A job that requires you to work late just about every night? A job that requires you to be there on a Sunday? If I recall correctly, part of the way you convinced her to agree to come here was because you told her you’d be doing fewer hours, not more.”

I hold my head in my hand and listen to my mother rant on about how I’m not caring for my wife and thinking of the one and only conversation we had regarding moving here.

“She’s carrying your child, Hudson. Because you wanted to have children. You’re the one who told me that, remember? You were the one who told me you had to convince her and she only agreed because no one in this horrible town would give her a job.”

“I know, I know…”

“Well, don’t just sit there feeling sorry for yourself. Do something.”

“Like what?”

“Stop working so much for a start.”

“You know I can’t just—”

“And call her mother. When was the last time she spoke to Bonnie? I don’t know what went on between them, but I know that girl hasn’t called her mother in months and children need their mothers.”

“Fine.” I didn’t want to argue. The truth was, I knew that everything she was saying was correct. Finity had come here because I told her so. Finity had got pregnant because I begged her to. And now she was stuck here, because of me, because she loved me. The least I could do was try and make her life the best it could be.

“Fine?” Mum repeats.

“Fine, I’ll call Bonnie.”

“Maybe ask her to come out for a visit. If you two aren’t comfortable having her at your place, I’m more than happy for her to stay with me. Whether she’ll want to is an entirely different matter, but the offer is there. That girl needs some comfort, Hudson. And if you can’t be the one to give it to her, you need to find the people who will.”

I dial Bonnie’s number as soon as I hang up. I know if I don’t, I’ll chicken out. The truth is, I don’t know when the last time Finity talked to her mother was because I never asked. It never even occurred to me.

It rings eight times before there’s an answer.

“Hello?”

“Bonnie?”

“Who’s this?”

I clear my throat. “It’s Hudson.” There’s a pause. “Your son-in-law.”

“I know who you are, Hudson. What do you want? Has Finity run away?”

“What?” I’m startled by the question and even bring the phone away from my ear and look at it as though it could give me more answers. “Why would you even say that?”

I can almost feel her shrug through the phone line. “Never mind. It was just a question.”

“Have you talked to Finity lately?”

“Not since you two moved away. Are you moving back?”

“No. Nothing like that.”

“Then why are you calling?”

“It’s just—” I try to think of the right thing to say. “She’s changed. She’s different than she used to be.”

---