Chapter Twenty-seven
––––––––
Hudson stayed with me for six days before he had to return to Nashville. Six of the best days of my life. It’s the longest period of time we’ve been together in one stint and it did wonders to calm some of the doubts I had about him leaving on tour.
As much as I didn’t want him to leave, he flew out yesterday, having to meet Colton who had worked with the label to line up a few promotional things to help get Hudson’s name out there even more.
Yesterday he made a stop at the local children’s hospital. Colton sent me video of him playing for some of the sick kids and I swear it was the sweetest, most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever witnessed.
Today he did a two song performance on a nationally televised morning news program. I watched with nervous butterflies flapping around in my belly like full grown birds. He did amazing, just like I knew he would.
He’s supposed to be flying back in tomorrow morning, though he has yet to send me his flight details so I don’t know when I’m picking him up.
I do know that once he’s back, he’s staying for three solid weeks before he has to be anywhere. His manager worked out a small break for him which we are both extremely grateful for.
Pulling into my assigned parking spot in the garage below my building, I kill the engine and use the key fob to pop the trunk.
It’s late and even though I had a long day at work, I need to be stocked up on groceries for when Hudson returns. Considering I fed him mainly peanut butter and jelly and boxed macaroni and cheese the last few days he was here, I figured it may be a good idea to expand my options a little.
I climb from the driver’s seat and have just rounded the back of the car when I hear footsteps behind me.
Turning, I jump slightly when I come face to face with Gage who has clearly been waiting on me to come home.
“Gage.” I grip my chest, my heart beating a million miles a minute. “You scared the shit out of me,” I say, shaking my head at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you.” His words slur slightly.
Not this again...
“Now’s not a good time, Gage. It’s late.” Turning, I reach into the trunk to grab the bags when his hand closes down on my shoulder.
“Well make it a good time, Lennon,” he bites.
“Seriously.” I throw my hands up, abandoning my groceries for a moment as I turn back toward him. “Why do you keep doing this? Why are you here?”
“I told you, I needed to see you.”
“Well now you have. You go now.”
“Don’t be a smart ass, Lennon.” He takes a step toward me. “I’ve been thinking a lot over the last few days. Seeing you a couple weeks ago made me realize how miserable I am without you. I need you back, Lennon.”
I bite back a laugh, not even trying to hide how hilarious I find his statement.
“I’m seeing someone. You already know this,” I say, not sure if this will play as a deterrent or simply fuel his fire.
“Ah, yes. The country star.” He rolls his eyes. “Do you really think that’s going to last? How long until he’s bored? How long until the draw of fame and women pull him away? You can’t seriously be stupid enough to believe this has any chance of lasting.”
“You have no idea what Hudson and I share. You know nothing.”
“I know the type, Lennon.”
“Yeah, so do I.” I glare daggers at him. “And Hudson is not like you.”
“Like me?” He sways a little and I can’t help but wonder how much he’s had to drink tonight.
“Let’s not forget who the cheater is here, Gage.”
“I get it. I hurt you. But that doesn’t mean he won’t hurt you too. How much do you really know about this guy?”
“I know enough. And I trust him. So you can take your bullshit somewhere else because I’m done listening to it.”
“Lennon, please. We can be happy together. You and me. I can keep you safe.”
“We have been over this so many times I honestly don’t know what else I can say to make you see that I will never, ever get back together with you. You cheated on me. You humiliated me. If you ever cared for me you will turn around, leave, and never come back.”
“It’s because I care about you that I can’t do that.”
“This isn’t caring about someone, Gage. What you did to me. What you continue to do to me. It isn’t love. It’s obsession.”
“I’m not obsessed.” He draws back like I’ve just slapped him.
“What would you call it then, huh?” I cross my arms over my chest. “You’ve shown up at my house uninvited several times over the last few months. You admitted to driving by my house, walking on the beach next to my house. You showed up at a bar where I was with Emma and proceeded to push yourself at me even though I’ve told you repeatedly that I’m not interested.”
“You’re making me sound like a stalker.”
“I’m starting to wonder if you are one.”
“I’m not stalking you, Lennon. I just need you to hear me out.”
“I’ve heard you out, Gage. Over and over again and my answer does not change. This.” I gesture between the two of us. “This will never, ever happen.”
“Because of him?” He growls, nostrils flaring.
“Because of you.” I point right in his face. “You are the one that did this. He is the one that showed me I’m glad that you did.”
“This isn’t over, Lennon. It can’t be.” He takes another step toward me, forcing me to take a step back, the frame of the bumper cool against the back of my legs.
“It is over, Gage. It’s been over for months. Now either you leave me alone or I will call the police and make it where you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“You wouldn’t,” he spits, leaning into my personal space.
“Why don’t you try me, Gage,” I challenge, not backing down as I pull out my phone and type in 911, holding the screen up for him to see.
“You loved me once.”
“I thought I did,” I say, softening my approach when I see the hurt that flashes through his eyes. “Listen, you’re drunk. Just go home. Go home, Gage.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Before I have a chance to react, Gage’s mouth is on mine. His hand tugs on the back of my hair. Pain shooting through my scalp.
I push at his chest but it doesn’t do me a lot of good. He’s solid against me, his lips pressed so hard to mine I swear my bottom lip splits open under his attack.
I try to shake him loose but he’s too strong. Pulling my leg back as far as I can, I kick, my foot connecting with his shin so hard it sends pain shooting up my leg.
He stumbles back, seemingly shocked. But before either of us has recovered, his body goes airborne, hitting the concrete so hard I hear the air wheeze from his body.
All I can see are fists flying. I’m fairly certain it takes me a full thirty seconds to realize what is happening and even then I’m not sure I’ve grasped it.
“Hudson?” I question, watching his arm draw back as he lays another hard punch to Gage’s face, the bridge of his nose splitting open.
“Hudson!” I scream, my body on autopilot as I attempt to pull him off Gage. “Hudson stop!” I scream, my mind not able to process a single second of the scene unfolding in front of me.
Gage takes a swing at Hudson, missing his chin by the smallest margin before Hudson’s fist connects with his nose again. Blood splatters all over Gage’s face and Hudson’s shirt.
“Hudson, stop! Stop hitting him,” I plead, grabbing his right arm mid-air when he swings downward again.
I may slow the speed of his punch, but I don’t stop it.
Hudson shakes off my hold and leans down in Gage’s face.
“If you ever come near her again, I will fucking kill you,” he warns, his voice low.
“She doesn’t fucking belong to you.” Blood flows freely from his mouth and nose.
“Like hell she doesn’t.” Hudson pulls back and lands another hard punch to Gage’s face. “Do not ever.” Another punch. “Fucking touch her.” Another punch. “Ever again.”
Gage groans, his head rolling to the side as blood pours to the concrete.
I’m frozen in place, not sure what to do. My heart is beating so fast I’m afraid I might be having a heart attack.
I don’t know how this went so bad so quick. I didn’t even know Hudson was here. He wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow.
Before I have a chance to say anything, blue and red lights appear to the right, speeding through the parking garage toward us.
I don’t remember calling 911, but when I look to the ground my phone is lit up, connected to the emergency number. Realizing my finger must have slipped when Gage kissed me, I look up at Hudson with sheer and utter panic.
Hudson is still on top of Gage when the first officer advances, managing to wrestle Hudson to the ground. He puts up no resistance what so ever when the officer pins his arms behind his back and slaps a set of cuffs over his wrists.
“Ma’am,” a female officer says next to me but I can’t tear my eyes away from the scene unfolding in front of me.
Hudson handcuffed on the ground. Gage unconscious, his face bloody and swollen as a male officer assesses his condition.
“Ma’am,” she says again moments before her hand touches my shoulder.
I jump at the contact, finally turning my attention to her. She’s not what I would expect a cop to look like. Middle aged, petite, shoulder length red hair pinned back from her face. It’s like I’m seeing her, studying the lines and dips of her face but not actually seeing her at the same time.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” she asks, her hand tightening on my shoulder.
“I don’t know,” I answer, my voice shaking uncontrollably. “I don’t know what happened,” I say, pretty sure I might be going into shock.
“Dispatch was requested to this location after two people were heard arguing over an emergency call line. Was that you? Did you call?” she asks, looking at me expectantly. “Is that the man you were arguing with?” She points to Hudson as he’s being placed in the back of the police car.
“No.” I shake my head, pointing to Gage who’s being placed on a stretcher and rolled toward an ambulance I never saw arrive. “He’s my ex-boyfriend. He was drinking.” My lip quivers seconds before tears start pouring down my face. “I didn’t mean to call. My finger must have hit the button,” I stumble out.
“And him?” She points toward the car Hudson is sitting in the back of.
“He’s my boyfriend.” My vision blurs as I try to get a visual on Hudson.
“Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?”
“I’m okay.” I shake my head, knowing physically I’m fine. Mentally however is a completely different story. “Wait? Where are you taking him?” I make a move toward the police car as it starts to move.
“He’s going to be taken to the station, ma’am.” The female officer holds her arm out in an effort to stop me.
“Why?” I practically scream in her face. “He was just trying to protect me,” I say, even though I have no idea if that’s the truth. For all I know Hudson saw the kiss and assumed I was a willing participant.
The thought makes my stomach heave and for a moment I think I might be sick.
“We’ll work all this out at the station,” she reiterates, gesturing to the second cop car, a male officer in the driver’s seat.
“Are you arresting me?” I ask, confused.
“No, ma’am. But we need to get your statement. Figure out exactly what happened here.”
“I already told you. He was trying to protect me.” I scream toward the car holding Hudson right as it passes.
I catch a brief glimpse of him in the backseat, his face turned down toward his lap.
“Hudson!” I scream so loud there’s no way he doesn’t hear me, yet he doesn’t flinch.
“Ma’am.” The female officer steps in front of my line of sight as the car disappears around the corner. “The best thing you can do for him is to come down and give a statement,” she informs me, gesturing toward her car.
Knowing I don’t have a choice, I nod once, allowing the officer to lead me toward the cruiser. Within a minute I’m tucked in the backseat and we’re speeding down the road toward the station, a million thoughts running through my mind.
Is Hudson okay?
Why was he here?
Does he think I was kissing Gage back?
All I can think is that this is my fault. All of it. If I had just ignored Gage when he showed up at my house. If I had gotten up to leave the moment he approached me at the bar. If I hadn’t let him corner me in the parking garage tonight. In a way I feel like maybe I encouraged his behavior. Maybe if I had done things differently none of this would have happened.
Instead, I’m in the back of a police car scared to death that my bad choices may have created a shit storm that won’t be swept under the rug.
My mind drifts to Gage. The way his head rolled. The way his eyes kept fluttering open and closed like he didn’t have the strength to keep them open. The blood that poured from his face. His nose and mouth both swollen and split open. He looked like he had been beaten with a baseball bat. I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life.
Every worse-case scenario jumps through my mind.
What if he’s not okay?
What if Hudson did damage that can’t be undid?
What if. What if. What if.
Honestly, I didn’t know Hudson had it in him to hurt someone like that. The way he kept hitting him over and over again. The look on his face as he did it. It was like he wasn’t himself. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my entire life. And in that moment I don’t know if I was more scared for Hudson or of him. I think that’s the most unsettling thing of all. The knowledge that maybe I don’t really know the man I’m in love with as well as I thought I did. I think that terrifies me more than anything else.