Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 139259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
“I just . . . I don’t know what to do,” she finally says.
I incline my head down. “About what?”
“Everything.” She swallows hard. “I graduated. My friends are all working or going off to college, and I’m just stuck. I don’t know what I want to do with my life.”
“You’re not stuck,” I say immediately. “You’ve got options. College, a job, whatever you want.”
“But what if I want to leave here? What if I don’t want to stay?”
“Then you leave.”
“But how?” She bites her lip, her voice trembling. “How can I abandon Mom and Dad? They need me. Doesn’t that make me selfish?”
I sit up straighter, my brows pulling together. “What are you talking about?”
Her hands grip her knees tighter. “You know Mom and Dad won’t take your help. But the thing is, they work so hard, and I see it every day. If I go to school or move somewhere else, who will help them?” She shakes her head. “How can I be okay with that? How can I leave them here alone?”
The guilt in her voice guts me.
Anna’s a good kid, but this isn’t her responsibility. She needs to put her life first.
I push my hand through my hair, exhaling roughly. “Anna, you can’t put that on yourself.”
“Then who will? They’re struggling, Hudson. You know it as much as I do. And you’re not here all the time. You’re off playing hockey. It’s not fair to leave them with no one.”
I grit my teeth.
She’s not wrong.
I’ve offered to help.
I’ve begged them.
They wouldn’t let me do anything. Not pay the mortgage or fix up the farm.
And for what?
They are barely making ends meet and now Anna is crying because she’s afraid to leave them.
“I’ll take care of it,” I say firmly.
Anna laughs bitterly. “Hudson, you’ve tried. They won’t take your money.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I meet her gaze. “I’ll find a way, okay? It’s not on you to hold this place together. You don’t have to give up your future just because Mom and Dad are stubborn.”
“It’s not fair to put this on you either. You have enough going on.”
“Just trust me,” I say softly, because what else can I say? “I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to worry.”
I want to tell her more, but now is not the time.
There’s so much she doesn’t know. For years, ever since I went pro, I’ve been putting money aside for her. To help her.
She doesn’t know that Mom and Dad will only take help from me if it’s for her.
Her shoulders slump. She looks so young.
“Hudson . . .”
“No objections. I’ll handle it. That’s what big brothers are for.”
She snorts, making a face. “Cringe.”
I stand, then hold out my hand to her. “Come on. Get off that bucket. Mom’s cooking chili.”
She takes my hand, letting me pull her up. “Fine, but only because chili is my favorite.”
“Obviously.” I playfully roll my eyes.
Together, we walk back toward the house.
The whole time, I’m thinking about how I’ll broach this with Mom and Dad again. Our parents might be stubborn as hell, but not more than I am. I’ll make them take my money.
Somehow.
“Hudson?” Her voice cuts through my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
Anna looks over at me, her lips twitching into a grin. “You need to get me ice cream after dinner.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Oh, is that so?”
“Yep.” Anna laughs.
“No.”
“Fine. I’ll steal your car and buy it myself.”
“With what money?”
“The money you give Mom and Dad for me.” She smirks, clearly enjoying teasing me. “I’m not stupid. I know you’ve been being sneaky and giving them money for me.”
I run a hand over my face. “You could’ve said something.”
“Why? It was more fun letting you think I didn’t know.”
“Unbelievable.”
But as she skips ahead, laughing, I can’t help but smile.
Maybe everything will be okay after all.
79
Molly
Sunlight fills the barn with a soft glow as Hudson leads me to my surprise. When he finally stops, my eyes go wide.
No way am I going up there.
I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and glance at the ladder Hudson wants me to climb.
“Nope.”
“I’ll be right behind you. Trust me.”
My heart is racing, though I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s the climb. Or perhaps it’s Hudson asking me to trust him again.
This man seems to think pushing my limits is his job.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” His calm voice wants to reassure me. It’s sweet, and I might complain, but he does have a point. Each day that he has pushed my limits, I have felt amazing after, so maybe he’s on to something. “But I know you can do it,” he says, sealing the deal.
I put my hand on the ladder but pause, my grip tightening.
Backing down isn’t an option.
Not again.
Not this time.
I need to challenge myself.