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"We're good Mom, I miss him." I tell her honestly, “I've been doing a lot of thinking, as Sarah may be coming home and things with Hudson are going well, I've applied for college in San Francisco, I want to be close by, I miss Sarah and Allie. I want to be close to you, to Dad." I hate that I've not visited him since I've been gone. Hell, I've yet to visit him since I've been here, but that's going to change. I'm going to go this week, spend some time in Oakland, be closer to my dad.
Mom's eyes widen in surprise. "Really?"
I nod, "Yeah Mom."
She smiles, "Okay, so giving you these means so much more."
Frowning, I'm confused. "Giving me what?"
She reaches into her pocket, "These." She tells me as she pulls a set of keys out of it. That shoehorn keyring makes me smile, I bought it for Dad for Father's Day one year, it was such a goofy present but he didn't care. He carried it every day with him, treasured it as if it were the best present in the world.
"Mom." I whisper, is she doing what I think she is?
"I spoke to Harrison, I told him that I wanted to take the house off the market and give it to you. He agreed, thinking it was the perfect thing to do. It'll be transferred into your name soon. But it's yours to do as you want with."
Tears spring to my eyes, I can't believe it. "Thank you." I say hoarsely, trying not to cry.
"Maybe if Lacey wants to switch colleges too, she could live with you?"
I like that idea, "Yeah, and I was thinking if Sarah does come home, that she and Allie could move in with me too."
Mom's face lights up. "You are your father's daughter Mia, you want everyone you love to be close. I think having your girls with you is a wonderful idea. But it also means you'll be close for me to visit you."
"Always Mom, you know that." It's true. I'd love to have her around me, she'll only be a couple of hours away from me instead of the ten that we're currently apart while I've been living in Arizona. "Okay, Mom, I want to ask you something."
Her face falls, "You're going to ask about Hudson's mom."
I nod, "I couldn't believe that you got with Harrison while he was married, Mom. That's not who I thought you were."
"When I first met Harrison, you'd gone to college. I was alone in a house that used to be so filled with love. As much as your father and I weren't in love with each other, he was my best friend, Mia. I loved him like that and him dying hurt, it pained me and watching you break hurt even more."
Tears slip down my face, and I wipe them away, God, I hate talking about Dad dying. It feels like yesterday that I was told. It's the worst thing in the world and I never want to hear the words, ‘I'm sorry, he's dead’ again.
"Mia, I was lonely. I went to a bar and tried dating, but nothing was helping. My loneliness was consuming me. Until I met Harrison." Her eyes light up as a smile forms on her lips. She truly is happy, and I can't fault her for falling in love with him. I don't think I've ever seen her this happy.
"I didn't know he was married. I got to know him, I was drawn to him. I can't explain it; it's like he's a magnet, pulling me toward him. By the time the truth had gotten out, that he was married, I was in deep Mia. I knew that he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. That he was my one."
"So what did you do?" I ask. I understand what she means, what she's described about how she feels about Harrison is exactly what I'm feeling with Hudson, so I can't fault her for that. I don't think I could give Hudson up but if he was married, that would change things.
The smile she gives me is a weak one. "I made a mistake Mia. I should have told him no more when I found out about Paula. But I was weak, being with Harrison, it brought back the real me, the woman I had lost. So I continued seeing him until, eventually, he came to the decision to divorce Paula and for us to get married."
I feel bad for her. I don't think I can be mad at her, I'm not sure what I'd have done in her situation. "Okay, Mom, I understand. I think it was the wrong decision, but there's nothing that can be done about it now."
She nods, "I think that's why Hudson dislikes me." Her tone once again has that bite to it that she gets whenever she talks about Hudson.
I sigh, "Mom, please don't." I beg. I don't want to get into it about Hudson.
"Look, Mia, there are things about him that you don't know. He's not a good man." She says, her eyes flashing with anger.
"Mom, I know Hudson, he's a good man. Please don't do this. I don't want to argue again."
She doesn't listen. "Mia, that man is dangerous. He's a drug dealer for crying out loud."
I laugh, "Yeah okay Mom." I roll my eyes, the lengths she's going to, just so that we won't be together. It's ridiculous.
"Mia," She tells me, and I look at her. I mean really look at her, her eyes so full of worry. Whatever she's about to say, I know that I'm not going to like it. "Mia, Hudson owns Synergy, it's a front as such. He's the drug Kingpin. His dad was one before him and his grandfather before that. When Harrison proposed to me I said yes on one condition. That he'd leave that life and he did, but in doing so, he passed the title onto Hudson. Mia, Hudson is a dangerous man, not that I think he'd hurt you in any way but the life he leads could. Please listen to me." She pleads with me.
I sit here in stunned silence, what am I meant to do with this information? Hudson never once told me anything about this, he's gone out of his way to keep this from me.
