body all at once.
“Colt!” I hear Moms cry out.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I’m praying this isn’t the case. She did not drive all the way here. No. But unlike Mom, she cares about me. She tries, and she loves me unconditionally when I don’t look like my dead brother, at least.
She practically tackle hugs me, holding me tight. “Mi preciosa,” she coos over and over, rocking us.
“That’s my daughter!” I hear Mom curse at the cops stalling her. They know she’s my mom. Everyone knows Tasha Hudson, but maybe my not looking anything like myself from last school year, they’re confused.
Either way, she bulldozes her way through. She’s still wearing the dress I caught her in hours ago. My eyes narrow.
Moms releases me, turning to her wife. “Mi rayito,” Moms calls out to Mom. She closes the distance and brings her into a hug. “How are you here?”
“Rimbaur called me. I got a quick flight.”
Bullshit.
I glower at the woman who birthed me, wondering why and how the fuck she could betray her wife—the woman who raised me—and pretend to be working. Does she expect me to keep her lie? Confirm that she isn’t a cheating asshole?
“I’m so glad you’re here. It could have been our Colton,” Moms frantically explains.
Mom holds her but hasn’t peered away from me. There’s knowledge there, pain, resentment, and a whole lot of deep-seeded secrecy.
That’s what it is to be a Hudson.
To be an Arcadian.
To be a founding bloodline.
“Are you okay?” Mom asks, but in her eyes, I see the awareness. She knows I’m not but pretends to offer the love and guidance she doesn’t give normally. “You can come home with us tonight.”
Shaking my head frantically, I wonder if I can magically fly all the way to Tennessee and see my two boyfriends. They’d help me forget. They’d hold me while I cry. They’d be here. As soon as the thought comes, I smile. They’ll probably be flying out here in their father’s stead to make sure Melissa is okay.
“I’ll be okay. I’ve got Melissa.”
When the words leave me, Melissa wanders back over here, greeting them with grins. They’d separated us to question her, probably trying to rule out our guilt. She seems more put together than I do. Did she tell them we were sneaking around?
“I’m Melissa Tompkins, Colt’s best friend,” she offers before shaking both of their hands. “I’ll take care of our girl.”
And just like that, my mothers shut up. If all it took was for someone to care about me for them to stop pretending to care, I would have done it when Cass died.
“Keep in touch,” Moms offers, kissing my forehead and hugging me to her chest.
Mom stares at me with trepidation. I can’t tell if it’s because she doesn’t know what I’ll say about Richter or if it’s about our bloodline and how fucked up this entire township is. Either way, she’s treading on ice. I’ll destroy her, even if Moms comes out as collateral damage.
I watch as they speak to both my moms and I’m stuck with Mel, wondering what she said, what we need to hide, and where Yang put the files. If we don’t know, how will we find who killed Cass?
The officers come back and speak with me and Mel once more and by the time they've interviewed us both, extensively might I add, we head back to my dorm. For the most part, that's where Mel stays. Her dorm is on a lower level, and she shares it with some chick she doesn't seem to like much.
As soon as I open my door, I'm greeted with the two most handsome men. I've been missing these last few weeks. Immediately, my eyes well with tears. Seeing them when I feel like utter shit breaks something inside of me. It takes every degree of my control to stay rooted and not jump into their arms.
"Darlin'," Justice says.
At the same time, Pru says, "Princess."
My tears come, unable to stop. The twins stare at me with several levels of concern and need. The separation sadness makes zero sense. We didn't get that much time together, but somehow, we connected on a deeper level.
"Oh, look. You're here," Mel drones on, sounding irritated and bored. Did she think they wouldn't come? Her father is laying low, so of course, her older brothers would be forced to fly out. This is traumatic, but Mel doesn't seem like it's anything other than another night.
People cope differently, I guess. While I'm soft, shaking,