Chapter 120

Judy’s POV

My phone rang, interrupting my sparring lessons with Matt.

I grabbed my phone out of my gym bag that sat under a tree. When I looked at the caller ID, my heart was in my throat. It was Eliza at the hospital.

With a racing heart, I swiped the green talk button and pressed the phone to my cheek.

“Hello?” I said, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.

“Hey, Judy. It’s Elizabeth,” she said on the other end. “I’m calling regards to Nan Rugby.”

“Hi…” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is great. She pulled through nicely. She’s awake now and is on antibiotics. She will be leaving tomorrow afternoon to return home. Will you be able to escort her?”

“Of course,” I said quickly. “I’ll be there tomorrow. Thank you so much.”

“Of course. I’m glad I could help her,” Eliza said thoughtfully. “See you tomorrow.”

With that, she hung up. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.

“Everything okay?”

I spun around when I heard a nearby voice, my heart hammering against my chest. My eyes grew wide when I saw Gavin walking towards me. I didn’t even know he returned home and when his eyes found mine, a small smile tipped the corner of his lips. I could see concern in his eyes as he studied my face, but for the most part, he kind of looked pleased to see me. Was I being ridiculous to think for a minute that maybe he was pleased to see me? Maybe this was more than what I initially thought it was?

I mean, we had barely seen each other in days… this was the first time we were able to actually speak to one another, so maybe I was a fool.

“Yeah,” I managed to squeak out as I shoved my phone into my pocket. “It was just Elizabeth…”

“How’s Nan doing?” He asked, stopping only an inch away from me. “I heard she had food poisoning.”

My cheeks flushed; did he check up on Nan’s condition? Or maybe Taylor had told him. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

“Yeah, she did. But Eliza said she’s going to be fine. She made it out of surgery and she’s awake. She’s resting now and should be ready to come home tomorrow.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“You should have her stay with you at the mansion,” he suggested, surprising me. “She lives alone, right? Maybe it would help her to be close to someone in case she needs something.”

I thought about it for a minute; I wasn’t sure if Nan would even want to stay at the mansion with Chester being there. He was the reason she was driven to drink in the first place. I didn’t want to tell Gavin that information though because it wasn’t my story to tell and plus, I didn’t want to get Chester in trouble.

So, I pressed my lips together and nodded.

“I’ll ask her,” I told him.

He gave me a small nod, his eyes never leaving mine.

After a heartbeat of silence, Gavin cleared his throat and shifted in his shoes, almost looking uncomfortable and a little boyish. It was oddly cute and I had to bite my lower lip to keep from smiling up at him.

“So, I’ve been thinking and—” He started to say, but he was interrupted by another presence nearby.

“Daddy!”

We both turned to see Irene walking towards us. I had to stifle a groan; I should have known she wouldn’t be far behind. If Gavin was talking to me, Irene was bound to interrupt. That’s all she seemed to do lately. She was determined to make it so I got zero alone time with her father… and it was working.

My chest tightened at the sight of her; I expected her to look at me with smugness like she normally does, but when I saw her red face and puffy eyes, my heart dropped. Something was seriously wrong this time; she didn’t look comfortable, and she didn’t look pleased that she was interrupting us. She had her arms wrapped around her body like she was trying to hold herself together and a tear slipped out of one of her eyes. She quickly wiped it away with her fingers and sniffled, her eyes shifting downward.

Gavin noticed how upset she was too, and his slightly annoyed expression shifted to worry as he turned to fully face his daughter.

“What’s wrong?” Gavin asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

She sniffled.

“C…Can I talk to you…?” She asked, her voice hoarse. She glanced at me briefly before looking up at him. “Alone.”

Gavin was tense, but he nodded at her without hesitation.

“Yeah, of course, Sweetie,” he told her.

He motioned for her to head towards the house and she nodded, giving me one last look before she turned and walked away, leaving me alone with Gavin for a brief moment. He turned to look at me, but I could tell he was already gone.

“Go on,” I told him, giving me a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. Be with your daughter. I should get going anyways.”

He nodded.

“Okay,” he told me. “I’ll see you later?”

I nodded, forcing a smile on my lips. He didn’t seem to notice my fake smile or the pain in my voice. Instead, he hurried after his daughter, and I stood staring after him feeling like a complete idiot.

Later, when I returned to the mansion, I could hear a couple of voices in the kitchen, and they sounded tense. One was yelling and the other was monotone and almost cold. The one yelling was female and I would bet my left breast that it was Harper.

The other one, I’m fairly certain was Chester.

As I neared the kitchen doors, their voices became clearer to me and I froze before I opened the door.

“You knew her for like 2 seconds and you barely even spoke to her,” Harper hissed. “Are you seriously considering throwing me away for a tramp you just met??”

“Don’t call her that,” Chester said, sounding tired. I knew this conversation had to have been going on for a while. “We were never an item, Harper. We were only having fun. I thought you understood that.”

“I understood that we were having fun, but I thought we were building something more, Chester,” she said through her teeth. “I thought you cared about me.”

“Of course, I care about you,” Chester sighed. “But I’m not in love with you. I’m sorry if you thought that I was but—”

“I don’t think… I know,” Harper said, sounding so sure of herself, I was kind of envious of her confidence.

“Harper…”

“I’m not giving up on us,” Harper continued. “I love you and I always have. I loved you the second I met you. We are meant to be together. So, what if we aren’t fated mates… we can create our own fates. Isn’t that what life is all about? The Goddess gave us the gift of free will and free choice… we can choose our own destinies, and I choose you, Chester.”

I pushed the door open slightly to peek inside and I saw that she was standing impossibly close to him. She put her hand on his arm, and I could see him tensing from her touch. He stared down at her and she batted her long lashes at him, parting her pink and glossy lips slightly.

“Nothing is going to happen between us again,” he told her firmly, narrowing his eyes at her.

She dropped her hands to her sides and clenched her fists.

“We’ll see about that,” she muttered.

She didn’t stick around to hear his response. She quickly turned away and left through the back entrance. Chester sighed and leaned against the counter as if holding up his own weight had become a chore to him.

I didn’t linger in the doorway for much longer; I pushed the door, startling him.

“Sorry,” I said, holding up my hands to show that I was unarmed. “I come in peace.”

He sighed when he realized it was only me and he rested his hip against the counter, folding his arms across his chest.

“Did you hear any of that?” He asked me.

I nibbled on my lower lip and nodded; I didn’t want to lie to him.

“Yes,” I admitted. “Are you okay?”

He studied me for a moment, his eyes scanning my face to find out if I truly cared or not if he was okay. Once he got the answer he needed, he let out a breath.

“Yeah… she’s going to make things complicated,” he murmured. “She can’t take no as an answer.”

“You did right by telling her there wasn’t a chance,” I told him. “No good would come from leading her on.”

He nodded.

“Yeah, I truly don’t want to hurt anyone. I’m always upfront about my intentions. I never thought that I would ever find my mate though… truthfully, I didn’t think I even wanted a mate.”

“And now?” I prodded.

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes shifting from my face to the ground.

“I’m still not sure,” he admitted. “But the second I saw her… I knew I needed to see her again. I can’t let her go without talking to her first. Harper was right, I don’t know her. I haven’t truly spoken to her. If I let her go… if I reject her… I would always regret not talking to her first.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to process his words. Then, I nodded.

“Okay… so what do you suggest?” I asked him.

“Do you think you can have her come here?” He asked. “Maybe tonight? I can talk to her and then we can decide together what to do. I think I owe it to her to at least talk to her and include her in this decision after all. Rejection could destroy her and her wolf if we aren’t on the same page about things.”

I bit my lower lip, my heart aching for my best friend.

“I agree that you owe that much to her,” I told him. “But it’s going to have to wait until she’s feeling up for it. She’s in the hospital until tomorrow.”

Chester’s eyes shot to me and I watched as his face paled.

“W…what?” He asked, straightening his body. “What are you talking about?”

“She’s in the hospital,” I repeated, folding my arms across my chest. “She spent the last few days drinking and then one of the beers she had was expired. She got alcohol poisoning. She had surgery earlier and now she’s recovering.”

I swear, Chester stopped breathing as he stared at me.

After what felt like a long time, I waved my hand in front of his face, he blinked a few times as if he was now just remembering where he was.

“I need to see her,” he said as he rushed past me.

“Woah there,” I said, grabbing his arm. “I think she’s been through enough, Chester.”

He whipped around to face me, his wolf at the surface and his eyes wild.

“What?” He asked.

“I said, she’s been through enough. Let her rest,” I repeated. “I’ll bring her here tomorrow and then you can talk. But for now, just let it go.”

He stared at me for a moment longer and I thought he was going to resist my request and leave. But he surprised me by relenting. He sighed and dropped his hands, groaning softly. I patted him on the back.

“Get some sleep,” I told him. “Because tomorrow, we are going to get Nan from the hospital. And you sir, are driving.”