You Make Me Weak (The Blackwells of Crystal Lake 1)

“He’s lost.”

“Oh. Is that it? Lost.” She sounded hysterical. “How could I not see that? Was he lost when he stumbled home from Deb Martin’s every weekend? Was he lost when you called him out on it and he’d reward you with a black eye or a broken arm? Was he lost when we’d make too much noise and he was hungover so the back of his hand was what he used to silence us?” Tears pricked the corners of Rebecca’s eyes, and she wiped at them, her hands shaky. “Was he lost when he punched me in the face for wearing mascara to the dinner table? Or when he beat the ever-lovin’ crap out of Mackenzie for no reason at all, other than he was piss drunk and in a shit fucking mood?”

Her mother turned away, shoulders hunched, body trembling. She looked so small and fragile, and all the fire inside Rebecca died.

“I wanted better for you,” her mother whispered. A sob escaped, and Rebecca took another step toward her mother, hot tears making tracks down her cheeks. “Hudson broke your heart, Rebecca.”

Rebecca could have stayed silent, but that voice inside her, the one she’d buried for years, couldn’t stay quiet.

“Ben breaks your heart every single day.”

“That he does.” Lila’s voice wavered. “And it’s my cross to bear.”

Her mother exhaled and slowly turned around. For the longest time, the two women stared at each other in silence. They could hear Liam and Hannah Rose, and Rebecca hoped like hell her son hadn’t heard their raised voices.

Lila walked toward Rebecca and grabbed her fiercely in a hug that spoke volumes. “Promise me you won’t let Hudson break yours again.”

“You don’t have to worry, Mom.” But even as the words left her mouth, Rebecca heard the hollow ring to them, and she was pretty sure her mother did as well. She couldn’t shake the sense of gloom that settled over her, and by the time she and Liam reached the Blackwell home, she wished she’d never agreed to come out.

It was close to five in the afternoon by this time, and with the sun hidden by heavy clouds, the landscape looked cold and bare. Gone were the leaves that had painted the lake in rich fall colors, and she knew that sooner rather than later, the area would be heavy with snow. She cut the engine and sat back, wanting a few more moments before they went inside.

“Wow.” Liam gazed up at the large house. “They must be really rich.”

“It’s impressive,” she murmured. She remembered the first time she’d come back here with Hudson. She’d been scared silly.

“I think I should go home, Huds.”

“What?” He slid closer to her. “My dad’s going to love you.”

They sat in the front seat of his car, where they’d been sitting for the last ten minutes. She was pretty sure he thought she was a wuss. Or crazy. Or both. Sometimes she wondered just what it was Hudson Blackwell saw in her.

The front door opened, and she shot up straight, heart in her mouth as John Blackwell slowly made his way down the front steps. The man was as handsome as a movie star, and she saw where Hudson got his good looks from.

He stopped just outside the car, and darn it if that cat didn’t still have her tongue.

Hudson rolled down the window, and his father didn’t bother to lean in. His voice was deep and cultured. Nothing like Ben’s.

“You two coming in, or are you going to sit in the driveway all afternoon?”

“We’re coming in, Dad.”

“Don’t take all day.”

And with that, he headed back into the house. Rebecca spied two heads at the front window. “That Travis and Wyatt?”

“Yep.” Hudson reached for her and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Come on. They’re not so bad.”

She reached for the door handle but turned back to him as a thought suddenly struck. “You ever bring a girl home before?” She kept h

er voice neutral and tried to sound like she didn’t care all that much. It was hard to do considering her heart was beating a mile a minute.

Hudson looked at her. A direct gaze that set her heart fluttering all over again.

“Never.”

Turned out, Rebecca did care. She cared a whole lot.

“There’s Hudson!”