5. Hudson
Chapter 5
Hudson
The next morning, I was in the kitchen making coffee when Jack came downstairs. Dressed and ready for school, he reminded me so much of his mother.
His dark hair and blue eyes framed with long lashes made him as beautiful as she had been. Without a doubt, he was his mother’s son. They shared a bond I hoped to have with him one day.
Shaking off my melancholy, I watched him as he studiously ignored me.
“Good morning,” I said. “How was your evening?”
“Fine,” he mumbled as he went to the fridge. He pulled out the orange juice and milk, then went for the cereal. Nothing like a dose of sullen teenager to get your day started.
“Are you excited about summer break?” It was a lame attempt to engage him in conversation, but I was desperate to get him to talk to me. Something was on his mind, and I wished he’d let me in. But he only shrugged.
As he poured the cereal into the bowl and doused it with milk, I moved on to another topic he might find more appealing.
“So you know we had a big gala last night?”
He blinked at me but said nothing.
“We had a lot of dignitaries there, and I met a football player you like.”
Jack furrowed his brow as he went for another bite. “Who?”
“Evan Ellis,” I said, bringing my cup to my mouth. “And Lennox Sanders.”
Jack froze, his spoon hanging in the air. Then he slowly panned to me as his eyes went wide. “Really?”
I smiled. “Yes. We honored them for the Super Bowl win.”
His eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
Chuckling, I put down my cup. “Yes. And they’re both really nice guys”
I watched as his expression changed. In the blink of an eye, Jack went from impressed to angry.
“You mean you met him, but didn’t take me? You know he’s my favorite player, and you didn’t send Aunt Adley to come get me?”
This wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped.
“I couldn’t, Jack. Alcohol was being served.”
He didn’t accept my excuse. “They sell alcohol in restaurants. I can still go in to eat.”
“I know,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “But we’re going to?—”
My explanation was interrupted when the doorbell rang. Confused about why it would be going off this early, I held up my finger.
“Don’t go anywhere. I have more to tell you.”
Jack resumed inhaling his cereal with a scowl as I strode to the door. We didn’t normally have guests at seven-thirty in the morning unless it was one of Jack’s friends needing a ride to school.
Checking the peephole, I chuckled in disbelief before pulling the door open. And just like last night, he was saving my ass again.
“What are you doing here?”
Evan smiled back at me as he motioned to Lennox as if it were his idea. “Good morning, Governor. We thought we’d stop by for a minute to meet Jack before heading back. Is this a bad time?”
“We don’t want to impose,” Lennox added.
I inhaled deeply, grateful for the temporary reprieve from disappointing my son. “Actually, your timing couldn’t be more perfect, gentlemen. Come on in.”
Stepping back, I opened the door wider and motioned them in. They stepped into the foyer and took in the interior. I closed the door and motioned for them to follow me toward the kitchen.
“I was just telling him I met you both,” I said as we entered the room.
Jack glanced up, and his eyes went wide again. This time, he dropped his spoon into the bowl. Breathing and eating didn’t work well together, as he choked when he tried to swallow.
Evan reached over and patted him on the back. “Careful there, dude. You can’t die before I’ve had a chance to meet you.”
I smiled at my son as his face lit up in a rare moment of happiness. As Jack coughed, Lennox picked up his glass of juice and handed it to him.
“Here ya go. Try this.”
Jack glanced up and nodded as the big quarterback stared down at him with concern. His eyes cut to me as I smiled at him.
Evan extended his hand to Jack. “Evan Ellis. It’s nice to meet you, Jack. Your aunt couldn’t stop talking about you last night. And then your dad couldn’t stop either. So I told the QB we had to meet you before we left town. Especially since you’re our biggest fan.”
Jack’s eyes cut back to me. “Really?”
Evan placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder. His playful expression made my stomach tighten.
“Oh yeah. After he ruined my shirt when I tried to thank him for the welcome basket, he told me I’m your favorite player. Got my poster on your wall and everything. I should really sign that before I leave.”
I stood back and watched as Evan charmed my son. Jack’s head swung back and forth as his gaze went from Evan to Lennox. “Yeah, I do.”
“Wait. Do you have mine?” Lennox asked. “Because if you don’t, we need to change that when you come to San Diego.”
Jack’s eyes went wide as he looked at me. “We’re going to San Diego?”
“Yes. In a few weeks. Adley is clearing my schedule for a few days, and you and Erin can stay with Nana when I meet with Mr. James. That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier.”
My son peered up at Evan. “But it’s the offseason. The team won’t be playing then.”
Evan glanced at Lennox before turning his attention back to Jack.
“No, we won’t. But we can get some of the guys together and play a pickup game on the field. Your dad said you were thinking about playing for your high school. Maybe we can show you some pointers before try-outs.”
I didn’t think Jack’s eyes could get any wider as he stared at Evan, then back to Lennox. “You guys would do that even though he won’t let me play?”
My face heated as my son threw me under the bus.
Evan smiled at him. “Yeah, of course we would. I bet we can change his mind.”
“We love stirring up trouble,” Lennox added, winking at me.
Jack looked as if he wanted to ask a million questions, but settled on one. “Are you doing this because my dad’s the governor?”
Evan swept his eyes over to me with a smirk on his face.
“I’m not gonna lie to you, Jack,” he said, turning back to my son. “When your dad told me I was on your wall, I had to meet you. I stayed after the dinner so I could talk to him about it. I couldn’t be this close and disappoint my biggest fan.”
Jack grinned as Evan leaned down conspiratorially but kept his eyes on me. “Besides, it was boring. Be thankful you didn’t have to go.”
He didn’t know how grateful I was to him, even at my expense.
“Speaking of meeting him,” I interrupted, “how did you get my address?”
Evan peered at me, just like last night. “Adley gave it to me after you left your office.”
“Wait,” Lennox said. “I thought you went to change your shirt.”
“I did,” he replied, motioning to me. “But Hudson took me to his office across the street. He thought he had one that would fit me. But Adley ended up getting me another one.”
Lennox rolled his eyes. “You didn’t pack an extra shirt?”
Evan tilted his head. “Did you pack an extra one, genius?”
We watched them banter back and forth like watching a tennis match, amused at how down-to-earth they were. Jack’s question had been forgotten. But I’d give my right arm to keep that smile on his face.
“No offense, Governor, but I don’t think your shirt would fit this guy.”
“Yeah, Dad. Did you seriously think he could wear your shirt?”
My face heated again as Evan smirked at me. But before I could reply, Erin came bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen, ready to go. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the two giants standing in the kitchen.
“You’re the one on the poster!”
Jack rolled his eyes at her as if their sudden appearance hadn’t fazed him.
“His name is Evan Ellis, dufus. And this is Lennox Sanders. The quarterback.”
Erin glanced at me as I held my arm open. My twelve-year-old daughter walked right into my arms. She would be my human shield.
“Want some breakfast, sweetheart?”
Erin shook her head. “I’ll eat a protein bar on the way to school.”
Evan held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Erin.”
She shook it, then looked at Lennox, who did the same.
Lennox checked his watch. “We gotta go, Ev. The plane leaves in an hour.”
He turned back to Jack and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Jack. We’ll see you soon.”
He shook Jack’s hand again as my son beamed up at him.
“Yeah, okay,” he said, looking over at me. The smile was still there, making me think I’d done something right.
“And we’ve got to get you two to school. Grab your stuff, you guys, and meet me in the car. I’ll be right there.”
Evan and Lennox followed me to the door. Lennox opened it and stepped out while Evan remained a step behind.
“I hope you don’t mind we stopped by.”
Shaking my head, I held out my hand to shake his. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Evan’s face broke into a big grin. “Good. What are friends for? Besides, you can pay me back when you get to San Diego.”
He let go as I chuckled. “Okay. We can do that.”
His big grin and blue eyes sparkled in the early morning light. It was impossible not to smile when he was around. And I noticed he had the same effect on his friends.
“I’ll be in touch, Governor,” he said, walking down the front step.
“Call me Hudson. Governor is too formal for friends.”
Evan grinned and raised a hand as he headed toward the waiting car.
As I watched him climb into the passenger seat, it occurred to me that he might be the new friend I needed. He had charmed a smile onto Jack’s face, and I’d forever be grateful to him for that.