Chapter Ten
Heavenly stared at the boy. Gaped. Seth had told her and Beck about Tristan. Surely, he would have told them if he had another son. Unless…
He didn’t know.
The thought hit her like a sledgehammer.
He was going to blindside Seth. There was no way she could call him in New York and drop the bomb about his long-lost son.
How old was this kid? Seth was thirty-two, so logically his son shouldn’t be older than thirteen or so. But another scan of the teenager told her he definitely was.
With a backpack over one shoulder and a bulging duffel dangling from his fist, the young man stared back, his eyes almost accusing as he swept the office.
“Holy shit,” River muttered, seemingly frozen in place.
The teenager’s gaze peeled from her as he dropped his luggage on the floor with a thud and glowered at Seth’s junior PI. “I need to see Seth Cooper. Now.”
His voice stunned Heavenly all over again. It was so shockingly like Seth’s—timbre, inflection, even accent.
“Um…he isn’t here,” Heavenly replied, proud that her voice sounded steadier than she felt. “What’s your name? Maybe I can help.”
His eyes narrowed, his expression laced with barely controlled fury. “When will he be back?”
She darted another glance at River, not quite sure what to say.
“I’ll…ask Beck if he knows.” River shot Heavenly a meaningful look as he pulled out his cell phone and dashed off a text.
Good idea. He should know about this shocking development. What were they going to do? Say? Seth wouldn’t be home for almost twenty-four hours.
“Who’s Beck? And who the hell are you?” The teenager demanded.
“I’m River. I work with Seth.” Before he could say more, his phone dinged in response. He glanced down to read the reply, leaving Heavenly the sole focus of the kid who wore Seth’s face like an accusation.
The more she looked at him, the more she knew her suspicions were right.
She saw Seth in the way the stranger held his shoulders, straight and proud.
In the stubborn set of his jaw, which she’d seen on Seth countless times.
Even the way he scanned the room, taking in every detail with sharp, assessing eyes.
All pure Seth.
“I didn’t catch your name.”
The teen scowled at her, eyes flashing with suspicion. “You his secretary or something?”
Panic fluttered in her chest. She had no roadmap for handling this situation. But if the kid wasn’t even willing to tell her his name, she refused to divulge Seth’s secrets—especially given his attitude.
“No, I’m just helping out today,” she said finally. “But if you’ll tell me who you are, I can help find him.”
“Fine. I’m Hudson. When can you get him here?”
Since the truth would only make him angrier, she groped for an answer that might pacify him.
“Hey, don’t grill her. She’s just trying to help,” River snapped. “I’m working on it.”
Heavenly was grateful for his intervention. “Would you like something to drink while you wait? A soda or water?”
Grudgingly, Hudson accepted a bottle of water. She grabbed it from the small refrigerator, then watched him ease onto the leather couch, perched on the edge as if ready to bolt. In the background, River’s phone dinged once. Twice.
Their unexpected visitor fixed on the stairway, as if expecting Seth to materialize at any moment. The tension radiating from his tall, lanky frame was palpable.
Heavenly tried to guess his age. Fifteen? Sixteen? Where had he come from? Based on his accent, somewhere back east. Where was his mother? And why did he look so ready to burn the world down?
His gaze shifted, and he studied her with the same sharp intensity, though his voice softened. “What’s your name?”
“Heavenly.” She lowered herself onto the chair across from him, trying to appear nonthreatening and approachable.
Finally, something besides anger flickered across his features. “That’s…fitting.”
Was he…hitting on her?
“That’s enough,” River growled.
“It’s not like I fucking jumped on her. Geez…” Hudson bristled, then bobbed his chin at River. “What is he, your daddy?”
“I told you to watch your mouth. Heavenly is my sister’s bestie.”
“Yeah?” He scanned the office again, then turned back to her. “If you don’t work here, how do you know Cooper?”
“Seth and I are…friends.”
The words felt inadequate, almost like a betrayal of everything they meant to each other, but it was the safest option until she knew what Seth wanted to tell Hudson.
“Yeah, the naked kind.” Hudson gave her another once-over. “Lucky him.”
“Can it.” River saved her from sputtering a reply, then turned to her. “Beck was already on his way over. He’ll be here in a minute.”
Thank goodness. Heavenly sighed in relief.
“I don’t know who Beck is, but I didn’t come here for a party.” Hudson leapt to his feet. “Tell me when you expect Cooper. I’ll come back then.”
Since Seth wasn’t going to magically walk through the door, she needed to keep Hudson talking until Beck arrived and they figured out what to do. “Wait! Beck might have more information.”
Hudson hesitated, then slouched back onto the sofa. “If he doesn’t, I’m out.”
The awkward silence descended again. The ticking of the wall clock was audible in the hush. Heavenly glanced at the device. Almost five. Now what?
Her thoughts pinged like a metronome, back and forth, as she tried to sort through this surreal situation.
Eyes narrowed, River eased into his desk chair, still sizing up Hudson, who fidgeted on the sofa.
The sound of bounding footsteps on the stairs had everyone turning. Beck rushed into the room and skidded to a stop. He took one look at Hudson and his eyes flared wide, the same shock still ringing through Heavenly written all over his face.
“That’s my cue.” River stood and approached Beck, sending him a sympathetic grimace. “I’m going to…grab a sandwich. I’ll be back.”
Beck nodded, never taking his eyes off Hudson. “Yeah.”
A second later, the door slid shut again. They were alone—with a secret big enough to tear Seth from their lives.
Shaking, Heavenly stood and approached him. “Beck, this is Hudson.”
“Is Cooper with you or not?” The teenager glowered at Beck.
Beck’s mouth opened, then closed. For a moment, his stare flicked between Hudson’s face and her own. “Let’s talk about this.”
The kid huffed and got to his feet. “Fuck that. I’m out. Tell me when the hell he’ll be back.”
Heavenly watched Beck processing the same thoughts still racing through her head.
Did they dare tell Hudson that Seth wouldn’t be back until tomorrow?
He’d disappear to God knew where. She didn’t want to lie, not when the teen possessed Seth’s stubborn streak.
And he’d probably see right through them.
But since he was carrying luggage, he was probably far from home. Did he have anywhere to sleep tonight?
“Here’s the deal: Seth is visiting family. He’ll be back soon.” Beck slowly approached Hudson with careful, non-threatening movements. “How do you know him?”
“How do you?”
“We’re friends.”
“Like her, huh? The naked kind.” Hudson sneered. “So he’ll fuck anything with a pulse.”
Beck’s jaw clenched. “Watch your mouth. You talk like that in front of your mom?”
Hudson snorted. “All the time, and Blondie there is not my mom.”
Heavenly tried to jump in and diffuse the situation. “Why are you looking for Seth?”
The kid hesitated, both wary and determined to control the situation. “That’s between me and him.”
So he didn’t want to admit the obvious. Unless he did, she and Beck couldn’t either.
Her stomach twisted anxiously. Until Seth returned, how were they supposed to handle this? And how could they possibly prepare him for finding a son who looked exactly like him?
As if sensing her spiraling thoughts, Beck caught her eye and sent her the slightest nod. We’ll figure this out.
“Well…” Beck turned his attention back to the teenager. “Since we’re waiting for Seth, tell us where you’re from.”
“Connecticut.” Hudson’s answer was clipped, but at least he was talking.
“You’ve come a long way. How did you know where to find Seth?”
“Called the office in New York. Some guy named Matt told me he was working out of the LA branch.” Hudson shrugged like it was no big deal, but Heavenly could see the tension in his shoulders.
“Matt is Seth’s younger brother,” Heavenly volunteered. “He has four of them, actually.” She wondered how much he knew about the Cooper family.
Hudson’s laugh was bitter. “Why should I care?”
Oh, this poor kid. He must think Seth didn’t want him—had never wanted him. No wonder he was so angry.
“Just making small talk. I thought you might be interested to know that Seth is really close to his family.”
Hudson’s expression flickered—surprise, maybe?—before the mask of anger slammed back into place. “Good for him.”
Beck moved in closer, eyes fixed on Hudson. “Let’s cut the shit and address the elephant in the room. You’re here to meet Seth because he’s your dad, right?”
Hudson’s shoulders went rigid, his expression belligerent. Heavenly feared he would bolt.
“I never said he was my dad.”
“You don’t have to,” Beck drawled. “You look—”
“Exactly like him. So I’ve gathered.” Hudson rolled his eyes with the practiced disdain only teenagers could master.
“You do,” Beck confirmed.
“So much,” Heavenly seconded softly. “How old are you, Hudson?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Sixteen.”
That meant… No. Impossible.
But Hudson standing in front of her proved it wasn’t.
She bit back a gasp. Beck, now beside her, didn’t look any less shocked.
“When’s your birthday?” she managed, her voice shaking.
“April twentieth. You mathing, Blondie? I’ll save you the calculation. He was fifteen when he knocked my mom up.”
Seth had been a child when this boy was born. After losing Tristan so tragically, how would he feel about having an almost-grown son? Would it be more than he could take?
Another glance at Beck told her he was wondering the same thing.
Beck frowned. “Is your mother…Mary Jo Bartkowicz?”
Hudson frowned. “Who?”