Chapter Fourteen #2
“Mom, focus.”
“But fifteen? Seth…” She huffed. “Where is Hudson now? Who is his mother? What—”
“He’s been living in Connecticut with his mom, who was a waitress I met when I was staying with Grandma and Grandpa that summer. Hudson tracked me down. He’s here in LA with me now, and he’s going to stay for a while.”
Again, Grace didn’t speak right away. “How did he get to LA? Did you have any idea—”
“Until yesterday, no. I would have told you.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Seth. A grandson! But we’ve missed out on so much—his first words, his first steps, his first day at school… I can’t— Why didn’t you know about him?”
“It’s complicated. His mother never told me she was pregnant. She tried to contact me years later, but I was married to Autumn then, and she decided not to interfere.”
“And you’re sure he’s yours?”
Seth slanted a glance at Hudson. “Yeah. There’s no question.”
“Oh, that poor boy,” Grace breathed. “Sixteen years without knowing his father. Is he— How is he handling all this?”
Hudson stood frozen by the sink, looking beyond nervous. No, like he was afraid to be rejected.
“Honestly, he’s handling it better than I am. Do you…want to meet your grandson?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course! He’s a Cooper.”
Well, legally he was a Clarke. Seth intended to change that, but now wasn’t the time to get nitty-gritty with his mother. It would just upset her.
“Good. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to bring him to the wedding. That way you and the whole family can meet him.”
“Oh! That would be fantastic! Don’t think I don’t still have questions for you, young man. But I can’t wait to clap eyes on him.”
Seth wasn’t shocked in the least. “Are you ready to talk to him? He’s right here.”
“Can I? Please.”
Seth motioned Hudson over and handed him the phone. “Hudson, this is your grandmother, Grace.”
His son took the phone with an unsteady nod and slightly shaking hands. “Um, hi.”
She gasped, then her face lit up like Christmas morning. “Oh, my goodness. You look exactly like your father when he was your age. And your grandfather, too.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.”
“Thanks,” Hudson murmured, slightly red-faced. Seth could see how much his mom’s immediate acceptance meant to him.
“Are you settling in all right? Is your father taking good care of you?”
“Yeah, he’s… It’s good here so far. It’s only been a day or so, but…”
They talked for a few more minutes, his mom asking gentle questions about school and interests, Hudson gradually relaxing under her obvious delight in his existence.
When Hudson handed the phone back to Seth, she was wiping tears from her eyes.
“Will you send me a picture of you two?” she all but begged. “I can’t wait to show Carl when he gets home. And your brothers— oh, Seth, they’re going to be so excited.”
“I’ll send something later today. And we’ll call during family dinner on Sunday so Hudson can talk to everyone else.”
“Perfect. Hudson?” she called out, and the teenager stepped back into view. “I can’t wait to hug you in person, sweetheart. The whole family is going to love you.”
After they ended the call, Hudson stood quietly for a moment, staring at the now-dark phone screen.
“You okay?” Seth asked.
“Yeah.” Hudson’s voice was carefully casual, but Seth saw the emotion he tried to hide. “She seems really nice.”
“She is. And she meant every word she said.” Seth stood and grabbed his keys from the counter. “Come on. Get your shoes. We’re going to check out some schools, then head to my office so you can see what the PI business is all about.”
Hudson nodded and headed for the stairs. “Do I have to pretend to be excited about institutionalized learning?”
“Nope. Just don’t be a complete ass to anyone we meet.”
“I might be able to manage that.” He grinned. “No promises.”
Seth rolled his eyes as his son disappeared downstairs. He felt a cautious hope. The call with his mother had gone better than he’d dared to hope.
Of course, he still had to figure out how to tell his mother about his relationship with Beck and Heavenly. That conversation would go far less easily. But that was another problem for another day.
For now, Hudson was here, Mom was thrilled, and they were taking things one step at a time. At the moment, that was the best Seth could hope for.
The sound of teenage laughter drifted up from the game room as Heavenly chopped veggies and mixed dips for this evening’s barbecue. Through the sliding glass doors, she watched Beck clean the grill on the patio while Seth arranged chairs around the dining table by the pool.
Today, they would introduce their friends to Hudson. And announce their engagement.
Heavenly was beyond giddy. But to make the event full of strangers easier for the boy, they’d suggested he invite a friend from his new school. Hudson and Casen had been downstairs for the past few hours, their shouts competing with the gun blasts and driving music from their video game.
Hearing Hudson sound happy, even normal, eased Heavenly’s heart.
Of course having a teenager in the house still felt surreal.
All week, Seth had tried to be the perfect father for the teenage son he was still trying to understand.
But the kid was settling in better than any of them had dared to hope.
The co-ed academy he’d started on Wednesday, with Laura’s input and blessing, had seemingly been the right choice—small classes, strong academics, and a football program that had immediately welcomed Hudson’s skills as a wide receiver.
Slowly but surely, they were chipping away at that chip on his shoulder.
Casen seemed like a good kid, polite and respectful when he’d arrived earlier, though she could see why he and Hudson had clicked.
Both carried themselves with that particular brand of teenage swagger that came from being good at sports and having pubescent girls pant after them.
How long before Hudson got wrapped up in some fight or drama?
The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. Heavenly’s pulse lurched with anticipation as she rinsed her hands in the sink.
“I’ll get it.” Seth dashed in from the patio and headed for the front door.
She followed as he tugged it open. Raine, Hammer, and Liam entered, all smiles.
As soon as Raine caught sight of her, the woman squealed and ran, arms wide open. “Oh, my god, I’ve missed you so much!”
Laughing, Heavenly met her bestie halfway and enfolded her in a happy hug. “Same! I’m so glad you’re back.”
Between their Paris honeymoon and Hudson’s unexpected arrival, she hadn’t seen Raine since her wedding two weeks ago. That was the longest they’d been apart in months.
Heavenly scanned her bestie up and down. “You look amazing. Marriage suits you.”
“I admit, I’m pretty happy.” Raine all but preened. “But you’re the one who looks gorg. I swear you get more beautiful every time I see you. If I didn’t love you so much, I’d hate you.”
Hammer and Liam looked on from the doorway, bro-hugging and fist-bumping Seth before they grinned broadly and greeted Heavenly with warm hugs.
“So…where’s this teenage son of yours?” Raine pulled back from Seth’s welcoming embrace. “And did you really think the world needed another you?”
He slung an arm around Heavenly’s waist and grinned. “Of course. Hudson is my gift to humanity. You’re welcome.”
Everyone laughed as they wandered into the kitchen. Footsteps thundered up the stairs. Seconds later, Hudson appeared at the top, dressed in board shorts and a T-shirt. “Did I hear my name?”
“Speak of the devil,” Seth said with obvious pride, moving to stand beside his son with a clap on the back. “Hudson, I’d like you to meet our best friends. This is Macen Hammerman—call him Hammer—Liam O’Neill, and their wife, Raine.”
Hudson stepped forward with easy confidence. “What’s up? Nice to meet you.”
Raine’s eyes went wide as she took in Hudson’s face, her gaze darting between father and son. “Wow. You are a dead ringer for your dad.”
“No kidding,” Hammer added, extending his hand to Hudson. “The resemblance is incredible.”
“Good to meet you, lad.” Liam shook with the kid, then turned back to Seth, his smile sly. “If he’s the devil, it’s no surprise. He is half you, mate.”
“Fuck you. Just wait until those twin girls of yours grow up. We’ll see how angelic they are since they’re half you.”
The Irishman laughed even harder. “If they’re not angels, blame Raine. After all, they’re half her, too.”
The tsking brunette swatted his shoulder. “Ciara has my sweet disposition, thank you very much. Catronia, the little hellraiser, is all you.”
“Try the other way around,” Liam drawled.
Heavenly laughed. “Where are those precious babies?”
“With Liam’s sisters. They’re leaving for Ireland day after tomorrow, so they wanted to spend a little more time with their nieces. But Meg will be back with Liam’s mother when this one is born.” Raine slid her hand over her seemingly flat stomach.
Honestly, the woman didn’t look as if she’d recently had twins and was already pregnant again.
Seth jumped into the banter. “Hammer’s son will undoubtedly be a menace to society.”
Hammer shrugged. “The kid has no prayer. After all, Raine will be his mother.”
“Hey!” she objected. “You can both do without for the rest of the weekend.”
Liam leered at her. “But we know you can’t, love.”
“Besides…” Macen bent to murmur in her ear. “That’s not going to happen, precious.”
Blushing, Raine stuck out her tongue as Heavenly heard another set of footfalls on the stairs. Moments later, Hudson’s friend appeared, dressed for the pool.
“This is Casen,” Hudson told the others.
Raine waved. Hammer shook his hand.
Then Liam followed suit. “Are you lads on the football team together?”
“Yeah, I play safety,” Casen replied. “Hudson’s our new starting receiver. Guy’s got serious hands.”
Hudson looked embarrassed by the praise. “Or I just got lucky with a few good throws.”