Chapter 9
nine
HUDSON
I paced the length of Callie’s porch, itching for something to punch. The gym had gotten me through my years without her—but there was no gym nearby at the moment.
And being at her house while not knowing where she was might just kill me.
Most of the time, I could keep my cool.
But most of the time, my mate didn’t talk about marrying some other bastard before making it clear she wanted me to leave her alone.
I dialed her number again, holding the phone to my ear. I’d managed to stop myself from calling more than twice, but I’d been pacing for an hour. I kept picturing her meeting some guy at the grocery store and screwing him in his car. It was?—
“Hey,” she said, answering right before it went to voicemail. “Sorry, I left my phone in my car.”
“Where are you, Cal?” My voice strained.
I didn’t want to be a possessive asshole. But fuck, I couldn’t lose her.
“Your mom’s house.”
I blinked.
My fear and anger subsided rapidly. “Why?”
“I had questions. She had answers.”
I heard her pull onto the road.
“Where are you ?” she asked.
“Your place. Scared the shit out of me not to find you here.”
“Why?”
I let out a long breath and sat down on her dad’s old porch swing. Bears were territorial. I didn’t much like the idea of living in his house, but if I couldn’t convince her to move with me, I’d adjust. “You said you’re looking for some other bastard to marry. I was picturing you hooking up with a random person you met at the grocery store.”
She laughed. “I’ve never had sex with someone I met while buying groceries, Hud.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“Not that.” I heard her change the music station. She’d always been picky about what she listened to. “And I didn’t say I was looking for someone to marry. I said I would eventually find someone, after you left me.”
“I’m not going to leave you,” I growled back.
“Then I won’t have to marry anyone,” she said easily.
Except me.
I didn’t say the words aloud.
I wasn’t supposed to be able to stay. Bears weren’t supposed to be able to stay.
But how the fuck would I ever leave her? I’d been dedicated to her for too many years to even consider it a possibility. Having her with me and making her mine would only make me want to stay even more.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. What do you want to do for the rest of the day?” she asked.
“You.”
She laughed again, and whatever tension had lingered in my shoulders eased.
“I want to show you my house,” I said, not giving myself a chance to change my mind. “I think you’d be more comfortable there. I would, too.”
“Are you insinuating that we’re going to live together?”
“Yes. We are going to live together. You’re mine, remember?”
“Does that mean you’re mine?”
“I’ve been yours since I was fourteen, Cal.”
“Hmm.” She didn’t sound like she was going to argue, for the first time in ages.
“What else did you do today, other than visit my mom?” I asked, not wanting another argument to ensue.
“I went to hang out with Wren at the bookstore, actually.”
“The bookstore?”
“You haven’t seen it before. Wren just opened it last year. And I didn’t have sex with anyone I met there, so don’t worry,” she teased.
Though she was joking, my shoulders relaxed anyway. “Thank fuck for that. Wren Davis?”
My roommate was hopelessly in love with Wren Davis. He’d been a grumpy bastard since he stopped hooking up with her two years or so earlier.
“Yep. She replaced you as my best friend during my freshman year of college. I currently stink of her toddler’s puke, so it’s a permanent kind of bond,” Callie teased.
“She has a toddler?” My forehead creased. “With who?”
Reed was going to lose his fucking mind when he found out she’d had a baby with someone.
“Oh, shit,” Callie whispered.
Suspicion hit me hard.
Callie was a terrible liar. It was one of her many adorable qualities.
But why had she reacted that way to my question?
“Who’s her toddler’s dad?” I prodded.
“Just one of the guys in town,” she said quickly.
“I’m going to need a name, Cal.”
“Paul Gordon,” she blurted.
“Why are you lying about the father of Wren’s child?”
“I’m not!”
My eyes narrowed.
The only reason Callie would possibly have to lie about the father to me was if she didn’t want me to know. And the only reason she might not want me to know who the father was, was if it was someone I knew.
Someone I was close with.
I had a handful of good friends on my security team, but Reed was the only one from Cub Lake.
And given his obsession with Wren…
“Reed would know if the woman he was in love with had his baby,” I argued.
Callie groaned. “How do you still do that?”
“I know you better than I know myself, Cal. But Reed would be here if he thought there was even a possibility that he had a baby—especially if he had a baby with Wren. They’re not even mated. I?—”
“They are mated. I’ve seen the bite mark,” she shot back. “And every bear shifter knows that screwing his mate will lead to a baby without protection involved. They didn’t use a condom—he knew she was probably pregnant when he abandoned her. I’ve seen Parker shift, and he looks exactly like Reed. I’m not wondering, Hud. Your new best friend is one of the worst kinds of bastards.”
“No. I live with him, and I know him. If he had a cub, he’d be in town. Did she send him a message after finding out she was pregnant?”
“No, but she didn’t need to. He was the one who left without looking back. I can’t believe you’re defending him. I?—”
“If he abandoned his pregnant mate and baby, I will fucking kill him. But I’m telling you, he didn’t know. And he needs to know. Are you almost back?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there in two. Don’t call him or anything, she doesn’t want him to know unless he actually comes looking for?—”
“I love you, Cal. See you soon.” I hung up without realizing what I’d just said, and was already dialing Reed’s number when it hit me.
Warmth bloomed in my chest, though it was quickly overtaken by the fury burning through my veins.
He answered on the second ring.
“What was Callie’s emergency?” Reed asked, not bothering with a greeting. “I heard you’re not coming back.”
“Long story. Since when is Wren your mate ?”
There was a pause.
A long pause.
“It was… unintentional,” he finally said. “There was another guy dancing with her. The bear in me was out of control. I?—”
“Reed,” I growled.
“It happened about two years ago,” he admitted. “How do you know? And why are you calling me about it?”
“I just found out Callie is her best friend. And Wren wasn’t on birth control when you mated her. If she was, it failed.”
There was a moment of silence.
A long, heavy moment.
“No.” His voice was low. “There wasn’t a cub. We talked about it. She had?—”
Callie parked in the driveway and came running up to me, her eyes and hair wild.
“Callie said he looks just like you, down to the eyes.”
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fu?—”
She ripped the phone away from me with one hand, grabbing a fistful of my shirt with the other. “False alarm, Reed,” she said, her voice rising. “Hudson didn’t hear anything. I didn’t say anything. Nope. You’re good. I?—”
“You’re still a shitty liar, Callie,” Reed said. “I’ll be on the next flight home. Tell Hudson I’ll see him soon.”
He hung up, and Callie’s big, sexy blue eyes met mine. “What the hell, Hudson?” she demanded. “You can’t tell your friend my best friend’s secret! Don’t you remember high school? If I tell you something, you’re supposed to be a steel trap. We cannot be friends if you go sharing things I’ve told you. I?—”
I took her face in my hands, cutting her off. “The entire town knows he has a baby. That’s not a secret, Cal.”
“He could try to take custody from her,” she shot back. “And he was the asshole who chose to leave her. It’s not?—”
“Reed would never take a toddler away from his mother,” I said. “He’ll want what’s best for that baby. He’s a good guy. He deserves to know.”
“If he deserved to know, he would’ve come back for her.”
“He should have,” I agreed. “And if he’s missed the last two years with his pregnant mate and child, his conscience will make him suffer enough for leaving.”
She let out a huff. “I have to tell her. She’s going to hate me.”
“I’ll tell her. You know me, Cal. You know I would’ve done the exact same thing back when we were in high school. She probably remembers me enough to know that too. Do you have her number?”
Her anger slowly faded. She never had the energy to stay mad at anyone for long.
She reluctantly nodded, then released my shirt so she could grab her phone from her pocket, since she was still holding my phone. I typed in her code—it was still the date of her birthday—and hit the button to call Wren a moment later.
“Hey, Callie,” she said, answering on the third ring.
“Hi, Wren. This is Hudson Claw.”
She let out a long breath. “What happened?”
“Callie tried to lie to me about you not being mated to Reed and having his son. She’s a terrible liar.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” Wren shot back. “You know she’s always honest.”
“I know, and I love that about her. But Reed’s one of my roommates, and he had no idea about the baby. He’s brought you up so damn many times, I’m confident he didn’t know. I told him, and he’s on his way back right now. If that bastard does anything except apologize profusely, I’ll bash his fucking head in. He won’t take your son, but they deserve to know each other. Growing up as a bear shifter without that support would be hell.”
She was silent for a moment before she finally said, “Thanks for the warning.”
“No problem. Sorry to spring it on you.”
“Can I talk to Callie?”
“Yep.” I handed the phone over, and Callie lifted it to her ear.
“I’m so sorry,” she said immediately. “I accidentally told him that your son puked on me, and he asked so many questions that my lies were useless.”
I heard Wren laugh softly on the other end of the phone. “It’s not your fault. I knew something like this would happen eventually, and I don’t blame you for it. Don’t feel guilty, okay?”
“Okay.” She sighed. “But call me when you see him. Or text me. I will kick him in the balls at your command. Hudson won’t let him kill me for it.”
“Thanks, Callie. I love you. Have fun reconnecting with him, okay? You know I’ll keep you updated.”
“Alright, I love you too. Good luck.”
They hung up, and Callie tucked her phone back into her pocket.
She glared at me. “You’ve always been the morality police. You were the only one willing to tell Jenna Kaper when Gordon Unders was cheating on her during junior year.”
“Some secrets need to come out. Cheating is always one of them.” I put my hands on her hips, pulling her closer. “Bears might be bastards, but we’re loyal bastards.
Callie’s eyes remained narrowed. “If this causes me permanent problems with my best friend, I will never move on.”
“If it does, I’ll bring her flowers and chocolates for your sake until she agrees to forgive you.”
“You’re ridiculous.” She pushed away from my chest, and I let her go.
“Are you ready to see my house?”
“I guess. Did you let the clan know that we… you know… so they could set up the next doctor’s appointment?”
“I told them I made you mine, yes.” I took her hand, parting her fingers with mine. She was hesitant at first, but finally squeezed mine lightly as I led her to my truck. “They reminded me to ask if we can schedule a few more appointments over the next few days, just to make sure it sticks.”
Her face reddened as I opened my truck’s door for her.
I chuckled. “Eventually, you won’t be so embarrassed by the fact that we’re screwing.”
“We were only together last night. I’d hardly say that counts as screwing .”
“Is that a challenge?” I lifted an eyebrow at her. “Because I’m not the one who turned down morning sex. I’ve been dying to get my mouth on you again since I woke up.”
She flushed redder. “I thought you were going to leave me.”
“I couldn’t leave if I wanted to, Cal. And I don’t want to.”
“I’m starting to believe that.”
Her words eased my worry.
I kissed the back of her hand before releasing it so I could close the door and walk around to the driver’s side.