Chapter 12
Cassie had learned the hard way that actions spoke louder than words. Words were cheap. Could she trust Hudson? Really trust him? With more than her safety? With her heart?
Because she wanted to.
“Sorry for interrupting, guys,” Chloe said after appearing at the office door. “Travis is almost here, and I wanted to give you a heads up that he’s asking for Jarek’s full name as well as the names of his associates.”
Panic shot through Cassie with the force of exploding fireworks. Breathe.
“Okay,” she managed to say through the anxiety rising from deep within.
Chloe held up her cell. “He’s on right now if you—”
“Yes,” Cassie said. “Now is good.”
She took the offering and walked into the front entryway of the Sturgess home to take the call in private.
Questions bounced around, making her wonder if she was doing the right thing.
Jarek’s threats came thundering back. If you ever call the law, I’ll make sure you regret it.
If Cassie’s life had been the only one hanging in the balance, then she would have made the call a long time ago.
She would have folded her arms across her chest and told him to have at it.
Except, he’d also said, I know you have a secret, and I won’t stop until I know what it is.
He’d accused her of seeing someone else and threatened her six ways past Tuesday.
Knowing her son was out there, safe, meant the world to Cassie.
The fantasy that she would somehow be reunited with him one day had kept her going through some pretty dark times.
The threat that Jarek could find her son had kept her awake too many nights.
Jarek had been correct. She’d been hiding something.
She’d been secretive. And she would do it again if in the same circumstances.
The gnawing urge to tell Hudson the truth about her past was eating at her from the inside out. Only one person knew about her son, and that had been out of necessity.
After relaying all the details about Jarek and the organization she believed him tied to, she returned the phone to Chloe.
It was easy to see why everyone liked Travis.
He came across as honest, intelligent, and caring.
Those were the same words she would use to describe Hudson, along with a few other spicier ones.
Speaking of Hudson, she needed to have another conversation with him.
Chloe disappeared down the hall after receiving her cell.
She spoke to her husband in the calmest, sweetest voice—a voice meant for two people who knew each other intimately.
One that brought on a longing Cassie hadn’t realized existed in her.
She’d never believed in the whole concept of soulmates.
Or insta-love. The spark she felt with Hudson had her rethinking her stance.
She drew a deep breath. “I have something to tell you, and I’m asking you to hear me out before you say anything,” she said to him once they were alone again.
“I’m all ears.” He led them to a pair of chairs and indicated they should sit.
She did.
Then, she searched for all the right words but found none. So, she decided to wing it instead. “When I was seventeen, I had a baby. A son. The father was older than me, and wanted nothing to do with the responsibility.”
Hudson issued a grunt. “Too many are eager to engage in sex without responsibility.”
“Turned out that he already had his hands full with a wife and kids.” Hearing those words from Hudson made the next part easier to say.
“I had no way to take care of a child and was heavily pressured to give the baby up for adoption—which I did.” Her voice shook as she tried to keep emotions in check.
“The child is now fifteen years old and lives a town over. It’s the reason I camped in your woods.
I wanted to be closer to him now that I finally know his name and where he lives. ”
“Understandable.”
She grimaced. “I mean, sure, but also complicated. He might not want to meet me. He might not even know he was adopted. I haven’t made contact with his adoptive parents to check in with them. Showing up would be the equivalent of dropping a bomb on all of their lives.”
He nodded. “It could be.”
“Jarek knows I’ve been keeping a secret. One of his guys took pity on me and helped me find my son. I don’t think he would tell Jarek, but you never know about people. They’ve had a habit of letting me down.”
“I won’t,” he said before quickly adding, “let you down.”
Maybe not on purpose.
She’d learned a long time ago that good intentions plus five dollars bought a Coke and a candy bar, nothing more.
Instead of commenting, she leaned forward and touched Hudson’s hand. “What if Jarek finds out about my son?”
Hudson paused for a long moment. “Life presents a lot of what-if scenarios to us, doesn’t it? Worrying about what might happen steals from what’s happening right now. Meaning, if Jarek figures it out, we’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
“Do you think we should warn the parents?” she asked. “They wouldn’t see any of this coming.”
“You’re certain this is your boy?” he asked.
The question struck like a physical blow. No, she wasn’t absolutely sure. She was going by someone else’s investigation, someone else’s word. “My information isn’t ironclad.”
“Who gave it to you?”
She told him.
“What if he lied? He might’ve told you that your son was a town over from here to track you down when you took off.”
Shit. “All this time, I didn’t consider that as an option. I should have.” She knew better than to trust anyone. But that also meant she might never locate her biological son if her information was incorrect.
“When this is over, I promise to help you find your son,” he said.
“But we’ll do it the right way—go through all the necessary channels.
If it turns out to be the kid a town over, then you weren’t given bad information.
If it doesn’t, then we’ll find him anyway.
What I’m not willing to do is surprise him or his parents.
If we reach out and they don’t want to be contacted, I’d respect their wishes. Would you be able to do that?”
Cassie hesitated. Finding the boy she’d called Christian for lack of a better way to reference him, knowing he was thriving, was the most important thing.
Not knowing if he was healthy and being treated well, wondering every Christmas, every birthday, whether he was happy or not, made those holidays the loneliest she’d ever experienced.
Having to hide her emotions in front of Jarek had made it even worse.
Thank the stars he’d worked most holidays and was away for days on end. Crime didn’t take many days off.
“I call him Christian,” she said to Hudson.
“And I will walk away as long as he’s happy.
The last thing I want is to upend his world.
None of this is his fault, and he shouldn’t have to suffer.
If having me in his life would confuse or make him unhappy, I would willingly step aside.
That being said, if he’s unhappy or being mistreated in any way, I won’t be able to idly stand by. ”
“That’s fair.”
Hudson’s understanding meant the world. “How will you find him?” she asked.
“Did you already use an agency?”
“Yes.” She supplied the name.
He had his phone out in a heartbeat, typing away on the screen.
“I have money,” she said.
“Is it his?” he asked, and she realized he was referring to Jarek’s.
She gave a slight nod. To her way of thinking, it had been Jarek’s but now was hers.
“Then, I’ll cover it.”
“But I don’t have a way to pay you back.” Her argument was met with a frown.
“Do you see this house?”
The answer was obvious. “Yes.”
“Do you see this office?”
Again, obvious. “I do.”
“We inherited this place,” he said.
“What does that have to do with me not being able to pay you back?”
“I didn’t earn the money that showed up in my bank account, but that doesn’t mean I plan to waste it.
The minute extra zeroes hit my account, I decided to hold onto the money until I could do some good with it.
Beaumont would’ve hated me using his legacy to help others.
He would want me to be selfish with it and hang onto it for dear life or status or some BS like that.
I’d rather make a difference in someone else’s life.
That way, I feel less selfish about accepting the inheritance. ”
She smiled at the answer. It was so Hudson. So honest. So raw. So like him to plot his revenge by making the world a better place, especially since it was also the opposite of everything Beaumont had stood for.
“I’m not sure I can refuse your offer when you put it like that.” She laughed. “Beaumont is probably turning in his grave right now, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” he said with a smirk. “And that’s a bonus.”
She probably shouldn’t laugh, but she couldn’t help it.
She did. When Hudson laughed, too, a weight lifted from her shoulders.
Some of the worry lines etched around his eyes eased.
Some of the spark sizzled between them, making it hard as hell to think about what it was going to be like when this was all over and they went back to their normal lives.
Normal?
Cassie almost laughed again. She had no home, no job.
She hadn’t allowed herself to make a plan for when this ordeal ended.
She hadn’t thought much past getting away from Jarek and actually surviving the escape.
She wanted to see her son with her own eyes.
Know that he was alive and well. A large part of her realized she didn’t have the right to know much else, no matter how much her heart wished she could be part of his life.
Would he resent her? Think she hadn’t wanted him? If he knew that he was adopted, would it matter to him that she hadn’t had a choice? That she very much had wanted to keep him?
“Okay, Hudson. I accept your offer of help. On one condition.”
“Name it.”