BOONE #2
He turns, completely serious. “It’s the biggest. Duh.”
I bark out a laugh. “What makes you think this place is for you?”
Hudson tilts his head, considering. “Well…is it?”
I reach over, ruffling his hair until he squirms. “Yeah, kid. It is.” I pause, catching his eye. “But you can’t tell your mom. We’re gonna surprise her with it.”
He straightens up, face lighting up like I just gave him a mission. “When?”
“When it’s all done. You swear not to tell?”
“I won’t,” he says quickly, eyes wide with the weight of the secret.
I stick my pinky out. “Pinky promise?”
Hudson groans, grinning. “Seriously, Dad?”
“You can’t break pinky promises.” I wiggle my finger at him. “It’s legally binding. Look it up.”
He rolls his eyes but hooks his pinky with mine anyway. He takes another slow look around the room. “She’s gonna love it,” he says, almost to himself.
I glance over at him, something tightening in my chest. “Yeah? You think so?”
He nods, sure. “I could tell Mom always wanted a bigger place. Or maybe just…nicer, I think. This will be the best surprise ever.”
I watch him take it all in, the way his shoulders relax a little like something’s clicking into place. Then he looks back at me, eyes wide and hopeful. “So we’re really gonna live here? All of us? Together?”
I crouch beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “If we can convince your mom to, then yeah. That’s the plan.”
His eyes flick up toward mine, a grin stretching across his face. “And I would get to see Grandma every day? And eat her brownies?”
I chuckle, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “If you want to. She’d love that. ”
His grin gets wider. “And Ridge?”
I hesitate for a beat, then nod toward the stairs. “Well, Ridge is only home for a little while. He’s gotta get back to the rodeo circuit soon.”
“Oh.” The grin fades, and his mouth pulls into a small frown. He’s been trailing Ridge around like a shadow lately, soaking up every joke, every high five, every second of being someone’s person. Not just a kid tagging along, but a teammate. A co-conspirator. Someone who belongs.
I nudge him gently. “Hey, he’ll be back. He’s always here for Christmas, and sometimes he gets breaks like this one where he can stay for a while.”
Hudson shrugs, then nods slowly. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You’ve still got Sage and Wren.”
There’s a pause, and then he leans closer, drops his voice to a whisper. “No offense, but Ridge is way cooler.”
A laugh bursts out of me, echoing through the half-finished house. I sling an arm around his shoulders. “Who do you think taught him how to be so cool?”
Hudson doesn’t miss a beat. “Not you.”
I give him a light shove that sends him stumbling forward with a grin. “You little traitor.”
He laughs, skipping a few steps ahead of me toward the stairs. His hand slides along the banister as he looks over his shoulder, eyes wide like the reality of it’s finally setting in. “I can’t believe this gets to be my new house.”
His voice bounces off the walls, and I can’t stop watching him take it all in.
It does something to me—watching him look around like he’s already imagining the life we’ll build here.
Makes every long night and sore muscle worth it.
The hours spent cursing at the floors when they wouldn’t level, rewiring circuits three times because they kept shorting out, watching video after video just to figure out how to do half this stuff without burning the whole fucking place down—it’s all paid off in this moment.
Watching him, knowing this house won’t just be walls and windows, it’ll be his, too.
As we step into the main room, Hudson glances up at me. “Are you gonna marry my mom or something? ”
I clear my throat, the question hitting harder than I expect. “I want to.”
Hudson doesn’t say anything right away. He just nods once, looking down at his shoes. There’s a weight in that silence, one I can’t ignore.
“What do you think about that?” I ask, keeping my tone light.
He shrugs, still not looking at me. “It’s kinda weird. But still awesome.”
I crouch a little to catch his eye. “Weird how?”
There’s hesitation in his face, the kind that makes me want to scoop him up and tell him he doesn’t have to say anything if he doesn’t want to. But I wait.
“It’s just…it’s been me and Mom for a long time,” he says finally. “It’s gonna be weird…having a new life.”
I nod slowly, letting that sit for a second.
“Yeah. Change like this? It can be weird. I get that. But it can also be good—really good. Sometimes the best things in life start out feeling strange or different. Doesn’t mean they’re wrong, just means you’re getting used to something new.
Like trying on a pair of boots that don’t feel quite right at first. You wear them for a while, break them in, and then you can’t imagine walking without them. ”
Hudson doesn’t say anything, but he’s listening—I can see it in his face. I rest a hand on his shoulder, steady. “It’s still you and your mom, bud. It always will be. But now, it gets to be more.”
Hudson scuffs his shoe against the floor, eyes drifting toward the window before he speaks. “I like my school right now.”
I nod, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. “Yeah, I know you do.”
He kicks again, slower this time. “If we live here…I’ll have to go to a new one.”
“You’re right,” I say, not sugarcoating it. “It’d be a different school, different kids. But I think there are some pretty good things about it, too.”
He lifts his head, curious but cautious. “Like what?”
“They’ve got a really solid baseball team,” I tell him. “One of the best around.”
His brow lifts. “They do?”
“Yeah,” I say, smiling a little. “They’re called the Grizzlies. ”
He thinks about that for a second, then gives a small nod. “That’s kind of cool.”
“I think you’d like it,” I say, watching his face, gauging every shift. “I really do. It’s worth giving it a shot. I’d bet money that within the first couple of months, you’ll have a whole group of new friends. Ones you can play ball with, hang out with after school.”
Hudson shrugs again, quieter this time. “I hope so.”
“You will,” I say, like it’s fact. Because it is. He’s a good kid—sharp, funny, easy to like. He’s way cooler than I was at twelve. He’s going to be just fine. Also, I’m fully prepared to verbally destroy any middle schooler who messes with him, so. That helps.
“You know,” I say, letting the words come slow, “it means a lot to me…having your approval to marry your mom.”
Hudson glances up at me, his brow furrowed, like he’s trying to figure out what I mean.
“I’m serious,” I continue. “She’s the love of my life, she always has been. But you’re her world, kid. You come first. And I’m not just marrying her, I’d be getting both of you. So yeah, it matters. What you think. A hell of a lot.”
His face softens, just a little. That same look Lark gets when she’s trying not to get emotional in front of people.
I nudge his arm with mine. “And guess what? This may come as a shocker, but I’ve never been married before. So…is it okay with you if we both try something new here? Together?”
Hudson squints at me, mock-serious. “Depends.”
I lift a brow. “On what?”
He grins, slow and lopsided. “Do I get to pick my room and paint it whatever color I want?”
I let out a laugh. This kid. “You drive a hard bargain.”
Hudson raises his eyebrows, clearly waiting for a real answer, not some vague half-agreement. He’s already learned how to spot when someone’s dodging.
“Alright, yeah. You can paint it whatever you want. ”
His grin widens instantly. “Okay then. You can marry her.”
I laugh, head tipping back. “That’s all it took?”
He shrugs, barely holding back a laugh of his own. “She’s already gonna say yes ‘cause she’s crazy about you. So I figured I better get something out of it too.”
I narrow my eyes at him, nodding like I’m weighing this. “A man who stands on business. I can respect that.”
Then I glance at him sideways, trying to keep my voice casual. “You really think she’ll say yes?”
Hudson doesn’t even hesitate. He rolls his eyes so hard it’s like I’ve asked him if the sky’s blue. “ Duh. You guys kiss every five seconds and look at each other like you’re all smitten and stuff. It’s gross.”
I bark out a laugh, clutching my chest. “Smitten?”
He nods, entirely serious. “Yeah. You guys better not act like that when we all live here. It’s disgusting.”
I lean down a little, my voice low and dramatic. “Oh, I’m gonna kiss her all the time. ”
Hudson groans and pretends to gag, stumbling back. “You’re sick.”
Before he can escape, I grab him into a loose headlock, both of us laughing as we wrestle in the middle of the unfinished room. He squirms, half-heartedly trying to wriggle free, but I let him go.
“One day,” I say, still catching my breath, “you’ll meet a girl and all you’ll want to do is kiss her—and you won’t think it’s so gross then.”
Hudson looks up at me, deadpan. “Doubt it.”
I chuckle, shaking my head as I brush some sawdust off Hudson’s hoodie. “We’ll see.”
Hudson crosses his arms, trying to look tough. “Nope. Never happening.”
“You say that now. Just wait. Some girl with big eyes and a killer fastball’s gonna walk into your life and you won’t know what hit you.”
He groans dramatically, trailing behind me. “You’re ruining my life already.”
I laugh as we step outside. “I’m just warming up, bud. ”
The sun’s climbed higher by the time we step back outside, burning off the last of the morning chill, but the air still has that bite to it—just enough to keep you moving.
Gravel crunches under our boots as we make our way across the drive, toward where Ridge, Witt, and Duke are already unloading supplies from the back of Witt’s truck.
A few boards hit the ground with a dull thud, followed by the clatter of tools.
Ridge looks up first, nodding at us. “Look who finally made it back. Thought maybe you got lost in your own house.”
“Just giving the kid the tour,” I say, patting Hudson’s shoulder.