Hudson wasn’t naïve. He knew that eventually both he and Carter would settle down and start their own version of a family. That didn’t mean that Hudson wanted to do that without his brother close by.
“What do you think, Bas?” Hudson asked, scratching down the cat’s back. “Think Bastian likes it here or would he move to town?” He kept his voice low, not wanting to be overheard by anyone that might be close by.
Bas stretched before flipping over, giving Hudson his belly.
“I thought dogs were the ones that liked belly rubs,” he teased his furry friend. Still Hudson complied with Bas’s unspoken request.
“I like it here,” Hudson told his little buddy. “It would be nice when we wanted to get out of town. Or hang out with the guys. But I like my house too.”
Bas caught his hand with both paws and began to lick it.
“I’m not upset,” he assured the feline. “And I know it’s way off before we would move in together. I guess I’m just wondering where the future might lead us. I really like your owner. I like him a whole lot.”
It was more than that. Hudson didn’t believe in love at first sight. That was something in fairytales and romance books. He did believe in connections though. All his life he’d synced up with people that had become important to him. Just like he’d done with EJ and Easton when he’d first gotten into town. It helped that both the other men had been new as well.
The back door of the main house opened and he heard laughter.
Hudson looked over to see Sam and Noah stepping out as they joked with each other. He knew both men from town, Noah being so funny and sassy at the bakery and Sam was a sweetheart with the best bookstore Hudson had ever been in.
He waved when they spotted him.
They headed in his direction and Hudson leaned closer to Bas. “At least I’ll get to make more friends. I really like the guys I’ve met so far. And River and EJ haven’t stopped texting each other.”
If cats could groan that was the sound that Bas made.
“Hey, Hudson!” Sam called. “Mind if we join you?”
“I’d like that,” Hudson said honestly.
Sam climbed the steps with Noah not far behind. “How are you doing?” Sam asked as he sat in the chair beside him. Noah jumped to sit on the rail in front of him.
“Good, just waiting for Bastian,” Hudson replied.
Noah’s gaze dropped to the cat in his lap. “I don’t think he’ll be long. At least you have a little friend to keep you company.”
“I was beginning to get worried about him. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of days.” Hudson hadn’t even spotted his furry friend stalking him outside his own home.
Noah shrugged. “Bas does what he wants.”
“I noticed that. How are you both? It’s quiet around here.”
Sam laughed. “Which is rare, let me tell you.”
Hudson frowned. This was his second visit and he hadn’t seen anyone until now.
“On your first date, we had pizza and movie night,” Sam explained. “Axel was worried some of the family might be too curious and crash your date. They kept us inside.”
“Oh! I don’t want to keep you all from your own home,” Hudson said.
Sam waved his hand. “It was fun. Pizza and movies are a favorite pastime around here. Drake makes mini doughs, so we all get to decorate our own pizzas. It’s awesome.”
“I made my pepperoni into a cat. But then I felt bad for eating him,” Noah shared.
He snorted. That sounded like something Noah would do. And it did sound cool to decorate an individual pizza with his friends. “Is that what’s happening tonight?”
“Oh no. Adam’s hosting the family for dinner tonight so they went to visit him. They’ll be back soon,” Sam said.
“You didn’t want to go?” Hudson asked.
