I have no idea if it’s a good thing or not that she can’t see my devastated expression as I awkwardly laugh, painfully aware that I might be risking Hudson’s dream as I correct her. “Oh, no. We really are just friends!”
She joins in laughing, but I can’t see her either as she’s still behind the privacy divider, so I have no idea what herexpression is.
“Right. Don’t worry, Adrian, your secret is safe with me.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“No secret. Unfortunately for me, Hudson is straight,” I explain desperately, offering a bit more of my truth.
She finally pushes the curtain to the side, back in her own clothes.
“Whatever you say,” she says with a wink, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. “I have a study session to get to soon, but if you want to stick around for a little longer, I can try to get those other appointments scheduled.”
I’m frozen in place. I don’t really want to turn this into a bigger thing in the middle of the hallway, and based on how dismissive she was of what I was saying, I’m not sure anything I tell her right now is going to convince her that Hudson and I aren’t together.
I have no idea what to do. Maybe she’d believe Hudson?
I don’t think I have any choice but to pause this discussion for now as she starts down the hall, forcing me to trail after her.
This is just a pause though, because there is no way in hell Hudson can adopt her baby if she only picked him assuming we were covering up a relationship. That wouldn’t be fair to anyone involved, and I won’t let it happen.
Even if it means ruining the man of my dream’s dream in the process.
29
HUDSON
Our game had an earlier start time than most at six p.m., so the team flew back afterward to give us a true day off tomorrow, even if that’s already technically today since midnight has come and gone.
After being gone for four days, I’m glad to be back, even if I am exhausted. Maybe Adrian would grab lunch with me so I can see him before tomorrow night. I’m sure he’s already asleep by now.
Except when I try to silently open the door to his place and sneak inside, I hear the TV on in the main living space. That’s really weird. Adrian is never up this late, especially with work tomorrow.
Fuck, does he have someone over?Maybe he didn’t realize I’d be back tonight… Does he have men over when I’m out of town often? Have I been a complete fool waiting to make a move and someone else has already swooped in?
I know I should give him privacy, but I’m so tired, I think the rational part of my brain checked out a while ago. No part of me wants to catch him with someone else, but I can’t stop my feet from advancing down the hall into the main living space.
Where Adrian is alone,thank god.
But he’s in his pajamas, staring blankly at the TV with a bag of blueberry acai flavored dark chocolates in his lap. He isn’t even eating any.
“What’s wrong?” I blurt out before he’s even noticed I’m here, and he jumps up, standing and spinning to face me at the question.
“Holy shit! You scared me. How do you always sneak in here so quietly?”
I shrug. “Why are you still awake? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, I know I should have probably called, but I didn’t want to fuck up your game when there was nothing you could do about it, and then I almost called afterward, but I didn’t know if there would be any media around, or even teammates you didn’t want overhearing,” he rambles, not actually saying what’s the matter, though something clearly is.
I walk up to him, putting a hand on each of his shoulders before I demonstrate a deep inhale. “Hey, Charming. I need you to take a big breath for me, and tell me what’s going on so we can fix it.”
He does what I ask, looking more nervous than I’ve ever seen him.
“Emily thinks we’re together,” he finally spits out quickly, and my nerves that had been climbing quickly settle.
“Okay… is that it?” I ask, confused and maybe even a little hurt that he seems so distraught over the incorrect assumption. “Why do you seem so upset about that? Would dating me really be that awful?”
I try to say it lightly, but now I’m worried for a whole new reason. I’ve been holding on to hope that there might have been some truth behind Adrian’s flirting all this time. That maybe he’s wanted to be so involved in the adoption process because there’s a part of him that wants to be involved as more than my friend.
