He grabbed his bag from the trunk and headed for the door, key in hand.
Before he could unlock it, the slab swung open. Heavenly stood in the portal, her stare clinging to him. But she didn’t throw herself into his arms. Her expression was surprisingly unreadable, her posture tense. Was she upset because he hadn’t called last night?
“Welcome home.” Her voice shook.
Shit. She was upset. Fresh guilt threatened him. He should have shoved down his freakout long enough to call them yesterday, reassure her.
“It’s good to be home.” He stepped into the foyer and set down his bag before he swept her into his arms and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. This was what he’d needed. “Angel… God, I missed you.”
Beck appeared in the doorway behind her. “Glad you’re back. How was the flight?”
His expression was too careful.
Seth’s gut clenched. “Long. The whole trip was. I’m just happy to be home with you two. Everything okay? You both seem?—”
“We should talk.”
Seth’s stomach did a free fall to his toes. Something was wrong. Heavenly kept glancing at Beck, and the surgeon’s usual confidence seemed strained.
Alarm bells went off in his head. “What’s going on? Are you pregnant?”
Heavenly shook her head. “It’s too early to know.”
Beck led him through the house and into the family room, all but shoving him into an armchair. “Sit down. We need to tell you something.”
“And we didn’t think this was something we should say over the phone,” Heavenly whispered.
His panic shot up ten notches before movement outside the sliding glass doors caught Seth’s eye. Someone was in the pool—a man. No, a teenager, his body long and lean as he cut through the water with easy strokes. Whose kid was swimming in their pool?
Seth was trying to piece it together when the teen hauled himself onto the deck and grabbed a towel. The harsh afternoon sunlight caught blond hair and obscured his face. His fluid movements were like an athlete’s, and his posture seemed familiar. Awareness pricked Seth, a realization just beyond his grasp.
The teenager toweled off, then loped toward the house, ducking under the shade of the patio cover.
Then Seth got a good look at the kid’s face.
And his whole world tilted off its axis.
He froze, tingling from head to toe, his head spinning with shock.
“What the…” Unconsciously, he stood, mouth agape as his vision narrowed to the figure opening the sliding door.
The kid stepped inside and swaggered toward him, stare full of challenge. The closer he strode, the more undeniable the resemblance. Same height, same build, same green eyes, same stubborn jawline.
Seth felt as if he was looking in a mirror from sixteen years ago.
Holy shit, is this kid…mine?
“So I finally get to meet the infamous Seth Cooper?” The teen shot him a cynical brow.
Forcing himself to breathe, Seth raked a hand through his hair. “Yeah. What is… I don’t…” He sighed. “Goddamn it, who are you?”
“Hudson.” He lifted his chin defiantly, as if that name should mean something.
It didn’t. Seth sucked in a rough breath, blinking as Hudson stood there.
“Are you…” The question stuck in his throat. He cleared it and tried again. “Shit. Are you my…son?”
“I’m sure as fuck not your daughter.”
