Seth swallowed back useless anger. “Fix it. We’ll need a custody arrangement, too.”
“You’re right. I don’t have a lawyer, but my mom had one who put her will together. I can call him tomorrow. If he can’t do it, he’ll give me a referral.”
“Once you’re in contact, have your attorney reach out. I’ll put him in touch with mine, and we’ll take it from there.”
“Thank you.” The tears in her voice were unmistakable. “W-would it be too much to ask for me to come out and visit him? I promise I won’t be in your way and—” Her trembling exhalation told him this was hard for her. “I don’t think I can go too long without seeing Hudson. I love him so much, but he just…doesn’t believe that right now.”
Seth’s heart hurt for her. She’d been a single mom for so long, and she was unprepared to handle a testosterone-laden man-child. “I’ll be in New York next month. My mom is finally getting remarried, and I’ll…probably bring Hudson with me to meet my family. You could visit with him then.”
“Really? If you could bring him out, that would be great. I…can’t tell you how much I appreciate all this.”
He could hear the gratitude in her voice. “We’ll get the details figured out. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you for…everything.”
“Of course.” Seth hung up.
What the hell had he just agreed to? This morning he’d been struggling with the idea of becoming a father to a hypothetical baby he might have with Beck and Heavenly. Fast forward a few hours, and he had a teenage son who needed him—right now. Seth had just volunteered to parent the defiant kid…whether he was ready or not.
Shit.
Heaving a sigh, Seth trekked back inside and tried to gather his words. He had to break the news to Beck and Heavenly. He had no idea how they’d take it…
How would Hudson? Probably with more attitude and pushback. That didn’t bother Seth; he could handle that. But he had to prove to Hudson that he’d be there as a father. Even if this arrangement was temporary, blood was forever.
“All right,” he addressed his son. “Your mom and I agree—you can stay here for a while. But there are conditions.”
Seth caught Beck’s eye over Hudson’s head. Beck gave him the slightest nod. Heavenly was already looking at him with that soft, understanding expression. Somehow, they were on the same page without even a word. Thank fuck.
Hudson bristled. “I never said I wanted to stay.”
“If you don’t, hey. No sweat. I’ll put you on a plane back to Connecticut tomorrow.”
Hudson growled, shoulders stiffening. “I fucking hate Cromwell.”
“Well, here or there are your only two choices. What’s it going to be?”
“Jesus, you’re way more of a hard-ass than Ted.”
“I’m not your stepdad. He might treat you with kid gloves. I won’t. Tell me what you want.”
“Fuck.” Hudson rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m staying.”
“Good. I don’t know the situation at home, but here you have rules. You’ll talk to your mother at least once a week. That’s nonnegotiable. And if you’re staying, you’ll be going back to school. Also nonnegotiable. So is respect. You either knock that chip off your shoulder, or I’ll do it for you.”
“I’ll help,” Beck quipped.
Seth tried to repress a smile. “And you’ll be especially respectful of Heavenly, or we’ll have a major problem.”
“Fuck, I’ve known you for thirty minutes, and already you’re a buzzkill?”
“I’m not your bestie; I’m your father. And watch your mouth. You either fall in line, or you’re going home.”
Hudson groaned like Seth was torturing him, but they spent the next hour negotiating—curfew, chores, acceptable behavior, and expectations. Hudson pushed back, clearly unused to boundaries, but Seth held firm.
Finally, Hudson threw himself back against his chair with a dramatic sigh. “Okay. Whatever. Geez. At least going to school will be better than hanging around and watching Beck and Heavenly pretend they don’t want to fuck each other constantly.”
The room went dead silent.
