“No.” Seth’s hands stilled on the controller. “They were killed in an explosion. Tristan was barely three months old.”
The game continued around them, but Hudson stopped playing entirely. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. That’s… fuck. That must be why Beck told me to go easy on you. Because you’ve lost people.”
“We all have.” Seth resumed playing, needing the distraction. “Beck’s family is gone except for his younger brother Zach, who you’ll meet soon. Heavenly’s mom abandoned her when she was fifteen, and her dad—whom she was really close to—died earlier this year. We’re all dealing with grief and trying to figure out how to move forward.”
Hudson was quiet for a long moment, focusing intently on the screen. “When my grandma died last year, I cried. I still miss her like crazy. She pretty much raised me, took care of me before and after school every day. We were close.”
“I’m sorry you lost her, but I’m glad you had her,” Seth said, and he meant it. “And I’m glad you’ll have those memories. Thanks for sharing that with me.”
They cleared the next bunker in comfortable silence before Hudson spoke again. “So what’s the deal with you and Beck sharing Heavenly? That’s got to be complicated as hell.”
“At first. About six months ago, we finally worked it out. It took a while, not to mention a lot of head-butting, but…” He smiled. “She put us in our place.”
“So you’re admitting you’re whipped?” Hudson grinned.
“You’ve seen her. Can you blame me?”
“Nope. You did all right. But I’ll bet most people don’t get the threesome thing. What does your family think?”
Seth pulled at the back of his neck. “It’s…complicated.”
His son raised a brow. “In other words, they don’t know.”
The kid just kept proving that he was smart. “They don’t. Grandma Grace is very Catholic. She’ll object the most, so I’m waiting to tell her until after her wedding next month. I don’t want to upset her and ruin it.” Seth speared Hudson with a serious expression. “Until then, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this on the down-low. My friends here, like River, all know. You’ll meet Raine, Liam, Hammer, and the rest soon.”
“You’re trusting me with information that could fuck you up?”
“I want our father-son relationship to work, Hudson. I care about you being in my life, and I’m hoping we can figure out how to get along and build something solid together.” Seth’s voice was steady, but he felt the weight of the admission. He was already attached to this kid, snark and all.
“Huh.” Hudson seemed to digest that as they moved into a new area of the map. “Okay. Your turn to ask questions.”
“I wasn’t waiting for permission, but since you offered… You have a driver’s license?”
“Yeah, got it on my birthday. Already told Beck that.”
“You drink or do drugs?”
Hudson hesitated. “I drink at parties sometimes. Tried coke once but didn’t like it, so I don’t do that shit anymore.”
“Good. It will rot your brain. I was a teenager once, so I get wanting to party. If you drink, it won’t be out there, without me knowing. And it won’t be behind the wheel. I get custody of your car keys. Deal?”
“Deal, I guess.”
“Tell me about your childhood. Before your mom got married.”
“We were pretty poor and lived in run-down apartments. We moved around a lot, but mostly stayed close to Grandma. I spent a lot of time with her when I was little. Mom didn’t have any other family.” In the game, Hudson took heavy fire, so Seth came with backup and blew his attacker away. “We didn’t have to watch every dime once Mom married Ted, but…”
“But you don’t like him.”
Hudson gave a half shrug. “He’s not a bad guy. A bit of an asswipe. He treats me like I might break something valuable.” Hudson made a face. “But everything turned to shit after the baby came.”
Seth could imagine that suddenly having an infant around was a shock. “Tell me about school. You have a favorite subject?”
“I like science and history. Math is okay. I make decent grades…but I could do better if I actually tried.”
“Try.” Seth slanted him a fatherly glare. “Sports?”
“I play football and baseball. Made varsity in both as a sophomore.”
