“With football and stuff, yeah.”
“Nice. You work out much before that?” Seth asked, noting that Hudson looked at home with the equipment.
He nodded. “Couple years now. There’s a gym in our apartment complex in Cromwell. I go pretty often. It’s good to blow off steam.”
“That’s about when I started working out, too. Same reason.”
In companionable silence, they started with a warm-up, then moved to the weight stations. Seth watched Hudson’s form carefully and was impressed. The kid knew what he was doing—proper positioning, controlled movements, good breathing technique.
“You sleep okay?” Seth asked as they worked through their sets.
“Better than the first night. I’m getting used to the place.” Hudson adjusted his grip on the bar and glanced at Seth with a half grin. “But if you and Beck are going to tag-team Heavenly, maybe keep it to a dull roar? She’s kind of a screamer.”
Seth nearly dropped his weights. “Jesus, Hudson.”
The kid laughed, clearly enjoying Seth’s discomfort. “I’m just saying, maybe invest in some soundproofing or something.”
Seth gave him a playful smack upside the head. “Invest in some ear plugs, smart-ass.”
Minutes passed while they continued their workout before Seth asked the question weighing on him. “You still cool to stay for a while?”
Hudson froze. “You want me to go?”
“No.” That was the last thing Seth wanted Hudson to think. “I just want to check in and see how you’re feeling.”
Hudson considered the question as he moved to the next exercise. “I needed out of Cromwell. I love my mom, but her life is different now. New husband, new baby—she’s got her future mapped out…and I don’t really fit into it anymore.”
Laura hadn’t given Seth the impression that she didn’t want him around, but he understood that Hudson’s feelings were just that and might not be rooted in reality. “What are you hoping to find here?”
The kid shrugged. “Something different, I guess. Someone who doesn’t baby me but actually gives a shit about what I’m doing and where I’m going.”
“I’ll give you that,” Seth said quietly. “If you can handle it.”
“I can handle anything,” he said with teenage swagger.
That wasn’t true. After all, Hudson had come here for a reason. The teenager was high on youth and testosterone. He’d have to mature some to understand that everyone needed support and people to help them through the tough times.
“If you’re good with it, I need to tell my mother about you. Maybe after breakfast?”
Hudson’s expression tightened. “Will she freak about having a bastard grandson who’s almost grown?”
Of course the kid would wonder that. Everyone and every situation around him was new. “She’ll be surprised, but she’ll be over the moon. Trust me. My mom lives for family.”
Hudson nodded, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Okay. I’m good with you telling her.”
“Thanks.” Seth patted the kid on the shoulder.
In companionable silence, they finished their workout and headed toward their separate showers. When Seth emerged from his bathroom upstairs, Heavenly was just waking up, her hair tousled and a sleepy smile on her face.
“Morning, angel,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“Mmm. Good workout?”
“Yeah. Hudson and I did good. It was nice having company. How are you feeling?”
A soft blush colored her cheeks. “Sore in all the right places.”
Seth’s chest tightened with satisfaction and something deeper—love, possessiveness, gratitude that she trusted them enough to let them take her so far.
