Seth wasn’t shocked in the least. “Are you ready to talk to him? He’s right here.”
“Can I? Please.”
Seth motioned Hudson over and handed him the phone. “Hudson, this is your grandmother, Grace.”
His son took the phone with an unsteady nod and slightly shaking hands. “Um, hi.”
She gasped, then her face lit up like Christmas morning. “Oh, my goodness. You look exactly like your father when he was your age. And your grandfather, too.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.”
“Thanks,” Hudson murmured, slightly red-faced. Seth could see how much his mom’s immediate acceptance meant to him.
“Are you settling in all right? Is your father taking good care of you?”
“Yeah, he’s… It’s good here so far. It’s only been a day or so, but…”
They talked for a few more minutes, his mom asking gentle questions about school and interests, Hudson gradually relaxing under her obvious delight in his existence.
When Hudson handed the phone back to Seth, she was wiping tears from her eyes.
“Will you send me a picture of you two?” she all but begged. “I can’t wait to show Carl when he gets home. And your brothers— oh, Seth, they’re going to be so excited.”
“I’ll send something later today. And we’ll call during family dinner on Sunday so Hudson can talk to everyone else.”
“Perfect. Hudson?” she called out, and the teenager stepped back into view. “I can’t wait to hug you in person, sweetheart. The whole family is going to love you.”
After they ended the call, Hudson stood quietly for a moment, staring at the now-dark phone screen.
“You okay?” Seth asked.
“Yeah.” Hudson’s voice was carefully casual, but Seth saw the emotion he tried to hide. “She seems really nice.”
“She is. And she meant every word she said.” Seth stood and grabbed his keys from the counter. “Come on. Get your shoes. We’re going to check out some schools, then head to my office so you can see what the PI business is all about.”
Hudson nodded and headed for the stairs. “Do I have to pretend to be excited about institutionalized learning?”
“Nope. Just don’t be a complete ass to anyone we meet.”
“I might be able to manage that.” He grinned. “No promises.”
Seth rolled his eyes as his son disappeared downstairs. He felt a cautious hope. The call with his mother had gone better than he’d dared to hope.
Of course, he still had to figure out how to tell his mother about his relationship with Beck and Heavenly. That conversation would go far less easily. But that was another problem for another day.
For now, Hudson was here, Mom was thrilled, and they were taking things one step at a time. At the moment, that was the best Seth could hope for.
The sound of teenage laughter drifted up from the game room as Heavenly chopped veggies and mixed dips for this evening’s barbecue. Through the sliding glass doors, she watched Beck clean the grill on the patio while Seth arranged chairs around the dining table by the pool.
Today, they would introduce their friends to Hudson. And announce their engagement.
Heavenly was beyond giddy. But to make the event full of strangers easier for the boy, they’d suggested he invite a friend from his new school. Hudson and Casen had been downstairs for the past few hours, their shouts competing with the gun blasts and driving music from their video game.
Hearing Hudson sound happy, even normal, eased Heavenly’s heart. Of course having a teenager in the house still felt surreal. All week, Seth had tried to be the perfect father for the teenage son he was still trying to understand. But the kid was settling in better than any of them had dared to hope. The co-ed academy he’d started on Wednesday, with Laura’s input and blessing, had seemingly been the right choice—small classes, strong academics, and a football program that had immediately welcomed Hudson’s skills as a wide receiver.
Slowly but surely, they were chipping away at that chip on his shoulder.
Casen seemed like a good kid, polite and respectful when he’d arrived earlier, though she could see why he and Hudson had clicked. Both carried themselves with that particular brand of teenage swagger that came from being good at sports and having pubescent girls pant after them. How long before Hudson got wrapped up in some fight or drama?
The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. Heavenly’s pulse lurched with anticipation as she rinsed her hands in the sink.
