“Great. Evan and Erin took the dogs out for a walk.”
“Are they eating okay? Sometimes they become finicky when I leave.”
Hudson didn’t reply for a moment. “Yes, they ate their food and the treats Erin made for them. Homemade dog bones with peanut butter and pumpkin.”
I sighed. “That’s good.” Scrubbing my hand over my face, I didn’t know how to begin, but Hudson did.
“How’s Mason?”
“He’s okay. Dreading tomorrow. But we had a good time tonight.”
“What did you do?”
“I took him to a hockey game and out to dinner.”
He hummed. “Sounds like a nice date.”
My eyes popped open. “It wasn’t a date. It was hockey. And a burger.”
He chuckled in my ear. “What’s really bothering you, Thomas? I know it’s not the dogs. You leave them all the time, and they’re in great hands. Talk to me.”
I flopped back on the bed with a hand over my eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You’re scared. And it’s understandable. You’ve not had a relationship with anyone in over a decade, and being with Mason makes you happy. From the outside, it looks very familiar to me.”
I breathed out a heavy sigh. “How did you let go of who you were to be with Evan? I know you said you were fluid, but I’m not sure I am.”
“You don’t have to be. But you owe it to yourself and him to be honest about how you feel. It’s obvious how much you two care about one another. He looks at you like his favorite person. And you look the same way, my friend.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, well, he is. He makes me feel more like myself than I have in a long time. Every morning, the first thing I want to do is talk to him. We run together, eat breakfast, walk the dogs, and whatever else our day has in store for us.”
“Did you miss him when you were in Ireland?”
I covered my eyes. “Very much.”
“If you were to wake up one morning and he was in your bed, would you freak out?”
My cock liked that idea and began to respond to the thought. “No,” I sighed. “It would be… right. But he deserves someone better than me.”
Hudson was quiet as he let me think it through. “You sound like you love him.”
My heart thudded in my chest as my emotions got the best of me. “I do. But I don’t know how to do this with him.”
“It’s simple, my friend. You just show him love, like you already do. And believe it or not, the sex comes easily when it’s the right person. Trust me when I tell you the right person makes all the difference. You’ll see.”
I nodded to myself. “I believe you. But I can’t start this with him until after we figure this out. My gut tells me it’s going to be a shitshow here with his father.”
“Then wait until this is over to talk to him. But whatever you do, don’t give him mixed signals. I’m not sure he could take that.”
I blew out another breath and ran my hand over my head. “You’re right. I fucking hate the push and pull shit. But right now, I’ve got to do what’s best for him, and that’s finding information about Axel.”
“Me too,” Hudson said. “That’s why when I knew Evan was the one, what the world thought didn’t matter. You remember. We had that conversation.”
I smiled. “We did. Now you’re giving me the same advice.”
He laughed. “Seems I am. The one thing I can tell you is to follow your heart. It will never lead you astray. All it will take is one kiss, and you’ll know. You’ll feel it all over your body and deep in your soul when it’s the right person.”
Guilt washed over me. “I’ve never experienced that kind of connection before.”
