Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Hudson shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not looking for forever with Casen and Brielle.”
“Good. You’re grounded for the next two weeks. No video games, no TV, no movies, no going out with friends. You can have your phone for school and football, in case there’s an emergency. You’ll hand it over as soon as you get home, and you’ll get it back before you go to school the next morning. You can swim laps, work out, read, or help around the house. That’s it.”
“That’s bullshit!” Hudson exploded, jumping to his feet. “You can’t just—”
“I can. If you don’t like it, I’ll put you on a plane back to Connecticut—after I tell your mother what happened tonight.”
After the ultimatum left his mouth, Seth felt a moment of pure panic. Letting Hudson feel the consequences of his actions was the right thing to do, but…what if the kid called his bluff? What if he actually chose to leave?
That possibility wrecked Seth.
He’d found his son a week ago. They were just starting to build a relationship. And now he might lose Hudson? The kid clearly needed structure, needed a father figure who would hold him accountable. If Hudson went back to Connecticut...
God, please don’t let him choose to leave.
Hudson paled, his bravado crumbling. “What if I stay?”
Relief flooded Seth. The kid would only ask that if he wanted to remain.
“I won’t tell your mother about this incident unless you give me a reason to. And once you turn eighteen, I can’t control what you do. But for the next eighteen months, you either follow our rules or you go back to your mom and Ted. Those are your two choices.”
Hudson fell quiet, his gaze darting between Seth and Beck. Finally, he nodded. “All right. Fine. Just...don’t send me back there. This school is better. I like my new friends. And I…” He swallowed hard. “Living with you three is better.”
Seth had to work to keep the relief off his face. He wanted to be Hudson’s father, wanted to help shape him into a good man.
That realization hit him with unexpected force.
“Good choice,” Seth said simply. “But understand this: in the future, Casen is welcome to come over, but if he’s here, Brielle better not be. And any girls you date will meet the family before you’re allowed to take them out. Your curfew is midnight. And if you get anyone pregnant, there will be hell to pay.”
Hudson scowled. “You got Mom pregnant at fifteen. Pot, meet kettle.”
Those words hit hard, but Seth didn’t flinch. “How did not having a father your first sixteen years work out for you, Hudson? You want to repeat that pattern? Want your kid to grow up not knowing his dad? Thinking he’s unwanted?”
Hudson’s face crumpled. “No. It sucked. I wouldn’t want that for my kid. And I’m not ready to be a father.”
“That’s exactly my point. You need to consider the consequences before you act. Think about what could happen, not just what feels good in the moment.”
Hudson nodded miserably. “Okay.”
“We’ll get through this, okay?” Seth clapped a hand on his son’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “I’ll see you for tomorrow morning’s workout. Goodnight, son.”
“’Night,” the kid muttered.
The moment Seth closed the door behind them with a sigh and headed upstairs, the tension left his shoulders. “Thanks for helping.”
Beck clapped him on the back. “You handled that really well, Daddy.”
Seth snorted, but there was warmth in his chest at the words. “Apparently I’m Daddy whether I’m ready for it or not.”
“You got this,” Beck insisted.
With Beck and Heavenly’s help? “Yeah.”
As he reached their bedroom, Seth felt something shift inside him. Tonight had been a wake-up call—not just about Hudson, but about himself. He’d almost lost his son before he’d really had a chance to be his father. He knew what it felt like to lose a child forever. Tristan’s death had nearly destroyed him. This would have been different, sure. Hudson would still be alive, but it would have been another failure as a father.
Thank fuck Hudson had chosen to stay. Chosen them and this family they were building. If Seth could be the father his son needed, despite all the risks and potential for heartbreak…then maybe he could handle being a father to the children he and Beck would have with Heavenly.
Maybe.
In the quiet hush of the Airbus, Seth glanced down at Hudson sleeping in the seat beside him. His son had been out cold for the better part of an hour, his head propped awkwardly against the headrest as they cruised somewhere over Colorado. The kid had been dragging ass since the four-thirty wake-up call for their seven a.m. flight, grumbling about missing both sleep and his upcoming football game. Now, with sleep smoothing his perpetual teenage scowl, Hudson looked younger than his sixteen years.
Behind them, Seth heard the low murmur of Beck’s and Heavenly’s voices. He’d sat them together so they could steal a few hours together before his family forced them to pretend they were merely friends.