“For good. I was already working on coming home. Just happened a few days earlier than expected when I got the call.”
“How’s Clay?” Raven asks.
“Good.” Something in his voice has me lifting my head, and his eyes are still on me. “Riles,” he croaks.
Why does it sound like there is pain in his voice? “Hudson.” I manage to nod in his direction before averting my gaze to my son, to our son who is sleeping soundly with no clue his daddy is here.
The next thing I know, he’s kneeling before me. He places a hand on my thigh, and the touch burns my skin even through my leggings. “Who do we have here?” he asks softly.
I want to scream and yell at him. I want to tell him he knows damn well who it is, but then that would reveal my secret.
“This is Hayes. My son.” I look him in the eye, waiting to see the regret, or I really don’t know, something. All I see is Hudson. The man I fell in love with. His eyes are soft and kind.
He reaches over and offers Hayes his finger, and my little guy takes it. His tiny fist grips Hudson’s finger, and my heart feels like it’s in a vise. “Hey, buddy,” he says softly.
The tears are there, threatening to fall, but I can’t let them. Instead, I swallow past them and turn to look at Brett over my shoulder. “We should get him home.”
“Wait, they’re going home with you?” Hudson’s voice is accusing and, if I didn’t know better, angry.
“Nah, we’re all getting together at Riley’s to welcome him home,” Brett explains.
“You should come. After you check on your dad, of course,” Raven invites him.
I should be mad at her for it, but the truth is, this is nothing new for our group of friends. It’s not uncommon for one to call another and let them know what the plans are.
“Yeah,” Hudson says, not really committing. “I need to go see my parents.” His eyes find mine. “I’ll see you soon, Riles.”
There is something in his voice and in his eyes that I can’t explain. He gives my thigh a gentle squeeze and pulls his finger gently from Hayes’s grip and walks away.
No one says a word, which tells me that Raven and Brett noticed too. Instead, Brett wheels me to the car, and the nurse, who I forgot was with us, watches as Brett places the car seat in the base. She checks him before deeming my son safe and gives us a wave and a smile before taking the wheelchair back inside.
Raven and Brett chitchat all the way home while I stare at my son. I thought I had more time for all of this to blow up, but something about the look in Hudson’s eyes tells me that’s not the case.
CHAPTER 18
Hudson
I don’t know how I manage to walk away from her. My knees feel like wet noodles as I step into the hospital. I scan the lobby, and I make a beeline for a small sitting area. I need a fucking minute. I didn’t expect to see her here. Her and her son.
I might need to ask them to give me a bed beside my father because my heart feels as though it’s going to explode. He was my only thought. I had to get to him. I had to see for myself that he was okay. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would run into Riley after she’d just given birth to her son.
Her son.
Not mine.
Not yet. But I want him to be.
He’s a cute kid, for as cute as newborn babies can be. He’s got a good grip, and his momma, well, she’s just as beautiful as she always is. Seeing the two of them only solidified what I’ve known all along.
They’re my family.
Feeling more stable, I stand and make my way to the reception desk. “Rick Fleming’s room?”
The older gentleman looks at the computer and nods. “He’s in room 3002, the third floor. Those elevators.” He points to the left.
“Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome.” He nods and goes back to the paperback novel he’s reading.
My feet carry me to the elevators, and I push the button for the third floor. I have so much bouncing around in my head, and my heart is still racing. I have so many emotions rolling through me. Fear for my father and my mother. Fear for me, and regret. So much fucking regret. I should never have left. I should have stayed and fought.
I also have hope.
I hope that Riley will have me, that she will let me into her life as more than just a friend and her sister's best friend. I have so much hope that she’ll let me be a part of her son’s life. I want to show him how to throw a ball and how to build a snowman. I also want to show him what it looks like for a man to love a woman the way I love his momma. He’ll also know the love of a father. Love and family are more than blood. I send up a silent prayer that I’ll get my chance to prove that to both of them.
The elevator doors slide open, and I step out. I follow the arrows to the hallways until I reach the section my dad is in. When I reach his room, I quietly push open the door. I don’t know what I’m expecting, but it’s not my mom in a chair at Dad’s bedside, where he’s sitting up and the two of them talking and laughing.
“Well, this is one way to get me home, old man,” I tease.
“Hudson!” Mom’s out of her chair and meeting me halfway. I open my arms, accepting her hug.
“Hey, Mom.” I pull back and kiss her on the cheek.
“I didn’t know you were coming home.”
“Dad’s in the hospital. Of course I came home.”
“It was a minor heart attack.” Dad waves off my concern.
“Dad.” I glare at him. “Nothing about a heart attack is little.”
He nods. “You’re right, but I’m good. I have a stent in my heart, and they’ve got me a diet that you and I both know your mother will ensure that I uphold, and I’m going to start walking. Maybe one day I’ll work myself up to a jog.” He chuckles.
“You’re really okay?” I ask, releasing Mom and making my way to his side of the bed.
“I’m really okay. It was scary, but I’m all good. The doctors are saying I can probably go home tomorrow.”
“That’s great news.” Relief washes over me, knowing he’s going to be okay. I needed to see him with my own eyes.
“How long are you here for?” he asks.
“I’m home for good.”
“For good? Son, I’m fine.”
“I know, and I’m grateful, but I was already working on coming home early.”
“Why? Is it terrible there? Your letters made it seem like it wasn’t terrible. I knew you were just pacifying me,” Mom rambles.
“No. It wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t home, but it was fine. I was coming home because, well, it’s a long story. One I’m not ready to tell. However, I know you, and I know you’ll worry, so I came home to get my girl.”
“You’ve got a girl?” Mom asks, looking at me and then Dad in confusion. “Do you have a girl?”
“Of course, he does. Has for a long time. I was wondering when you were going to pull your head out of your ass.” Dad grins.
“Rick!” Mom scolds him. “You knew and didn’t tell me?”
I laugh. One would have thought she was scolding him for his language, but not when she’s not been privy to this kind of information.