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Janessa crossed her arms. “So why did he accept the invitation for pizza night?”
That was definitely a good question. One that Kayleigh didn’t have the answer to. “I think he’s probably curious about us. I told him about our family yesterday.”
“Well, it will be interesting to get to know him.” Janessa pointed to the stairs. “But I need to change, so I’ll be back in a few.”
Kayleigh nodded, then took off her boots and headed into the kitchen as Janessa jogged up the stairs. Will was there, leaning against the island counter while he talked to Charli. He broke off his conversation and greeted her with a smile.
“How’s life among the wealthy?” he asked.
Kayleigh grimaced. “Not all sunshine and roses, I’ll tell you.”
She gave him a bit of information about what had been going on at the resort, pausing briefly when Wilder showed up. He gave her a hug, then stood with his arm around her.
When the doorbell rang a few minutes later without someone coming in immediately after, Kayleigh said, “That’s probably Hudson.”
“I’ll go let him in,” Wilder said, already moving in that direction.
Kayleigh didn’t protest since she knew that Wilder and Hudson had already met at the resort. She still wasn’t completely sure how she felt about her professional and personal lives colliding the way they were about to.
She heard Hudson’s voice before he stepped into the kitchen with Wilder. They’d barely arrived before the door opened again, and Peyton came running into the kitchen, with Jay and Misha following behind him, carrying Ciara and a stack of pizza boxes.
Janessa must have alerted the family to Hudson’s presence that night, because no one seemed surprised to see him there. Wilder took care of introducing him to everyone.
Hudson had changed out of his suit into a pair of jeans and a long sleeve, white button-up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. While more casual than what he’d had on earlier, Kayleigh had no doubts that it was still a pricey outfit.
“So, how are you enjoying the area?” Jay asked as he reached to take Ciara from Misha.
“It’s nice, though the cold and snow are taking some getting used to. We do get cold and snow in New York City, but it doesn’t tend to stick around like this.”
“Yeah, we usually have snow on the ground for a few months. The amounts vary depending on the year.”
“I’ll always vote for more snow,” Wilder said. “Can’t ski on grass.”
“Are you sure about that?” Will asked.
“Well, maybe I should say that I don’twantto ski on grass. Where’s the fun in that?”
When Gareth and Aria arrived, more introductions were made, then they gathered to pray.
“Can we pray, Mom?” Layla asked Charli. “Me and Peyton?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
“You pray first, Pey,” Layla instructed. “Then I’ll pray.”
It was a testament to how well Peyton was adapting to his new life that he was now willing and able to pray, when that hadn’t been part of his life before he came to live with his dad. Kayleigh took a peek at Hudson as they prayed, noting that he stood with his head bent, one hand gripping the wrist of his other arm.
He seemed familiar with prayer, or if not familiar, at least he was able to easily adapt to situations.
“Layla, you and Peyton are going to eat at the table in here,” Charli said, gesturing to the breakfast nook.
“Really?” Layla seemed very excited about the prospect.
“Yep. There’s a lot of us to eat around the table in the dining room, and I didn’t put the leaves in, so you two can sit in here.”
“Cool!”
For the next little while, everyone focused on filling their plates with the pizza and salad that were set out on the island counter. When they went to the dining room, Kayleigh ended up sitting on one side of Hudson with Wilder on his other.
