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“He’s being angsty and moody,” Alexander said with a frown. “Candace wondered if he’d been in contact with you.”
“Nope. He hasn’t messaged or called me.”
“Perhaps you’d be willing to call him and see what’s up?” Alexander suggested. “He might be more willing to speak with you than to us, his parents.”
Hudson frowned. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Xander, but dealing with him at this age was especially hard. After all, Hudson had been around Xander’s age when he’d lost his mom. Alexander hadn’t been worried about him and had certainly not stepped into the role of a concerned father the way he was doing now with Xander.
He’d handed Hudson off to an older woman who lived with him in a luxury apartment, taking care of him as he tried to move forward with his life.
Gail had been a blessing, in that she had been there for Hudson and had cared for him with gentleness and encouragement. But she still hadn’t been able to reach the part of him that had missed his mom so much.
But Xander wasn’t part of the issues that Hudson had with Alexander. “I’ll message him and see if he’ll tell me what’s up.”
“We’d appreciated that,” Alexander said.
Hudson rarely wished that things had turned out differently because it was a waste of time and emotional energy. However, seeing the worry for Xander on Alexander’s face made him wonder how different his life would have been if the man had wanted to be a part of his life from birth. If he’d actually wanted to be Hudson’s father.
But even now, Alexander didn’t claim him. Didn’t insist that Hudson call him dad the way his other kids did. Didn’t let the world know that he had three sons, not just two.
However, that didn’t stop the man from drawing Hudson into the role of older brother for the son hedidclaim.
“I’d better go,” Hudson said, his stomach churning with emotions that he hated. “I have a lunch meeting in a little bit here.”
“Okay. Let me know what Xander says and how things go in Baton Rouge.”
Hudson nodded, then disconnected the call. He let out a frustrated sigh. The situation with Alexander and their relationship often led to a frustration that he didn’t want and honestly hated.
He opened his phone and found the chat conversation he had with Xander. It had been over a week since he’d last heard from the teen, and it had just been another discussion asking Hudson to take his side in the ongoing car debate with his mom.
Hey, buddy. How’re things going?
Hudson didn’t expect a response from Xander right away. Most likely, he’d text when he was done at school. That might mean his message would come in while Hudson was at lunch with Kayleigh, since they were in different time zones.
I’m heading out for a lunch meeting, but I’ll let you know when I’m done if you want to chat.
With that taken care of, Hudson connected with Caleb again to let him know he didn’t need to worry about booking him a flight back to Serenity, as he’d use the company jet for that.
As noon neared, he pulled on his suit coat, grabbed his phone and door key, then left the suite. He made his way to the Steakhouse, not surprised that Kayleigh had made arrangements for a table for them. He often forgot about stuff like that, as Caleb took care of it for him most of the time.
Kayleigh wasn’t there yet, so Hudson sat down to wait, more anxious than he should be to spend more time with her. He hoped her morning had gone better than his. Well, his had been fine until Alexander had broached the subject of Xander.
As he waited for Kayleigh, Hudson took a gander at the news sites. He shook his head as he read some of the headlines. Some days, it seemed that there was no good news.
Don’t look for good news in the world, sweetheart.
Hudson frowned as the memory of his mom’s voice filtered through his mind. Looking back as an adult, he could see how his mom had tried to always be joyful, despite the circumstances she’d found herself in.
In her career as a counsellor to domestic abuse victims, she’d heard and seen terrible things. And yet, she persisted, and no matter what sort of day she had, she’d always had smiles for Hudson.
Was it her faith in God that had allowed her to be that way? Or had it simply been her personality?
“Sorry I’m late,” Kayleigh said as she slipped into the chair across from him.
Her hair now lay in polished waves across the shoulders of her deep purple suit, and her face was artfully made up, highlighting her soft brown eyes. Hudson liked that he knew the two sides of her, because they both appealed to him.
Hudson set his phone down. “No need to apologize. I didn’t even notice, to be honest.”
Kayleigh gave him a smile, then let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair. Their server stepped up to the table before Hudson could inquire about how she was doing.
