Page 225 of Lost Then Found
He straightens up, face lighting up like I just gave him a mission. “When?”
“When it’s all done. You swear not to tell?”
“I won’t,” he says quickly, eyes wide with the weight of the secret.
I stick my pinky out. “Pinky promise?”
Hudson groans, grinning. “Seriously, Dad?”
“You can’t break pinky promises.” I wiggle my finger at him. “It’s legally binding. Look it up.”
He rolls his eyes but hooks his pinky with mine anyway. He takes another slow look around the room. “She’s gonna love it,” he says, almost to himself.
I glance over at him, something tightening in my chest. “Yeah? You think so?”
He nods, sure. “I could tell Mom always wanted a bigger place. Or maybe just…nicer, I think. This will be the best surprise ever.”
I watch him take it all in, the way his shoulders relax a little like something’s clicking into place. Then he looks back at me, eyes wide and hopeful. “So we’re really gonna live here? All of us? Together?”
I crouch beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “If we can convince your mom to, then yeah. That’s the plan.”
His eyes flick up toward mine, a grin stretching across his face. “And I would get to see Grandma every day? And eat her brownies?”
I chuckle, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “If you want to. She’d love that.”
His grin gets wider. “And Ridge?”
I hesitate for a beat, then nod toward the stairs. “Well, Ridge is only home for a little while. He’s gotta get back to the rodeo circuit soon.”
“Oh.” The grin fades, and his mouth pulls into a small frown. He’s been trailing Ridge around like a shadow lately, soaking up every joke, every high five, every second of being someone’s person. Not just a kid tagging along, but a teammate. A co-conspirator. Someone who belongs.
I nudge him gently. “Hey, he’ll be back. He’s always here for Christmas, and sometimes he gets breaks like this one where he can stay for a while.”
Hudson shrugs, then nods slowly. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You’ve still got Sage and Wren.”
There’s a pause, and then he leans closer, drops his voice to a whisper. “No offense, but Ridge is way cooler.”
A laugh bursts out of me, echoing through the half-finished house. I sling an arm around his shoulders. “Who do you think taught him how to be so cool?”
Hudson doesn’t miss a beat. “Not you.”
I give him a light shove that sends him stumbling forward with a grin. “You little traitor.”
He laughs, skipping a few steps ahead of me toward the stairs. His hand slides along the banister as he looks over his shoulder, eyes wide like the reality of it’s finally setting in. “I can’t believe this gets to be my new house.”
His voice bounces off the walls, and I can’t stop watching him take it all in. It does something to me—watching him look around like he’s already imagining the life we’ll build here. Makes every long night and sore muscle worth it. The hours spent cursing at the floors when they wouldn’t level, rewiring circuits three times because they kept shorting out, watching video after video just to figure out how to do half this stuff without burning the whole fucking place down—it’s all paid off in this moment. Watching him, knowing this house won’t just be walls and windows, it’ll be his, too.
As we step into the main room, Hudson glances up at me. “Are you gonna marry my mom or something?”
I clear my throat, the question hitting harder than I expect. “I want to.”
Hudson doesn’t say anything right away. He just nods once, looking down at his shoes. There’s a weight in that silence, one I can’t ignore.
“What do you think about that?” I ask, keeping my tone light.
He shrugs, still not looking at me. “It’s kinda weird. But still awesome.”
