Page 52 of Lost Then Found
When he’s done, he pushes his plate back and stands.
“Put your dish in the sink,” I tell him automatically.
He rolls his eyes but listens, dropping it in with a clatter.
I wipe my hands on a dish towel and glance at Boone. “Why don’t you show him your baseball card collection?”
Hudson’s whole face lights up. He turns to Boone, eyes shining with excitement. “Oh, you’re gonnalovethis.” He’s already halfway to the stairs when he calls back, “Come on!”
Boone laughs, glancing at me, almost like he’s asking for permission.
I nod, giving him a small smile, tilting my head slightly.Go.
He does.
And I turn back to the sink, running the water, rinsing the plates, cleaning the counters—doing anything to keep my hands busy, to keep my mind from spiraling.
I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect this.
I didn’t expect Hudson to look so…happy.To take to Boone like it was easy. Like it wasn’t something he had to think about.
I didn’t expect Boone to be this natural with him, like he’s been doing this his whole life instead of just learning how to be a dad in real time.
I’d braced for something awkward, something stilted. A night full of painful silences, of half-hearted attempts. But it wasn’t like that.
It wasgood.
And I want it to stay good. Hudson is my whole world. My greatest love, my greatest joy, my greatest responsibility. And I have spent the last twelve years doing everything I could to make sure his world is safe and full and steady.
Letting Boone in means taking a chance. I just have to hope that I’m taking the right one.
Chapter 6
BOONE
Hudson holds up a baseball card, careful with it like it’s something sacred. Fingers on the edges, no fingerprints on the surface.
“This one?” he says, holding it toward the light. “This is the crown jewel of my collection.”
I lean in, arms crossed, nodding. “Alright. Show me what you’ve got.”
His grin’s quick, proud. “Signed Mookie Betts rookie card.”
I let out a low whistle. “No shit. That’s a solid one.”
“Mom got it for me last Christmas,” he says, eyes still on the card. “Said she had to call in a favor to get it. Won’t tell me what, though.”
That sounds about right. Lark’s never been one to back down from a challenge—always figured out how to get what she wanted, especially when it mattered.
While he talks, I take in the rest of the room. Dodgers stuff everywhere—banners, posters, jerseys pinned up on the walls. Even his damn comforter’s blue. He’s not just a fan. He lives and breathes it.
Makes me wonder how many games he’s been to. If Lark ever took him to one at Dodger Stadium. If he brought his glove and waited on a foul ball, eyes trained on the sky, hoping to walk away with something he’d never forget.
Should’ve been there for that if she did.
I press the thought down.
Hudson sets the card on his desk and turns back to me. “Mom said you used to play.”
