Page 61 of Best Kept Secret

“Thanks. I hope you have a fun weekend.”

“You too. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back.”

After they hung up, Kelsey headed off to bed, but as she’d anticipated, she had trouble falling asleep. For the longest time, she lay there, staring at the ceiling and rehashing her conversation with Jared.

Certain phrases kept repeating in her head: He’s not that guy. You’ll be disappointed. I’m only trying to protect you…

What is he trying to protect me from? Is it possible that Hudson isn’t the guy I think he is? What else is he hiding, or is his secret in plain sight? Could Annie be his child?

These questions and more plagued her until late at night, when she finally fell into a troubled sleep.

Eighteen

While Kelsey had been meeting with Jared (unbeknownst to him), Hudson had been on the phone with Sonia, trying to convince her to let him see Annie over the holiday weekend.

“Do you have any plans this weekend?” he asked.

“We’re going to a cookout on the Fourth,” Sonia replied.

“What about the day after?”

“I’m not sure yet. Why?”

“I’d like to see Annie for a while,” he replied, rolling his eyes. What other reason would he have for asking?

“Oh. Well, I’ll have to check with Alex first.”

He gripped the phone tighter, his frustration growing by the minute. “What does he have to do with anything?”

“You might be Annie’s dad, but Alex is like a father to her too. I’d like to check with him before I give you an answer.”

He couldn’t really argue with that, although he wanted to. As Annie’s biological father, he thought he deserved precedence. However, Alex was good to his daughter too, and he’d have to tread lightly.

“Why is this weekend so important to you?” she asked.

He’d often thought that Sonia should have been a reporter. She always asked probing questions and didn’t let up until she got an answer. Thinking it might boost his chances, he decided to tell her.

“I’m hanging out with Kelsey this weekend, and she’d like to see Annie too.”

“Are things getting serious between you two?”

Yes was the first answer that popped into his head. However, he tempered it and replied, “We’ve been spending more time together.”

“I see.”

He hated that Sonia was privy to his personal life, but since she was Annie’s mom, it sort of made sense. Sonia would always be in his life, whether he liked it or not. This was simply a consequence of his actions.

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask for me to spend a few hours with my daughter,” he said, tiring of her questions.

“You’re right. However, if Kelsey’s going to be around our daughter, I would like to meet her.”

He shook his head at the craziness that was his life. Kelsey was dying to meet his sister, whom she thought was Annie’s mom, while Sonia, Annie’s actual mom, wanted to meet Kelsey. It was like a twisted plot from one of the soap operas his mom used to watch. Not that he’d watched them much. Well, maybe during the sex scenes…

“Hudson?”

“I’m here. Just thinking.”

“You have told her about me, haven’t you?”