Page 96 of Best Kept Secret

“You don’t have to thank me. She’s your daughter.”

Thankfully, Sonia didn’t ask about Kelsey, seeming to sense that he didn’t want to discuss it. Instead, she gave him the usual set of instructions as to Annie’s feeding and sleep schedule, and then she left in a hurry to meet her girlfriends.

Annie seemed as happy as he was to spend the evening together, and since Jared had gone out with Amanda, they were alone. He spread a large blanket on the floor and stretched out beside her. She wasn’t sitting up yet, so he put her on her tummy and placed some toys within reach. She was holding her head up and getting stronger, and Sonia had assured him this was good exercise for her.

She’d recently placed a copy of What to Expect the First Year in Annie’s diaper bag and gently suggested he read it in his spare time. He’d laughed and said, “What spare time? When she’s here, I’m constantly watching her, even when she’s sleeping.”

She’d laughed. “You’ll get more relaxed as she gets older.”

“Yeah, right! Then I’ll have to worry about other things, like boys.”

“Boys are a long way off.”

“They will be if I have any say in it.”

“You will,” she’d assured him.

He found it ironic that while his relationship with Kelsey had tanked, his and Sonia’s had improved. He suspected she felt sorry for him, which explained why she’d been so nice. It was either that or she’d discovered that he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. He hoped it was the latter.

He was a better dad than a boyfriend, that was for sure. The more time he spent with Annie, the more comfortable he’d become. He still had a lot to learn, though, and he vowed to look through the book the next time he had a chance.

Toward the end of the evening, he was flipping through the pages when Jared came in. Jared glanced at Annie, who was asleep in her bouncy seat, and then at Hudson.

“Kelsey’s not here,” he said, sounding surprised.

“No.”

“Was she here earlier?”

“No.”

This was the most they’d spoken in over a week, and Hudson almost preferred the silence. He didn’t need Jared telling him what a jerk he’d been to his sister. Unless maybe she hadn’t told him?

“Are you two still…together?”

There was his answer. She hadn’t told Jared, and Hudson wasn’t sure how to take that. “I don’t think so.”

Surprisingly, Jared sat in the chair across from him. “What happened?”

“Exactly what you predicted would happen. She found out about Sonia, and now she won’t talk to me.”

“Wow.”

“That’s what Nick said too.”

“Nick knows about this?”

Hudson looked at Jared incredulously. “It’s not like you and I have been best buddies lately.”

Jared threaded his hands in his hair and looked down at the floor. “Sorry about that.”

“Which part, losing our friendship or me losing Kelsey?”

Looking up, Jared said, “This is so damn hard. I was just trying to prevent her from getting hurt.”

“I know, and I hurt her anyway.” Hudson glanced out the window, unable to meet Jared’s gaze.

“She’s really sensitive, you know. She always has been. When she loves someone or something, she loves with her whole heart, and I was just…”