“Who gave it to you?”
She told him.
“What if he lied?He might’ve told you that your son was a town over from here to track you down when you took off.”
Shit.“All this time, I didn’t consider that as an option.I should have.”She knew better than to trust anyone.But that also meant she might never locate her biological son if her information was incorrect.
“When this is over, I promise to help you find your son,” he said.“But we’ll do it the right way—go through all the necessary channels.If it turns out to be the kid a town over, then you weren’t given bad information.If it doesn’t, then we’ll find him anyway.What I’m not willing to do is surprise him or his parents.If we reach out and they don’t want to be contacted, I’d respect their wishes.Would you be able to do that?”
Cassie hesitated.Finding the boy she’d called Christian for lack of a better way to reference him, knowing he was thriving, was the most important thing.Not knowing if he was healthy and being treated well, wondering every Christmas, every birthday, whether he was happy or not, made those holidays the loneliest she’d ever experienced.Having to hide her emotions in front of Jarek had made it even worse.Thank the stars he’d worked most holidays and was away for days on end.Crime didn’t take many days off.
“I call him Christian,” she said to Hudson.“And I will walk away as long as he’s happy.The last thing I want is to upend his world.None of this is his fault, and he shouldn’t have to suffer.If having me in his life would confuse or make him unhappy, I would willingly step aside.That being said, if he’s unhappy or being mistreated in any way, I won’t be able to idly stand by.”
“That’s fair.”
Hudson’s understanding meant the world.“How will you find him?”she asked.
“Did you already use an agency?”
“Yes.”She supplied the name.
He had his phone out in a heartbeat, typing away on the screen.
“I have money,” she said.
“Is it his?”he asked, and she realized he was referring to Jarek’s.
She gave a slight nod.To her way of thinking, ithad beenJarek’s but now was hers.
“Then, I’ll cover it.”
“But I don’t have a way to pay you back.”Her argument was met with a frown.
“Do you see this house?”
The answer was obvious.“Yes.”
“Do you see this office?”
Again, obvious.“I do.”
“We inherited this place,” he said.
“What does that have to do with me not being able to pay you back?”
“I didn’t earn the money that showed up in my bank account, but that doesn’t mean I plan to waste it.The minute extra zeroes hit my account, I decided to hold onto the money until I could do some good with it.Beaumont would’ve hated me using his legacy to help others.He would want me to be selfish with it and hang onto it for dear life or status or some BS like that.I’d rather make a difference in someone else’s life.That way, I feel less selfish about accepting the inheritance.”
She smiled at the answer.It was so Hudson.So honest.So raw.So like him to plot his revenge by making the world a better place, especially since it was also the opposite of everything Beaumont had stood for.
“I’m not sure I can refuse your offer when you put it like that.”She laughed.“Beaumont is probably turning in his grave right now, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” he said with a smirk.“And that’s a bonus.”
She probably shouldn’t laugh, but she couldn’t help it.She did.When Hudson laughed, too, a weight lifted from her shoulders.Some of the worry lines etched around his eyes eased.Some of the spark sizzled between them, making it hard as hell to think about what it was going to be like when this was all over and they went back to their normal lives.
Normal?
Cassie almost laughed again.She had no home, no job.She hadn’t allowed herself to make a plan for when this ordeal ended.She hadn’t thought much past getting away from Jarek and actually surviving the escape.She wanted to see her son with her own eyes.Know that he was alive and well.A large part of her realized she didn’t have the right to know much else, no matter how much her heart wished she could be part of his life.