Read Online The Cowboys Heart: 3 by Helen Evans - Free Book Online Page B

of
him. He probably got caught up doing something downstairs. I smiled and left to
go find him. But as I passed Jamie’s room, I heard voices.
    Jamie’s voice.
    Hudson’s voice.
    I stopped cold. What was Hudson doing in Jamie’s room? What
could they possibly be talking about? I crept closer to the door, which was
ajar, and strained to hear what they were saying. Eavesdropping was so wrong,
but I couldn’t help myself. From the moment I’d met Hudson, all I’ve wanted was
for him and Jamie to bond, to get along. That hadn’t gone so well, but maybe it
was going to change now. I took another step toward the opening and turned so
my ear was pressed almost to the door.
    “Thanks for coming tonight,” Jamie said.
    My ears rang. Okay, so far this was promising. I wished I
could see them, see how Jamie’s face looked, see what his body language was
truly saying. Often his body belied his words, and I’d perfected the art of
reading him.
    “Of course. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as you’d hoped,”
Hudson said.
    There was a beat of silence and I could almost see Jamie
shrugging in my mind. I smiled. “Whatever. It’s not the first birthday my dad’s
missed. It probably won’t be my last.”
    My heart broke again. I wanted to wring Phillip’s neck for
making Jamie feel that way. It wasn’t fair. Didn’t Phillip care at all how his
actions affected our son? He’d been quick to point the finger at me, to make me
out to be the horrible mom, yet he never once stopped to consider his own
harmful actions.
    “I’m sorry about that, Jamie. Truly, I am,” Hudson said.
    “I just wish I knew why. Why’d he ditch me for the bar?
Why’d he do this?”
    “I don’t know.” Hudson sighed. “Sometimes, people do things
they think are a good idea, not realizing how it affects others. People often
let other people down. It’s much too easy to disappoint the people you love the
most.”
    “I’m his son, though. When will I ever come first?”
    And that’s when I heard the crack in Jamie’s voice. The
tears. I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to stay calm, not to barge into his
room and gather him up in my arms like I really wanted to do. I wanted to hold
my baby, comfort him. But more than that, I wanted to see how this conversation
played out. How would Hudson handle Jamie when he broke down like this? Which
didn’t happen very often, but when it did, it was usually pretty extreme.
    “You do come first, Jamie. I can’t speak for your father,
but I know you have always been and always will be your mother’s first
priority. And if you’ll allow it, you’ll be mine, too.”
    Oh my God! Tears burned my throat, and I forced them back
down. I adjusted so I could peek through the door and what I saw had me
clasping my hands over my mouth to stop from gasping loudly. Jamie was hugging
Hudson with his head on Hudson’s shoulder. From where I stood, I could see his
red, tear stained eyes. I momentarily closed my eyes to calm myself. When I
reopened them, Jamie had released Hudson and was sitting back up, his back
against his headboard.
    “Thank you,” Jamie mumbled and wiped his eyes.
    Hudson nodded. Even though I could only see his back, I knew
he was probably smiling. “I know we didn’t exactly hit it off, but I need you
to know that I love your mother, Jamie. More than anything. And I love you,
too.”
    Jamie nodded but remained silent. I held my breath. This was
it. Either Jamie would have a change of heart and accept Hudson into our lives,
or he’d remain angry and against the idea of me being with anyone but his
father.
    “And,” Hudson continued, “as you know, I do want to marry
her. I would really like for the three of us to be a family someday. I know
I’ll never be your father and that’s okay. I don’t want to replace him, but I
do want a chance to show you I’m a good guy.”
    “Yeah, I know you are,” Jamie finally said.
    Those few words ignited so much hope in my chest, I almost
stumbled