Page 4 of Alpha & Omega

I chuckled. “I get your point, Hud.”

Once everything was fragrant, I dropped the mussels into the pan, coating them with the mixture. Then I poured in some dry white wine and homemade vegetable broth. As they simmered for a few minutes, I put the garlic bread into the oven.

“How about this? I’ll make you aregularhamburger tomorrow.”

“And fries.”

“And fries with—”

“No aioli. Ketchup and mustard.”

“Fine…homemadeketchup and mustard.”

“Deal.”

“It’s like negotiating with a ruthless lawyer.”

“Drama queen.”

I laughed outright, pulling the pot off the stove. “Smartass.”

God, I loved how close we were. We struggled for a long while when his mother took off, leaving me to fend for an eight-year-old who broke when she abandoned him. At least she bothered to leave a note, so I didn’t send the cops out looking for her, worried something had happened. It merely said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’

Our road had been rough, but we made it.

I put together our salads, placed the hot bread on a dish, and plated our mussels into soup bowls.

Hudson put away his schoolwork so we could eat together, something I tried to do whenever I didn’t have to work, which wasn’t often enough. I had my sous chef taking over on Sundays to give me time to spend with my son, but really, Hudson didn’t need me as much as he used to, and thanks to a shit ton of therapy, he was more confident than ever. It wasmewho neededhim. Oneday, he’d leave to have a life of his own, and I would be lucky enough for him to spend rare time with me.

Hudson and I pried apart the shellfish, dunked the meaty morsel into the wine sauce, and ate it.

“Fine, while I would love to eat crap once in a while, thisispretty good.”

“I knew you loved me,” I said, chuckling.

He rolled his eyes as always and smirked before shoving some garlic bread into his mouth.

“Dad?”

“Yep.”

“Now that I’m sixteen and school’s almost out, do you think I can get a job? I want to start making my own money.”

God, we barely saw each other as it was. If he worked, we would be two passing ships in the night, except once in a while when we both weren’t working. This was a part of growing up and moving on. I had to let go and hope that when he finally made his mark on the world, I did a good enough job with him.

“Sure, you can work. It shouldn’t be a problem if you work part time. I guess I need to get you a car, huh? I won’t be able to drive you everywhere.”

“Can… Can I work at Harley’s? Like… maybe I can clean tables and stuff.”

The fact Hudson wanted to work with me made my heart flutter a little, and that he wasn’t ready to move further away from me as he gained his independence.

“I think I can arrange something.” I winked. “It’s my place, after all.”

He sat up straighter and smiled. “Thanks, Dad!”

We ate in silence, digging into our salads and eating more mussels. It was a recipe I put on the menu at the restaurant, but I made it less spicy at home.

“Dad?”

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