Page 8 of Waiting for Forever
And while he wouldn’t say he lived like a monk—he went out with plenty of women—he hadn’t put any effort into finding someone to live out his days with. He kept his dates casual, his affairs sexual only. He told himself he was happy that way and that he’d made a conscious decision to remain single.
But the truth was, he hadn’t bothered to make the time for a relationship. Between work and dealing with his alcoholic dad, his cup hadn’t just overflowed, it had flooded the whole damn house.
A relationship had always felt like one thing too many, something he didn’t have time for, and he didn’t expect that to change in Maris. Getting Ryan Construction back on track was going to take a great deal of work. Especially since he was starting with a big black mark—the high school years—against him. He was going to have to prove himself. He just hoped people would give him the chance.
Macie returned with their beers, and they nodded their thanks before she returned to the bar.
“Granddad,” Hudson started, wanting to reassure his grandfather that he harbored no ill will toward him, but the man wasn’t finished.
“I did what I always did back then,” Granddad continued. “Made excuses to myself. Claimed I was too busy. Told myself I had too much work to do to take on a kid. Made the job more important than you. And I can’t tell you how damn sorry I am for that, Hudson.”
Hudson couldn’t fault his granddad for putting work first. Hell, it was just another way the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree. Hudson had spent the last thirteen years of his life burying himself in work, because life was simple when all you had to think about was hitting a nail with a hammer. Getting out and forging friendships or romantic relationships took too much effort and required you to make yourself vulnerable—something he sucked at—so he just didn’t bother.
“You might not believe it,” Hudson said, not wanting his grandfather to feel any guilt, “but I don’t think my childhood was all that bad.”
Granddad chuckled. “Of course, you don’t. You ran wild. Did whatever the fuck you wanted when it was just you and your dad.”
Hudson couldn’t argue with that. “I know you sent money every month for rent and food. You kept us fed, kept a roof over our heads.”
Granddad shrugged, clearly not considering that enough.
“I had a bunch of friends in the neighborhood, and their moms all knew the deal with my homelife. It was why five nights out of seven, I was always invited to one of their homes for dinner. Between that, and the free breakfast and lunch they served at school, it wasn’t like I was going hungry.”
Grandad sighed, unconvinced.
“Seriously, without you, Granddad, I don’t have a clue where I’d be.” While he didn’t want to admit it, even to himself, Hudson always feared he would have ended up like his dad, a deadbeatdrunk, serving time in prison. “You got me that job with Jerry in Dallas right after graduation, and it changed my life.”
Granddad smiled, pleased.
Hudson’s graduation came just three days after his dad was released from prison, and Hudson was bound and determined to “get the fuck out of Maris and never come back.” Granddad had begged him to work for him, but Hudson had been too stupid to get out of his own way. Since Granddad couldn’t convince him to stay, he’d called up an old buddy of his, who ran his own construction crew in Dallas. Somehow, he’d convinced Jerry to take a chance on his punk grandson.
It had been a rocky beginning, because Hudson had definite issues with authority figures, but Jerry—like Granddad—had believed in him.
Jerry was the one who’d encouraged him to apprentice as a plumber, so he’d put in the hours and become one. Jerry confessed when Hudson gave his two weeks’ notice that he’d always known he was destined to run his own company one day, and that was why he’d pushed him to learn so many aspects of construction—from drywall to refinishing floors, from tiling to plumbing.
“I’m sorry I was such a prick when I was younger.” That apology was way too overdue.
Granddad waved his hand, dismissing his words, letting him know they were unnecessary. While his grandfather hadn’t said as much, Hudson knew Granddad had forgiven him for his bad behavior years ago. “Water under the bridge. I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”
Granddad cleared his throat, choked up, and Hudson felt the need to do the same. He’d lived his life surrounded by men who couldn’t express an emotion even if someone held a gun to their heads. Soft words had never been a thing in either of the homes Hudson had grown up in.
However, since Dad’s death, Granddad had started sharing more of his feelings with Hudson. It was cathartic and nice, and it made him want to follow his grandfather’s example.
“I can’t thank you enough for inviting me back here to live. For believing in me enough to let me carry on the Ryan Construction name.”
Hudson had made a lot of money in Dallas, but the majority of it had gone to pay the rent and his dad’s exorbitant medical bills. As such, the nest egg he’d been slowly building was now depleted.
Granddad patted Hudson’s hand. “Everything I have would go to you after I died anyway. This way, I get to see you make a success of it before I leave this world.”
Hudson narrowed his eyes, pointing his beer bottle at Granddad. “You’re not going anywhere. Ever,” he stressed.
Granddad’s eyes misted with happy tears.
Macie returned with their food, and the two of them tucked in. Hudson realized this lunch was another thing that hadn’t changed, because the barbeque at Sparks was still the best on the planet. As they ate, several locals made their way over to the table to say hello. Granddad was well-liked in town and had a lot of friends.
Hudson didn’t miss some of the sideway glances from people who remembered him. He could see them mentally sizing him up, wondering if his return to town was going to spell trouble. Granddad told all of them about the resurgence of Ryan Construction, asking them to spread the word. A few people said they’d let folks know, but just as many eyed him with too much doubt…and a couple even boldly stated that they were perfectly happy working with Beck Reed.
They’d just finished when Macie returned to their table. “Y’all want anything else?”
