“Oh, hey, Hudson!” I waved to the man. His frown was deeper than usual. Shit. My face fell. I’d forgotten Gertie told me that his wife had left him and his three-year-old daughter.
“Ozzie.” He nodded and continued walking.
“Wait!” I rushed down the steps, tripping on the last one. Hudson caught me, preventing me from falling. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
He looked genuinely confused as if he didn’t notice my weight leaning against him. I’d busted my face pretty badly once when I’d tried grabbing Carter to break a fall. He’d stepped away.
Oh god, I almost married someone who would rather I fall than catch me. The realization was like a punch to the gut, and I pulled away from Hudson, steadying myself.
I shook my head as Hudson still seemed to wait for a response. “Nothing. Just…how are you? Do you need anything?”
He scowled. “You heard, didn’t you?”
“About your wife? Yes. I’m sorry about that. Maybe she’ll see what a horrible mistake she’s made and return.”
“Best thing she can do for us is to stay away.” Bitterness dripped like acid from his tongue. “I’ll be able to give our daughter some stability.”
But he couldn’t be happy with the arrangement when his brows were knitted like that, and his eyes held a shadow of hurt. He swiped a hand over his face and let out a sigh.
“Okay.” What else could I say?
“I won’t miss my wife, Ozzie.” He pulled his hat lower over his brow. “My problem is finding someone to watch Ivy while I work. I can’t afford to miss a day, especially not now, since Heather cleaned out my accounts.”
“Shit.”
“Just forget I said anything.”
I grabbed his hand. “I can’t forget. Please let me help.”
“How? Are you going to babysit while I work?” His tone was sarcastic and biting.
“Yes.”
He rolled his eyes. “Be serious, Ozzie.”
“I am serious.” I gave his hand a squeeze. “If you don’t mind my lack of experience, but back in DC, one of our friends had two kids, and sometimes I watched them while they all went out. Last I checked, they still had ten toes and ten fingers.”
“But did they still have all their teeth?”
“Well, I can’t be blamed forthat.It was already loose so—”
Hudson let out a chuckle, his usual stoic demeanor momentarily slipping.
“Oh, you’re teasing me!” But it was good to see him smile. He didn’t do that often.
“I’m going to ask you again, Ozzie. Are you sure? I was going to take a few days off to find a new babysitter, but if Ivy can stay here, it would be perfect. I could see her while I’m working, ensure she’s fine.”
Aww, he seemed like such a good dad, and I could tell how much he loved his little girl. Carter never wanted kids, something I’d told myself I could live without, but I was already excited about watching Hudson’s daughter.
“Then it’s decided. Bring her by tomorrow. I’ll take excellent care of her, you’ll see.”
“She’s the sweetest little angel there is, so I must warn you. Don’t go getting too attached. Next thing you know, you’ll be canceling your wedding because of me.”
“Why would Ozzie cancel his wedding for you?”
I jumped at the sharp tone as Matty walked over, his face twisted in anger. Damn, for such a handsome guy, he was sure mad a lot.
