Dangerous Rescue - Linzi Baxter Page 0,24

Mia’s sticky cheek. “You look like a chocolate monster. I think you should go get cleaned up before you head to the neighbors’ house.”

“Aw, Dad,” Mia whined, her bottom lip stuck out.

The only thing left on the plate was a smear of chocolate. His stomach twinged as he remembered that his sister used to make pancakes when they were growing up. Hudson had always thought she would grow up to be a chef, but instead, she’d gone to law school. Kaiden had picked up some of his mom’s cooking skills. The kid made them dinner often, and it was amazing.

Hudson’s parents had always encouraged him and his sister to do whatever they wanted. His mom supported him in joining the Navy even though he could tell she didn't want him to leave. He never regretted joining the military or serving his country, but it was hard when he’d been deep in a mission for weeks and came home to find out that his parents had died in a boating accident.

Siena's gentle touch to Hudson’s arm brought him out of his thoughts. He hadn’t even caught what Siena and Kaiden were talking about.

Kaiden cleared his throat. “I'm going to get ready for school.”

“And you, little girl, need to go clean up quickly.” Siena tugged on Mia’s pigtail.

“But I want more,” Mia grumbled as Siena pulled her off of the counter.

Siena shook her head. “If you eat any more chocolate, your stomach is going to be upset. You need to go get ready, and I'm going to talk to your dad for a few seconds. I'll be there to help you soon.”

Hudson didn't know what to say. Siena held her coffee between her hands and stepped back from him. He immediately missed the closeness of her and the smell of her lavender shampoo. It was the same shampoo she used when they’d dated.

There was so much they needed to talk about, but he didn't have a lot of time. His watch beeped, reminding him that he had to leave soon. He didn't plan on turning away from his family. His next mission was to keep Siena and Mia in his life permanently.

So, instead of giving her space like she wanted, he took a step forward and touched her forearm. He let out a sigh when she didn't pull away. “I'm sure over the years, you've thought about how we would meet again. And I’m guessing this is nothing like you planned in your head.”

Siena barked out a laugh. “You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me, Hudson. No, I didn't imagine us meeting like this again. Out of all the scenarios that ran through my mind, it was not about me running from an ex who put a bounty on my head.” She took a sip of her coffee and turned back to him. “If I'm actually going to be honest with you, I never thought we would see each other again. In the beginning, yes, it was hard. I wanted our daughter to know you, but you took that decision away when you made the choice to cut me out of your life.”

He knew he deserved everything she was saying, but that didn't mean he agreed with it. If he’d known about Mia, he would have wanted to see her grow up. “You can be mad at me for walking away from you. I didn't know about our daughter, and that is on me also, but I’ll do everything I can to make it up to both of you. I think one day, we can be a family.”

She flinched. The words had slipped out of his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say them. One thing Hudson knew was that it would take time and a lot of effort on his part to be a family, and he should not approach the subject that quickly.

“You can think all you want about us being a family, Hudson, but it will not happen. Don't get me wrong—I will always let you see Mia and be a part of her life. But that doesn't mean I have to be in your life any more than us working out a schedule for you to see her. I won’t confuse her into thinking this is something more than it is.”

His heart hurt hearing the words, and he stepped back. Because of the damage he’d done years ago, their relationship was broken. But he was still going to do everything he could to try to fix the things he’d