Falling for Keeps

chapter three

Hudson and Bianca moved through the first day with the twins like they were walking on eggshells. Every moment felt both familiar and foreign. They had fallen into a rhythm almost immediately, as if the years between them hadn't eroded their connection. But beneath the surface, there was a heaviness—unspoken words, unresolved feelings, and a past that lingered in every glance.

Bianca had Mason in her arms, gently bouncing him as he fussed, trying to soothe him back to sleep. Hudson was at the changing table with Mabel, humming softly as he deftly changed her diaper. Despite the tension between them, they worked seamlessly, as if the twins had become a bridge they could walk across without stumbling into their past.

"You've still got the touch," Bianca said without looking up, her voice neutral as she tried to focus on Mason's squirming form. She didn't want to admit how natural it felt seeing Hudson care for the babies.

Hudson chuckled, a low, familiar sound that sent an involuntary shiver down Bianca's spine. "It's like riding a bike," he replied, lifting Mabel and wrapping her in a fresh blanket. "You don't forget how to handle the little ones."

Bianca glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He had always been good with kids. Back in college, he'd volunteered at a youth hockey camp, his easygoing charm making him a natural with them. It was one of the things that had made her fall for him in the first place.

She quickly shook off the memory, forcing herself to stay focused on the present. "Well, thanks for being here. I wasn't expecting...this," she gestured vaguely between them, trying to keep her tone light, though she could feel the weight of the situation settling on her shoulders.

Hudson shot her a small, almost hesitant smile. "Yeah, me neither. But the twins need both of us, so we'll make it work."

They moved through the day in a quiet truce, balancing bottles, diapers, and nap times with minimal conversation. The tension between them was palpable, yet neither dared to address it.

Later in the afternoon, while Bianca was tidying up the kitchen, the sound of her phone buzzing broke the silence. She glanced at the screen and sighed in relief—it was her best friend and roommate, Isla.

"Hey, Bee," Isla's voice crackled through the line, full of energy as always. "How's babysitting going?"

Bianca hesitated, glancing toward the living room where Hudson sat playing with the twins on a soft play mat. "It's...fine. Actually, Isla, you won't believe this—Hudson's here."

There was a beat of silence on the other end before Isla's voice shot up an octave. "What? Hudson? As in *your* Hudson? From college?!"

"Yes, *that* Hudson," Bianca muttered, lowering her voice so Hudson wouldn't overhear. "Clara and Adrian set us both up. They didn't tell either of us we'd be here together."

"Oh. My. God," Isla laughed, but there was a hint of mischief in her tone. "It's a trap. They're totally parent-trapping you two."

Bianca groaned, leaning against the kitchen counter. "I knew something felt off. They must have thought if we spent a week together, we'd magically work everything out."

"Well, it sounds like they might be onto something. How's it been, though? Any sparks? Tension? Drama?" Isla asked, far too excited for Bianca's liking.

"It's awkward," Bianca admitted, glancing back at Hudson, who was now making silly faces at Mason and Mabel, drawing tiny giggles from them. "There's so much history between us, Isla. We're pretending like we're fine, but there's all this stuff under the surface. I don't know how to handle it."

Isla hummed thoughtfully on the other end. "Look, Bee, you're a master at compartmentalizing. But maybe this is one of those times you shouldn't. If there's still something there—"

"There's not," Bianca interrupted quickly, cutting off whatever Isla was about to say. She wasn't ready to admit, even to herself, that the sight of Hudson made her feel anything other than annoyance. "This is about the twins, nothing more. Once Clara and Adrian come back, we'll both go our separate ways again."

Isla sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll let you believe that for now. But if I were you, I'd use this time to at least get some closure. You deserve that."

Bianca didn't respond, her gaze falling back to Hudson. He looked up at that moment, catching her eye, and for a second, neither of them looked away. Her heart skipped a beat before she quickly turned her back to him.

"Yeah, closure," Bianca whispered, more to herself than to Isla. "We'll see."

After hanging up with Isla, Bianca returned to the living room. Hudson looked up as she entered, raising an eyebrow.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Bianca said, sitting down on the couch, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just catching up with Isla."

Hudson nodded, turning his attention back to the twins. "I remember Isla. She was the one you moved in with right?"

Bianca snorted. "Yeah, after I graduated."

There was a pause, and Bianca realized they were slipping into old rhythms again—comfortable, easy banter. It was dangerous, too close to how things used to be. She couldn't let herself fall into that trap.

But before she could find an excuse to leave the room, Hudson spoke again, his tone more serious this time. "You know, Bea—Bianca—I've been thinking a lot about what happened between us back then."

Bianca stiffened, her chest tightening. "I really don't want to get into that," she said, her voice flat.

"I get that," Hudson said softly. "But maybe we should, at some point. We've got a week here, and it's going to be hard to avoid each other."

"I'm not avoiding you," Bianca said defensively, though even she could hear the lie in her own voice.

Hudson gave her a knowing look, but he didn't push further. Instead, he looked back down at Mason, who was starting to nod off. "Okay," he said quietly. "For now, we'll just focus on the twins."

Bianca exhaled, grateful that he wasn't pressing the issue. But as she watched him gently cradle the sleeping baby in his arms, she couldn't help but wonder if avoiding the conversation was only going to make things harder in the long run.

Because no matter how much she tried to bury it, the truth was still there, simmering beneath the surface.

And she had a feeling that by the end of this week, something was going to boil over.