“I love you too, Hunter.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
HUNTER
I OPENED MY EYES; THE room was still in darkness. It must have been early. I rolled over, careful not to wake her, so I could see the clock. It was only four. I tried to go back to sleep, but instead, I just kept thinking about showing her what I had done with the condo. When my mind simply wouldn’t shut off, I crawled out of bed without disturbing her and made my way into the kitchen.
I set the coffeemaker to brew and tried hard to relax. I knew she wanted out of Derek and Evelyn’s place, and I couldn’t say I blamed her, but I didn’t want her living on her own or in some slum. The apartments that we had seen were just that. I saw in the paper last week that one of them had been raided by the police. There was no way in hell that my baby or the mother of my child was going to live in that. Not after all that she had been through. I was determined to support her fully even if she wouldn’t let me. That was the kicker, though. Autumn was so determined she didn’t need help that it was frustrating.
While waiting for my coffee to brew, I quietly opened the door to my old office and peeked inside. If she said yes, she would have everything she could ask for. She wouldn’t want for anything. If she said no, well, I would have to find another way to win her heart. I simply wasn’t giving up. She had no idea what I was capable of when I set my mind to something.
I jumped when I heard the water run and quietly shut the door and headed out into the living room. I grabbed a mug and poured the hot coffee into it, taking a sip. My nerves were getting the best of me. Coffee probably wasn’t a wise choice. I flipped through the morning paper, waiting for her to appear. Finally, I heard the door of the bedroom click open. She looked stunning wrapped in my oversized bathrobe, hair tousled to the side. “Good morning. Sleep well?”
“Good morning. I did. It’s so much quieter here. You’re up early. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, of course. I’m just an early riser, you know that.” As she walked toward me, I patted a spot on my lap for her to sit. She carefully sat, and I leaned back into the couch, pulling her into me, wrapping my arms around her, and giving her a deep kiss.
* * *
AUTUMN
I hadn’t stopped talking about seeing this apartment all through breakfast. Hunter kept trying to change the subject, but I would quickly weave the conversation back to the apartment. I really wanted to be on my own again.
“What time are we leaving to see the apartment? Did they happen to say if it was available already?”
“It’s pretty much available right now,” Hunter answered as he loaded the last of the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher.
“Has it been empty long?”
“Not too long.”
“How much work needs to be done to it?”
“Not much from what my friend told me.”
I took a sip of my tea. “Do they require a deposit plus first and last month’s rent?”
I was worried about money. I hadn’t been working that long, and the restaurant didn’t pay that well. The money I had received from the divorce and the sale of the house was pretty much gone. Therapy hadn’t been cheap.
“Autumn, you’re not supposed to be stressing. Now, there is no need to worry. You know I’ll make sure you have all that you need.”
Before I could protest, Hunter walked over to me, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me. “Now, go get yourself dressed, and let’s go see what we think of this place.”
“Is it far from here?”
“Not too far. Now go.” He smacked me gently on the butt as I walked past him into the bedroom.
I was ready in twenty-five minutes. Hunter was still seated at the breakfast bar, his head buried in the newspaper.
“Okay, Hunter, I’m ready.”
A nervous smile appeared on his lips as he walked around toward me. “Okay, give me two minutes. Have a seat,” he said, pointing to the couch.
He headed down the hall to the bedroom while I made myself comfortable. I’d been waiting for five minutes when I finally stood up and looked out the window. The city was beautiful from up here—so quiet and peaceful while all the little people scurried around. I turned to sit back down when I heard Hunter call my name.
“Coming.” As I made my way down toward the bedroom, I saw that he was standing just outside his office door. “What is it?”
“Close your eyes.”
“What? I thought we were going?”
“We are, just close your eyes. This will only take a minute. I have something I want to show you.”
I let out a breath and closed my eyes tightly. I felt him place his hand on my lower back, his other hand brushing against my growing belly. When I heard the door opening, Hunter whispered in my ear to take a step forward. “I’ve got you, beautiful. I won’t let you fall.” Both of his hands gripped my hips.
Carefully stepping forward, he removed one hand from my waist and up to my arm and whispered, “Okay, open your eyes.”
As my eyes adjusted, I was taken aback by what I saw. He had turned his office into a warm and cozy nursery. The hardwood floors were replaced with plush, white carpet. A white crib sat underneath the window, the matching white change table to the left and the dresser to the right. In the one corner sat the biggest teddy bear I think I had ever seen in my life. A glider rocker sat in the corner between the crib and change table, an afghan laying over the back.
“I hope you like it. I did it for you, for us, for our baby. I would love it if you would move in here with me. No more searching for apartments, no more fearing that I won’t be there. I want to be there. I don’t want to miss any more time than what I have already.”
Everything was so beautiful. I took a few steps toward the crib and peeked inside. A crib quilt covered in teddy bears lay inside.
“The crib will also change into a regular bed once the crib is no longer needed.”
He had thought of everything. As I listened to him go on telling me about things, tears flooded my eyes, and once I blinked, they were rolling down my cheeks. Everything was so perfect and well thought out. I looked at Hunter. The smile he was wearing slowly began to vanish.
“What is it? Do you not like it?”
I looked around the room at all he had done, all he had given up. There was nothing I didn’t like. How could he ever think that? “It’s not that. You…you gave up your office?”
“Really, I just downsized into the smaller room across the hall. To be honest, I don’t even really need it here. I work too much as it is.”
I didn’t know what to say. I just kept looking around, every time seeing something that I hadn’t seen before. The pictures on the wall, the growth chart against the closet door, the mobile that hung over the crib—it was all there. I felt Hunter step up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Can I be honest with you?”
When I looked at him, his eyes held no lies, and I knew whatever was coming next was going to solidify everything that he had already said through the reveal of this surprise. I nodded my head because I didn’t trust my voice at this point.
“I’ve never been more scared of losing something in my entire life than I was the other night. I was actually afraid of losing something that not eight months ago, I had never even contemplated having, wasn’t even sure if I ever wanted or would ever have. You came into my life at a time I wasn’t looking for anything except for a little fun, but now I’m so in love with you and in love with everything that can be, I don’t think it’s possible to ever let you go. Please say something.”
I turned and looked at Hunter. He stood there, his eyes watery. I had never seen him look as vulnerable as he did in this moment. I walked over to him and placed my hands on his chest. Reaching up, I placed my hand behind his head and pulled him forward, kissing him. It only took a second before I was wrapped in his arms.
When we broke from the kiss, he looked into my eyes. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”<
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Chapter Thirty-Nine
AUTUMN
AFTER BREAKING THE NEWS TO Evelyn, who was surprisingly happy for me, we moved my stuff into Hunter’s that weekend. Evelyn made sure that I knew I would always have a place if I needed, which I already knew, but she still felt better telling me.
“We’ll still shop, right?” Evelyn cried as she hugged me for the hundredth time.
“Would you get control of your wife, Derek?” Hunter joked as he stood by the door, waiting for Evelyn to finish smothering me.
“Yes, Evelyn, we will still shop. You’re acting like I am moving across the country.” I laughed.
“You’re absolutely sure about this, right? This is the right thing for you to do?”
Nothing like calling me out on the red carpet in front of Hunter or anything. But I was completely sure of my choice. “Yes, I’m sure.”
I thought back to that moment as I unpacked the last of my clothes and placed them in one of the dresser drawers Hunter had cleared for me. As I stood back up, I met his reflection in the mirror. “How’s everything going in here?”
I smiled. “Good. Almost done.”
Wrapping his arms around me, he nuzzled his face into my neck, kissing my shoulder. “Good, because I want you.”
He continued kissing my shoulder and up the back of my neck. I closed my eyes, reveling in the feeling. As his hands ran over my breasts, I stopped him. “Not now.”
I felt bad denying him, because as much as he wanted to, I wanted to. However, I was petrified of having any other complications. We had come this far. He gripped my hips and pulled me tighter into him. I could feel his arousal pressing into me.
“But the doctor said it was okay.”
“Yes, I know. You made sure to ask him three times at our last appointment.” Rolling my eyes, I looked at Hunter who let out a low chuckle at my annoyance.
“Sorry, I can’t help it. You have no idea how sexy I find you right now.” He nipped at my earlobe, sucking it into his mouth.
“If what’s poking into me is any indication, then I may have a slight idea!” I reached behind me, gripping him through his pants, and squeezed, making him groan deeply.
I guided him over to the bed, forcing him to sit down on the edge, and pushed him backwards so he was lying down. I ran my hands down his chest and slowly unbuckled his belt. I couldn’t stand to see him beg anymore. As soon as the belt was undone, his cock was already peeking out of the waist of his jeans. As I bent and licked the bead of precum off the head of his cock, he sucked in a breath. Unzipping his pants, I held the weight of him in my hand and stroked his length, teasing the head every once in a while with my mouth. It wasn’t long before he came, letting go of months of pent-up frustration.
Chapter Forty
AUTUMN
HUNTER RETURNED TO WORK THE following Monday. He had a full day of appointments, but he had blocked out from noon until two for some personal time. I was going to the mall to buy some baby clothes, and he was going to come have some lunch and spend some time helping me pick things out. We had found out we were going to have a baby girl, which I think scared the shit out of him more than he cared to admit. Even though he claimed that it didn’t matter, I knew he had been secretly praying for a boy. Seemed that girls ran in the Malone family. I pulled the car into the mall parking lot and finally found a spot. I sent Hunter a quick text, letting him know I was at the mall and would be inside.
I was on my way to the Baby Boutique when I heard my name. I stopped, turning in time to see Jason walking toward me. I was surprised he didn’t stop dead in his tracks from the look I had given. Instead, he just kept approaching. I could feel the panic rising in me, but then I remembered the words Hunter had told me. I no longer had anything to fear; whatever Jason spewed at me would just be words.
“Autumn.”
I turned abruptly, making sure that Jason had full view of my very pregnant belly.
“What do you want, Jason?” He basically stopped in his tracks. “Wow, you’re um…you’re um…”
“Pregnant is the word, Jason. Yes, I’m pregnant.”
“But…”
“But what?” I glared at him.
He didn’t know what to say as his eyes met mine. But I certainly wasn’t going to back down from him either.
“I know everything, Jason. I know the reason you left me was because you were having an affair with Anna. How dare you! You put the blame on me for all those years, making me think I was completely worthless and would never be wanted by anyone. You’re sick.”
I rubbed my hand over my belly as I felt the baby shift. The look on his face said it all. It was true, and for once, he had no rebuttal.
“You have anything to say for yourself?”
“I’ll sue them.”
“You’ll sue who?”
“Your boyfriend and his precious brothers. That bastard betrayed my trust.”
“Save your money, Jason. It wasn’t my boyfriend or his brothers. My brother-in-law told me. He saw you over the years throughout the city with various women all while you were dating me and while we were married. You’re a pig, Jason, and you’ll get exactly what you deserve. Now, leave me be.”
“Autumn! Hi, it’s been so long.” I turned to see Anna rushing over to me, a grin on her face. “I saw you a few months ago at the restaurant. I was going to come over and say hi, but you were gone before I had the chance. How have you been?”
I stiffened when she placed a hand on my shoulder.
Jason wasn’t budging. He just stood glaring at me while Anna was all smiles. Did they honestly think I was this stupid? I was suddenly feeling very cornered and confused when I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder. “Everything okay here, baby?” Hunter leaned in and kissed my cheek. I relaxed almost instantly.
“Don’t play it up, Anna. Some friend you turned out to be. You two totally deserve one another. I hope you’ll both be very happy together.”
Jason and Anna both looked to Hunter and back to me, probably deciding to stay and argue or move on and be done with us both. Luckily for Jason, he took the smarter of the two paths. Taking Anna’s hand in his, they made their way away from us.
“Are you okay?” Hunter whispered.
“Honestly, I couldn’t be better. Let’s go get some stuff and eat lunch.” I reached up on my toes, kissing him on the lips, as he wrapped his arm around me, leading me toward the store.
Chapter Forty-One
HUNTER
I WAS IN THE OFFICE trying to get a bit more work done when Autumn appeared in the doorway with a cup of hot coffee.
“I thought you’d like this.”
“That’s perfect, babe, thank you.”
“I’m going to go lie down now, maybe finish the book I am reading. I’m tired. Will you be working long?”
I glanced at what I needed to get through. Lately, she hated going to bed without me.
“Maybe another hour or so. You go rest and read. I’ll be in as soon as I can.” She leaned down, kissing me hard. As her tongue found its way into my mouth, I felt my cock stiffen. I was horny as hell. “Baby, I need to concentrate to get this work done.”
“I know, just giving you a little preview of what’s to come in the future.” She ran her hand down my chest stopping at the bulge in my pants.
I let out a deep groan and playfully swatted her ass as she walked away from me.
Once I had finally calmed myself down, I buried myself back in my work. I had just finished the last bit of paperwork, saving and printing the documents, and was about to shut down my laptop, when I heard Autumn call my name. I took my time at first, just trying to tidy the mess that sat on my desk when she called my name again—this time, a little more frantic. I stopped what I was doing and headed into the bedroom.
“What is it? What do you need?”
“I think it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“Hunter, it’s time. Get the bag from the closet.”
&nb
sp; * * *
A few hours later, I sat holding this perfect, little, sleeping bundle in my arms. Her little fists were held up by her mouth as she lay in my arms. She was so tiny and so perfect, wrapped in her little pink blanket.
I looked over at Autumn when I was able to finally peel my eyes off her. She was resting, her eyes closed as she lay against the pillow. We knew the whole family was out in the waiting area, ready and waiting to meet the newest addition to the family, but we had asked the nurse for a few minutes of private time.
“How are you feeling, baby?” I asked her in a hushed tone, not wanting to startle her.
“Tired.”
“Do you want to hold her?”
She smiled and nodded her head. As soon as I placed her in her arms, Autumn started to cry. “I can’t believe she is here and she’s mine.”
Sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her, I placed my arm around her. She rested her head into me as we both sat and looked down in awe at our little baby girl.
The nurse walked in to check and make sure everything was okay. “You know, you two have a room full of family members that are driving me crazy. They are waiting to meet this little angel.”
“We know,” Autumn said, smiling up at her. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Five more minutes and I’m letting them in. Your sister is rather persistent.” She winked at me, pressed a couple buttons on Autumn’s IV, and left the room.
We took those few minutes to just be a little family, relishing in the blessing that had been given to us.
Chapter Forty-Two
AUTUMN
EIGHT WEEKS LATER
EVELYN PULLED THE CAR INTO the driveway and put it in park. “Thank you so much for coming and spending the day with me. I’ve missed you.”
I smiled. I had missed my sister, and I truthfully needed the break. “Thank you for making it so enjoyable. It’s been an adjustment with Kaylee.”
A Kiss Beneath the Stars (The Malone Brothers Book 1) Page 16