Fingers clutched my elbow, spinning me around. Hunter’s expression twisted with fury, his chest heaving, but his voice came out low and gravelly.
“You are still as fucking blind as you were when I met you.”
Rage drove up the back of my legs, flushing through my arms. My hands shoved his chest. “Screw you!”
“We’re back here again, huh?” His chest pushed back into my hands. “I thought you of all people knew me. Saw me. Or at least you would ask instead of simply believing what everyone says about me.”
“What are you talking about?” I screamed, my hands waving frantically.
“I’m not with Krista!” he bellowed, motioning back to the hospital. “Nor is that my baby.”
“What?” The question squeaked through my teeth.
His jaw twitched, his nose flaring.
“I won’t deny we tried to make a go of it… for a millisecond, but I realized fast I was only doing it because you weren’t here. Because you left me. And if you were anywhere near me, wanted me, I could never think about anyone else.” He spat out like he hated for it. “Krista deserves better than that. I could never love her. And she knows where we stand.”
My mouth parted, my mind trying to recall every encounter I had with Krista and Hunter. “But she kissed you, the first day at the garage.”
“She did that for me, thinking she was protecting me from you. Knowing how much you broke me,” he yelled. He jammed his bloody hands through his hair.
He could tell himself that all he wanted, but I saw a woman who loved him, not just protecting a friend.
“Hunter!” Krista stood out by the entrance, Cody on her hip, her eyes lowering as she took us in. “The doctors want to talk with you.”
Hunter looked to her then back to me, fatigue washing over him. “Bye, Jaymerson.”
“Hunter…” I reached for him, feeling the finality of his goodbye.
“No.” He wiggled from my grip. “Go back to your boyfriend. There’s nothing left for you here.” He started back for the entrance. Pausing, he pivoted. “I know about New York. Stevie told me. I hope everything works out for you, because you deserve it all too, Jayme.” He pressed his lips together before turning back around and disappearing through the doors of the hospital.
Standing there I realized how blind I had been. My assumptions and hurt feelings had cost me everything.
They cost me Hunter.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I pulled my jeep into the parking lot as I stared at the numbers on the door, my blurry eyes burning from lack of sleep.
Sleep would not be a luxury, nor would my mind let me anyway. After returning Stevie’s car, Mom drove me home where I took a much-needed shower. Her endless questions made me want to jump out of the moving car on the ride back. I knew she was concerned, but my brain couldn’t sort through anymore of what had happened last night. What just happened this morning.
Hunter’s declaration ran on an endless loop in my head, all the memories I had of them together tainted in a different light. The guy at the party talking to Krista wasn’t Hunter. I knew it in my gut now.
It was not his baby…
They weren’t together.
The acute relief I felt from knowing that led me here. I had no doubt where my heart was. Where it always had been.
My knuckles rapped on the door. After several moments it swung open. No happy smile greeted me.
“Luca.” I twisted my hands. “I came to apologize for last night. For leaving you like that.” No matter what, I still cared about him. We had been close; he brought be back from the brink, let light into my darkened heart. I never wanted to hurt him.
He turned away, leaving the door open, heading back to the bed. I stepped in, the air conditioner softly humming in the corner. The drawers were all pulled open, his bag on the bed, clothes folded inside.
“You’re packing?” I came to the other side, watching him fold a shirt and stuffing it in the luggage. His return ticket wasn’t until next Friday. A week from now.
“As you see,” he clipped, strolling into the bathroom, collecting his items.
“Why?” My throat strangled around the dumb question.
He stopped, his brown eyes flicking to mine with a sadness. “You know why, bellezza.” His pet name for me came out soft and pained. “My eyes were finally opened last night.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear, staring at the updated cream comforter. A year ago this place was a relic stuck in the eighties with dark colors, cheap bedding, and heavy furniture, but now it had been renovated to a more modern, sleek look.
“You warned me from the beginning. I did not listen.” He crammed his toiletries in his bag. “I really hoped you loved me. That we had something. I wanted to marry you.” He swallowed, agony twitching his mouth. “You were everything to me. But last night I saw… The way I look at you…” Through his lashes, his gaze found mine. “Is the way you look at him.”
My mouth pinched together, my eyes fluttering, unable to deny it.
“And he looks at you the same. Like your whole worlds pivot around each other.” He cleared his throat, pushing down his clothes to make more room. “You lied to me.”
My head shot up, my lips parting in question.
“You told me you were not capable of loving.” He shook his head. “But that is untrue. You only love him.”
“I am sorry,” I whispered, stabs of his pain driving through my heart.
“We cannot help who we love, bellezza.” His gaze drove into me with a poignant expression. “It is time I go home. Caterina is thrilled I’m returning early.”
“I’ll bet.”
He tossed a few more items in and zipped up his bag, his shoulders slumping with defeat.
“Luca, I didn’t want it to be like this. Believe me. I wanted to love you more than anything. You are perfect, and it would have been so easy to love you. To have that life in Florence together… .” My voice wobbled, tears watering my eyes. “I wish I could have been that woman.”
“Me too.” He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“There will always be a part of me that will regret letting you go.”
His mouth flattened. “I was prepared to love you forever.”
A horn honked outside, jerking our heads to the window. A taxi waited outside. In this last moment together, knowing I would probably never see him again, a ghost of pain rose in my chest. He had been such an important part of my life. He’d helped put me back on my feet, giving me strength.
“Luca…” I gulped, stepping to him. “I have no doubt you will find someone who loves you with her whole heart as you will love her. You are an amazing man. I was lucky to have met you.”
His lids blinked, grief rippling over him like a wave. He leaned over, his hand cupping my cheek. He drew me in, his mouth covering mine. I could feel the goodbye in his kiss.
He pulled away, leaning his forehead on mine, sighing deeply. “Sarò sempre dipendente dai tuoi baci.” I will always be addicted to your kisses. “Goodbye, Jayme.” He kissed my cheek and twisted away, walking out to the taxi.
The taxi driver put his luggage in the back as Luca climbed into the car. I couldn’t move or speak, feeling a tear slide down my face. He dipped his head and climbed in, the car curving out of the lot, turning down the street and dissapearing forever.
I would never see him again.
A sob burst inside my chest, and I stumbled back on the bed, my knees too weak to hold me. I leaned over my legs, cupping my face in my hands, and I cried.
All the pain, loss, devastation, and trauma came barreling over me, letting me know my heart was still in there and could still be broken.
“Watch me! Watch me!” Reece yelled as she cannonballed into the pool, splashing water on the patio where Stevie and I lay in the lounge chairs. I was on babysitting duty as Mom was taking Grandma Penny to the doctor to finally get her cast off. I think she was looking forward to it more than anyone. Grandma loved he
r independence and wanted to go back home. Mom complained when Grandma was with us, but I could see she didn’t want Grandma to go. She actually told her she should move closer to be near us.
Grandma had stayed in the same house after losing Grandpa Jaymerson and had a nice group of friends up there in Connecticut. But she had been spending a lot of time with her new friends here, and I think she wouldn’t mind being closer to us. Funny that my grandma had become the cool family member I wanted to hang out with.
“Come on, you got a bigger splash in you,” Stevie challenged Reece, sipping her lemonade. Snacks were piled between us, along with magazines, but nothing held my attention. Both of us were in shorts and tanks curled under the large umbrella, avoiding the intense sun rays.
Reece grinned, hopping out before running full speed back into the pool. Sprinkles of water landed on my leg, feeling amazing against my hot skin.
“One more sigh and I’m pouring my drink on your head.” Stevie gave Reece a thumbs up as she spoke to me.
“I didn’t sigh.”
“Whiskey…” She curved an eyebrow at me. “Have you tried calling him?”
“Yeah.” Okay, that time I did hear the sigh. “And texted and messaged through email and Facebook. I feel like a stalker. There are only so many places he can continue to ignore me.”
It had been a full week since everything happened. Through Jones, I heard Julia had been able to come home. Mitch and Hunter were both at the house with her. I understood they were going through a lot, but it hurt me more that I wasn’t there for him. He was all I could think about.
“Just because he and Krista aren’t together—”
“Which I still think someone needs to tell her.” Stevie held up her finger.
I didn’t disagree. I also couldn’t stop thinking about what he meant that they had tried…
“So, who do you think this baby daddy is?” Stevie popped a chip in her mouth.
“Have no idea. Might be no one we know…” I shrugged, eyeing her. “It might be Chris.”
Her head practically snapped off, turning to me. Seeing my mischievous grin, her lids narrowed.
“You’re an evil bitch, Whiskey.” She shook her head. “I’m proud.”
I chuckled. Reece flopped down at the end of my lounge, reaching for the chips.
“What are you going to do?” Stevie set her drink to the side.
I rubbed my nose with frustration. “I don’t know. All I know is I can’t just walk away from him.” After Luca left, the truth of how I felt about Hunter had become an urgent pressure inside me. Every reason not to care peeled away like the feathers on my arm.
“What about New York?”
Sagging back in my chair, I groaned. “I’m still going. The one thing I learned is I can’t stay here. My dreams are out there. But…” I wrapped my arms around my legs, knocking my head against my knees, feeling like I was torn in two. “He means everything to me. If there is a chance…”
Stevie nodded, her mouth pinching together like she could relate to my frustration and pain. “Don’t give up… on either.”
I twisted my head to her. “It might not be my choice. He may be done with me.”
Stevie laughed. “Oh Whiskey, if you saw the way he still looks at you… It’s far from done.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Another three days passed of unanswered text and calls. I visited the garage when I worked to see if he was there, but Doug said he took time off to be with his mom. I fought going to the house, feeling it crossed a line of the family’s privacy, but I was no longer of sound mind and body. The need to see him far outranked any common sense or decorum.
My stomach danced in my throat as my jeep rolled up to the house. The day was overcast, the sky turbulent with lightning and rain, only suffocating the air. It was the kind of day you begged for rain, to give relief to the sticky, stagnant heat.
My pulse raced, my legs hesitant to walk the steps to the porch. The house held good and horrific memories like a picture album, all of them running together in my head like a movie. Ones of Colton, Hunter, and now Julia.
“Big girl pants,” I muttered to myself, grabbing the flowers I brought with me. The deciding factor for letting myself visit was that I was coming to check on Julia. It was a soft lie, though I did want to see how she was.
Hands trembling, I rang the doorbell. My ears pulsed with the sound of footsteps, then the click of the door. It swung open.
Hunter stood there in loose shorts and a T-shirt, his scruff and hair cut shorter, making him look less boyish and more rugged. I felt as though he’d punched me in the chest, my air coming up short.
His gaze moved over me like fingers, his jaw grinding, leaning against the doorframe.
“What are you doing here?” Cold. Callous.
“I-I, umm…” I held up the bouquet. “I came to see how your mother was doing.”
He folded his arms, his attention still crawling over my skin. “She’s doing better. She’s sleeping right now. But I’ll tell her you stopped by.”
“Oh.” I blinked, disappointment inflating my lungs. “Okay. Thanks.”
He took the flowers from me, his other hand gripping the handle, ready to shut it.
“Hunter Browning Harris,” a woman’s voice clipped, swinging my head to the figure behind him. Julia stood there, her brown hair loose, wearing a simple long-flowing summer dress, no makeup on. She looked tired, but also young and completely un-Julia-like. She was a beautiful woman, but I had never seen her without all her designer clothes and masks. “Is this how I raised you to treat guests?”
“Didn’t really raise me,” Hunter mumbled under his breath so only I could hear.
“Jaymerson.” Julia glided up to the doorway and moved Hunter out of her way. She gripped my hands, her long, billowing sleeves sliding up enough to see the bandages wrapped around her wrists. “I was hoping I’d get to see you. I asked Hunter to invite you up, but he said you were busy with work.”
My gaze snapped to Hunter. His eyes dropped, not meeting mine.
“Come in, please.” She tugged me over the threshold, not giving me a choice. This was not the Julia I had known. She had always been cold and aloof with me, subtly telling me she didn’t think I was good enough for her prized son. This Julia gripped my hands like she never wanted me to slip away. She brought me to the formal living room sofa and sat down. When I lowered myself next to her, she grasped my fingers, her throat bobbing.
“There are not enough apologies or gratitude in the world. Hunter told me you saved my life.” Her lashes fluttered, her nose wiggling like she was trying not to cry. “The embarrassment I feel. The shame at what you saw and went through because of me.” She gulped, her cheeks reddening with emotion. “I have been in a bad place for a long, long time. Colton’s death brought it all to the surface, and instead of being strong for my other son, I crumbled. I could not see or feel happiness. I’d pin a smile to my face, but I was empty inside. The divorce…” She let go of my hands to wipe her face. “You can’t stack weight on something that is hollow inside without it breaking.”
Julia’s brutal revelation stunned me.
“I have a long way to go after an incident like mine.” She stressed the word.
“Mom, you have to say it.” Hunter walked in closer to us, his arms folded. “You know what the therapist said. The more you brush it off and downplay it…”
“Yes, Hunter.” Julia let her head dip a little, catching my eye. “Hunter has been going with me to my therapy sessions. He’s constantly on my case.”
A warmth filled me as they exchange looks.
“After I tried to commit suicide.” Julia’s hands fisted, her face flinching painfully at the words. I could see why it was important to say it and not hide it in the closet and pretend it didn’t happen. “I feel like, for the first time in years, I can breathe again. That there is light at the end of the tunnel. It will be a lot of hard work. Some days because of Colton’s death it sti
ll feels like I will never find happiness again, but for my other son I want to try. What I’ve put him through… I want to be the mother he’s always deserved.”
Tears choked my esophagus, my hands taking Julia’s this time. “I am so glad.”
“Thank you, but I will never forgive myself for what I put you guys through. You shouldn’t have had to deal with that. Not after all you’ve been through as well.” Pain ran down her cheeks in salty trails. “I am so sorry, Jaymerson.”
Without a thought, I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight. Never once did I dream not only would I want to hug Julia, but I would feel deep compassion and love for her. That night was one of the worst in a string of bad incidents for me, but if this was what it took to open her eyes, for her to see Hunter… then how could I ever hate her for it?
“Thank you for saving my life. For giving me a second chance,” she whispered in my ear before pulling away, letting out a huge exhale. “I still get exhausted very easily. I’m going to excuse myself to go rest.”
“Yes, of course.” I stood with her, taking some of her weight, before Hunter caught her arm.
“I’m fine.” She patted his hand. “Stay down here with Jayme.”
He nodded but watched her like a hawk as she climbed the stairs.
“Oh, and thank you for the flowers, Jayme. They are beautiful. Make sure Hunter puts them in some water,” she said over her shoulder before disappearing up the final step to the second story.
The moment Julia disappeared, the strain in the room multiplied. My fingers slid my necklace back and forth nervously. I peered over at Hunter.
His eyes were rooted on the charm pinched between my fingers. His head swung away, pointing toward the kitchen, strangling the flowers. “Vase... water,” he mumbled so low I only caught the two words. He took off, marching out of the room like he had been given a timed mission.
My feet followed him to the kitchen as though I was tethered to him. A pile of flat boxes leaned against a wall with packing paper, and tape sat beside them.
Broken Love (Blinded Love Series Book 2) Page 26