Can't Help Falling in Love

by Samantha Chase

  Luckily, her friend didn’t argue, but her face showed her displeasure.

  “Believe me, I have loved having this time with you–just having the time for it to just be the girls and hanging out like we used to. But if it wasn’t for the wedding, I would probably be leaving today. Or maybe even yesterday, so…”

  “That has nothing to do with you going to stay at the B&B. Although, I have to admit, I’m a little envious. That place is gorgeous and I’ve secretly been wanting to stay there–even though it’s so close to home.”

  “Then why don’t you?”

  The only way to describe the look on Kate’s face was confused.

  And maybe laced with a little pity.

  “Um…I have kids, Vi. You don’t just pick up and go away for the weekend when you’re a parent. And on top of that, the B&B has only been open for a year, and during most of that time, I’ve been pregnant, Brian’s been deployed, and…oh, yeah, I have Kira!” Shaking her head, she laughed. “I know you don’t think picking up and going away on vacation–even one close to home–is a big deal, but it’s not always easy to do. And before Rose moved here, there was no one to watch Kira overnight.”

  “Yeah, okay, maybe,” she agreed. Sort of. “But you probably could have asked a friend to watch Kira or even just invited Rose for the weekend before Brian deployed.”

  “Do you even hear yourself? Why would I make Rose fly here for a weekend just so Brian and I could go someplace a mile up the road for the night?”

  Violet had heard enough, and this was getting her nowhere. She went to stand up, and this time Kate didn’t stop her.

  But her words did.

  “Would I love to travel more? Yes. But being a parent to Kira and now to Benjamin means more to me. They’re only little for such a short amount of time. Why would I want to keep pawning them off on other people for my own selfish needs?”

  “Selfish needs? Kate, you have children, you’re not a prisoner in your own home, for crying out loud! There’s nothing wrong with taking a little time for yourself! If anything, it would help you de-stress a little and probably make you an even better parent!”

  “You may not believe this, but I can de-stress by taking a nice long bubble bath after the kids are asleep or curling up with a good book.” She shrugged. “You’re into travel–it’s your livelihood–so I know why you’re so passionate about promoting it. But my house?” She motioned to the space around her. “It’s a pretty great place to be. And when the kids are a little older, we will go on vacations–some with the kids, some without. But for now, I want to be here with them.”

  Oh, God…is that how Hunter felt when I talked about us going away together? Is that why he changed the subject?

  Before she could go down the rabbit hole with that thought, Kate was speaking again.

  “So what did you have to think about? I mean, if you think this is just a fling and Hunter doesn’t mean anything, then why get away for the night?”

  No one other than Katie dared to question her like this.

  And, unfortunately, she was also the only person who got Violet to open up.

  “That’s the conclusion I came to after having the night to myself,” she said, walking to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.

  Like a ninja, her friend was beside her. “And before you came to that stupid and completely ridiculous conclusion…”

  “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel, Kate?” she mocked while putting her coffee pod in the machine.

  “You must have been considering his offer, Violet. You were freaking out over it because you were seriously considering it.”

  Her heart was racing like mad and her hand was shaking as she picked up her mug, but she held it together without spilling anything–her feelings or her coffee–until she was sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Okay, fine. I was considering it. But only for like a second! It’s not something I’d actually do! I mean…geez! Come on! It’s me we’re talking about. And once Hunter really thinks about it, he’ll realize it was a mistake, so…crisis averted.”

  And even as she took her sip of coffee, Violet knew she was lying–to herself and Katie. Because more than anything, she wanted to believe someone like Hunter genuinely cared for her and wanted her in his life for the long-haul. Unfortunately, life had taught her that she wasn’t enough for the people who mattered–not her parents, and certainly none of her foster parents. She was the girl who was okay to take care of for the short-term, but not enough to want in their lives forever.

  Unshed tears stung her eyes, and she stared down at her coffee until she felt a little more under control.

  It took a solid five minutes before she looked up. And there was Katie. Patiently waiting.

  “You may not believe this, but you are an amazing woman who is more than worthy of being loved,” her friend said fiercely. “I can’t make you believe it, but I know it. You are the best person I know. I wish you had the faith to take this step with Hunter because you deserve to be happy. And I know he would do that for you.”

  There was nothing left to say.

  Her heart was already in so much turmoil.

  So together, they drank their coffee until Brian and the kids woke up. And then moved on with their day.

  “You know, when you said you were thinking of expanding the deck, I didn’t think you meant right now,” Kyle said as he nailed the last beam into the frame.

  All Hunter did was grunt as he hauled more lumber across the yard and dropped it at his brother’s feet.

  “Okay, are we going to talk about why you’re in such a pissy mood? Because I’ve got to tell you, this is not how I want to spend the day.”

  “So leave,” he all but growled before picking up another bundle of wood.

  This time when he dropped it over by Kyle, his brother gave him a shove that almost sent him flying onto his ass.

  It was all the provocation he needed before he charged forward with a head full of steam and hit Kyle with enough force to send them both stumbling over construction material.

  “What the hell?” Kyle demanded even as he regained his footing and came back at him with another hard shove.

  But Hunter wasn’t interested in talking. He needed to pound on something–or someone–to get out all the frustration he was feeling, and his brother was a handy outlet. One shove led to another and then fists were flying. The first time his hand met with his brother’s cheek, he felt a sense of satisfaction that was almost enough to calm him.

  His brother’s fist hitting his face turned that right around.

  After that, it was hard to say how long they went at it, but it was his father’s ear-splitting whistle that stopped them both in their tracks.

  “What in the world is going on out here?” Dominic shouted before frantically looking around the yard. “Your son is here, for crying out loud, Hunter! What were you thinking?”

  “I uh…”

  “He came at me for no reason!” Kyle explained–almost whining–and it was tempting to hit him again.

  Luckily, his sanity prevailed, and he dropped his arms to his side. Eli was in the corner of the yard playing with his trucks in the sandbox and wasn’t at all phased by the insanity happening over here.

  Thank God.

  Hunter took a step back and wiped the sweat from his brow but didn’t say anything. Meanwhile, Kyle was going on about being attacked when it was completely unprovoked.

  And…he kind of had a point.

  It wasn’t his fault that Hunter needed to get out his frustration.

  Not that he was going to admit it.

  “Hunter, it’s not like you to be so aggressive. What’s going on?” his father asked.

  “It’s nothing, Dad. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Well that’s too bad because you’re obviously upset and you’ve brought it to everyone’s attention, so…out with it.”

  “I’m probably going to have a bruise on my face for the wedding,”
Kyle said. “You know, in case anyone’s interested.”

  “We’ll ask Scarlett to put some makeup on you,” his father quipped, and for some reason, that broke all the tension and had them all laughing. “Okay, come on. Let’s grab something to drink and talk in the shade.”

  Hunter looked at the piles of lumber and knew he needed to be working, but…getting some things off his chest was probably the smarter thing to start with.

  It took a few minutes to get themselves settled and to make sure Eli didn’t need anything, but by the time they had some chairs situated in the shade, Hunter felt more than ready to talk.

  He told them about Violet coming over Friday night and spending the night and how they had breakfast with Eli and played with him before going to the local home improvement store and looking at furniture for the yard and even coming back home and going online to look for design inspiration.

  “That all sounds good,” his father commented. “There’s nothing about that to make you so angry.”

  “Yeah, well…over breakfast, I sort of…hinted at her moving to Magnolia.”

  “Oh, good Lord,” Kyle huffed.

  “What? What’s wrong with that?” Dominic asked.

  “What’s wrong?” Kyle repeated. “They’ve been dating a month! One month!” He shook his head. “Although we shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, this is your M.O. You rush in and get serious way too soon. Remember with you and Melissa…”

  Hunter never let him finish. “I’m going to stop you right there. Melissa and I were kids when we started dating, and if you remember, it was always on again, off again. There was always drama! Did I love her? Yes. There was a time when I definitely did. But she messed with me for years and knew how to manipulate me to get what she wanted.”

  “Dude, you always went back–even when you swore you wouldn’t,” Kyle reminded him.

  “Yeah, but I also dated other women in between. It’s not like she’s the only woman I’ve ever been with.”

  “He’s right,” his father said. “Although, Melissa seemed to be the only girl you ever got serious with.”

  Nodding, he replied, “I know. And we stayed together longer than we should have, but that was mostly because of Eli. I really thought we could make it work. But any romantic part of our relationship ended when he was a baby.” Raking a hand through his hair, he sighed. “Honestly, I fell out of love with her while she was pregnant, but we were having a baby, and I wanted to…I mean, I hoped we could…”

  “We get what you’re saying, son. It was very admirable for you to work as hard as you did with her. But we’re rehashing ancient history as far as I’m concerned. This is about you and Violet.”

  With another nod, he took a sip of his water. “From the moment she opened the door to me at Katie’s, I was drawn to her. Every time I talked to her, there was…there was just something there. At first, I thought it was just…you know…lust. A physical attraction.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that, bro. You don’t have to dress it up to mean something more.”

  “That’s the thing, Kyle. I’m not. I look at Violet and…things suddenly fit.” He jumped to his feet and began to pace. “I think about her all the time! I want to talk to her about my day and hear about hers, and…and…dammit, I don’t know, she’s just…” He growled as he tried to find the words.

  “Hunter, do you think it’s practical to be asking her to move here? Bottom line is you don’t know her that well.”

  “I know how I feel,” he said defensively. “I may not know all there is to know about her, but do we ever know everything about the person we fall in love with?” He looked at his father. “Can you honestly say you knew everything about mom?”

  “Well…no…”

  He looked at Kyle and waved him off. “I’d ask you, but I don’t think you’ve ever been in love, so…”

  “As a matter of fact, I have,” Kyle snapped. “You remember Sydney? We dated for two years!”

  “Please, that was in high school,” Hunter said, waving him off again. “That hardly counts.”

  “Funny, it counted when you talked about you and Melissa!”

  “Boys…” Dominic said wearily.

  “I’m just saying,” Kyle interrupted. “I was in love with Sydney and I knew everything about her!”

  “Right. You screwed up that relationship,” Hunter argued. “And if you knew her so well, then you would have known your behavior was going to break you up.”

  Now Kyle was on his feet. “I don’t need this…”

  “Why? It’s okay for you to point out stuff you think I’m doing wrong, but I can’t do the same to you? And why are you getting so ticked off? That stuff with Sydney was like…ten years ago!”

  “Boys!” Dominic yelled. “Both of you sit your asses down!” He rubbed his temples until everyone was sitting again. “Kyle, relax. And Hunter? I’m not going to say you’re wrong for wanting Violet to move here. It is a little fast and I want you to really think about it. How does she feel about it?”

  He groaned.

  “Ooohhh…I get it,” Kyle said. “That’s why you’re pissed off! She wasn’t as excited about it as you are. Am I right?”

  There was no way to deny it.

  “I think I freaked her out a bit.”

  “Oh, boy,” Dominic muttered.

  “And the thing is, after I mentioned it, she started talking about the two of us going away together–like taking a vacation just the two of us. I mean…I can’t just do that! I have Eli to consider!”

  “Plus the whole you not liking to have fun thing,” Kyle interjected, but one glare from their father and he immediately stopped talking.

  “I like to have fun; I just don’t feel like I have to travel to do so!”

  “Okay, so are you seeing how this is maybe not the right relationship for you?” his father asked carefully. “I’m not saying you can’t have feelings for her, Hunter, but relationships take compromise and they take time to grow. Why are you rushing this? Take the time to get to know one another better.”

  “How can I do that when she lives 700 miles away?” Slouching in his chair, he sighed. “I just…I want more time with her.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that,” Kyle said, “but maybe try doing the long-distance thing for a while and then see if she wants to move here.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Of course, that will mean you’ll have to give a little and travel to her,” he added slowly. “So…think about that.”

  “I guess…”

  “Dude, please tell me you didn’t ask her to move here so you wouldn’t have to travel to Nashville!” Kyle blurted out.

  “It never even crossed my mind! Geez!”

  “Okay, then.”

  With a curt nod, his father said, “Alright. That’s settled then.” He glanced at Hunter. “Or is there more?”

  Again, why deny it.

  “When she left here on Saturday, she said she was going back to Katie’s, but…she didn’t. I wanted her to spend the weekend, but she said she promised Katie she’d be back that night.”

  “How do you know she didn’t go home?”

  “Because her phone kept going to voicemail, I got worried, so I called Katie and…she told me Violet was away for the weekend.”

  “Damn,” Kyle muttered.

  “Son, I hate to say it, but…”

  “You are totally freaking this girl out!” Kyle finished.

  “I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” Dominic corrected. “But it does sound like maybe you’re moving a little fast for her.”

  Yeah, he had a feeling that’s what it was but was afraid to admit it out loud.

  “So now what do I do?”

  “Wait for her to call you. Chances are Katie’s going to tell her you called,” his father reasoned. “Just…be patient.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Sure. Okay. I can do that.”

  Hunter prided himself on not being a liar. But he feared that’s exactly
what he was.

  Fourteen

  Staring down at the big pink box in her hands, Violet was seriously second-guessing herself. Unfortunately, she’d already knocked on the door so it was too late to run.

  Hunter opened the door, looking all kinds of sexy–messed up hair, athletic shorts, and no shirt. It was enough to almost make her forget how to speak.

  “It’s seven-thirty in the morning, Violet,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “What’s going on?” His body filled the doorway and as much as she knew he was always up early, it almost looked like she had woken him up.

  “Um…I brought breakfast,” she said lamely, holding up the box to him. “I know I should have called…”

  “You mean this morning or Saturday night or yesterday…?”

  Okay, he wasn’t going to make things easy on her and she knew she deserved it. “Can I come in, please? I’d really like to talk to you.”

  “You sure about that?”

  She let out a frustrated breath. “I get it, Hunter. I screwed up.” Shoving the box into his hands, she turned and walked away, cursing herself the entire time.

  Why had she thought this was a good idea? None of this should be a surprise. Of course he wouldn’t want to see or talk to her. She had run out of here Saturday afternoon and hadn’t talked to him since. It was obvious he was pissed off and she should have just…she should have known better. People don’t like to be messed with and she knew better than to wish for second chances.

  Lesson learned.

  Pulling open her car door, she screamed when Hunter’s hand slammed against it to stop her. Whipping around, she stared up at him, breathless. “What are you…?”

  “You don’t get to just throw a bakery box at me and leave, Violet,” he said with just a hint of weariness.

  “I came to apologize, but it’s obvious you’re not in a very forgiving mood, so…”

  “I just woke up!” he argued. “I didn’t expect you to just…show up here after ghosting me all weekend!”

  “I wasn’t ghosting you…”

  The look he gave her told her he didn’t believe her.