by Claire Adams
“Yeah. Sure. Thanks.” I walked over and set up the appointments, ready to see my boy again and find assurance that he was going to be okay.
The entire day was spent running tests for the doctors to determine Vince’s illness. He looked so much better a little while later, and it appeared as if his pain was finally gone.
After the last test had been done, the two of us were supposed to meet with Vince’s doctor again. I knocked on his office door, hoping he was inside.
“Come in.”
Vince and I went inside and sat down, nerves tearing up my insides. It was just the flu, right? Had to be.
“Let’s see what’s going on inside of you, little guy.” The doctor unsealed the envelope to look at the results of the various tests inside. It took him several minutes of scrutinizing the contents of the results, reading through the findings. At last, after a long period of silence, he began to speak again.
“Okay. Vince, is that medicine helping a little?” the doctor asked.
Vince nodded and gave a lazy smile. “Yes, sir. I’m just still a little tired.”
“Yeah, I can see that here.” He glanced over at me. “He’s got a really bad strain of the flu, and we might want to test for some autoimmune issues in the future, but for now, lots of rest and fluids. He should recover and be just fine.”
“Thank God,” I mumbled and ran my fingers through my hair. A strong strain of the flu? Jeez.
After talking to the doctor for a few more minutes about autoimmune issues, Vince and I were free to go. I grasped his hand as we left the doctor’s office, walking out of the hospital together.
I was thankful to see Vince feeling much better now and felt like shit knowing that it was mostly an issue of not giving him enough fluids. I was the worst parent in the world. I couldn’t look at him. I felt so ashamed of myself.
“Dad, are we going home now?” he asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes. I knew he hated the hospital. There was this frightening aura that lingered around that place, making him feel uneasy to be in a place where needles and knives were used to cure people. Seeing his face was heartbreaking.
“Yeah, buddy. Everything’s fine now.” I held his hand tighter as we exited the hospital, walking toward the parking lot.
Going home, I had a heavy heart. It had been a long day, and I was weary as hell. Linda would have known what to do when he first got sick; my ex-wife would have understood the signs and symptoms.
I asked the same questions I’d asked a million times. Why weren’t we enough for her?
As soon as we got home, I looked over and noticed Vince was sleeping beside me. I didn’t wake him up, but instead carried him into the house and took him straight to his bed so he could rest.
Just when I was about to leave his room, I heard the doorbell ring. I walked to see who it was and found my beautiful neighbor standing on the porch. Kylie. I opened the door, and she stood before me, beautiful yet simple in her usual, cowgirl getup. My day brightened up almost immediately.
“Hi,” she spoke, smiling at me. She had a container of something in her hands that smelled like heaven.
“Hi, pretty girl.” I moved back and let her in. Before she set a foot inside, she handed over what she was holding in her hands. “What’s this?”
I opened the lid of the container, curious to what’s inside.
“I made some stuffed chicken and mashed potatoes, and I thought Vince would love to try it out.” Her cheeks were flushed, bringing that rose color to her fair white skin.
“Thanks for these, I’m sure they are good.” My stomach rumbled, and I reached out, pulling her close and kissing her cheek. “Stay for a little bit?”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” She walked into the living room and took a seat on my couch, looking like she belonged there. She looked around as if searching for something. “Where’s Vince?”
I gave her a pitiful look, recalling my poor parenting. “He’s still down with the flu. We spent the day in the ER because I was so worried about him this morning.”
Fear raced across her pretty face. “Oh, no! Is he okay? Can I see him?”
It warmed me to know she wanted to. “Yeah. He’s better. Come on.” I walked her to Vince’s room. He was still sound asleep, sawing logs.
“Poor baby.” She walked in and got on her knees, leaning over and kissing his forehead. Foreign emotions filled the center of my chest. I was falling in love with the girl. She got up and joined me back in the hall, the worry in her eyes matching mine for sure.
“I guess you’re forced to share the dinner with me instead,” I kidded.
She looked pleased with the suggestion and went to follow me back into the kitchen. “I swear it’ll make another dish of it tomorrow for Vince to try out.”
“That sounds great. I need to take him back up to the doctor’s office tomorrow instead of the hospital just for a quick check up. They’re wanting to watch him until he’s back to being a hundred percent.” I unpacked the meal she brought. It looked inviting and tasty. “This look great, Kylie. You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to.” She put a few things on the table and sat down, a smile lifting her perfect lips.
I grabbed a bottle of wine from my pantry and two glasses and joined her. Something about having her there was so right. It left the day not feeling so damn gloomy.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s eat.” It felt like a candlelight dinner out at a five-star restaurant except that we were here at my dining room table instead. Despite the simplicity of the ambiance, the vibe felt romantic; it felt right. It was one of the simplest yet best things in life. Free and beautiful and unforgettable.
“So, Vince just has the flu?” She took a bite of her meal and watched me.
“Yeah. We’re going to do a few tests soon to make sure it’s nothing else, but the doctor seemed pretty confident.” I licked at my folk and watched her closely. “Did you see the side yard when you came up today? Those damn hogs tore it up again.”
She laughed hard. “Those hogs have been tearing up both of our lands for a while, Hunter. Someone needs to get out there and turn them into bacon.”
“That is not bacon anyone is going to want to eat.” I snorted and reached for her hand. “I haven’t gotten them yet, but I swear I’ll make them suffer.” I sounded villainous, but she found my teasing amusing.
“I would love to watch you do that.” She finally gave her laughter a rest and posed a pretty smile instead.
My pulse picked up as I studied her. She was far too beautiful for a man like me, too innocent, though I’d taken her virginity as my own already. I wanted her again, the voice in my screaming for me to reach out and take her.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to put on a show for you when I finally get to it.” I smiled, but the expression faded as my thoughts shifted back to Vince.
I had promised him a lot of things, including the promise I made to go hog hunting with him. That, up to now, remained a broken, distant promise.
“What’s the matter?” Kylie asked, her voice so soft.
I straightened up, trying my best to cover the sadness in them. It was difficult, but I didn’t want her to see me as a bad parent. What would that say about my ability to be a father to her kid? Assuming she wanted some. Assuming we would end up together. My cock twitched at the thought.
“Nothing,” I answered coldly.
I looked into her eyes, meeting me with a flash of hope and sincerity. It felt like I could vent to her. It felt like she would listen and understand. “You can tell me anything, you know.”
I took a deep breath and looked down at my plate. “I just don’t know what to do anymore. I need to work and manage the shop, but my son needs me now.” I cupped my chin, still torn between the two priorities battling their way to be at the top. I could figure out a good solution and quite honestly felt out of options.
“Hunter, don’t worry. I can help you out. If you need me, I’m just a call away. Also, I love listeni
ng to Vince’s stories. He’s such a joy to be with,” she offered. As much as I wanted to decline her kind offer, I was trapped in the middle. I nodded instead, thankful of her support for me and my son.
“I’ll come by tomorrow to join your visit to Vince’s doctor,” she replied, her eyes candid and caring. I couldn’t be more thankful for her.
Chapter 14
Kylie
As much as I wanted to spend the night with Hunter the night before, he looked beat, and after his day at the ER; he had to be. We cleaned up, I kissed his cheek, and got back over to my place. It was a long night, but the morning came…finally.
I got dressed and joined the guys to drive to the doctor’s office, all of us sleepy and not saying too much. It was odd to see Hunter so stressed out. He’d always been so cool and collected before. Poor thing. I would have done anything I could to change it for him.
As the three of us waited in the doctor's waiting room for Vince’s name to be called, I kept Vince busy with children stories. Vince was fully wrapped up in the story, forgetting about the nerves of being at the doctor’s office. It calmed him a little, diverting his attention to the story.
“Vince Yonnie?” The nurse called out his name, suggesting his turn for the one-on-one consultation with the doctor. The three of us stood up and entered the doctor’s office, hearts racing fast for what was yet to be uncovered.
“Good morning, Mr. And Mrs. Yonnie. Please take a seat.” The doctor welcomed us, mistaking me as Vince’s mother.
“No, Doc. I’m just a friend.” I clarified the fact, although being called Mrs. Yonnie sounded pretty good to my ears.
“So, here’s the thing, which is honestly crazy.” The doctor sat back in his seat, putting the stethoscope on his table. “The good news is that Vince looks like his fever is gone, and he’s on the mend from the flu.”
“The bad news?” Hunter looked like he might pass out.
“I’m afraid we found something in the blood testing yesterday, but it’s a really good thing that we did. Fluke incident, but still, it’s good to know what’s going on before it becomes life threatening.”
I took Hunter’s hand and moved closer to him as my heart dropped. What the hell was going on?
The doctor continued. “The results have confirmed that Vince has diabetes. He needs to be injected with regular insulin shots to help with his blood sugar levels. He’s gotta watch how much sugar he eats too, which comes in all forms.”
Hearing the news made Hunter frown. He looked very disappointed in himself, seeing his son face a lot of things. At such young age, Vince needed to continue taking insulin shots until he got older. The pain he felt was evident and contagious. Seeing him upset broke my heart. Being a single parent had to be so damn hard.
“Was there anything I could have done to stop this?” He kept his eyes on the doctor, but I could tell he was close to breaking down.
“No, not at all. It’s hereditary. Again, it’s a good thing he came in to see us with something like the flu. We can fix this early on, and Vince will live a long, great life if he takes care of himself with insulin.” He smiled over to Vince and ruffled his hair. “We’re going to be just fine, hm, little guy?”
“Yep! I feel great.” Vince smiled up at the doctor and turned to Hunter. “Can we get a lollipop on the way home?”
“No!” We all chimed in. It was going to be okay. A huge adjustment, but something Hunter would figure out how to deal with. I just hoped that he would let me help here and there.
We went back to Hunter’s house, driving in a stony silence. It felt like no one wanted to break the ice. Not even the gleeful Vince, who barely understood what was going on around him. Poor kid, he had so much to face at such a young age and didn’t realize it.
As we reached their house, I got out of the car and took Vince’s stuff into the house. Hunter carried him to the house and tucked him in bed. The little guy curled up and rolled onto his side.
“Guess he’s still recovering.” Hunter stopped in front of the boxes of insulin. “Am I really going to have to give him several shots and poke him five times a day?”
“Yes, but it’s going to be okay.” I wrapped my arms around him from behind and kissed the back of his thick shoulder. “Let me get you something to eat. You haven’t had anything today.”
He looked pale as he turned toward me. “No thanks, Kylie. I’ve lost my appetite.”
My heart sunk. Seeing him hurting was too much for me. We didn’t have a simple fling, though it might look like it from the outside looking in. I was falling in love, or perhaps I was already there.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Hunter. Vince needs you right now. You should take care of yourself.” I followed Hunter into the living room and paused.
He hid his face in the palms of his hands and took a shaky breath. “I feel so helpless. I usually don’t feel like this, but I’m all out of options. I don’t know what to do about my son. I seldom go to the gun shop since Vince got sick. I don’t know what I should do. My head’s all messed up. It’s all my fault. I got my son sick. I’m useless.”
“I know what you’re going through. It’s tough that things got worse even though you tried hard to hope for the best. But there’s one thing I can assure you, Hunter. I will always have your back, no matter what.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. “Look at me.”
He ran his hands down his handsome face, his expression solemn. “I hoped I could be a good father to Vince, but I suck at this. I’ve broken a million promises, and the little guy deserves so fucking much better than what I’m giving him.”
“You are a good father, and you love him. That is huge. Don’t discount it.” I ran my hands up his throat and cupped his jaw as I leaned in, kissing him softly. He relaxed a little in my arms. “Don’t worry, as soon as things get better, I’ll help you out by fulfilling all those promises with you. I’m always here to help.”
“I appreciate that.” He searched my face and pulled me in for a longer kiss, the passion there but dampened a little by all he was going through.
I would have taken every bit of it away from him if I could have.
“Also, if you needed someone to look out for Vince, I can do that. I can keep him at the convenience store if you need to finish some work. Mom would be excited to see his precious face anyway.”
“He would love that. You just have to watch him around the candy and chips.” His expression saddened. “I know the doc said it wasn’t my fault, but I still can’t help thinking I played some part in it. You know?”
“Any good parent would think that.” I brushed my lips by his and ran my fingers through his hair as my heart skipped a beat. He was so intense looking that close up. So breathtaking. All I wanted was to make him feel like he wasn’t alone, that I was right there beside him and would continue to be.
I felt our lips touch once more, exploring each other’s taste. I had missed him. It felt like I’d waited forever to be close to him again.
He quenched my thirst, giving me the kiss I had been thinking for days. It was perfect and passionate and deep, filled with emotions and thoughts too complex for words.
Our sweet moment was destroyed by the ringing of my phone. I wasted no time and entangled from his lips, answering the call as quickly as I could.
“Kylie! Where are you? Why did you leave the convenience store? I need a lot of help today; we’ve got plenty of customers to serve!” my mother was screaming, her voice deafening my ears. Damn. I was on the schedule and forgot all about it because of Hunter.
He moved closer and ran his hands down my shoulders, guilt drawn all over his face. “I’ve taken so much of your time. Sorry.”
“All right, Mom. I’m on my way. I’ll explain later.” I turned to him and smiled. “She’s crazy. Did I mention that part?”
He laughed and pulled me in for another kiss. “Get out of here and call me later. I want to see you again. I want more of these.” He leaned in and kissed me softl
y, leaving my body warm for what was hopefully to come sooner than later.
“Okay. I’d like that.” I kissed him again and turned to walk to the door. “Hey, if you need me to babysit Vince, I’m just a call away.”
“Yeah. He would love that. He likes you a lot.”
“See you later, handsome.” I walked out of the house and glanced back to find him watching me closely. “Call if you need me.”
“I need you.” He smiled, and my heart swelled in my chest.
Man, how I wished his words were true.
Chapter 15
One Week Later
Hunter
“She is the most amazing person I know.” I kept my eyes on the guns I was cleaning, but my head was somewhere up in the clouds. It had been a week since I took Vince to the ER and he was completely back to being himself. I’d seen Kylie a little, but not nearly enough. We’d yet to make love again, and I was going nuts trying to figure out a way to get a little bit of free time and not neglect Vince in the slightest.
Garren punched my arm, waking me up from my faint day dreaming.
“Yeah, man. I know. You just said that a couple of times today, and every day lately.” He smirked at me, making fun of my new-found love.
I was slowly figuring out how to juggle everything, other than time with my girl. Kylie had been an amazing help and if I thought about it…she was the only reason things were working out so well.
“I don’t think I could do it without her. Just the everyday stuff. She’s been a Godsend, man.” I responded to his ridicule, clarifying the truth amidst his mockery.
Garren nodded, finally agreeing a little. “Well, I can’t argue with that, and on top of all you got going on, the sales for the shop have never been better, Hunter. It’s impressive, man.”
“I know, right? Craziness, but I’m telling you…it’s all due to her helping me out.” I laid the last gun in the display case and walked to my desk to organize some of the licenses I’d just issued for special order guns and weapons for pick up. “She’s been doing so much helping to take care of Vince. I don’t even know why she is doing everything she does. It’s a great favor that even you would refuse to do.”