Stolen Hearts (The Stolen Series Book 3)

by Renee Harless

  I’ll never tell Hunter, but I had been looking forward to car shopping. It would be a new experience for me. The beater I’m currently driving I grabbed outside someone’s home when I passed by it on my escape so many years ago. The older woman took pity on me and sold it for the measly $200 that I had in my wallet.

  I chuckle remembering how she had fed me and thanked me a hundred times for taking the car off of her hands. She could tell that I was running from something, my black eye and broken arm made sure of that, but she never asked.

  I’ve met my fair share of good people saving me over and over again - the woman with the car, Kerry with the job, and Hunter with the house.

  My finger hovers over the speed dial for Kerry’s number and then I close my eyes as I press it and bring the phone to my ear. As I expect, the call goes straight to voicemail after the most nondescript greeting plays.

  “Hey. . .um. . .Kerry, it’s Taylor. I was just calling to talk through some things with you. Um, give me a call when you get a chance. Love and miss you, girl.”

  Tossing the phone onto the mound of pillows beside me, I fall back against the duvet, contemplating my next move.

  Do I stay, or do I go?

  Do I take the risk that I’m not ready for mentally or emotionally? Or do I let Hunter go and give him a chance to find someone that can provide him with everything that he deserves?

  My stomach chooses that moment to growl and I place my hand on the small bump hoping to calm down my baby boy’s craving.

  Suddenly I feel ravenous for some ice cream. Strawberry. No, rocky road. Both.

  Yes. Decision made I grab my phone and head toward the kitchen for my keys and purse, ignoring the bags lining the wall near the front door.

  Keys in hand, I rush to leave the house, just to see Hunter’s mother pull up with Tabitha.

  Shit.

  I forgot that she would be dropping her off soon. Standing on the porch, I wave at Amanda as she scurries around the vehicle and assists Tabitha out of her seat.

  “Mommy! I had da best day!” She runs toward me as fast as her little legs can carry her and she launches herself into my arms.

  “Well, that’s good, baby.” I hold her small frame against my body with my arms wrapped under her bottom. “Thank you, Ms. Divers, for watching her for me. I hope that she wasn’t too much trouble.”

  “Not at all. She’s a delight.”

  Hunter’s mother walks up the steps onto the porch and she wearily looks through the screen door and notices the bags packed just inside, but she doesn’t say anything.

  “Did you find out the gender today?” she asks excitedly.

  “We did. I guess I could plan a gender reveal party or something like a get-together. I’m always looking for ways to plan an event.”

  “Well, we Divers do enjoy a chance to have a party.” She laughs and I join in. “You just let us know and we’ll be there. My husband Grant and I can’t wait to meet our second grandchild.”

  Tabitha squirms to get down from my hip and reaches out for Amanda. “Second?”

  “Yes, of course. This sweetums is our first, of course.”

  Amanda squats down to Tabitha’s height and holds out her arms for the toddler to embrace. The love pours out of Amanda and it’s so thick I can’t possibly deny that she considers Tabitha one of her own.

  And damn if that doesn’t sway me just a tad.

  “Oh, we fed her dinner, by the way. Your little girl loves some hot dogs.”

  “You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Alright, well I’ll get out of your hair.” I watch her take the steps down to the pathway then she turns back around to me. “Whatever my son did to mess things up give him a chance to make it right, please. You’re just what he needs – a little fun outside of his business.”

  “Oh, Hunter hasn’t done anything.”

  “Well, then, that’s a problem too.”

  Spinning around on her crisp white tennis shoes, her linen pants swish between her legs, and her pink camisole shimmers under the setting sun. I feel as if I’ve been blindsided by a Stepford Wife, but one with a kind heart.

  “Bye, Nana!” Tabitha shouts as Amanda’s car travels down the driveway.

  “Hey, who wants to get some ice cream?”

  Jumping in the air still held in my arms, Tabitha shouts, “Me!” giggling wildly I can’t help but join her as I set her down and she skips down to the car. I make sure to close the front door and lock it then load us up for a much-needed treat.

  The ice cream shop is aptly named In A Waffle and smells of freshly made waffle cones. My stomach lets out a growl sounding more like a lion’s roar than the quiet rumble I’m used to. The teenager working the counter pops her gum as if hearing a wild animal in the shop is nothing new.

  “What can I get you?” she asks as she pops her gum again.

  “Pink!” Tabitha screams out.

  “Okay, one kid's strawberry and a regular rocky road with a scoop of strawberry on top.”

  After handing her the money, we grab our ice creams, and we make our way to one of the corner tables where Tabitha insists that she can sit in one of the chairs. As we eat, she rambles on animatedly about her day with Nana. I try to interpret what I can, but most of it is unintelligible.

  Licking and nibbling on my own cone of ice cream I watch a few of the people walking around outside the shop, most look like tourists enjoying the changing of the leaves.

  “Wove you,” I hear from across the table. I look up and find Tabitha in a milk-induced haze, her cheeks pulled taut as she grins in my direction.

  “I love you too, sweetums. You ready to head home?”

  “Yes, I mwiss daddy.”

  As I’m throwing away our trash the bell over the door dings and I almost collide with a statuesque woman – the same woman with Hunter from earlier.

  “Sorry,” I mumble as I try to skirt around her, but of course she’s too keen to let that happen.

  It’s like fate is really trying to throw wrenches in every one of my game plans. First, it was Hunter’s mother convincing me to stay, and now it’s this woman probably to convince me to leave.

  “Hi, I saw you earlier today. . .at Hunter’s.”

  “Yes, I work for him.”

  “I’m, Kelli,” she holds out her hand in greeting. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier.”

  Unable to fight against my politeness, I shake her hand in return. “Taylor. It’s nice to meet you,” I lie.

  Before I have a chance to ask, Kelli explains that she and Hunter went to high school together before she moved their senior year.

  “Is that your daughter?” she asks as Tabitha grows tired of waiting for me and ambles over to my leg and tugs on my shirt to get my attention. I lift her into my arms where she props her head on my shoulder. “Oh, and one on the way, too,” Kelli adds with a keen eye as my shirt pulls tighter around my abdomen.

  I want to tell her not to assume anything. My stomach bump could be from my dinner, but she hasn’t actually said anything unkind or unfriendly, so I bite back my tongue.

  “Yes, on both accounts. We’re very excited.”

  “I bet Hunter is thrilled. I always knew he’d make a great father when he was ready.”

  There she goes assuming again – even though she’s not wrong. It has me wondering what Hunter may have said to her earlier.

  “Do you know what you’re having?” she inquires, growing more comfortable with our situation as she settles against the back of one of the chairs.

  “We do, but we’re not telling anyone yet. Keeping it a surprise for a little while longer.”

  “Oh, that is so exciting. Do you have any names picked out? How far along are you?”

  “Oh, well. . .”

  “I’m so sorry, I’m being nosey about things that have nothing to do with me.”

  “That’s okay. Everyone’s allowed to be curious. Unfortunately, I don’t have any ans
wers for you. And I need to get this little one home.”

  “I am so sorry that I kept you. It was nice to meet you.” Bending closer to Tabitha, who doesn’t shy away as she usually would, Kelli adds, “Bye, cutie pie. You’re going to be a great big sister.”

  As I exit the shop, I turn to look back through the glass windows and find Kelli waving us goodbye as she places her order.

  Damn her for being nice and beautiful – perfect. With a heavy heart, I pile Tabitha back in the car and head back to Hunter’s house with a decision weighing on my shoulders.

  Hunter’s truck sits in the driveway and I’m almost afraid to have this conversation with him. I know that he saw me watching him and Kelli earlier and then gun it out of the parking lot. Other than being jealous, I’m not sure there is an explanation for my actions. But I’m wary about where that conversation may lead.

  Like the coward that I am, I carry Tabitha into the house, using her small body as my conversational shield. But, of course, as I step through the door, everything I had been expecting has been flipped on its axis and turned to shit.

  Instead of a roaring mad Hunter or a playful one that I’ve come to know, I find him downtrodden on the couch, leaning forward with his head in his hands as his elbows rest on his knees. He’s still wearing his work clothes from earlier.

  “Daddy!”

  As if broken from his trance, his head perks up slightly at Tabitha’s screech of joy.

  “Hey, Tabby. Did you miss me today?” he asks her, his voice trickling with pain and grief.

  “Yes. Mommy got ice cream.”

  “Oh, your mommy took you to get ice cream? Did she bring any home for me?”

  “No, I ates it all.”

  Hunter hugs her tightly, his eyes never meeting mine and I can’t help but wonder what’s running through his head. He’s probably wondering if this is the last time he’ll ever hug her. And just that thought alone has tears welling up in my eyes and escaping down my cheek wanting no part of me either.

  “Come, let’s get ready for bed and Mommy can read you a book.”

  “Okay!”

  Jumping off Hunter’s lap, she enthusiastically stumbles down the hall to her room.

  I turn to follow her, but at the last second I look over my shoulder I find Hunter in the same position he was when we arrived.

  “Hunter. . .I. . .”

  Running his hand through his hair, he finally looks up at me, and I notice how red the whites in his eyes appear. “After,” he mumbles.

  “Mommy!” her scream sounds from the other room and I slowly make my way toward Tabitha’s bedroom all while wondering if Hunter is going to make my decision for me.

  Three books later Tabitha finally settles into bed. I kiss the soft skin of her forehead and tell her that I love her. As I turn to leave, I find Hunter standing in the hall, waiting for his turn to say goodnight. It’s the first time we haven’t wished her sweet dreams together since she came into my custody.

  For a man that has spent the better part of five months touching me any chance he can get, Hunter’s shoulder doesn’t even brush against mine as we pass through the doorway at the same time.

  I feel as if I’m going in front of the firing squad as I wait for Hunter to return to the living room. I’m as nervous as I was waiting to board my first bus to get out of California.

  Time seems to be at a standstill as I wait anxiously. Unable to sit in the living room any longer, I move into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water, gazing out of the window above the sink. My thoughts crash and collide inside my head, jumbling together until I don’t know which way is up or down.

  Bringing the bottle of water to my lips, I realize that my hands are shaking, the water sloshing over the edge of the container. The idea of staying here with Hunter is almost as terrifying as leaving him.

  I chug the water in one gulp, the liquid doing very little to quench the desert taking up residence in my throat. My fingers contract around the plastic, the bottle squeaking and collapsing under the pressure.

  Turning around, I intend to throw the bottle into the recycling bin that I’ve set up in the corner. Instead, I find a weary Hunter leaning against the entrance of the kitchen watching me.

  “Hunter,” I sigh.

  “Were you. . .” he begins, clenching his eyes together as if he’s trying to pull himself out of a horror movie, and maybe to him, he is. “Were you packing up to leave? You were going to take Tabitha and leave me?”

  “I. . .”

  “Was I going to get to say goodbye, or were you just going to run away while I was gone.”

  “I wasn’t running away, Hunter.”

  “Then, where were you? I came home and saw all of these bags packed. And after watching you drive off this afternoon, I was pretty certain of your intentions.”

  His anger and fright is so tangible that it threatens to suffocate me at this moment. I did this. I did this to an amazing man that has told me that he loves me. Who is convinced that I’m the woman for him. And I’m so terrified to allow myself to be loved that I continuously stab him with an emotional knife over and over again.

  A completely new emotion rolls through me. One I’ve never experienced or embraced – shame. Shame at being the reason Hunter feels the way that he does. Shame that I’ve created this horror movie Hunter resides in.

  For a split second, my mind considers a life without Hunter in it, not just as a father figure for his own child, but in my life. Not being able to wake up in his arms, witness his carefree smile as he draws a new landscape for a client, see the shimmer of love in his eyes when we sneak a moment when Tabitha is occupied – it’s not a life I can imagine.

  Startling him, I move quickly, dropping the crunched plastic bottle on the floor as I wrap my arms around his shoulders, burying my face in his neck.

  “I’m sorry, Hunter. I made a stupid mistake, but I’m not going anywhere. When I saw you with the woman earlier today, I saw the kind of life you deserved to have, and I know that it isn’t with me. But I’m selfish and I can’t let you go.”

  I cling to him as if the second my arms lose their grasp he’ll slip away. Finally, in what feels like an eternity, Hunter reciprocates my embrace. His strong arms firmly wrap around my waist, tugging me even closer to his body. He bends his head so that his chin settles on the top of my head.

  Then I feel it. That small brush of wetness on my cheek and I’m unsure if it’s his or mine. His body shakes against me and it’s at this moment I realize the gravity of fear I evoked in him. His depth of love for Tabitha and for me knows no bounds.

  Hunter’s breath caresses the side of my wet cheek smelling of the spearmint gum he keeps in his truck. He begins to speak but doesn’t pull back. Perhaps having me in his arms is his way to know that I’m not running away. . .again.

  “The girl today, she was my high school sweetheart. We made promises to each other. Stupid puppy love promises when you think you know the world and have an eternity to be together.

  “Her father’s job moved their family during our senior year and it devastated Kelli. She wanted me to get her pregnant thinking that her parents would allow her to live with me. She even punctured a few condoms trying to make it happen without telling me. When I found out, I went ballistic and told her that I had zero intentions on ever being a father.”

  He must feel my body stiffen in his arms. “Our situation is different, Taylor. I had just turned eighteen when I said those things.

  “Kelli went crazy and I had to call her father to come pick her up at the homecoming dance we were attending when she told me about her plan. They left the next day.”

  “Was today the first day you’ve seen her?” I whisper against his neck, allowing his grass-covered scent to soothe me.

  Sighing, Hunter replies, “No. I saw her at the hardware store a few days ago. It’s where she’s working.”

  “I ran into her at the ice cream shop tonight. When I saw both of you laughing today, I could tell tha
t you both had a history together. She can give you far more in a relationship than I ever could.”

  “You keep selling yourself short, Taylor.” Hunter points out as he stands to his full height and looks down at me. “Tell me something. What would you feel if something happened to me tomorrow?”

  “I’d be devastated. I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”

  “I love you, Taylor. You’re the only person that’s able to hurt me, and today when I thought that you were leaving, I thought my world was over. I had no idea where you intended on going, if you were going to be okay, if I’d ever be able to see my son grow up.”

  “Hunter, I would never. . . “

  “How do I know that, Taylor? Every time things get too hard, you run. That’s what you do. Then I realized that running is all you know. That’s how you protect yourself, and that’s how you’re protecting our child.

  “But, Taylor, what is it going to take to prove to you that I’m here for the long haul?”

  My eyes mist over and I try to blink through the fog.

  “I’ve told you that I love you; that I’m nothing without you, sweetheart. Those aren’t words I wield around carelessly. Tell me what I need to do if I don’t want to be your fake fiancé anymore. Tell me what I need to do if I want to be your everything? What if I want to be the place that you call home?”

  Pondering for a moment, I realize that he is all of those things. He’s what my heart wants forever.

  With his hands framing my face, Hunter searches my eyes for his answer, patiently waiting for my love to reveal itself. Except he’s looking in the wrong spot.

  I gently lay my hands on top of his, closing my eyes as his thumb lovingly slides back and forth along my wet skin. A smile grows across his strong jaw at the same time as mine.

  Wordlessly I take his hands in mine and guide them toward the small bump pulling my shirt taut across my body.

  “I think I fell in love with you that very first night together. You were strong, capable, and people craved to be in your presence. You were everything I wanted to be. And I couldn’t imagine what I did in life to deserve that one night with you. And you were just as perfect as I had hoped that you would be. Even after everything, you held me that night as if I was the most precious thing in the world. That was the moment. That was when I was lost to you, Hunter.