Looking back over my shoulder, I said, “But my car is here.”
“I’ll have one of the guys drive it out to your place.”
I had no energy left to argue with Hunter, so I simply stayed quiet. I let him help me into his truck. He shut the door, and I dropped my head back against the headrest. He pulled out his phone and started to talk to someone as he rounded the front of the truck and got in.
“Thanks, Kyle. I appreciate it.” Turning, he looked at me while he ended the call. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to swing by and pick up Jack.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I said, feeling like it took every ounce of energy I had to speak. A part of me wanted to argue with him. Demand he let me go. I needed to think. To process everything…but at the same time, being with him made me feel so calm.
Knowing Hunter had never stopped loving me both thrilled me and…well…left me feeling exhausted. So tired. Like I could sleep for an entire year.
He started up his truck and pulled out onto Main. I closed my eyes and gave up the fight as the truck caused my body to slightly sway, and I drifted off to sleep.
All I could feel was warmth surrounding me. It was the first time I could remember feeling like this in a long time. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see I was on my sofa. Hunter was sitting at the end, and I was snuggled up next to him with my head on his lap. On the other end was Jack, his head laying on my leg. They were both sound asleep.
Smiling, I snuggled more into Hunter and closed my eyes. I was still so tired, and if I could just get a few more minutes of sleep, I knew I would feel so much better.
I must have drifted off into a deeper sleep…because the darkness quickly surrounded me as the memory came back.
An evil smile spread across his face as he leaned in and placed his mouth next to my ear. I could hardly hear what he said, I was crying so hard.
“What would your boyfriend say if he could see you now, princess?”
The sound of a dog barking pulled me back from the nightmare. I sat up and screamed, only to have Jack crawl into my lap and start licking my face like crazy.
“Bella, what’s wrong?”
I looked up to see Hunter standing in front of me, a look of worry on his face.
Glancing around, confused, I asked, “What…what happened?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I got up to use the bathroom, and the next thing I heard was Jack growling and then you screaming. Jack, off of her.”
Jack refused to move from my lap, so Hunter used a stronger voice.
“Jack. Off.”
He still didn’t move.
I wrapped my arms around the dog. “No, he didn’t do anything wrong. He…he woke me up from a bad dream.”
Hunter’s brows drew in ever so slightly. “What kind of bad dream?”
I looked down at the large dog on my lap and realized I was stroking him. He licked me again, and for the first time in nearly ten years, one of my nightmares didn’t leave me nearly paralyzed from fear.
I kissed Jack on the head. “It doesn’t matter. Jack stopped it. He woke me up.”
Hunter knelt down and gave Jack a good scratching and spoke in a higher-pitched voice. “Good boy, that’s a good boy. You watching out for our girl, huh?”
Jack’s tail thumped against the sofa as I looked at Hunter. My chest squeezed with the strange sensation of two very different mixed emotions.
Sadness and utter bliss.
Our girl.
God, how I wanted to be his girl. I just wasn’t sure if Hunter would still feel that way if he knew the truth. If I let him into the darkness that was such a huge part of me, would he stay or would he leave?
I desperately wanted him to make me feel like the old Arabella. The one who was carefree, happy, and so in love with life. So in love with him. The girl who once dreamed of marrying him and having a family. I longed for that life still. I simply wasn’t sure how to get there.
I glanced down at Jack and wondered if the dream had started when Hunter left to go to the bathroom. “The nightmare…I think it only came because you got up.”
Hunter looked from Jack to me. “What do you mean?”
I shook my head and let out a confused laugh. “I don’t think I was dreaming until you left the room. Normally, it feels like the moment I shut my eyes to sleep, the nightmares start.”
Hunter frowned deeply. “Normally? You get them often?”
I nodded. “All the time.”
Hunter worked at swallowing as he looked at me.
“It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head. “You holding me while I slept…I think that kept them at bay.”
A sexy smile spread over his face. “Then I should probably stay, so you can get a good night’s sleep. You look exhausted, Bella.”
I shrugged. “I don’t get a whole lot of sleep, to be honest.”
“Because of the nightmares?” he asked with a concerned expression.
When I didn’t answer, Hunter let it go. “Mind if I sit back down?”
“No, I don’t mind at all,” I said, moving so he could take his seat once again. He wrapped his arm around me, and I couldn’t help but flinch. But I hoped not enough for him to notice.
I settled against his side and focused on my breathing. Slow breaths in, slow breaths out. When I looked at Jack—who was nearly in my lap now—I relaxed even more. He turned and looked at me, tilted his head, and put his paw on my leg.
“I think your dog reads minds.”
Hunter laughed. “He’s pretty damn perceptive.”
I’d say.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” Hunter asked.
Nodding, I yawned. Goodness, being together like this felt so right. Like it had only been yesterday that we were sitting on the sofa together and watching movies. “Yes. What do you want to watch?”
Hunter flipped through my Amazon movies and stopped on one. I laughed.
He hit play, and the familiar sound of a bird singing and then a piano tune filled my small living room as Pride and Prejudice started.
“How many times have you seen this movie, Hunter?” I asked, pulling a blanket from behind me and putting it over the three of us.
“Not as many as Kyle, I can tell you that.”
Smiling, I let myself totally relax as the movie started. I was impressed my eyes didn’t start to close until we were about halfway through the movie.
Hunter ran his fingers lightly over my arm and whispered, “Go to sleep, sweetheart. I’m not leaving, I promise you.”
The soothing sound of his voice nearly lulled me right to sleep. A part of me thought for sure I was already dreaming. Hunter wasn’t really there with me. I didn’t really feel so happy or safe in his arms.
My eyes closed, and I drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Hunter kept his promise. I woke up on the sofa, still in his arms, with Jack on the floor looking up at us. One quick glance at the dark house told me it had to be past six in the evening.
I moved slightly, and Hunter let out a soft groan and wrapped his arms around me tighter. I thought it would cause me to panic, but it didn’t. This was Hunter. The man I had been in love with for as long as I could remember. The feel of him holding me didn’t cause my chest to tighten with anxiety; instead, it gave me the slightest bit of hope.
He was the light at the end of a very dark tunnel…one I might finally be emerging from.
Jack sat up and let out a soft bark.
I carefully slipped out of Hunter’s arms and stood. Jack jumped up and looked at the front door.
“Come on, boy,” I whispered, motioning for him to follow me through the small cabin and to the door out back. That way we wouldn’t wake up Hunter. I turned on the kitchen light and then the back lights. My father had put in a security system not long after I’d moved permanently into the small cabin. I swore the lights back here lit up the area at least a mile out.
I grabbed a shawl that was hanging on a hook and opened the door an
d stepped onto the small back porch. A light snow was falling, and Jack practically jumped the steps and ran out into the yard as I stood and waited for him.
He ran this way and that. Sniffed, turned in a circle, took off running in another direction, sniffed some more, then finally went to the bathroom. I giggled and watched as he pranced back to me like a puppy, and not a big bad police dog.
“Do you think I can talk Hunter into letting you move in with me?” I asked as Jack ran past me and into the kitchen. He turned and gave another soft bark, almost knowing he needed to be quiet or he’d wake up his dad. “Yeah, I don’t think he’d give you up either.”
I opened the refrigerator and stared into it. “Well, I don’t have a dog, so I don’t have dog food for your dinner. I could scramble you up some eggs.”
Turning, I looked down at Jack. He tilted his head and gave me the sweetest look. Those big brown eyes held so much love, I could see why Hunter cared so much for him. I was already madly in love.
“With bacon?”
He barked, and I laughed.
“Bacon and scrambled eggs it is. I’ll ask your dad what kind of dog food you eat so I can keep some here.”
I got to work making our breakfast dinner and moved around the kitchen feeling light on my feet. It was the first time in a very long time I’d felt such a sense of peace, and I knew it was because of the man sleeping on my sofa and the dog at my feet.
Jack sat right near where the bacon was cooking and kept sniffing the air. He certainly had a good nose for smell. Willa had mentioned Jack was a tracking dog—dogs and missing persons—so it was no wonder he was so focused on the bacon.
“That smells good.”
I jumped and nearly let out a scream. “You scared me, Hunter!”
He smiled, then gave me a wink. His hair was a mess, like he had run his fingers through it. Lord, if he only knew how sexy he was. That smile had always been a weakness of mine. It was one of the reasons I had agreed to go out with Hunter in tenth grade. When he smiled at me, he made me feel like I was something special. He would smile at other girls, yes, but not like he smiled at me. He had a dimple on his right cheek, and it only came out if he smiled big enough. I could also easily get lost in those blue eyes of his.
“I hope breakfast for dinner is okay; I don’t have much in the way of food. I need to go to the grocery store.”
Hunter reached down and gave Jack a good scratching. “Good boy, Jack.”
Jack’s tail hit the floor a few times before he focused back on the bacon.
“I was making Jack some eggs, as well, since I don’t have dog food.”
“I’ve got some in my truck. I always carry some, just in case.”
Jack let out a small whine.
“Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll still give you some bacon,” I said softly.
Hunter laughed as he walked back into the living room to put on his shoes and coat to run outside.
“Does he need to go out?” he called back to me.
“Nope, he went already.”
The front door opened and closed, and I scrambled the eggs in a bowl before pouring them into the pan. Jack slid down to the floor and lay there while I salted and peppered the eggs.
The door opened again and Hunter walked in. Jack jumped up when Hunter set down a bowl, opened a small Tupperware container, and took out a scoop.
“Leave it,” Hunter said as he put the scoop back into the tub, shut it, and set it to the side.
Jack waited so patiently for his dinner that I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Hunter finally gave the signal, and Jack leapt for his bowl. He ate his food so fast I wasn’t even sure he was chewing it.
“Goodness, is he just swallowing it?”
“Yes, the little hog,” Hunter said with a chuckle before he looked at me. “I have a different bowl at home that makes him work for it more.”
I nodded. I loved having Jack and Hunter with me, and knew I wanted them to spend more time here. I chewed nervously on my lip, realizing what I was about to do was a huge leap. “Would you mind buying him another bag of his food, so we can keep some here? And maybe the same bowl you have at home?”
A wide grin appeared on Hunter’s face. “I don’t mind at all.”
We stared at each other for a moment, and I wondered if he could tell that I was mentally begging for him to kiss me again.
“Need any help?”
His words pulled me back to reality. “Um, do you mind putting some bread in the toaster oven there?”
Hunter reached for the bread, took out four slices, and then slipped them into the toaster. He pushed them down, then walked over to the cabinets. “Plates?”
“Left side. Did you want me to make you any coffee?”
“Nah, I only drink a cup a day, and that’s in the morning.”
Smiling, I moved the eggs around in the pan. “Well, you did just wake up from a long nap.”
Hunter paused and looked at his Apple watch. “Shit, did you know it was seven?”
“I did.”
He frowned. “Guess that makes sense—it is dark outside.”
I giggled. “Did you manage to watch all of the movie?”
A bright pink tinted Hunter’s cheeks. “Yes, I forced myself not to fall asleep. That sofa is comfortable.”
“I know. I’ve slept on it plenty of nights.”
Hunter opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.
“I need to get my car,” I said to fill the sudden silence.
“Already done. Bishop followed Kyle out here to drop it off. He left the keys on the front seat. I grabbed them when I got the dog food.”
Hunter reached into his pocket and pulled out my keys, setting them on the counter. “I can’t believe you still have this.”
I followed his gaze and saw the beehive keychain he had bought for me after I’d saved up enough money to buy my first car. It was a used Honda Accord, and she had served me well over the years. A year ago, I broke down and upgraded to a Honda Pilot, which I loved.
“It’s special to me,” I said softly as I reached over and picked up my keys to look at the beehive. I placed the keys back down and focused on the eggs again. “Eggs are done. How’s the toast looking?” I could feel Hunter’s eyes on me, and the heat between us quickly filled the kitchen. When he didn’t answer, I turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
He slowly shook his head, smiled, then hit the button on the toaster. “They’re done. You still like honey and butter on your toast?”
“I do.”
Hunter walked to the refrigerator and took out the butter. The honey was in a honeypot on the kitchen table.
I divided up the eggs between me and Hunter and set our plates down on the small table in the middle of my kitchen. I reached for the plate of bacon, slipping a piece to Jack before setting it down.
“I saw that,” Hunter stated in a dry tone.
“Well, I had to, Hunter. I told the poor baby he was getting bacon for dinner.”
Hunter rolled his eyes, reached for a piece of bacon, and tossed it to Jack. I tried not to smile but failed as I said, “I had a feeling you spoil him.”
“That’s putting it lightly. This dog gets better taken care of than I do.”
“Well, look at that face. How can you not spoil such a precious boy?”
We both looked at Jack, who was sitting between the two of us like such a good boy.
Hunter laughed. “Fine, one more piece and that’s it.”
I reached for the largest piece of bacon and broke it in two. I handed one piece to Hunter, then fed mine to Jack. “That way he gets love from both of us.”
Hunter gave his piece to Jack before telling him to lie down. Jack walked off a bit, made three circles, and did as he was told.
While Hunter and I ate, I tried to figure out a way to talk to him. Not just talk, in general…but to tell him why I’d broken up with him. I honestly wasn’t sure it was something I could speak abou
t—not that I had really ever tried. I had told Abby, but that was it. We never really talked about it after that. And a part of me loved this time Hunter and I were spending together. I knew the moment I told him, things would change. Or at least, I was fearful they would.
“Hunter, I need to ask you something.”
He chewed on a bite of toast and nodded.
“Will you…um…will you be patient with me? I know I’ve made you wait ten years, but I need to take this slow.”
Swallowing, he asked, “Patient?”
I nodded. “I don’t want to push you away anymore. It’s not fair to either of us, and honestly, I can’t stop thinking about that kiss.”
He smiled and his dimple came out in full force. Goodness, the man was even more handsome now that he was at twenty-three. I let my eyes do a quick sweep of him before I met his gaze.
“I can kiss you again, you know,” he said.
I felt my face heat. “I don’t think I’m ready for anything more than kissing, though.”
Hunter frowned slightly, but the expression was gone as quickly as it appeared. “I’m not going to pressure you into anything, Bella. I never have.”
“Oh, I know you wouldn’t. I just don’t want you to think I’m pushing you away or playing games with you. I’m trying, and I want to be honest with you, I just need…”
Hunter winked at me. “Patience.”
I dug my teeth into my lip and nodded. “I’ve missed you so much, and I’m so afraid I’m dreaming all of this.”
His face relaxed again, and he reached for my hand. “I know what you mean. When I woke up on your sofa, I had to hit myself to make sure I was really awake. And let me tell you, I have a pretty hard punch.”
Laughing, I laced my fingers with his. “I’ve missed you, Hunter. I’ve missed how you make me laugh and how you make me feel.”
“God, Bella. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
With a slight smile, I replied, “I bet I do.”
Hunter leaned over the table and gently kissed me on the lips. He barely drew back, looked me in the eyes, and whispered, “We’ll go as slow as you want, sweetheart. I’m just over the fucking moon to have you in my life again.”
My heart felt like it would burst from my chest as I leaned back and we finished our meal. The rest of the evening was spent back on the sofa watching a marathon of Jane Austen movies. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to while away an evening.
Surrender to Me (Boggy Creek Valley Book 4) Page 5