Urban Climber 2
by
S.V. Hunter
Copyright © 2015 S.V. Hunter
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, events, brands and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
ONE
“How did you know where to find me?”
His laughter snaps at my ears like a wild dog. “How do you think?”
“I-I don’t know,” I stammer, dropping my face into my hands. “You probably hired private investigators or something to track my every move.”
“Oh Laura, there’s that insane imagination of yours again.” He laughs, pulling my hands into his. “Of course I didn’t do that. I would never do that.”
Wouldn’t he? After tonight, I don’t know who—or what—to believe anymore.
“Say something, doll, and look at me when you do.”
A shiver slips down my spine. “How did you find me? Please, I need to know.”
His dark eyes trace the contours of my face as he exhales slowly. “You’re making this out to be far worse than it is. All I did was pay a friendly visit to your parents.”
“You did?” My voice cracks beneath my words. “How were they? You didn’t hurt them, did you?”
“Hurt them? HURT them?” he growls. “Why would you think such a thing?”
“Look what you’ve done to me.”
“Don’t push me, Laura. I’m warning you. Don’t.”
I don’t mean it, but I say it anyway. “I’m sorry.”
“Speak up.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“Here.” He hands me a tissue. “Tidy yourself up. Even in the moonlight, you’re a disaster.”
“What do you expect?” I throw my arms in the air. “I love them with all my heart! You know how close I am to them. Do you have any idea what it’s been like being away from them? Being away from home?”
“Yes, darling, I do,” he whispers, leaning in. “Please, calm down.”
“How? How can you even begin to understand what it’s been like for me?”
“Because, darling,” he exhales, weaving his fingers through mine, “I love you, and I’ve felt the exact same way not having you by my side.”
My heart is pounding with questions, but I’m struggling to form words. I have to stay strong. I can’t crumble. I won’t. I purse my lips together, listening as he drones on.
“I knew the moment I heard your voice that I wanted you back, Laura, that I wasn’t going to accept our current reality as finite.” He pushes a strand of hair from my face and smiles. “Say something, doll.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?”
“That’s not really important now, is it? What’s important is that we’re together and talking.”
“You kidnapped me!” I scream. “You took away my right of choice.”
“Laura,” he sighs. “I’m your fiancé. Please, stop being so dramatic.”
“I’m just saying it how it is.”
“No, you’re being over-dramatic.”
“Well.” I cross my arms, glaring. “What happened?”
“I drove over to their place and poured my heart out. I told them everything.”
“Everything?” I raise my eyebrows. “There’s no way you could have told them everything.”
“Well, I did.” He smiles, his dark eyes lingering on my lips.
I squeal like a pig being chased by an axe. “What did they say?”
He grins widely. “Well, I gather you didn’t tell them what you saw?”
I shake my head. “Of course not! Oh my god. How could I do that?”
“Well,” he shrugs, “I did.”
I lean forward in the passenger seat. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, you better, darling, ‘cause I did.”
“How embarrassing. What did you say? You’ve got to tell me.”
“I told them I lost my mind and that before marrying their daughter, I wanted to sew my wild oats, so to speak. And so … I, well, you know … fucked a lot of broads.”
I don’t have my compact mirror with me, but I must look like one of those open-mouthed clowns you throw balls at to win a prize. “Crappity crap! You so did not say that!” I huff. “I don’t believe a word. Not a single one.”
“Okay, okay,” he laughs. “I admit, I didn’t say it quite like that. But I did tell them that I’d hugely messed up and how you’d walked in on me.”
“Were they mad?”
“Yes, of course. Your dad said he wanted to shoot me.”
“Yeah, he knew you’d done something major and was threatening it the entire time I was moping around the house.”
“Well, luckily, he didn’t,” he laughs, “or I wouldn’t be here now, sitting in your beautiful presence, would I?”
I roll my eyes. When he wants to, Hugo can be smoother than any president, past or present. I guess that’s why so many girls, including me, fell for his speech. “You’re shocking, do you know that?”
The edge of his lip quivers. “Ah, but you still love me.”
“I just can’t believe you told them.”
He shrugs. “They’re your parents, doll, and they’re going to be a part of my family. I know how much you cherish them and visa versa, so I had to fess up.”
“Get to it.”
“I asked them for their forgiveness, darling. I asked your father if he would give his blessing for us to get married.”
“You did?” I whisper. “You actually dropped your ego and did that—for me?“
“Well, I know how disappointed you were when I didn’t ask the first time around, and I wanted to make things right—not just by you but by him also.”
The darkness of my heart fades a little. “What did he say?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Hugo leans over and kisses my cheek softly.
“Aw, doll. Don’t cry, baby,” he whispers, glancing down at his watch. “Everything is going to be fine. More than fine.”
Ring. Ring.
“No!” I gasp. “Is this really happening? You’re never romantic.”
Ring. Ring.
“Mr. Hemsworth,” Hugo smiles, pressing one of the many buttons across the dash. “How are you, sir?”
“Very well, Hugo. Well, it’s 10:00 p.m. How did it go with our little poppet? Did you manage to talk her around?”
Hugo smiles at me. “She’s a fighter, I tell you, sir. She wasn’t even going to come with me at first.”
Dad laughs. “That sounds like our little girl.”
“Yeah, I should’ve had a better plan than just whisking her away.”
Whisking? There was nothing light and fluffy about what he did to get me to go with him. I had no choice. None at all.
“Well?” Dad chuckles “Did she, son?”
Hugo grins at me. “Why don’t you ask her yourself, Dad? She’s right here.”
“Daddy?” I call out.
“Hello, poppet. How are you?”
“A little confused, but I’m okay, I guess.”
“I can’t tell you how much we miss our baby girl.”
“I miss you too, Dad, so much. I think about you both every day.”
“Are you okay? You sound emotional.”
“It’s been a really long day, Dad. I am emotional. I’ve been crying my eyes out. I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”
“Well, don’t keep me waiting any longer. The suspense is killing me.”
“Suspense?”
“Have you sorted things out with your man?”
“My man?”
“Goodness, you must have had a long day. I’m talking about Hugo, of course,” he laughs. “Are you two love birds okay?”
“I’m not sure, Daddy. We’re still figuring it all out. He really hurt me, you know.”
“I know, poppet. He told us all about it. He was in tears; can you believe it? Mr. Smit blubbered like a baby in your mother’s arms. It was quite a sight. He thought he’d lost you forever.”
“Really?”
“He loves you, Laura. You’re his world, you know that?”
“Yes, I know, but—”
“We forgave him, Laura, and we think you should too. You two were inseparable for years. Have you forgotten how much you were in love with him?”
“But he—”
“There’s no need to go into it, Laura. I know what he did. He told us everything. But men are different than women, you know.”
“I guess.”
“And don’t you think it’s best that he got it out of his system before you got married rather than doing such a thing after you’re married?”
“I guess so, but—”
“No buts, Laura. Everyone makes mistakes. He’s young … he’s hot-blooded. Don’t hold that against him.”
“I thought you’d be on my side, Dad.”
“It’s not about sides; it’s about facing the facts. A lot of men do this sort of thing, but they lie about it. At least he confessed; at least he knows how wrong it was.”
Am I dreaming? My eyes dart over to Hugo’s grinning face. I guess I can’t be. There’s nothing wishy-washy about that smile. He looks like he’s just got the biggest commission of his life. Hugo’s always had flawless talent when it comes to pitching a deal—I guess growing up with a family who buys and sells diamonds for a living will do that to you. Even so, I can’t believe he turned my father around. And Mom, for that matter. How is that even possible?
“Please tell me you’re coming back with him tonight. We’d love to see you both.”
“I don’t know, Dad. It’s a long drive.”
“Well, that’s why you’re going to take the—”
“I haven’t quite got to that part of it yet, sir.”
“Whoops.” Dad laughs. “Did I almost ruin the surprise? Silly me. Well, I’ll let you two figure it out, then. Bye, honey; your mom says hello and sends her love.”
“Isn’t she there?”
“No, I’m sorry, poppet; she just dropped into Martha’s place for a debrief and a new plan of attack.”
“Debrief?” I can’t help but giggle. As long as I’ve known her, she has always fought for some cause, done what she could for the greater good of all mankind.
Dad chuckles. “What can I say, honey? You know what she’s like. Tonight she personally invited herself to a council meeting to try to stop them from building more high-rises. Someone has to save the birds, remember?”
“Oh, I remember. How many trees has she chained herself to since I’ve been gone?”
“Too many to mention.” He exhales. “Sleep well. We love you.”
“Love you too, Dad. Bye.”
I swivel around in the passenger seat and look at Hugo. “You did that? You really went to my parents and asked for their forgiveness?”
“You heard the man.”
I must be stupid. Really stupid. Because in that moment, my heart melts just a little. “That’s so …”
“So what, darling?”
“Sweet of you,” I whisper, looking into his dark brown eyes. “I can’t believe you did that for me.”
“I love you,” he whispers, leaning closer. “I’ve always loved you, and I messed everything up, doll. I screwed up then, and I screwed up tonight—but putting all that aside, I love you more than life itself. You know that, right?”
I swallow. “I guess. But I saw a side of you this afternoon that I’ve never seen before. You really, really frightened me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, Laura. But you make me ga-ga. The thought of not being with you anymore pushes me to insanity.”
What a night. I mean, god, what a night. I’ve never felt so many emotions in my life. My head is throbbing, and my heart is pounding. I feel like I’ve been dragged backwards through the worst date of my life.
“Please, doll, just say something …”
“I’m in shock, I guess.”
“Why?”
“I can’t believe you cried. You never cry. And I can’t believe you told them everything, and they forgave you.”
“Do you think you can?”
I shrug. Months ago, I would have said yes—but now, after everything that has happened. How can I? Sure, I’m still attracted to him. He was a QB, after all. And not just any QB—he made all the other guys look like little boys in comparison. He was like a rock star out there. Every girl wanted him, but all he wanted was me. And when he made love to me the first time, I cried because he was everything I had ever dreamed of having—and more.
“Does a part of you still love me? Because if it does, don’t you think you should give it a chance?”
“Do you know how much you scared me tonight? I thought you were going to kill me.”
“Laura, please stop. Do you know how much it hurts me when you say things like that? You’re my life.”
“But you said you would never lay a hand on me, and now look at me. I’m a mess.”
“I lost my temper, and I’m sorry about that. It’s only because you scared me. I wasn’t thinking straight. I lost my head and my cool, and it was wrong.”
“But what if it happens again?”
“It won’t.”
“But what if it does, Hugo?”
“Tell me what do you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”
“I don’t know,” I mumble. “It’s not that simple.”
“I know. I’ll go and see a counselor. I’ll go and tell them what I did, and …”
“And … ?”
“I’ll go to church; I’ll ask for forgiveness.”
I pull a face. “You’ll be there a while.”
“Watch it.” He smiles, stretching out his arms. “I’m not that bad.”
I raise my brow. “Aren’t you? What about Mel?”
“I will apologize to her next time I’m in town.”
“I don’t think she’ll listen.”
“I’ll take us all out to The Plaza. She likes lobster, doesn’t she? Oysters? I could bring Harry—we could all go on a double date. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“Harry?” I squawk. “He’s a bit toffee-nosed for her, isn’t he?”
“Precisely.” He smiles. “He may be able to give that girl a bit of class.”
“Hey!” I frown. “Leave Mel alone. She’s classy.”
“When compared to a burger joint, sure,” he sniggers. “So … ?”
“So, what?”
“Are we okay now? Can I have a hug?”
I wish I could forgive him as quickly and easily as my parents have. I mean, I know I have a tendency to overreact and all, but cheating is cheating. And that shouldn’t be okay in anyone’s book, whether you’re married or not. I mean, I know my parents have always been for love over war, but this is my relationship we’re talking about. My future. How can I just forgive and forget so easily? And how did they?
“Well?”
I drop my head to one side. “I don’t know, Hugo. After all the women you’ve been with and tonight’s violence, I’m sorry. I just don’t know if the wedding should go ahead.”
It’s like he can’t even hear me. I feel like I’m some plastic mannequin stuck in a shop window. Now he’s not even looking at me. Instead, he’s staring out the car window into the blackness, watching the planes take off. I wish I were on that runway.
“I should have gone and seen them sooner.” He pauses, his eyes fixated on the runway as another plane touches down on the tarmac. “I was just so embarrassed, that’s all.”
I can hardly believe what I’m hearing. He wouldn’t know the first thing about embarrassmen
t. “Embarrassed?” I pause. “You? You make Mel look shy, you’re so full of confidence.”
“Not over this, Laura. I was embarrassed and shit-scared how they would take it. I know your father’s a loving man and all, but he’s still got a gun. Honestly, I was a little worried I’d leave his place with bullet holes through my dick.”
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