by Annie Stone
“Fuck, Dad! Don’t you dare hurt Mac!” Hunter screams, pushing himself between us.
“Are you listening to me?” Carter yells, ironically not listening to a word Hunter says. “I’m not letting you go! You’re still a goddamn kid!” All he can think about is saving his son.
“You can’t stop me,” Hunter says calmly. “I’m eighteen. I’ve signed up, and they’ve accepted me.”
Trembling, I put a hand on his back. “When are you leaving?”
He turns around and gives me a sad look. “A week.”
“LEAVING?” Carter screams, grabbing my arm. “Have you lost your mind, Mackenzie? He’s not going anywhere!”
Hunter stops him. “Dad! I’m serious. Leave Mac out of this.”
“STOP IT!” Carey cries out, despair in his voice.
We all turn to face him. Pale as death, he’s standing a few steps away from us, tears in his eyes.
“Hunt,” he says haltingly, and I see Hunter swallow. He walks across to his little brother and pulls him into his arms, hard.
Tears run down my cheeks. I know how hard this is for them. How hard it is for Hunter to leave his little brother.
“He’s not going!” Carter screams again.
Hunter turns around. “It’s not your call, Dad.”
“As long as you’re living under—”
“Fuck, Dad! Stop already. I’m a legal adult. And I’ve made my decision. You’ve always told me nobody can make my decisions for me. That I have to find my own path. You’ve told me again and again that I get to be whatever the fuck I want.”
“Anything but this, Hunter! You can’t go off to war and get killed! I’m not letting you!”
“It’s not WWII, Dad,” Hunter says, shaking his head, “where soldiers were just cannon fodder. Sure, there are casualties, but not many.”
“People die out there!” Carter thunders. “It’s not a freaking picnic, Hunter! Do you have any idea what’s going on over there?”
“Yeah, I do. Because I’m not a child, Dad. I know exactly what is going on over there. So stop treating me like a kid.”
“Then don’t act like one!”
Finally, Hunter loses his calm. “I’m not acting like a child! I told you about my decision—a decision I made regarding my life. You don’t have to like it, but you’ll have to accept it.”
“Jesus Christ,” Carter mutters, running a hand over his face. “Since when do they let kids join the army?”
“Not the army,” Hunter says quietly. “The Marines.”
For a moment, there’s a deadly silence.
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?” The words detonate from Carter’s mouth.
“That’s enough, Dad. It’s my final decision.”
Carter shakes his head. “Then get out!”
Silence descends upon us again. But Carter seems to be gaining steam, not losing it.
“Get out!” he repeats. “If you’re not going to follow my rules, get out of my house right now!”
“Carter,” I plead, “please—”
“Stay out of this, Mackenzie.” His words feel like a slap.
“Is that your final decision?” Hunter asks, and I can tell he’s struggling not to lose it himself.
“Yes. If this is what you want, then I don’t want to see you again.” Carter’s voice is cold as ice.
Hunter turns to Carey and hugs him fiercely. Tears are running down Carey’s cheeks, and his hands claw into Hunter’s shirt, not wanting to let him go. But then his brother frees himself, and Carey’s hands are holding on to nothing.
Hunter comes over to me, holds my face in his hands, bends close to my ear, and whispers, “I love you, doll.”
I swallow hard. He leans back and looks at me with his chocolate-brown eyes for one never-ending moment before he leans forward and kisses me on the mouth—hard.
“WHAT THE HELL?” Carter bellows, but Hunter is already storming out of the house.
Carter stretches out his hand, as if he doesn’t want to let his son go, but he doesn’t say anything. We hear an engine howl outside, and Carey runs after him, calling his name. When I hear sobs coming from the driveway, I run after him.
Carey’s kneeling on the asphalt, all alone. Kneeling beside him, I throw my arms around him. “It’s okay,” I whisper.
“No, Mac, he can’t leave! Hunter can’t leave!”
“I’m so sorry, honey,” I say into his ear, hugging him tight.
“He can’t leave.”
I stroke his hair. “Give him a few hours, then we’ll go looking for him, okay?”
He nods. “I’m scared.”
“Me too, honey. Me too.”
When we go back inside, Carter’s sitting on the couch, his head buried in his hands.
“How could you?” Carey demands. “You chased him away!”
Carter looks up. His eyes are red. I can tell he’s trying to hold back but can’t. “Don’t talk to me like that, Carey! Go to your room!”
Carey gives him an incredulous look. Then, wordlessly, he turns around and runs upstairs.
I don’t know how to deal with Carter in this state. So I just sit down beside him and hesitantly put a hand on his arm. His muscles tense up.
“Why did he kiss you like that?” he asks coldly.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Does he have feelings for you?”
“Maybe a little, but nothing serious, I don’t think.” Lying to him rips me apart.
“How long have you known?”
Swallowing, I tilt my head. “Six months?”
“And you didn’t think I might be interested to know my son was falling in love with my girlfriend?” He sounds angry, and I don’t like it.
“I thought he just had a crush on me. Carter, is this really what you want to talk about right now?”
He gets up and paces up the room. “No.” He shakes his head sadly. “But the only one I have left is you.”
“Okay,” I say quietly. “If you need somebody to take it out on, that’s fine. I’m here. I’m here for you and Carey.”
He looks at me and snorts. “I’m not the type of man who shouts at his girlfriend.”
“I know.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “I should talk to Carey.”
“You should.”
He pins me with his eyes. “Okay.” After kissing me on the head, he goes upstairs.
Then I get to work trying to figure out where Hunter went. I call Devon, the most obvious choice, but he hasn’t heard from Hunter. He doesn’t know where he could be, either. I call Hunter’s cell, but of course he doesn’t pick up. I send him a text telling him I’m worried, to call me.
And then I remember the rage mountain.
When I get there, he’s sitting in the dirt staring out at the ocean. I get out of the car and walk over to him. “Hey,” I say quietly, sitting down beside him.
“I have to do this, Mac,” he says, not even looking at me.
“I know,” I say and look at the ground.
“I can’t stay here.”
“I know.”
He looks at me. “The situation is eating me up inside.”
I nod, tears welling in my eyes.
“Mac, I love you. I’m totally crazy about you. I can’t think of anything but you. And it breaks my heart knowing that you don’t feel the same way about me, and never will.”
“I’m so sorry,” I mumble, the tears running down my cheeks.
“Don’t cry, doll, please don’t cry. I can’t take it.” Gently, he strokes my cheek.
“I wish things were different,” I whisper.
He nods. “Just tell me one thing, Mac, okay?”
“Okay.”
“If you weren’t with Dad, if I’d met you as a legal adult…could you have fallen in love with me?” He looks a little lost, insecure, because he’s hoping for an answer that will make things easier and harder for him at the same time. I can see traces of the little boy he once was
in the man he has become.
So what can I say? A no would rip him apart. A yes, too. Which is better? Knowing that it would never have worked, or that it’s only this way because fate dealt him this card? That it was just bad timing?
Finally, I nod.
His smile is sad. His chocolate eyes look desperate. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Kiss me like you’re my girl. Just once.”
I hesitate for a moment. I don’t want to refuse him this wish, but I don’t want to hurt Carter, either. But in the end…my heart takes over.
I grab his beautiful face with my hands and smile at him. He waits—just like he promised. He won’t initiate anything ever again. Our gazes are locked as I bend toward him, gently let my lips brush over his, feel his breath halt for a second, and let my mouth melt into his.
He pulls me onto his lap, and I can feel his erection. His hands slide down to my butt, and he squeezes our hips together. He pushes his erection against me, and I moan.
I tap against him with my tongue, and he opens his lips. I penetrate him, and our sweet kiss turns into a passionate one. His penis, pushing against my clit, takes my breath away.
He takes one hand off my butt and moves it across my belly, stroking the underside of my breasts with his thumbs.
“I would love to see your tits, doll. Just once,” he says hoarsely. I’m sure then that he’s going to take my clothes off, but he doesn’t. Like he wants to save it for later. Instead, he kisses me again, gently stroking my stomach.
“So perfect! So damn perfect!” he mumbles between his kisses, as they grow more passionate.
“Hunter, stop,” I murmur, even though his kisses are driving me so crazy I can hardly think straight. “Please stop.”
Obediently pulling away, he gives me a gentle look. “Sorry. You’re just unbelievable. You’ve been driving me crazy ever since I first met you.”
My eyes widen. “Ever since you first met me? But you hated me back then!”
He gives me a charming smile. “But I loved your tits.”
I nudge his shoulder and move to get up. A sorrowful moan escapes his lips, and he stops me with his hands on my hips.
“One more kiss, beautiful,” he says quietly. Again, he waits for me to make the first move. And I do. After half an eternity, we separate, and regret spreads throughout me.
“Mac, I said I was leaving next week, but I’m not coming home again. I’m going to stay with Shane. Boot camp is here in San Diego, but…”
“I get it, Hunter. It’s hard enough.”
He nods sadly. “Do me one more favor.”
I look at him, waiting.
“I’m going to come pick up my stuff tomorrow morning. Please don’t be there, and make sure Care’s not there, either. I’m not strong enough to say goodbye to him again.”
I nod, and he gets up. Then he grabs my hand and helps me stand. He hugs me gently, planting another fleeting kiss on my lips, before turning and running to his car. I stand in the heat of the Californian sun and look after the car carrying Hunter away from me.
And I have never felt so lonely in my life…
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Impressum
Copyright: © 2017 Annie Stone
Translation: LanguageBIZ
Editing: Annie Cosby
Cover: Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs with pictures from Shutterstock
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