I put a hand to my mouth, horrified for him, for what he’d gone through.
“They found her body down river that evening. Something about her having a seizure; some kind of medical condition caused it that they never even knew she had,” Hunter murmured. “I was never the same after that,” he confessed.
I lifted the edge of the arm of his T-shirt, revealing the only tattoo he had. A rose being squeezed by thorns with drops of blood dripping down. The initial A.C. and H. W. were on either side. Hunter Wright and Alison Carter.
“I got that after I turned eighteen, about nineteen months after Alison died,” Hunter said.
“I’m sorry, Hunter,” I whispered. Hunter sat back once again and pulled me with him. I let my head fall on his chest. I remembered hearing about the drowning now that Hunter brought it up. It happened only a county over, and I was pretty sure my momma had sent flowers and food to the family. I’d had no idea Hunter had known, had loved, the girl who died.
“It’s not an excuse,” Hunter promised. “But, that’s why I left. I got scared. Plain and simple. I was terrified I’d lose the only woman I’d ever truly loved. That history was bound to repeat itself. I’m sorry for that, Jen.”
“It’s okay, Hunter. I get it, I do. But you see now what I mean, right?” I asked. “About us not knowing all that much about each other? And that rushing into marriage, no matter how much we love each other, no matter how much I want to, could be disastrous?”
Hunter pulled me closer and sighed deeply. “I know I don’t want to hurt this baby and that I want to be a part of yours and the baby’s life in whatever capacity I can,” he answered slowly. “Don’t get me wrong, I plan to marry you, Jen, so you might as well just get used to the idea, because I plan to work very hard from here on out to make you see just how good we will be together.”
I couldn’t help myself. I was grinning. “I can live with that,” I answered softly.
“So, what happens now?” Hunter asked.
I melted into him, suddenly tired from staying up all night worrying about that stupid present. “Now we have a baby,” I answered easily.
“And what happens between us?” Hunter murmured as he kissed the top of my head. “Where do we go from here, since everything is all out of order?”
Man, was he ever right about that. I thought for a moment. “Well, there’s a nice little movie theater downtown,” I said with a small smile. “I hear the owner may be able to hook us up with some free tickets and all the boxes of Whoppers this pregnant girl can eat. I also heard it’s a good spot for first dates and makin’ out.” I peeked up into Hunter’s face.
He looked half amused and half surprised. “Jennifer Collins, mother of my unborn child, are you asking me out on a date?”
I grinned impishly. “Yes, I think I am,” I answered with a laugh.
Hunter watched me for a while before answering. “I think a date would be perfect,” he answered softly. He nuzzled my ear, making me squirm and giggle. “Especially the making out part,” he murmured.
I swatted his chest.
The curtains in the living room were pulled back, revealing the snow-covered front yard. We sat there watching the snow as it fell, blanketing the world outside in a fresh layer of beauty. It reminded me of new beginnings and of fresh starts. Something Hunter and I were lucky enough to have together.
“Merry Christmas, Hunter,” I said.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
“So, dating, huh?” Beth mentioned.
“Yup. Dating.”
“This is good, right?” Beth asked, eyeing me over the apples I’d tasked her to core and peel.
“I think so,” I agreed. “Time to really get to know each other before the baby gets here and see if we can work everything out together.
“Makes sense,” she said. “And Hunter was good with the idea?”
I snorted as I continued peeling my own pile of apples. “Once I got it through his thick skull that I wouldn’t be marrying him, yeah, he was good with it.”
Beth’s eyes were round. “He asked you to marry him?”
“Demanded, more like it. Me in my pajamas, him just back in town and speaking to me after months, and he decided marriage was the answer,” I huffed, peeling the apple in my hand a little too harshly.
“Men can be such knuckleheads sometimes,” Beth muttered.
“Preachin’ to the choir,” I said with a sigh.
“But everything is good between you guys now, right?” Beth prodded.
I smiled. “It’s very good,” I confided.
“I’m so glad, Jen,” Beth said.
“Yeah, he went home on Christmas afternoon and told his family, except for Matt, of course,” I said. Matt had been home with Beth, and Beth had let him in on the family gossip.
Beth was grinning. “Matt was so shocked that he didn’t say anything for an hour,” Beth said with a shake of her head. “I have no idea if the biggest shock was that you were pregnant by his baby brother or that he was old enough to be an uncle.” Beth and I both laughed.
“Hunter said his father had the same reaction. He said Daniel just laughed and congratulated him, Mrs. Wright cried, and his father was just shocked he was going to be called grandpa soon,” I said with a chuckle. “Of course, Mrs. Wright knew even before Hunter. I swear I will never try to keep something from that woman again.”
Beth clucked her tongue. “A fruitless endeavor. Mrs. Wright is a sharp woman. She had to be while raising three boys… She’s the only woman in that family.” Beth and I both shuddered.
“I’m just glad everything is out in the open now.” I sat my peeler down and cut few pieces of apple to nibble on. “It took entirely too much energy keeping all those secrets.” Beth swiped a few pieces of apple for herself.
“And what about Hunter’s job with the company?” Beth asked.
“He’s going to keep running it in St. Louis for now. But he’s going to cut back on trips until the baby is born, and then try to work mostly from their home office here and commute when he needs to.” I shrugged. Hunter said he hated the traveling and was glad he was going to have an excuse to work more closely to home. He was a homebody. He’d only agreed to the traveling because he thought we were over.
“And the business here seems to be doing great,” Beth said with a wide smile.
“It’s doing real good. The inn is super slow right now, but that’s to be expected. The bakery is doing enough to make up for it.”
“You seem happy with how everything has turned out,” Beth said softly.
I smiled. “I am. I guess I should be all stressed out or freaked out or whatever, but I think that time has passed. I feel good about where I am right now and where mine and Hunter’s relationship is,” I answered with a shrug. “That will probably change just as soon as I’m headed into the delivery room.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll remind you of this very moment when you said you were all calm and whatnot,” she said.
I laughed and nodded my head. “And you would too.”
“So, when will you be seeing Hunter again?” she asked.
“He’s going to be in St. Louis for a day or two, and then we’re going to go out for lunch and do some shopping for the baby together this weekend.”
“Wow. He must really love you if he’s letting you drag him out shopping,” Beth said with a romantic sigh and a dramatic flutter of her lashes. I rolled my eyes and tossed an apple peel at her.
“And after that?” she asked.
“And after that, we’ll see,” I said. “Though I happen to know Hunter has a pair of Super Bowl tickets burning a hole in his pocket, so we might take an overnight trip for that.”
Beth raised a brow. “Ooh la la,” she murmured.
I rolled my eyes at her again. “I don’t want to rush this. I want us both to really get to know each other and to realize what we’re getting into here,” I explained. “And I never want to be proposed to again in my pajamas, looking like
a tired, beached whale all because that is what we think is expected. I want it to be right.”
Beth blinked a few times and then turned her face back to her job. “I should kick Hunter’s rear end for you for that messed up proposal,” Beth muttered darkly.
“Awe, don’t go givin’ him a hard time. He was dealing with everything the best way he knew how,” I said. “And I gotta say… he took a lot in in a short amount of time and handled it pretty well. I could’ve done without the impromptu proposal, but it could’ve been worse.”
“That’s very true,” Beth agreed. “Still, I thought the guy had more game than that.”
I laughed. “Well, he loves me, I love him, and we’re both dedicated to being there for the baby,” I said. “What more can I ask for?”
“What more could any of us ask for?” Beth said with a small smile.
I started chopping the apples for hand pies and apple crumble.
It was a beautiful day for baking.
I look like a freaking blimp, I thought as I stared at my reflection. I was wearing a red halter-topped, baby doll dress with a flirty hemline that hit just above my knees and a little, pink sweater. I didn’t know in that moment if I’d kiss Hunter or hit him if he brought me a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. I ran my hand over the top of my stomach and turned to the side. Not much longer now, little one, I whispered. Only four weeks left before my due date.
“Jen?” I heard the door shut behind Hunter as he entered the house downstairs. I grabbed my small purse off the bed and gave myself an once-over in the mirror. I huffed. Well, I was as good as I was going to get.
“Coming,” I yelled down. I came down the stairs, excited for our big night out and our first Valentine’s together. We’d gone out together twice a week since Christmas—to the movies, out to eat, shopping, sometimes just out for long walks and to talk. Things had been going well, and I was starting to feel like we were on the right path. When I made it to the bottom of the stairs, Hunter came up to me with a look of absolute love and longing on his face. I could feel myself blushing. It never ceased to amaze me that as huge and unattractive as I sometimes felt, Hunter could wipe all that away with a single glance.
“You look beautiful,” Hunter murmured. He held out a hand filled with pink roses and baby’s breath. I grinned, reaching out and bringing them to my face to breath in the intoxicating scent. Hunter brought his other arm from behind his back and held out a small, plush puppy with floppy ears and a large, heart-shaped box of chocolates.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart,” Hunter said softly. I smiled up into his eyes and closed the space between us. Hunter took his time showing me exactly how much he’d missed me. And how much he loved me.
“You keep kissing me like that, and I’ll be wanting to stay here instead of going out,” I murmured against his lips. Hunter pulled back and grinned wickedly.
“Oh no you don’t, Jennifer Collins. I get to be seen out on the town tonight with the prettiest girl in all the world. You can’t take away braggin’ rights from a guy on Valentine’s,” he said with a wink.
I slapped a hand on his chest. “We’re just going to have dinner and see a quick movie then,” I said. “Because this baby insists on sitting right on my bladder lately and doesn’t give Mommy a rest.” Hunter bent down in front of me and put his hands around my stomach. I rolled my eyes as he spoke to the baby. He’d been doing it a lot lately, saying he was determined that the baby’s first word was going to be Daddy.
“You hear that?” he said with his lips near my stomach. “Mommy says you’re not letting her rest, but Daddy says when you come out that you can play, kick, and wiggle as much as you want and he’ll be right beside you, not bothered in the least.”
I glanced down at the top of his head. My heart swelled each time I saw him like this, bonding with his baby. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the highlight of his day, of his week, was when he was with the baby and me, and that knowledge kept me going day after day despite my comfort and despite being well over the pregnancy honeymoon phase. Hunter continued on his little banter with the baby for another minute or so before standing. He had a black dress shirt on with the sleeves rolled back and pair of black slacks. He came straight from his office in St. Louis to pick me up.
“Suck up,” I muttered.
Hunter threw his head back and laughed. “I have to get my time in when I can. You get her to yourself twenty-four hours a day,” he said.
I raised a brow. “Don’t I know it,” I answered. “And… her?” I asked, teasing.
Hunter shrugged. “Beth has finally gotten to you,” I said with a tsk.
Hunter reached over and gave me another breath-stealing kiss. “The only person that has ever gotten to me is you, Jennifer Collins,” he said huskily. He stepped back and took my goodies from me. “Now let’s go before I let you talk me into stayin’,” he said with a wink.
We had dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant just outside of town before we headed for the movie theater. We went in through the front without tickets and stocked up on all kinds of goodies before heading to our theater. There were a lot of perks to loving Hunter, but owning movie theaters was high on the awesomeness list.
“There’s no one in here,” I whispered as we found the best seats in the whole room. Front and center, midway back. Close enough to see everything, but far enough away we didn’t get a kink in our necks. I settled back into my super comfortable chair while Hunter settled beside me. He was fidgeting with the goodies we bought, turning off his phone and wiping his hands on his pants. What the heck? Twitchy much?
“You need to go to the bathroom?” I asked with a crooked grin. Hunter rolled his eyes at me. “And where is everyone?” I glanced around the theater. It was Valentine’s night, surely other people in Salem thought a movie date was a good idea that night.
“I reserved this specific theater just for us,” Hunter said. He laughed at the expression on my face.
“You reserved us an entire theater?” I asked, gobsmacked. Hunter reached over and pushed my jaw up. I took the hint and closed my pie-hole.
“It pays to be the owner,” he said by way of answer.
“I guess so. And by extension, to be the sweetheart of the owner,” I said.
“You’d be right about that, sweetheart,” he murmured.
The lights begin to dim, and the regular movie theater commercials began playing. I leaned over, resting my head on Hunter’s arm. I was a lucky lady.
Once the normal, buy your goodies in the lobby and don’t be a jerk, turn off your phones commercials were over, the good previews would begin. I relaxed into Hunter. Previews were one of my favorite parts of going to the movies. But instead of a normal preview popping up, something else caught my attention.
On the screen, a few simple words, set in a scenery of black and white, appeared, making my mouth pop open and my heart hammer in my chest. I sat up in my seat, letting go of Hunter’s arm.
“Once upon a time, a beautiful princess was born.” A baby picture appeared then. One of me when I was a newborn, one that had been in my mother’s room for as long as I could remember. I blinked in confusion and glanced over at Hunter, who was smiling. He pointed back up at the big screen. What the heck?
“Her mother named her Jennifer Collins.” Another picture of me appeared, but this time, my mother was in the picture as well, smiling and holding me in her lap. I clasped a hand over my mouth, blinking back tears of surprise.
“Jennifer grew in beauty and grace and everyone loved her, for she was a kind and generous little girl.” More pictures now. Pictures of my mother and me when I was growing up. Pictures of Beth and me after we’d become friends in grade school. Pictures of me in school and at church.
“One day, Jennifer grew up and became a lovely young woman. She was strong, smart, and a friend to everyone she met.” Pictures of me helping out at church and of Beth and me at her wedding. Pictures of Hunter and me the past summer and ev
en more recently.
“When Jennifer became a mother, her grace and beauty multiplied tenfold. And so did everyone’s admiration of her.” Tears were running down my cheeks now. Pictures of me pregnant, ultrasound pictures, pictures of Beth patting my stomach, and of Hunter kissing it and kissing me.
“Then one day, Hunter Wright (the handsome prince) came back into Jennifer’s life after making the worst mistake of his life by running away.” Pictures of Hunter pouting and one of him obviously begging for forgiveness. Pictures of us together I hadn’t even know someone had taken. I was laughing and crying at the same time. Hunter pressed a napkin into my hand as I watched the screen.
“The handsome prince, Hunter, became a father when Jennifer became a mother and he wanted nothing more in this world than to welcome their new baby into a family when she was born.” Pictures of Pastor and Mrs. Wright holding up a sign that read: “Welcome to the family, Grandma and Grandpa love you.” A picture of Daniel and Keith holding up a sign that read: “Welcome to the family. We’re your favorite uncles.” And finally, a picture of Matt holding up a sign that read: “Welcome to the family, little Elizabeth,” and Beth holding up one that read: “Now put the man out of his misery, Jen!”
I snorted. Leave it to Beth. The final picture faded away, and another screen popped up.
“You see, Hunter realized his life was incomplete without the lovely Princess Jennifer by his side. He wanted her to know that he loved her more than he had loved anyone his entire life and that his love for her and the baby she carried was stronger than his fears.” A picture of Hunter on his knee, holding a dozen roses and a ring box.
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