"If I knew that Eva wanted to work out her problems so she could be a better mother to Sienna, I'd support her fully. To be honest, Todd and I want to stay out of the middle of this as much as possible, but if it comes down to it, we won't lie. Not when our only grandchild's welfare is at stake. You do what you have to do. I just hope it doesn't get ugly. Speaking of Miss Sienna, it's been a while since we had quality time with her. Would it be all right to keep her for the weekend?"
"I bet she'd love that!" Hunter tickled Sienna's belly. "Wanna spend time over at Gramma's house, baby girl?"
"Yay!" Sienna clapped her hands.
"Well, I guess that answers the question," Hunter chuckled, setting Sienna down on the floor. "She's getting over an ear infection, so I hope she won't be too much trouble."
"Nothing we can't handle." Mr. Sunstrom waved his hand in dismissal. "We had two kids. We've seen and dealt with it all."
"I didn't mean to say you can't," Hunter started. He shook his head. "I'll go get her bag together. Becca, would you come with me for a moment?" The look in his eyes told her he had something to say and he wanted to get it out of the way.
"Sure." She stood, her knees a little shaky. Goodness, why couldn't she get control of her body or her thoughts?
"We'll be right back," Hunter told the Sundstroms.
Up the stairs and in Sienna's room, Hunter set his hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "Angel, I don't even know where to begin. I know you have a lot of questions. I- I didn't expect them so soon. This is leaving me in an awkward place, because there's things I haven't said yet." Regret flashed in his eyes.
"I noticed that," Becca said softly, unsure how to proceed. "How is it that I know so much and so little about you, Hunter? I feel like I'm missing a huge piece to things and it's been going on all day."
He lowered his head. "You know it's not easy for me to open up, but I know if we even have a shot at a future that I have to change that. I promise you, I'm going to try. I might fail a few times before I succeed, but for you, I want to try." He took her hands in his, the look in his eyes so intent on her it made her shiver. "I love you. We'll see them off and I'll take you out for that sunset photo shoot. Then we'll talk."
"Okay." Becca leaned in to kiss him. "Let me in, Hunter. Let me know the deepest parts of you, no matter how much they hurt. I want to be strong for you like you've been for me, but you have to open that door."
"I'm going to, or I'll die trying," he said seriously before holding her face in his hands and kissing her with an immense passion.
*****
So the good thing was that Becca meeting his former inlaws went well. The bad thing was that he had so much explaining to do. Not that he didn't before, but the position he'd put Becca in was awkward. He could tell she had no idea what to say, how to react. He thought he'd have more time. At least without Sienna home for a couple of days, he had a chance to really spend some time with Becca. She was right. He needed to let her in. Time to get to the gritty things in his life and lay it all on the line.
He wasn't about to lose her when he'd just found her again.
He'd fully intended on taking Becca to capture the sunset with her new camera, but the clouds were too thick on the horizon, so it ended up being a bust.
She'd been fairly quiet the last few hours. She wasn't one to be angry, but she definitely seemed to be thinking. They had a quick dinner. She was about to pick up her plate and head to the kitchen when Hunter stood before her and took it from her hands gently. He set the dish back down on the table, then took her hands in his. Before he spoke, he raised her hands to his lips and kissed them. He had so much to say, and he figured he'd start from the beginning. From meeting Eva's father, and everything after that.
"I was eighteen when I met Eva's dad. He helped me with flight lessons, and we struck up a friendship. He took me under his wing in a lot of ways. The first few times I couldn't deal with being on the plane. He sat me down and asked why I had a desire to fly if I couldn't even get on that plane without freaking out. So I told him. I thought for sure he'd tell me to forget about it. Instead, he helped me even more. We've been friends ever since. I used to spend a lot of time with them and their son. It was nice, especially because I was on my own by then. After I obtained all the hours and certificates I needed, he hired me on with his small charter company. I didn't meet Eva until four years later. She'd just gone off to college when I came around. She pursued me for a few years before I gave in and went on a date with her. She's hard to read, and my first impressions of her weren't the best."
"I remember you telling me about being on again, off again with someone," Becca said when Hunter stopped talking to gather his thoughts.
"Yeah, that was her. Want to sit outside and I'll tell you the rest?"
"I'd like that very much." Her tone was gentle.
Hand in hand, they settled on the patio. Hunter cleared his throat. This was the part that he found hard to talk about. "I'm going to cut to the rough part of this story. Eva had a twin brother. Not too long after I married her, Jeff was in a serious head-on motorcycle accident." The pain of the memory burned in his chest. Everything had changed after that. Everything.
Becca gasped. He faced her, seeking comfort from her touch. She wrapped her arms around him tighter. He wanted to get lost in her and forget all about the pain, but he had to finish getting this out.
"He couldn't be saved. I did what I could to pull a few strings and get him in the program, but just as he'd been accepted, he made a turn for the worse and didn't make it." Hunter fought back the regret that rose in his throat. "I couldn't even help save the brother of my own wife. That took it's toll on my relationship with Eva. She was devastated! I know a family bond is strong, especially with a twin. I couldn't take her pain away no matter how much I wanted to. The moment I walked out of that room and stood face to face with her, she knew. They all knew." They all knew that I failed. That's what he'd wanted to say, but held back. No need to play the blame game, even though he played it often inside his head.
"And you blame yourself," Becca stated in a voice tinged with a deep layer of emotion.
Unable to breathe, Hunter turned away. Warm air engulfed him and threatened to swallow him whole. He'd come outside for fresh air and still couldn't find comfort. Deep, rugged pain took control of his body and tore him up from the inside out. "I blame myself," he repeated slowly. "I could have-" He could have, should have done so many things. "Eva and I were already in trouble. After Jeff's death, she pulled completely away. Turned on me. I think she blames me."
"Hunter, look at me," Becca requested. At his hesitance, she cupped his face. "Sweetie, you can't save everybody. It's just not possible. I know it's harder because it was someone you were close to, but there's nothing more you could have done to save him. If Eva blames you, that's her anger talking. You have to let that pain go."
Her words slammed into him with full force. In his heart, he knew she was right. But his mind had conflicting thoughts. He loved her for trying.
"For the longest time, as I worked hard to get a sense of normalcy back in my life, I thought my injuries and struggles were brought on because I didn't do enough to save my family." Becca looked him straight in the eye and at her words, his heart shattered.
How could she ever think that?
"Becca-" His voice came out strangled and ragged. Now this was something she'd never, ever told him!
"I thought I was being punished. Yes, that's where my mind went at a point in time. I wondered how a little thing like me could survive when my parents and sister died!" She drew in a deep breath. She was trying hard to fight the tears. Hunter pulled her to him, ready to comfort her again. "They should have had a chance!"
"Angel, no way did you do anything wrong." God, what could he say to this? But he understood that pain all too well.
"I learned after a while that I didn't have the power to change the outcome, and that's what I'm trying to tell you. You're so em
otionally invested in trying to save people that it takes everything out of you when someone loses their life. You feel so strong, so passionate about it that every little loss takes it's toll." Becca kissed his cheek. "What you need to remember is that you've saved far more than you lost. Mourning for those you've lost is normal, but taking the blame every single time there's a loss isn't good for you. No wonder you're so torn up. Just when I think you've been through so much, I learn more."
The last thing Hunter wanted was pity, but he knew better with Becca. She didn't pity him. She hurt right along with him. A pair of fireflies danced in the air almost above them. Hunter pulled Becca closer again and rested his head on top of hers. They sat there in silence for a while. He wasn't exactly sure how long. He half expected to be interrupted by Sienna crying or the ringing of the telephone, but that was silly because Sienna had gone down for the night already. He'd talked to her on the phone right before dinner and she'd been doing well.
He finally had a free night with Becca at home and they were sitting in strained silence because he hadn't opened up earlier.
"I love you, Becca." He raised his head and drew invisible circles on her cheekbones with his fingertips. A hot spike of desire shot through him, especially when Becca raised her gaze to his face. Her lips parted slightly. Hunter took that opportunity to make his move, inching closer to her. The way she was so open and waiting for him only drove that stake of desire deeper inside. No way did Becca know just how much he wanted and needed her in so many ways. He'd have to show her as much as possible. The last thing he wanted was to ruin the start of something new with the one person that always understood him, when he chose to let her in. That too. He had to let her in more. Becca wasn't going to judge him or point fingers. She would listen and give him a fair thought.
"I love you too," she responded in between hot, fiery kisses.
She was startled when he jumped to his feet and reached for her hands to have her standing at his side. As he wrapped her in his arms, he leaned over and whispered huskily in her ear. "I want you. In my heart, in my bed, in my world. I want you forever."
Chapter Twenty Two
Becca barely had a chance to respond when Hunter swept her up in his arms and carried her back inside the house. He tried to close the door one-handed while still attempting to keep a firm grip on her. She laughed, holding on to him as tight as she could. "Hunter!" she cried between fits of laughter.
"You're finding out little by little that there's not much macho to this man," Hunter teased, setting her down in order to close and lock the sliding glass door. "Or maybe it's that I'm so awestruck around you I can't keep focus. Yeah, you know what, that's how it is. It's all you." He flashed her a sweet grin. His eyes held a mixed glaze of love, need, and a little bit of humor.
"All me, huh?" Becca taunted, loving the way he looked right now. So handsome. She still had to keep from pinching herself to find out if this was all a dream. Who would have thought she and Hunter would find love with each other? But as he'd said before, the signs were there. They always had been. Both of them were oblivious for so long. "I could find ways to use that to my advantage." She'd never been like this before with anyone, but Hunter made it easy. She was always safe with him. Always.
"You're saying you don't already?" he tossed back playfully. A low growl escaped from his lips before he reached to pull her in his arms again.
"Maybe, maybe not," she said coyly, leaning in for a kiss. "Told you I'm not so innocent."
Hunter laughed. "Nice try. I hate to tell you this, but it's going to take a lot more than that to make me rethink your innocence."
"I had to try."
Hunter shook his head, a gleam in his eye. In a split second, the gleam faded and Hunter's expression turned serious. "Hey. Thank you for today. Really, for every day, but I know you were put on the spot when Eva's parents came by."
"You don't have to-"
Hunter shushed her, gently touching her lips with his fingers. When he removed them from her lips, he gave her a soft kiss. "I do have to. You've been so great about everything. You-"
"Hunter?" She interrupted, moving her hands to touch his face.
"Yeah?"
"I love you dearly, but you really don't have to thank me. Really. I'd do anything for you. I admit, it's been a strange day just for the fact that there were things I didn't know, but it's okay. This is the time for us to really learn more about each other, awkward as that might be." She kissed the corner of his lips. "So, let's busy that mouth of yours with something else." Need pooled in her gut, spreading throughout her body.
"What do you have in mind?" His voice went low.
"Kiss me, for starters."
At her words, his smile spread. He dipped his head and covered her lips with his own. "Happy to oblige," he muttered against her mouth. "Anything else, my queen?"
She giggled, running a hand up underneath his shirt. "Leaving it up to me? Sure you want to do that?"
Hunter took a step back and bowed. "I am at your service, forever in your debt." His eyes were warm, ablaze with love and adoration.
Becca slid closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you."
Once again, he swept her up in his arms, tipped her head back slightly and kissed her. "I love you, too. What do you say we spend the night completely wrapped in each other?"
"Lead the way," Becca whispered sultrily.
"Happy to oblige." With a wink, Hunter sailed out of the dining room with Becca in his arms and headed up the stairs.
*****
"Becca, will you please stop singing that annoying song?"
Hunter peeked over the top of his game and stifled a groan. Great, now there'd probably be a fight between the two. Just what he wanted. He sank lower in his seat and turned his attention away from them.
"Sorry!" Becca, the younger one snapped, drawing out the word. She huffed and went back to coloring.
"She wasn't even being that loud, Ellie," their mom protested. What fun for her to be on the plane with two sisters that weren't getting along at the moment. Times like that made Hunter glad he was an only child.
"The song is annoying!" Ellie snapped. "It's such a kids song. I swear you always side with her. It's always about Becca. Ever since ... ugh, never mind."
Hunter caught her eye roll.
"Don't go there, Ellie. Not here, not now," her father warned, his tone low.
That was odd.
Becca was about to say something when the plane seemed to shake pretty hard. Whoa, kinda creepy. His stomach flip flopped at the weird sensation. He pretended to not let it bother him and focused on the game again.
"We're about to go inside a storm!" his mom commented. She sounded a little scared.
"Planes go in storms all the time, dear. It'll be just a bit of turbulence and we'll be fine," Dad reassured her. "How are you doing, son?"
"Fine, Dad. Just playing my game," Hunter replied, not letting on that the shaky flight bothered him a lot more.
"We re going to fly through lightning?" the older girl shrieked, moving away from the window as another powerful flash lit up the night. The plane shook again, even more this time. Wow, this wasn't cool anymore. Hunter watched everyone's reactions, wondering if they were just as worried. He could already tell the girls were, but what about their parents?
Yep, everyone seemed nervous.
The cockpit door opened and one of the pilots stuck his head out. "Everyone needs to stay in their seats and buckle up. Wild weather ahead."
Hunter couldn't be sure, but he noticed the nervous look in the guy's eyes, too.
Something had to be going on, much worse than the storm. He didn't know why he had that sudden feeling, but he couldn't stop thinking that something was wrong.
"Ellie, Becca, sit up straight and buckle in, okay?" their father instructed.
Before his own parents could say anything, Hunter straightened in his seat and clicked in his belt. He darted a quick look to his parents, who were doing
the same thing, exchanging a worried frown.
"Is the lightning going to get us?" Becca asked.
"Don't be so dumb," Ellie scoffed.
"Ellie! What is your problem with your sister tonight?" The girls' mother snapped.
"She's being-" Ellie started to say before the plane was hit by lightning. Or at least, that's what he thought happened. There was a bright flash and a loud rumbling sound that seemed to go on forever.
"Oh my word, I think we've been hit!" Hunter's mom shouted.
Both Ellie and Becca shrieked.
"Let's just calm down." Hunter's dad made his best attempt at sounding calm so maybe everyone else would be.
His own heartbeat thumped against his ribcage as he sucked in a sharp breath. That was freaking crazy! He almost didn't want to look out the window, but turned his head in that direction anyway.
"Something smells funny," another voice piped up.
She'd been quiet for so long, Hunter almost forgot about her, but the quivering voice resonated in his head as her fearful yet calm tone came out of nowhere.
The plane shuddered again and seemed to be plummeting. All of a sudden his stomach clenched, kind of like the same feeling he got while riding a roller coaster. But this was no roller coaster and it wasn't fun.
They were going to crash!
At the same time he faced that realization, the girl's face came into view, the same one that had just spoken so quietly earlier.
*****
Hunter bolted out of bed, gasping for air. He was drenched in sweat once again. He put a hand over his fast beating heart. This time he managed to not wake up Becca. She merely mumbled and turned over. Hunter stood at the edge of the bed staring down at her silhouetted sleeping form. He bent over her to kiss her cheek and ran a hand along her arm. "I love you, angel," he whispered before creeping away from the bed, heading toward the bathroom to pee and wipe off the sweat.
That dream scared the shit out of him. The way it felt, like he was on a continuous fall, but most of all that quiet voice and face. That last face he saw before waking up.
A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) Page 22