“Have a good day. I’ll be home by four at the latest.”
She plopped back down onto the pillow and whined as I walked into the bathroom. I needed to wash my face. I didn’t want to take the chance of anyone smelling Jules on me. The guys are pigs, so I had to avoid that at all costs.
“That’s almost twelve hours away,” she called out.
“I’m well aware, baby. I’ll be counting down the minutes. Take out whatever you want for dinner, and I’ll cook when I get home.”
I came out of the bathroom. She lay there in nothing but her tank, and Jules rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Have a great day at work while I lounge by your pool in a string bikini and eat all your food.”
I laughed at her attempt to sway me. “Love you,” I said as I walked out the door.
“Love you, too,” she yelled after me.
I peeked in on Calum before I left. Having Jules and him in my house felt so right. It’d been less than twenty-four hours, and I could already tell I wouldn’t want them to leave after these next few weeks. I didn’t care where we lived, but I needed to convince her that no matter what, it had to be together.
I headed off to work on a mission to get shit done as quickly as possible so I could get back to them.
It was three o’clock. I sent the guys home early and let Mike know he was to cover for me tomorrow. I was taking the day off. Today was torture knowing they were at home and I wasn’t with them.
Before starting the truck, I grabbed my phone from the cup holder and saw I had a couple missed texts. I ignored them all except for Jules’s four texts.
Jules: I miss you.
Jules: Is that corny?
Jules: It totally is. I bet you’re showing the guys and laughing at me.
Jules: Ugh. I shouldn’t have sent that.
Shit. I should’ve brought my phone with me. I’d always left it in the truck, so I didn’t look unprofessional on site by constantly checking it. But with Jules and Calum back in my life, I really needed to make sure I had it on me at all times.
Me: I’m so sorry, baby. I leave my phone in the truck, and I didn’t get these until now. I missed you guys like crazy, so much so that I took tomorrow off. I’m on my way home now. See you soon.
Me: Oh, and I would NEVER show your texts to the guys, and I won’t EVER laugh at you with them.
My phone pinged with a text almost immediately.
Jules: Oh, thank fuck. I was worried. LOL
Me: Don’t ever worry about telling me how you feel, okay?
Jules: Okay. :)
I stopped by Judy Blooms on the way to grab her some daisies in a vase since I was pretty sure I didn’t have one. I ran up the steps I was so excited to hold her in my arms. Today had been one of the longest days of my life. Unlocking the door felt like it took an eternity. I opened it and was surprised by the smell. Entering the kitchen, I found Calum sitting at the table with some water paints and Jules cooking.
She looked up at me and smiled. “Hey. You’re home. How was work?”
“It was great.” I scrunched up my nose. “Umm, are you cooking?”
She rolled her eyes. “Listen. I may not be the best cook, but the things I do know how to cook are edible and actually taste pretty good. I promise I won’t burn this. Well, unless you distract me.” She gave me a pointed glare.
I laughed at her. “All right. I believe you.”
Calum finally looked up from his masterpiece. “Hunter, wook me paint.”
I walked over to him and checked out what he’d been working on. “That’s awesome. How was your day?” I ruffled his hair, but he didn’t respond as he’d gone back to his painting.
I walked around the island, needing to touch her and pull her in close for a kiss. “I missed you so much. The only thing that got me through today was knowing the faster I worked, the faster I would be home with you guys.”
She smiled up at me. “I missed you, too, and I think Calum did, too. He only asked about you a million times.” She laughed and looked down shyly. “Is this weird? Us being here?”
I pulled back and looked at her questioningly. “I hope it’s not for you because this feels like the most natural thing in the world.”
She visibly relaxed. “Oh, thank God. I was thinking the same thing, but then got worried—”
“You worry too much. Don’t overthink this, all right? Just go with it.” I smiled down at her, trying to reassure her.
She smiled back at me and quickly changed the subject. “Oh. Get this. Calum slept until like ten o’clock. If that isn’t a magic bed, I don’t know what is. You need to hook me up with one.”
“I might be able to pull some strings for the right price.” A smile spread across my face.
She reached down and grabbed my ass. “I’ll pay anything.”
“Anything?” I raised a brow. “Well, in that case. I’ll think long and hard about what I want as payment.”
She laughed at me before smacking my ass.
“Go get cleaned up. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Yes, ma’am.” My face was all smiles as I got ready for dinner. I loved every minute of this domestic shit, and I didn’t ever want it to end. I knew it was really soon, but I couldn’t help it. With Jules, it was just right. As the saying goes, when it was meant to be, it’ll be.
Running back down the stairs as quickly as possible, I sat down beside Calum, and we chatted about our days. Well, I did most of the talking while he painted.
“Do you need any help?” I asked Jules.
“Absolutely not. You cook for me all the time. This is the least I can do.”
I watched her as she moved around my kitchen. She caught me staring a few times but only smiled and continued on with making dinner. She set the table and we ate dinner and talked about our day like this was the norm for us.
The next few weeks went by in much the same way, minus Jules cooking. Although she could make a mean spaghetti as well as pork tenderloin, that’s about all she seemed to be comfortable cooking. I taught her a few things in the kitchen, but I’d done most of the cooking, or we ordered takeout.
I’d been working on the house with the crew so knowing that tomorrow was the day had me all kinds of anxious. I couldn’t believe the house was done. I hadn’t told Jules yet. I wanted to surprise her.
Walking into the house tonight had me on edge. This could be our last night together for I didn’t know how long, and it killed me to think about it.
Calum ran up to me, jumping into my arms as I took off my boots. This had become our daily routine, and it nearly brought me to tears today. I needed to get my shit together. Taking a deep breath and blowing it out helped a little.
“Hey, buddy. Where’s Mama?”
He swung his hand in the direction of the family room.
“In here,” she called out.
We walked into the other room where she sat on the floor with her laptop. She looked up and smiled. I immediately crouched down beside her to lean in for a kiss. I lingered for longer than I usually would, closing my eyes and breathing her in.
Pulling back, I looked at her screen at what appeared to be a logo of sorts. “What are you doing there?”
“I haven’t been working much lately, but a really good friend of mine called today and asked me to work on her logo. She’s going to be publishing her first book this year, so I’m doing some branding for her. She doesn’t know it yet, but it’s going to be my gift to her for her new venture.”
“That’s great. I was going to ask if you would be interested in updating our logo. It’s quite ancient.”
“I’d love to. How was work? How’s the house coming?”
I slid in behind her on the ground as Calum got distracted by the robots dancing on the TV.
“I’m definitely glad it’s Friday. The house is coming. How was your day?” I wrapped my arms around her, resting my head on her shoulder.
“Are you seriously not going to let me see it at all
? This is killing me. You know I hate surprises.”
I laughed at her millionth attempt to sway me. “You don’t hate surprises. You love them. You just don’t like it when you don’t get your way.” I chuckled.
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, which just caused me to laugh harder.
“I do have a surprise for you tomorrow, though, so I will need you to be ready to leave around three. Margaret is going to pick up Calum at noon.”
She moved her computer aside and turned around, straddling my lap. “Another surprise? Are you trying to kill me? Give me a hint?”
“Not going to happen, beautiful.”
“Ugh. At least I only have to wait until tomorrow. Waiting on the house is not that easy.” She would flip tomorrow when I showed her the finished product. It was going to be amazing.
“You’ll get over it. What should we do for dinner?”
“Already ordered pizza. Should be here any minute.”
“Perfect. Let me go get a quick shower, and I’ll be right back down.”
She kissed me with a smile before climbing off my lap.
I woke up and rolled over. Jules slept soundly beside me. I loved watching her sleep. She was always so quiet and barely even moved. Watching Calum was the best, though. He made the cutest faces and noises. I could literally watch him sleep all night.
Lying in bed, I thought about everything I needed to do today to make sure it was just right. Today was the big day, and I felt like I’d been setting this up forever even though it’d only been a few weeks.
I was anxious as fuck, and my nerves were shot. But I couldn’t wait for tonight when this would all be over, and we could move forward. I ran through a list of things I needed to do to make sure everything ran smoothly, and I didn’t ruin the surprise. Margaret would be here at noon. Then I’d take Jules—
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of two little feet running into the room and jumping into the bed with us. Jules squealed along with Calum as she was woken from her sleep.
“Well, good morning.” She kissed his neck in quick succession, causing him to laugh uncontrollably.
“I want some, too.” I grabbed Calum from her and continued with the neck kisses. When he squirmed out of my arms, I pulled Jules into me and kissed her. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning, sexy.”
I cocked a brow. “Sexy, huh?”
“Yup.” She was smiling so big.
“You seem to be in a good mood for this early in the morning.”
“It’s past nine, and I’m actually super excited for my surprise. I’m really hoping for a car or a boat. Something along those lines.”
“Really? Well. I’m going to break my own rule and give you a hint.”
She sat up, rubbing her hands together. “Lay it on me. I’m ready.”
“All right. It’s not a car, and it’s not a boat,” I deadpanned.
She smacked me on the bare chest.
“Ouch, that hurt.”
“No hit Hunter, Mama,” Calum said as he shook his head at her.
“That’s my boy. You tell her.” I pulled him in front of me to protect me.
“Seriously? He’s not even three yet, and he’s already on the guys’ side? I’m in trouble.” She looked around the room. “Seriously, I’m outnumbered.”
“Maybe we need to convince Mama to have a baby sister for you, Calum. What do you think?”
Jules’s jaw dropped. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself.
“Cat got your tongue there, Jules.” I laughed.
“Uh. Yeah. Kind of.”
“Wouldn’t want you to be outnumbered.” I smirked and shrugged as if I didn’t just suggest we have a baby. I loved shocking her, and since I meant every word I said, I didn’t plan on stopping.
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
I rolled my eyes at her lame change of subject but entertained it anyway. “We’re going to hang out after breakfast. Then once Calum’s picked up, I’m taking you shopping, and finally, the big surprise.” I made a big show of spreading my arms and waving my hands dramatically.
“And you’re really not giving me any hints?” She pouted. It was cute but so not working.
“It’s a surprise. Inside and outside. Beach. Pillows. I think that’s enough hints.”
“For real? That’s what I get?”
“That’s it. Now get that sexy—” I looked at Calum. “Bum out of bed and shower. I’ll get Calum ready and pack his bag for Margaret’s.”
“Are we going to the beach? Oooh. Are we going on a boat?”
“No, and no. Now get moving.” I slapped her ass, and she yelped, getting out of bed.
I got Calum ready, being sure to pack enough clothes for him to stay overnight. Before we knew it, the doorbell was ringing, and Margaret was here to grab Calum.
First stop was lunch, and then Jules picked Boathouse to do a little shopping. I suggested that she pick out a nice dress for today, and she did. It was perfect, not that she knew that yet. By the time we left, it was nearly three, and we were running a little late.
When we got into the car, I turned to her. “So, I hope you don’t mind, but I need to blindfold you for the next part.”
She smiled. “Kinky.”
“As much as I would love to explore blindfolds in the bedroom, this isn’t going to be kinky. But I’m so glad you’re open to that.” I winked, and her mouth fell open—shocked her again.
I took a few wrong turns, making sure she didn’t know where we were. I pulled up to the house and quickly got out to open her door. Taking her hand, I led the way into the house.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll find out in just a second.” I positioned her facing the kitchen and took off her blindfold.
At first, she appeared disappointed when she looked around until she spotted a few familiar items. I saw the light bulb go off when she figured out where we were. Her mouth dropped open. Closed. Opened. Finally, she broke out into a huge grin.
“Holy fucking shit, Hunter. Oh my God. I can’t even.” She walked into the space, touching every surface. The light blue backsplash. The marble countertops. The white cabinets. She loved it; I could tell. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe you did all this. It doesn’t even look like the same house.”
I smiled at my girl as she continued to explore. I’d revealed nearly a hundred houses, but nothing had ever felt like this. The pride I felt in this moment, in what we’d done here, was beyond anything I’d ever experienced.
“I can’t wait to see the bathrooms.” She started up the stairs but stopped and turned to me. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you did a little more than just the kitchen and bathrooms. I saw that new dining set and sofa.” She tried to look mad, but her smile gave her away.
“I couldn’t help myself. Your Pinterest board was right there.”
“Promise me you didn’t go over budget.” She gave me a stern look.
I gritted my teeth. “Let’s not talk about money. Let’s check out the bathroom.”
“We’ll go back to discussing money, but for now, you have me at bathroom.”
I laughed, and we headed up the stairs. We started with the main bathroom. She did the same thing as before, touching every surface.
“The finishing touches are amazing. Did you do those?”
I shook my head. “Again, I can’t take credit for them. I had Jessi in here for most of them. She does such a great job with making sure every job is just right.”
“She sure does. It looks like my Pinterest board threw up in here. It’s incredible.”
“Ready to see the rest?” I reached out, took her hand, and led her down the hall to the master bedroom. There was a big bow on the door.
“Umm, what’s with the bow?”
“Don’t get mad, but this is my gift to you. Well, one of them.”
“You went over budget, didn’t you?” She was
still smiling. Thank God she wasn’t mad.
“Technically, I didn’t go over budget on the planned items, so no. But I did on the extras, but those are my gifts. Okay?”
She took a deep breath. “Right now, I’m so overwhelmed that it’s going to take a while for all of this to sink in. So for now, I’m going to say thank you and enjoy this without overthinking it.”
I pulled her in and kissed her. “That sounds like a great plan, and you’re welcome. Now, close your eyes.”
“No blindfold?” She laughed but closed them.
I opened the bedroom door and steered her into the furthest corner so she could see the whole room and part of the bathroom.
21
Jules
“Open.”
I gasped. “Oh my God. This is gorgeous.”
I turned to Hunter. “You did all this for me?”
“Yes, and this I can take credit for. I’d found everything myself since I wanted this room to be special.”
The tears started to fall. I couldn’t help it. “Wow. I don’t know what to say. No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I wanted to do it.”
I started to wander around the room. The details were exactly what I would’ve wanted. It was like Hunter had studied my boards and then scoured every store to find the perfect pieces from the curtains to the armchair to the wall color. It was perfect. The rug was plush under my feet, and the bed linens looked soft and comfy.
“I can’t wait to crawl into that bed and collapse onto those fluffy pill—” The Mr. & Mrs. pillows adorning the bed stopped my train of thought. It took me a minute to catch my bearings enough to move, but after my heart skipped a few beats, I was finally able to ask Hunter why they were on the bed.
I turned around to find him on one knee, holding out a ring with a huge smile on his face. My hands immediately went to my mouth, and the tears started to fall again.
Saved by Him Page 16