“I can’t right now, Hunter. You’re angry…and I…I don’t want either of us to say things that…that we’ll regret.”
I took a step toward her, and she slowly shook her head. She pressed one hand to her stomach, and raised the other one up, holding me off.
“Please,” she whispered in a voice so weak it nearly brought me to my knees. “Please just let me go.”
I leaned toward her. “Will you tell me one thing, Bella? Just one thing.”
She sniffled but didn’t respond.
“When did you fall out of love with me?”
It was clearly not what she’d been expecting me to ask, because she stared at me with a lost expression. “What?” she whispered in confusion.
“You at least owe me that much. When did you fall out of love with me?”
Her chin trembled as she sucked in a few short breaths. It was clear she was struggling to even speak, but I needed the answer. I’d waited too damn long for one, so I stood there and watched while she looked down at her feet. I wanted to fall to the ground and beg her to tell me.
“Bella,” I pleaded, taking a step closer. Her face lifted and her eyes pierced mine. She swallowed, then drew in a deep breath.
“Never. I’ve never stopped loving you, Hunter.”
I stumbled back a few steps, her words hitting me square in the chest.
Wiping fiercely at her cheeks, she repeated, “I never stopped loving you, Hunter. N-never.”
Without even thinking, I closed the distance between us, cupped her face in my hands, and kissed her.
She stiffened at first, then opened her mouth to me and took hold of my jacket. I deepened the kiss, letting out a soft moan as I gently drew her body against mine, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.
I’d never been a fan of winter. These fucking winter coats were making it hard to feel her against me, and God knows I wanted to feel her.
Bella let out a soft moan when the kiss grew more intense. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a more perfect moment. I didn’t even care that everyone who drove down Main Street could see us. That folks would most likely start gossiping. None of that mattered. Bella was in my arms, and she was kissing me as if she needed the air from my lungs.
This very moment was what I’d been waiting for. Something to tell me she how she felt about me. And now I could feel it in her kiss.
She loves me.
Arabella Adams still loved me—and I was not going to let her push me away ever again.
Arabella
Hunter was kissing me.
And for the sweetest moment in time, I forgot everything. Every nightmare, every pain-drenched memory was wiped from my mind, and it was just the two of us.
I moaned slightly as he drew me closer. I moved my fingers through his hair, longing to feel more of him. I had forgotten what Hunter’s kisses were like. It was as if time itself had stopped the moment his soft lips pressed against mine. He invaded every single one of my senses, leaving me feeling weak in the knees. I could feel him. Taste him. Desire him. Lord, how that made my heart beat harder in my chest.
Hunter pulled back from the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine. We both let out puffs of white clouds from our mouths as we worked to regain our breathing.
“Please stop running from me, Bella. Please. I can’t take it anymore.”
I moved my hands and grabbed onto the front of his jacket while I drew in a few deep breaths. “I’m terrified, Hunter.”
He drew back and looked into my eyes. “Of me?”
“No. God, no. It’s just…I’m…I don’t…I don’t know how… God. You’ll hate me if I tell you.”
Hunter pressed his finger to my lips. “I need you to know I’ve never stopped loving you, and there is nothing you could do to make me hate you. Remember…I’ve tried, for years, and it hasn’t worked.”
I felt more tears slip free, and Hunter used the pads of his thumbs to wipe them away.
“Whatever it is you’re scared to tell me, please…just tell me. I don’t want to waste another moment of this life without you by my side, Bella.”
“It’s not something I can… I can’t just…”
Hunter drew me into his arms again and held me. “I love you, Arabella Adams. I love you.”
I buried my face in his chest and simply let my tears go. Hearing him say those words, after a decade, was like a balm to my soul. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed being in his arms. Having him hold me and feeling his warmth surround me.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there as I cried tears I thought I no longer had inside of me.
When I finally stopped, he stepped back. “May I have your car keys?”
Without thinking, I dug into my purse and handed them to him. He opened the driver’s door and put the keys in the glove box before shutting it. Then he reached for my hand and we started down the street.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you home. I don’t want you driving when you’re this upset.”
Looking back over my shoulder, I said, “But my car is here.”
“I’ll have one of the guys drive it out to your place.”
I had no energy left to argue with Hunter, so I simply stayed quiet. I let him help me into his truck. He shut the door, and I dropped my head back against the headrest. He pulled out his phone and started to talk to someone as he rounded the front of the truck and got in.
“Thanks, Kyle. I appreciate it.” Turning, he looked at me while he ended the call. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to swing by and pick up Jack.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I said, feeling like it took every ounce of energy I had to speak. A part of me wanted to argue with him. Demand he let me go. I needed to think. To process everything…but at the same time, being with him made me feel so calm.
Knowing Hunter had never stopped loving me both thrilled me and…well…left me feeling exhausted. So tired. Like I could sleep for an entire year.
He started up his truck and pulled out onto Main. I closed my eyes and gave up the fight as the truck caused my body to slightly sway, and I drifted off to sleep.
All I could feel was warmth surrounding me. It was the first time I could remember feeling like this in a long time. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see I was on my sofa. Hunter was sitting at the end, and I was snuggled up next to him with my head on his lap. On the other end was Jack, his head laying on my leg. They were both sound asleep.
Smiling, I snuggled more into Hunter and closed my eyes. I was still so tired, and if I could just get a few more minutes of sleep, I knew I would feel so much better.
I must have drifted off into a deeper sleep…because the darkness quickly surrounded me as the memory came back.
An evil smile spread across his face as he leaned in and placed his mouth next to my ear. I could hardly hear what he said, I was crying so hard.
“What would your boyfriend say if he could see you now, princess?”
The sound of a dog barking pulled me back from the nightmare. I sat up and screamed, only to have Jack crawl into my lap and start licking my face like crazy.
“Bella, what’s wrong?”