“That smells good.”
I jumped and nearly let out a scream. “You scared me, Hunter!”
He smiled, then gave me a wink. His hair was a mess, like he had run his fingers through it. Lord, if he only knew how sexy he was. That smile had always been a weakness of mine. It was one of the reasons I had agreed to go out with Hunter in tenth grade. When he smiled at me, he made me feel like I was something special. He would smile at other girls, yes, but not like he smiled at me. He had a dimple on his right cheek, and it only came out if he smiled big enough. I could also easily get lost in those blue eyes of his.
“I hope breakfast for dinner is okay; I don’t have much in the way of food. I need to go to the grocery store.”
Hunter reached down and gave Jack a good scratching. “Good boy, Jack.”
Jack’s tail hit the floor a few times before he focused back on the bacon.
“I was making Jack some eggs, as well, since I don’t have dog food.”
“I’ve got some in my truck. I always carry some, just in case.”
Jack let out a small whine.
“Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll still give you some bacon,” I said softly.
Hunter laughed as he walked back into the living room to put on his shoes and coat to run outside.
“Does he need to go out?” he called back to me.
“Nope, he went already.”
The front door opened and closed, and I scrambled the eggs in a bowl before pouring them into the pan. Jack slid down to the floor and lay there while I salted and peppered the eggs.
The door opened again and Hunter walked in. Jack jumped up when Hunter set down a bowl, opened a small Tupperware container, and took out a scoop.
“Leave it,” Hunter said as he put the scoop back into the tub, shut it, and set it to the side.
Jack waited so patiently for his dinner that I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Hunter finally gave the signal, and Jack leapt for his bowl. He ate his food so fast I wasn’t even sure he was chewing it.
“Goodness, is he just swallowing it?”
“Yes, the little hog,” Hunter said with a chuckle before he looked at me. “I have a different bowl at home that makes him work for it more.”
I nodded. I loved having Jack and Hunter with me, and knew I wanted them to spend more time here. I chewed nervously on my lip, realizing what I was about to do was a huge leap. “Would you mind buying him another bag of his food, so we can keep some here? And maybe the same bowl you have at home?”
A wide grin appeared on Hunter’s face. “I don’t mind at all.”
We stared at each other for a moment, and I wondered if he could tell that I was mentally begging for him to kiss me again.
“Need any help?”
His words pulled me back to reality. “Um, do you mind putting some bread in the toaster oven there?”
Hunter reached for the bread, took out four slices, and then slipped them into the toaster. He pushed them down, then walked over to the cabinets. “Plates?”
“Left side. Did you want me to make you any coffee?”
“Nah, I only drink a cup a day, and that’s in the morning.”
Smiling, I moved the eggs around in the pan. “Well, you did just wake up from a long nap.”
Hunter paused and looked at his Apple watch. “Shit, did you know it was seven?”
“I did.”
He frowned. “Guess that makes sense—it is dark outside.”
I giggled. “Did you manage to watch all of the movie?”
A bright pink tinted Hunter’s cheeks. “Yes, I forced myself not to fall asleep. That sofa is comfortable.”
“I know. I’ve slept on it plenty of nights.”
Hunter opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.
“I need to get my car,” I said to fill the sudden silence.
“Already done. Bishop followed Kyle out here to drop it off. He left the keys on the front seat. I grabbed them when I got the dog food.”
Hunter reached into his pocket and pulled out my keys, setting them on the counter. “I can’t believe you still have this.”
I followed his gaze and saw the beehive keychain he had bought for me after I’d saved up enough money to buy my first car. It was a used Honda Accord, and she had served me well over the years. A year ago, I broke down and upgraded to a Honda Pilot, which I loved.
“It’s special to me,” I said softly as I reached over and picked up my keys to look at the beehive. I placed the keys back down and focused on the eggs again. “Eggs are done. How’s the toast looking?” I could feel Hunter’s eyes on me, and the heat between us quickly filled the kitchen. When he didn’t answer, I turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
He slowly shook his head, smiled, then hit the button on the toaster. “They’re done. You still like honey and butter on your toast?”
“I do.”
Hunter walked to the refrigerator and took out the butter. The honey was in a honeypot on the kitchen table.
I divided up the eggs between me and Hunter and set our plates down on the small table in the middle of my kitchen. I reached for the plate of bacon, slipping a piece to Jack before setting it down.
“I saw that,” Hunter stated in a dry tone.
“Well, I had to, Hunter. I told the poor baby he was getting bacon for dinner.”
Hunter rolled his eyes, reached for a piece of bacon, and tossed it to Jack. I tried not to smile but failed as I said, “I had a feeling you spoil him.”
“That’s putting it lightly. This dog gets better taken care of than I do.”
“Well, look at that face. How can you not spoil such a precious boy?”
We both looked at Jack, who was sitting between the two of us like such a good boy.
Hunter laughed. “Fine, one more piece and that’s it.”
I reached for the largest piece of bacon and broke it in two. I handed one piece to Hunter, then fed mine to Jack. “That way he gets love from both of us.”
Hunter gave his piece to Jack before telling him to lie down. Jack walked off a bit, made three circles, and did as he was told.
While Hunter and I ate, I tried to figure out a way to talk to him. Not just talk, in general…but to tell him why I’d broken up with him. I honestly wasn’t sure it was something I could speak about—not that I had really ever tried. I had told Abby, but that was it. We never really talked about it after that. And a part of me loved this time Hunter and I were spending together. I knew the moment I told him, things would change. Or at least, I was fearful they would.
“Hunter, I need to ask you something.”
He chewed on a bite of toast and nodded.
“Will you…um…will you be patient with me? I know I’ve made you wait ten years, but I need to take this slow.”
Swallowing, he asked, “Patient?”
I nodded. “I don’t want to push you away anymore. It’s not fair to either of us, and honestly, I can’t stop thinking about that kiss.”
He smiled and his dimple came out in full force. Goodness, the man was even more handsome now that he was at twenty-three. I let my eyes do a quick sweep of him before I met his gaze.
“I can kiss you again, you know,” he said.