I felt my face heat. “I don’t think I’m ready for anything more than kissing, though.”
Hunter frowned slightly, but the expression was gone as quickly as it appeared. “I’m not going to pressure you into anything, Bella. I never have.”
“Oh, I know you wouldn’t. I just don’t want you to think I’m pushing you away or playing games with you. I’m trying, and I want to be honest with you, I just need…”
Hunter winked at me. “Patience.”
I dug my teeth into my lip and nodded. “I’ve missed you so much, and I’m so afraid I’m dreaming all of this.”
His face relaxed again, and he reached for my hand. “I know what you mean. When I woke up on your sofa, I had to hit myself to make sure I was really awake. And let me tell you, I have a pretty hard punch.”
Laughing, I laced my fingers with his. “I’ve missed you, Hunter. I’ve missed how you make me laugh and how you make me feel.”
“God, Bella. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
With a slight smile, I replied, “I bet I do.”
Hunter leaned over the table and gently kissed me on the lips. He barely drew back, looked me in the eyes, and whispered, “We’ll go as slow as you want, sweetheart. I’m just over the fucking moon to have you in my life again.”
My heart felt like it would burst from my chest as I leaned back and we finished our meal. The rest of the evening was spent back on the sofa watching a marathon of Jane Austen movies. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to while away an evening.
Hunter
I walked up the porch steps of my folks’ house and was about to knock when my father opened the door.
“Well, this is a surprise, son. To what do we owe the honor?”
Smiling, I gave him a quick hug and walked in. My mother was sitting in the oversized chair Dad had bought her for Christmas a few years ago. She loved to knit in that chair. She was so tiny, the damn thing about swallowed her whole.
“I was hoping I might be able to talk to you both.” I leaned down and kissed my mom on the cheek. “Making a blanket for Ciara?”
She smiled. “I am. Now that we know she’s a little girl, I need to get working on it.”
Nodding, I took a seat in the chair opposite her while my dad sat down on the sofa. I drew in a deep breath and let it out as I looked around my childhood home.
“How was lunch with Arabella yesterday?” Mom asked.
I snapped my head back to face her. “How did you know I had lunch with…” Then I rolled my eyes. “Never mind, don’t answer that.”
Both my parents chuckled, then Mom said, “It’s Boggy Creek, Hunter. When your son is seen standing outside The Coffee Pot kissing his ex-girlfriend, the news gets back to his mother rather quickly.”
“Gotta love a small town,” I mumbled.
“From what I could tell the other day at Willa’s house, there was something brewing between the two of you,” Dad said with a wink.
“I thought you were going to expire when you saw Arabella holding Ciara. I know how much you long for a family of your own,” my mother added with a look that said she was already making plans for a wedding.
“I’ll admit that it took me by surprise to see Bella holding the baby. And yes, I might have wished that it was our baby for a moment.”
“Our baby? So you still have feelings for her?” my father asked. Mom shot him a look as she shook her head in disbelief.
“Seriously, Jack? Did you really just ask the boy that? It’s obvious he never stopped loving her. Men can be so dense sometimes.”
My dad looked at Mom. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t have the magical powers that you seem to possess in certain areas. I cannot, nor do I want to, understand how you know these things.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
With a shake of her head, Mom focused back on me. “What’s going on, Hunter? I see it in your eyes.”
I wasn’t sure how my mother knew when one of her kids was off in some way, but she always did. Dad was right: Mom had magical powers, indeed.
“I’m not sure what to do.”
“About?” my mother asked.
“I stayed with Bella for most of the day yesterday and last night. She asked me to be patient with her, and I’m going to be. I know she wants to tell me the reason she broke up with me, but she can’t for some reason. And over the years I’ve had bad thoughts about what might have happened to her, though I’ve never admitted it to anyone, let alone myself. I’m having a hard time processing that.”
My father sat up on the sofa and looked at me. “Bad thoughts?”
I pressed my finger and thumb to the bridge of my nose in an attempt to ease the headache that was growing. I had struggled to even decide if I wanted to talk to my folks about this, but I knew they would help guide me. Honestly, I felt lost. “Every time I touch her, even if it’s just to put my arm around her, she stiffens. She doesn’t want me to do anything other than kiss her.”
Both of them exchanged a look of concern and then faced me. “Have you asked her what happened?” Mom asked.
I nodded. “Yes. Many times. I think she’s afraid to tell me.”
Dad cleared his throat before he spoke. “Then you be patient with her, son. It seems like she took a rather big step yesterday. From what you’ve told us, she’s been treating you like nothing more than a casual acquaintance over the years, or, dare I say, a stranger at times. Now you’re kissing her on Main Street. You spent nearly the entire day with her yesterday—”
“And last night,” Mom added.
The corners of Dad’s mouth curled up in a slight smile. “I’m going to guess you’re seeing her again?”
“Yes.”
He smiled wider. “Then try not to let your imagination run wild. Enjoy the time you spend with Arabella, and trust her to tell you when she’s ready.”
“I’m going to agree with your father,” his mom said. “We could sit here all day and speculate about what happened, why Arabella did what she did. I know you were hurt, but I think she was just as hurt—if not more—to have pushed you away. In the long run, you’ll only find out the answers when she’s ready to share them. I know you love her still. You’ve waited this long, Hunter. A little longer won’t hurt you.”
Standing, I walked over to my mother and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks, Mom. I know you’re right. I won’t push her, I promise.”
She smiled up at me. “I never thought you would. We raised you better than that. Why don’t you invite her over for dinner? We’ll invite a few other people so it doesn’t seem like the focus is all on the two of you.”
“I think she’d love that. Just let me know when, and I’ll ask her.”
“Done. I’ll look at my schedule later and text you.”
Dad stood, and I turned to face him. “You know we’ve always loved Arabella, and I never once thought ill of her. I think you’re right, though, son. Something happened that scared her, and I hope it’s not what I think we all suspect.”