Over the phone, Arabella cleared her throat. “If you wouldn’t mind picking me up, that would be great.”
I was positive my mouth fell open in my state of shock. Not only had she agreed to the coffee date, but now she was going to let me pick her up and spend time alone with her?
Ignoring the way my heart pounded in my chest, I replied, “No, I don’t mind at all. Give me time to drop off Jack, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Don’t rush. Just be careful driving.”
Smiling, I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “I will. See ya soon.”
“Okay, see you soon, Hunter.”
The moment I hung up with Bella, Willa called to let me know she was on her way to the hospital. She’d already called our folks, and they’d meet us there. I got Jack settled and headed over to Bella’s place. I pulled down the main driveway, past James and Sharon’s house, to the small cabin in the back where Bella lived. It was the original house that had been built on the property when Sharon’s grandfather had bought the place and settled there.
I parked and made my way up the porch steps. I knocked on the door and heard Bella call out for me to come in.
When I stepped inside the cabin, I couldn’t help but fight all the memories that came rushing back in an instant.
Ten years.
Ten fucking years since I’d stood in this small living room. Bella had moved out to the cabin after she’d graduated high school so that when we came home from college, she’d have more privacy. Of course, we took full advantage of that. Her folks never said anything when my truck was here all night long for days on end. Even James and Sharon had expected us to get married once we got out of college.
Bella walked into the living room—and it felt like the air was sucked straight from my lungs. She was so damn beautiful. Her blonde hair was in a braid that looped around the side and over her right shoulder. She wore jeans that showed off her incredible body, which had certainly gained more womanly curves over the years. And her light blue sweater made her eyes pop even more. There was a lightness to her step, something I hadn’t seen in a very long time.
“Hey,” she said with smile.
“Hey, you look beautiful.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink and I nearly let out a moan. I loved it when she blushed.
“Thank you. You look…”
Her eyes moved slowly over my body, and I couldn’t help but notice how she took her time with her perusal. I had left my coat at home, since I knew I wasn’t going to be outside for long. I had on jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and a Boggy Creek Police Department baseball cap. I raised a single brow when she made no secret of the fact that she was checking me out.
“Um,” she said as she cleared her throat. “Handsome. I mean, good. You’ve been working out.”
That made me raise both brows.
She quickly shook her head. “No. I mean, obviously you have to work out because of your job. Your chest looks good—no, I mean…” She sighed. “I always did like it when you wore baseball caps.”
I winked. “I didn’t know that. I’ll have to wear them more often, then.”
She chuckled and graced me with an even bigger smile. I loved that it reached her eyes. After staring at each other for a few more moments, Bella cleared her throat again. “We should probably go. Let me grab my coat and purse.”
“Okay.”
Watching her walk out of the room, I tried not to smile like a goddamn fool. This was the first time Arabella had given me any real indication that she was still attracted to me. Well, except for a few months ago, when she was over at Greer and her fiancé Hudson’s house, and the girls all got smashed, dressed in sexy outfits, and ended up dancing on the dining room table. Kyle—who was Greer’s brother, and also a Boggy Creek police officer—and I both got calls for the noise complaint.
It had been a shock to walk in and see the girls dressed in next to nothing, dancing like they were at a hot nightclub in Boston. I’d helped Bella off the table and brought her over to a chair. The way she looked at me that night nearly broke my heart in two. Then she’d placed her hand on the side of my face and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Hunter.”
I was positive if I had moved in closer, she would have kissed me. But before anything else could happen, Abby, Bella’s best friend—who was married to Bishop—had rushed over and grabbed Bella’s hand. They’d practically run out of the room to go change. After they’d all gone back downstairs, Kyle had lectured them on how reckless they’d acted, and we’d left them to continue their girls’ night.
I’d had to take a few cold showers that night to get the image of Bella in that damn sexy outfit out of my head.
Now she walked back into the living room with her coat and purse. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
She practically skipped past me to the door, and I smelled the familiar fragrance that was Bella. Lavender.
I knew why she always smelled like lavender in the summer. The hives were placed between rows and rows of lavender plants that her family had planted. Lavender was one of Bella’s favorite plants. But now the scent was so strong that I wondered if she wore some kind of lotion with the fragrance in it. I drew in a deep breath as we walked out, and she headed for the steps.
“Bella, aren’t you going to lock your door?”
Stopping, she turned and looked back at me. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I forgot! Must be the excitement!”
I smiled. “You don’t make it a habit of forgetting to lock your door, do you, sweetheart?” I paused. “Um, sorry. It’s a habit.”
She tilted her head. “What’s a habit? Telling people to lock their doors?”
The last time I’d called her sweetheart, she’d gotten upset and brought up the fact that I’d slept with Brighton, a mutual friend of ours, and my sister Willa’s best friend. It hadn’t been anything serious at all. When Bella didn’t pick up on the endearment this time, I decided to let it go.
“Yeah, sorry. It’s just, Boggy Creek isn’t as safe as it once was. I’d feel better knowing you locked your door.”
With a nod, she walked back up to the porch and pulled out her keys. After she locked it, she turned and flashed me a grin. “All locked up and no, I don’t normally ever forget to lock it. Now, let’s get to the hospital before Willa has the baby.”
For most of the drive to the hospital, Bella kept quiet. As we got closer, I decided to try for some small talk. If there was one thing I knew about Bella, she loved to talk about her bees.
“Have you checked on the bees?”
She grinned as she looked at me. “No, I try not to bother them in the winter. They’re all clustered to keep warm, so me messing around with the hives only causes them to lose heat.”
“Did you lose very many bees last winter?”
The chance to talk about her beloved bees had her nearly bouncing in her seat. “Not like the year before. This past year, we didn’t harvest as much honey to be sure they had enough through the winter. I’m hoping we can decrease the number of lost bees by half. I hate losing even one, but I know it happens.”