“To answer your question, I got up about an hour ago. I seriously contemplated staying in bed and waking you up like I did earlier, but then I thought about treating you to breakfast.”
“Hunter, we could have gone to a diner or something. I don’t expect you to cook for me.” And she could feel her cheeks heat. Turning her head, she smiled. “But I’m delighted you did. This is…it’s incredible.”
“You haven’t tasted anything yet.”
“If you’d stop distracting me, I could,” she teased just as her stomach growled. “And now we know I can’t wait any longer.”
Laughing, Hunter poured warm syrup over their waffles before holding up a strawberry for her to taste. She usually wasn’t much of a breakfast person, but this was something a girl could get used to for sure.
“So, what do you have planned for today? Anything fun?” she asked after several bites of food.
“I’m going to help my father with some yard work, and then I promised Eli we’d get a pizza and watch a movie.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Although, I doubt he’ll make it through a movie.”
“How come?”
“Whenever he sleeps at my dad’s place, they stay up late and are up early. They like to go fishing together,” he explained. “So by the time I get him home and get him a bath and have dinner, he’s practically asleep.”
“It’s sweet that you still make the plans with him rather than pointing out how he won’t be awake to watch anything.”
“Yeah, well…why point out the negative? He’s only three, and it makes him happy, so…”
“You’re a good dad, Hunter. A really good dad.” Putting her utensils down, she leaned over and kissed him. “I’ve watched you with him, and I listen to you talk, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.” She paused. “As you know, I have no real experience to draw from except how my father took off. The fact that you’re here and so hands-on with Eli–and knowing how you and his mom weren’t together, and you were still so hands-on…” Shaking her head, she went on. “You’ve opened my eyes, Hunter Jones. You’ve shown me that not all fathers are bad and there are some good men in this world. Thank you.”
It was his turn to get a little choked up with emotion. He mouthed the words ‘thank you’ and she wondered if anyone realized just how amazing this man was. Did his family see it? His friends? His co-workers? Violet was excellent at being able to pick out and call out bad parents, but she had never seen anyone like Hunter–a guy who lived to give his son a good life. She could only hope one day, Eli realized how lucky he was.
They ate in companionable silence for several minutes before he put the focus on her. “What about you? Do you and Katie have anything exciting planned for the weekend?”
“I think everything is in order around the house. Like if she went into labor today, the baby could come home and have everything it needed. Well…except for Brian.” She shook her head. “I find it so weird how his return date is so hush-hush. I mean…aren’t families entitled to know when their soldier is coming home?”
“I’m sure the closer it gets, the more information she’ll have. Anything can cause a delay, and they probably don’t give that information out until they can guarantee they’ll be home.”
“I guess. It’s just so hard on her. She never complains, but I can tell–it’s in the little things she says, the little comments. Brian isn’t going to re-up again, so I know she’s excited about that.”
Nodding, Hunter told her how he’d heard the same thing. “I know he struggled with getting deployed this time. They had just found out Katie was pregnant, and it just about killed him to leave.”
“It’s why I ended up coming here. We would talk all the time and as the months went by, I could hear it in her voice how she was struggling. I figured I could be a good distraction.”
He let out a long breath. “And here I am keeping you from helping her. I told Brian I’d be there for her too and look at what a crappy job I’m doing.” He muttered a curse and Violet muttered one of her own when she realized she couldn’t maneuver toward him without knocking their plates on the floor.
“Hunter, stop. You’re not keeping me from anything. I have loved staying with Katie and hanging out with her, but we also need our own space too. And if I felt like she needed me, I wouldn’t have left her. Especially not overnight.”
“Are you sure?”
“There’s one very important thing you should know about me, Hunter. I never lie. Like ever. On top of that, I am fiercely loyal to my friends. Especially Katie.”
“That’s two things,” he said softly, but his lips twitched, so she knew he was teasing her.
“You know what I’m saying…”
“I do and thank you. I’d hate to think I’m causing her any stress.”
“You’re not. But as for the rest of the weekend, I’m not so sure. Rose is joining us for dinner tonight–we’re making Mexican–and just having a girls’ night.”
“Has Rose been coming around a lot since you’ve been there?”
“I wouldn’t say a lot, but I think she could seriously stand to make some friends.” She finished her last bite of breakfast. “Oh, I think she’s going to your dad’s shop this week to get the oil changed in her car. I heard Katie telling her to do it and how he’s got the best shop in town.”
“It’s kind of the only one in town for now. Dean’s building a shop on the other side of town, but it will still essentially be one business. They’ve just outgrown the current location.”
“Wow! That’s awesome. And kudos to Dean for dealing with work, construction, a wedding, and a honeymoon trip all at once! Impressive!”
“Yeah, well, my brother is the king of being cautious, so he worked all the logistics out before he started seriously putting anything in motion.”
“Sounds like organization runs in the family.”
With a low laugh, he disagreed. “Nope. Just the two of us. Dad’s a little scattered, but we’ve always been there to help since my mother died. Kyle sort of flies through life doing whatever it is he wants or whatever he’s in the mood for. It makes me crazy.”
“I can imagine.”
“And Scarlett’s somewhere in between. She’s organized and can multitask, but she’s way more impulsive. And yet at the same time manages to only see things in black or white. There’s no middle ground with her.”
“That is quite the family dynamic.” Putting her fork down, Violet leaned back against the pillows. “And that was a fantastic breakfast. Thank you.”
Wordlessly, Hunter stood. He came around to her side of the bed and took the tray off of her lap and placed it on the floor.
And the view of him from behind was just as impressive as the view of the front. When he turned, his grin told her he totally knew she was checking him out.
“See anything you like?” he asked, his voice gruff and oh-so-sexy.
Nodding, she crooked her finger at him to get him to come closer. When he was beside the bed, she boldly reached out and ran her hand slowly up his abs. “All of it.” And since she was already being bold, she flung the sheet off of herself. “How about coming back to bed?”