“Because you’re not like most people, Hunter. You give 100% of yourself–you lead with your heart–and that’s not a bad thing. So for you to be involved with this girl, you must have feelings for her.”
“I do, but…”
“She’s not staying.”
“Exactly.”
“And yet you knew that from the get-go and you still got involved.”
All he could do was nod.
Reaching out, Dominic Jones placed a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder. “You know it’s going to hurt when she leaves.”
“I know,” he replied lowly.
“And know we’re all here for you. Your brothers and sister may like to poke fun at you, but they love you and just want to see you happy.”
“I know that too.”
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt you to laugh at yourself a little.” Then he gave him a small clap on the back. “How about you let Eli spend the night again next weekend? Which night do you have off?”
“Unfortunately, I’m working all weekend and I’m doing my twenty-four on Saturday, so if you don’t mind taking him Saturday night, it would be a big help.”
“You can count on me, Hunter. You know I love having Eli over. We watch cartoons and work in the yard, and he even likes my cooking.”
“I’m glad the two of you have fun. And really, thanks, Dad. I appreciate you.”
After a round of hugs and making sure Eli was secured in his car seat, Hunter headed home.
For the next few hours, he bathed Eli, did some laundry, and played a game of Chutes and Ladders with him before putting him to bed. Sitting on the sofa in his living room, Hunter took a few minutes to just enjoy the quiet.
Until…he wasn’t.
He usually didn’t mind sitting alone at the end of the day. It gave him time to clear his mind and relax before he had to think about what he needed to do the next day. But right now, he didn’t want to be in his head; he wanted to talk to someone.
Violet.
It wasn’t unusual for them to talk on the phone at night, but this was the first time he felt desperate to talk to her.
Liar.
Okay, he was feeling it more and more, and the smart thing to do would be to fight the urge. Maybe it would make things easier in the long-run, but he knew no matter what, he was going to be devastated when she left.
Sometimes he tried to tell himself how this was all for the better. Violet was so different from him and clearly wanted things that he didn’t and vice versa. You would think he would have learned his lesson already with his ex, but it was apparent he hadn’t.
Resting his head back against the sofa cushions, he sighed.
“This is stupid,” he murmured, reminding himself how Violet loved to travel–it was her livelihood–and it wasn’t something he was interested in at all. She saw small town living as being quaint for a short time, but the way she talked about her life in Nashville, he knew she would never want to live in Magnolia full time.
So why was he setting himself up for another failure?
But he already knew the answer–because he couldn’t help himself. She made him happy. And he’d rather be happy for a short time than not at all.
Before he over-thought himself to death, he pulled out his phone and called her.
“Hey, you,” she said softly. “How was your day?”
“It was good. Had dinner with my family–as in everyone–over at my dad’s–and just got Eli to bed a little while ago. How about you? How was the rest of your weekend?”
“Kind of uneventful. We did our Mexican night last night with Rose and it was all very yummy. There was so much food that we ate all the leftovers today. Not to brag, but…I can probably eat my weight in nachos.”
He laughed with her. “Well, who couldn’t? They’re addictive!”
“Definitely! I’ll have to work out for an extra hour or seven, but still worth it.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“Oh, and Rose is definitely bringing her car to your dad’s place tomorrow. I’m following her over so she can drop the car off and leave it with him. Do you mind if I introduce myself to him?”
“Mind? Why would I mind?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if you told him about me.” She paused. “And just so we’re clear, I didn’t plan on walking up to him and introducing myself as the woman who’s sleeping with his son.”
He knew she was joking, but it still bothered him to even think like that.
“You know that’s not all we’re doing, Violet,” he gently chided her.
A soft sigh was her first response. “I know, but…if I let myself think too much about it…”
“Yeah,” he quickly interrupted. “I know.”
They were going to have to talk about it, eventually.
Just not right now.
“I’m off on Wednesday,” he said, changing the subject as he was doing more and more lately. “I was wondering if maybe I could still bring Eli to Katie’s for a few hours so you and I could go to lunch. What do you think?”
“Well, I don’t want to answer for Katie, so that part you’ll have to ask her yourself, but if she’s good with it, then I’m in. Although, she’s moving a little slow this weekend so…we may have to play it by ear.”
“Is she okay? Has she mentioned if anything’s out of the ordinary?”
“Like what?”
“Sometimes signs of labor aren’t obvious. Does her back hurt?”
“No more than usual. She just said she isn’t sleeping well, so I’m sure that’s just messing with her. But I’ll definitely ask about the back. Anything else?”
“The back, an upset stomach, and of course, the mucous plug.”
“Ugh…I don’t even want to think about what exactly that is, but…I’ll mention it.”
Hunter couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t have to know it or see it, but maybe just casually ask Katie about it. If any of those things are going on, she should put all of her parents on alert.”
“There’s only you and one other family now. One decided to put their daughter in full-time pre-pre-school, and the other got the option to work from home. I didn’t even know pre-pre-school was a thing, but apparently it’s a private school so…yeah. But I will talk to her about it once we’re off the phone.”
“Should I let you go?” he asked and secretly wished she’d reply with “never.”
“No, we’re good. She’s putting Kira to bed, and we have a habit of sitting out on the back deck at night and end our day looking up at the stars while drinking tea.” She laughed softly. “I would kind of prefer to end it with a glass of wine, but it just seems mean to drink it in front of her. I mean, I sometimes do, but when we’re out there relaxing, I drink tea.”
“You’re a good friend, Violet.”
“Thank you. I really do try.”
“I don’t think you need to try so hard. You’re just a good person.” She got quiet and Hunter had a feeling he’d embarrassed her. Not that it mattered because it was true. No doubt Violet wasn’t used to being praised by people who genuinely cared about her, but he wanted to make sure she knew how special and amazing she was.