She was right.
He was already feeling guilty about taking time off and if it was just this one time then…
“Okay,” he said, a little begrudgingly. “But promise me you’ll call and let me know if you’re feeling overwhelmed.” He jumped to his feet and walked into the kitchen and began writing down numbers for her. “My dad is always the easiest to get in touch with. Try the shop first and then after five you can reach him on his cell phone. If he can’t come, he’ll get in touch with one of my brothers or Scarlett to come and help you.”
“Hunter, I don’t think there’s going to be any problems. Unless you think Eli will be upset to wake up and you’re not here?”
Damn. He hadn’t thought of that.
She must have seen the panic on his face because she immediately backtracked. “Tell you what, how about we call you when he wakes up? This way he can talk to you and put his mind at ease.”
“Yeah. Okay. That will work.” Once he had the list written, Hunter wasn’t sure what to do with himself.
That wasn’t entirely true. He wanted to take Violet back to bed, but he hated the thought of another quickie before going to work.
Plus, he really needed to take a shower.
They could linger in there for a little while…he could wash her back, she could wash his…technically, it was the perfect solution.
She was sitting at the kitchen table looking over his list when he announced his plan.
“I’m going to go take a shower.”
Smiling up at him, she said, “Okay.”
Moving behind her, he bent over and kissed the sweet spot behind her ear he knew she loved. “It’s kind of lonely in there. I wouldn’t mind some company.”
“Hmm…I imagine we’d have to be quiet in there too,” she said softly, tilting her head to give him better access.
Dammit again. Another thing he hadn’t thought of. Suddenly his charming little house was kind of a pain in the ass and practically cock-blocking him.
“I’m game for trying if you are,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.
Scooping her up from the chair, he carried Violet into the bathroom where they had the steamiest, sexiest, and quietest sex of his life.
It was eleven-thirty, the house was dark, and Hunter was exhausted.
Quietly, he let himself in, kicked off his shoes, and padded to the kitchen to get something to drink. There was light coming out from under his bedroom door, so he hoped it meant Violet was still awake. Grabbing a bottle of water, he drank half of it down and just took a minute to finish decompressing from the night.
It was anything but quiet in Magnolia Sound tonight, it seemed. They’d gone out on three calls–two were car accidents, and one was for an elderly gentleman who was having a heart attack. In between emergencies, Hunter had called and checked on Eli and talked with Violet. She told him how the two of them had done some tumbling in the yard, watched Finding Nemo, ate macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers for dinner, did some pre-bath yoga, and read two books before Eli went to bed.
All in all, it was an extremely successful night.
And it made his heart happy.
Finishing his drink, he made sure the front door was locked, and made his way to Eli’s room and smiled down at his son. He kissed him on the cheek, tucked his blanket around him, and quietly walked out, leaving the door partially open.
Next, Hunter opened the door to his room and there was Violet in his bed and reading on her phone. She looked up and smiled at him and it was everything he ever wanted–ever dreamed of. It seemed crazy that something as simple as finding the woman you love waiting up for you made all the difference in your life, and yet…it did.
“Hey,” she said softly. “How was your night?”
“It was good. Busy. We had three calls total, but nothing we couldn’t handle.” She studied him as he took off his shirt and then his jeans. “What?”
“We talked several times while you were at work and you never once talked about what was going on.” She shrugged. “I guess I was just curious about your work.”
He was a little confused. “You want to know about my job?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
Any time he talked to Melissa about his work, she would tell him she wasn’t interested. And he never got serious with any of the women he dated where he wanted to talk about his work with. So this was new. And he wasn’t sure just how much to share.
Sliding beneath the sheets, he decided to give her the basics. “There were two car accidents–one was a multi-car, and the other was a drunk driver who hit a tree. Then we had a call about an elderly gentleman having chest pains. It was a heart attack, and we got him to the hospital.”
Beside him, Violet sat up a little, twisting toward him. “Oh, my goodness! Is everyone okay? How many people were involved in the multi-car accident? There weren’t any children in the cars, were there?” Her hand rested over her heart. “This is such a small town! Was it anyone you knew?”
It was obvious the topic was a little upsetting for her, and then he remembered her history and how her mother had died, and he mentally cursed himself for even bringing the subject up. Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, he said, “No kids. All minor injuries. I didn’t know anyone involved, and last I checked, our cardiac guy was doing well. So all in all, it was a good night.”
“I don’t know about that. People got hurt, and you had to go and rescue them.” She shivered slightly. “How do you do it? How do you deal with it? You must see some pretty horrendous stuff and yet you’re always fairly upbeat.”
“Well, the reality is that you have to detach yourself. I’ve seen so much…some of it is horrific and it would give me nightmares. In the beginning, I would come home and do everything I could to stay awake because once I closed my eyes…”
She hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry. I think what you do is amazing, but I hate what it does to you.” With a soft kiss on his chest, she added, “Thank you for being so brave.”
No one had ever said that to him before.
At least, no one he knew personally.
Together they slowly slid a little further under the sheets. “I should be the one thanking you for being brave,” he said once they were settled and comfortable.
Her laugh was soft and a little sleepy. “How was I brave?”
“You spent the second half of the day with a three-year-old. I’ve seen seasoned parents and grandparents looking haggard after doing that. And look at you,” he said with just a hint of awe, caressing her cheek. “You’re beautiful.”
“Stop. You’re crazy.” The flush of her cheeks told him she wasn’t used to being complimented.
“Crazy about you,” he murmured before touching his lips to hers. It was a chaste kiss, a tender kiss. Reluctantly, he lifted his head so he could turn and shut off the bedside lamp. And in the darkness, he found her again.
Kissed her again.
And relished the fact that he could hold her all night long tonight and all the nights to come.
Fifteen