Deciding she didn’t want to invite the memories, she opted to just go home and dive into her work. There was zero chance of that making her think of Hunter. After all, he had made it abundantly clear he no interest in traveling anywhere ever. So the faster she got home, the faster she could push her thoughts of him out of her mind for a little while.
She caught a faint whiff of sweetness from the bakery, so she thought of Hunter.
She walked by a pizza place and thought of Hunter.
Then she passed a fire hydrant. And thought of Hunter.
“Ugh…I seriously need to find a way to stop doing this. It’s not possible to walk around and see and think of Hunter everywhere I go.” Turning onto her block, she saw someone standing at her door and…yeah…he looked like Hunter.
Groaning, she mentally chided herself because he wasn’t the only man on the planet who was tall with sandy brown hair and built like a fantasy. Hell, she knew she could pick up any fireman calendar or look at any men’s magazine and see dozens of guys who looked exactly like Hunter.
Wracking her brain, Violet tried to think if she had ordered something and the guy at her door was delivering it.
The closer she got, she saw he did have something in his hands and her heart kicked hard in her chest when she saw it was a pink box.
Just like the ones from Henderson’s bakery.
Suddenly, she was frozen on the spot–afraid to get any closer. What if this was a mirage? What if all these crazy thoughts she’d been having for the last several minutes were making her think she was seeing Hunter when he wasn’t really there?
But what if it’s really him?
Tears stung her eyes as she realized if he was there…then he came to get her.
No one had ever come back for her.
Her entire life was spent with people leaving her, but if that was Hunter Jones in the flesh on her doorstep, then for once in her life, she meant enough to someone for them to come back for her.
It was a terrifying and exciting thought.
Up ahead, she saw him turn to look around and knew the instant he spotted her.
The practical, bad-ass side of her demanded she calmly walk the rest of the way and assume an air of confidence–like it was no big deal that he was here. But her heart had other plans, and before she knew it, Violet was running up the block and didn’t care how crazy she looked.
The closer she got, the bigger her smile grew, and she noticed Hunter’s was the same. And when she was close enough to jump into his arms, she did. Wrapping herself completely around him, she held on as tight as she could–afraid somehow that this wasn’t real or that she was dreaming.
Two strong arms banded around her, and as she buried her face against his neck and smelled the fresh scent of his cologne, she knew she was awake and this was real.
He was here.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks and down onto his neck, but neither let go for a long time. When she finally forced herself to look up, she feared she looked like hell and frantically tried to wipe at her face.
Hunter was the one to gently push her hands away so he could be the one to wipe away her tears, and the tender look on his face was enough to make her start crying again.
Carefully, he carried her over to her front steps and sat down with her in his lap. After a moment, he finally spoke. “Please tell me these are happy tears.”
Nodding, she reached up and grabbed his face and kissed him. There were quite possibly a million things she wanted to say, but they all could wait. Kissing Hunter and being kissed by him was what she needed more than anything right now. It was a little frantic and wet and all-consuming and so not the place for it, and that’s the only reason why she reluctantly lifted her head.
“Hunter Jones, I have one very important question for you,” she said breathlessly.
She saw him swallow hard before he nodded.
“Are there cupcakes in that box?”
Laughing, he got them both onto their feet. “Let’s go inside and find out.” He scooped up the box while she scrambled to find her keys in her purse, and once they were inside and away from the rest of the world, she took a minute to finally let it sink in that he was here. In her house. In Nashville. It was new and yet it felt like he was always supposed to be there.
“So, um…this is my home,” she said nervously.
He walked around and she was happy the place was clean. When she first got back from Magnolia Sound, there had been a few days where she let the dishes and laundry pile up. Luckily, she had gotten over that. The entire first floor was a fairly open floor plan and her office was tucked away in its own room. Upstairs she had three decent-sized bedrooms. It had been the first home she had purchased after years of renting. It was bigger than what she needed, but after so many years of sharing a room or having roommates, she wanted enough space of her own that she’d never feel crowded. But right now, she couldn’t wait to sell it and move to a tiny beach bungalow with two of the greatest guys in the world.
At least, she hoped that’s what was going to happen.
Clearing her throat to get his attention, she figured they should probably start talking. “What are you doing here, Hunter?”
His hands slid into his pockets and she could see the uncertainty in his eyes–like he suddenly didn’t know what to say. Motioning for him to have a seat on the sofa, Violet did her best to patiently wait to hear what he had to say. To keep herself busy, she opened the bakery box and smiled when she saw half a dozen cupcakes in there. Picking two of them, she put them on a plate and carried them out to the living room before sitting on the opposite end of the sofa.
“Your house if very nice, Violet,” he began as he stared down at his clasped hands. “And your neighborhood seems to be in a great location. Lots of stuff nearby.”
“Thanks, and yeah, one of the reasons I chose it was because I could walk to almost everything I need.”
He nodded, and they went quiet again.
“Hunter…”
“I should never have let you leave,” he finally said, turning his head to look at her. “You asked me to give you a reason to stay, and I should have said that I loved you. I should have said I’d do whatever it was you wanted because you mean more to me than anything else.” Then he chuckled and shook his head. “Except for Eli, but…”
“I know what you’re saying,” she interrupted, fighting the urge to cry again. “I desperately wanted you to give me a reason that day, Hunter, but it seemed like you were warring with yourself and…” Pausing, she sighed. “You weren’t ready.”
“I’m ready now,” he stated, his voice stronger than it was a moment ago. “And I’m ashamed that it took me this long. My whole life, I thought I was brave and strong and I could get through anything, but then you came along and it suddenly felt like I was second-guessing everything about myself. I run into burning buildings and yet I couldn’t tell you that I loved you.” Hanging his head, he shook it.
Sliding across the sofa, Violet pressed up against him, taking his hands in hers. “Then we make a perfect pair because I’ve spent most of my life acting like nothing bothers me and that I don’t need anyone. But I need you, Hunter. And Eli. I need you both so much that it scares me.”
Hunter twisted so he was facing her, reversing the position of their hands so he was holding hers. “And we need you, Violet. I am so damn in love with you, and if you give me another chance, I promise to not be so uptight and structured, and I promise to even give traveling a try!”