“Singing is extra,” I told her when I finished. She had a look on her face as if she wasn’t sure what to make of me. I kind of liked it.
“You can dance, you can play the guitar. Jesus, Hunter what can’t you do?” She was never going to find out.
“I’m very good at a lot of things. If you want to come over here, I can show you a few more.” I set my guitar back in the case, waiting to see how she would react. Something passed over her face that made me think she might want me as much as I wanted her. Maybe.
As the song played and the voices of The Civil Wars filled the bathroom, Taylor started slowly removing her clothes. It was a good thing I was lying in the tub, because if I had been standing, I would have had to sit down because, fuck. My girl was beautiful.
Her shirt was first, inched up along her stomach until she pulled it over her head and dropped it on the floor, giving me a little smile. My eyes roved her body, from her belly ring to the new tattoo to her perfect, perfect chest. She was so perfect it was like I’d dreamed her up.
The jeans were next, and she had a little moment of struggle as she tried to get her socks off. She tipped toward me and I caught her, laughing. It was always that way with us. Sexy with a side of sweet.
Coming to Texas had been a very, very good idea.
Taylor got down to her bra and panties just before the song ended and then flipped to another. Couldn’t have told you which one. I was too busy focusing on her to pay much attention to the music.
“Come here,” I said, standing up and crooking my finger at her. She smiled and walked toward me. She was so sexy and she didn’t even have to try.
Slowly, she turned her back to me and I dropped my head to her shoulder to place a kiss on it. I licked her skin and moved across her upper back, sliding the straps of her bra out of my way so I could devour her.
I snuck my hands around to her front, stroking her stomach, flicking her belly ring and then roaming upward to cup her breasts over her bra. They were fucking perfect. My thumbs moved over her nipples and she sucked in a breath through her teeth.
I loved that she reacted to me like this. That I could be the one to cause my girl to make those sounds. It made me feel like I could conquer the world.
The bra had to go. It was keeping us apart. I undid it and let it fall the floor. She turned in my arms and looked up at my face.
“I love you, Hunter.” I’d heard her say it hundreds of times, but it was always magic.
“I love you too, Taylor.” She smiled at the use of her first name and put her arms around my neck.
“Let’s take a bath,” she said.
Next to the sink was a little basket of bath items, including a nice bottle of bubble bath.
“Don’t put too much in or else this thing is going to overflow and then the hotel is gonna kill us,” she said as we waited for the tub to fill up. I just tossed in a few dollops of the stuff that smelled like roses.
“If I were smarter, I would have had them bring up rose petals and champagne and so forth,” I said, mentally kicking myself.
Without a word, Taylor dashed out of the room, completely naked, and came back a second later with everything from the minibar. Being of age had its perks.
“Do you think this will work?” she said, setting the bottles up on the corner of the tub. They were going to cost me a fortune when we checked out, but it really didn’t matter.
We both got in the tub together and Taylor popped the top on one of the bottles. It was white wine, which wasn’t my favorite, but she took a sip, shrugged and then handed it to me.
“Remember that song about getting drunk on a plane? Someone should do one about getting drunk in a tub,” I said, passing the bottle back to her.
“I mean, there are worse places to get drunk, in my opinion,” she said. A few minutes we finished the first bottle and started on another, this time a red wine.
“I’m going to stop after this one,” she said. “I don’t want to spend our trip puking my guts out.” I made a face. The red wine wasn’t any better than the white, but hey, it was booze and it was doing the trick.
“That’s a solid plan,” I said.
“Are you going to take advantage of me?” she said as we finished the second bottle. Her voice was husky and she was leaning forward and floating toward me.
“I think it’s going to be the other way around, Missy. I’m in a very vulnerable state right now. All woozy from the alcohol,” I said, putting a hand to my forehead.
“You are so full of shit,” she said, rolling her eyes. I was about to make a retort, but then she put her hand on my dick and I completely forgot how to make words come out of my mouth.
“Am I taking advantage of you now?” she said, her voice low as she stroked me under a layer of bubbles.
I made a strangled sound and she laughed, picking up the pace. It was pathetic how quickly I came and she laughed in triumph.
“You know you love it,” she said, sitting back in the tub. I got my breath back and shook my head.
“Unfair, Missy. Totally unfair.”
He got me back after we got out of the tub. I knew he would. He was good like that. Afterward, the two of us lay in the king-sized bed and stared at each other.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said, stroking the side of my face.
“I’m so glad I’m here.” I was so relieved that things hadn’t been weird. I’d thought maybe being back in his home state would throw him into a dark place where he could only think about his past and get stuck there.
I just wanted to be there for him, to support him and to thank him for taking this risk with me.
I snuggled into his side and he turned on the TV, flicking aimlessly through the channels. I was exhausted from traveling all day so I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest as he found a marathon of an old show.
“I like Texas,” I said before I fell into a warm and cozy sleep.
“Wake up, Missy Girl,” a voice said in my ear. I cracked my eyes open to find sunlight flooding the room and Hunter brushing my hair back from my face. We were chest to chest, as always, and our legs were twined around one another.
“Hey,” I said, smiling as he kissed me on the cheek.
“Do you want some breakfast?” My stomach growled. Apparently, the massive amount of Mexican from the night before hadn’t filled me up permanently.
“Yeah,” I said. Hunter got up and came back with the room service menu and two cozy robes.
We put our robes on and scanned the menu. Everything looked good.
“We’re going to be several pounds heavier after this trip,” I said after Hunter put in the order.
“I’m not opposed to a little more junk in your very sexy trunk.” He flipped the robe up and smacked me on the ass. I squealed and he chased me around the room, finally pinning me to the bed.
“No fair. You’re bigger and stronger,” I said, wiggling against him.
“But you’re cuter and sexier, so who’s the real winner here?” he said and then smacked a kiss on my cheek before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth. I joined him a minute later.
And before we knew it, the room service had arrived.
It wasn’t on a tray. Oh no. We had a whole damn cart to ourselves. My eyes widened at the sight of all the food. Holy crap. We were never going to eat all of this. Fortunately, our room had a fridge, because we were definitely going to make use of it.
As we gorged ourselves on french toast and pancakes and waffles and fruit and tea and orange juice, Hunter told me where we were heading today. His elementary school, his mother’s favorite little shop, the golf club where she’d been a member and a dozen other little places.
I cleared my throat and asked the question that had dominated my thoughts since he asked me to come here.
“Are you going to see her grave?” He put his fork down and looked off into space for a minute.
“I’m not sure. I think… I think I’ll see how I feel after w
e’ve seen some of my old haunts.” I didn’t bother asking if he wanted to look up his mom’s brother, because the guy was a complete asshole. Hunter didn’t want to have anything to do with him. His real family was back in Maine.
“Just let me know if you need to take a minute,” I said, rubbing his arm. He wound it around me and pulled me into his chest.
“I never thought I would be strong enough for this, but here I am and it’s all because of you.” That wasn’t true, but I didn’t want to argue.
I called my mom after breakfast because she’d been all worried about me going and I’d promised to check in with her at least once a day.
“How’s it going? Is everything bigger down there?” she asked and I laughed as Hunter drove the rental car past a house that had at least five giant barn stars hung on the front and several cattle out back. Yup, I was in Texas. Tomorrow Hunter had promised we would go shopping and get boots and hats and see some longhorns. I wasn’t so sure about the latter, but he assured me that he would protect me if the need arose. His accent had already thickened and I loved hearing it every time he spoke.
“Not exactly. But it’s hot as hell and there are a lot of cows,” I said as Hunter cranked up the air conditioning. My body was so confused by the sudden change in temperature. In Maine been nearing winter and down here it was like the middle of summer. I had no idea how people lived like this all the time. I would constantly be sweating through my clothes and need a million showers.
“Well, don’t get trampled in a stampede,” Mom said and I snorted. We chatted for a few minutes longer and then said our goodbyes.
When we arrived at Hunter’s old school the students here were also on break, so the parking lot was empty. It was too bad we couldn’t take a tour, but we satisfied ourselves with peering in the windows and then chasing each other around the playground. When we got tired we sat on the swings and Hunter told me silly stories of when he was younger.
We’d goofed off like this when he’d come home with me, and now it was like coming full circle. I’d showed him my home and he was showing me one of his.
“You know, I haven’t always been this handsome,” he said and I made a surprised face.
“I know, it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I had several awkward years. Hope has the pictures to prove it.” He shuddered and kept swinging. Since his legs were both longer and stronger than mine, he kept getting higher until I pouted and he came to give me a push.
I screamed as he pushed me so high he was able to run under the swing and push me from the other side.
“My mom really would have loved you,” he said as we lay on the grass on the playground and held hands like total dorks.
“What was she like?” I asked. It was so rare for him to be this open that I wanted to take advantage of it while I could.
A little smile played on his face when I turned my head to look at him.
“Well, she spoke her mind, that was for sure. She didn’t put up with bullshit. Once I got bullied and the school didn’t do anything about it and she marched right into the principal’s office. I was only in first grade and she brought me with her. I will never forget the way he cowered in his seat as she ripped him a new one. The next week a new no-tolerance bullying policy was put into place. All because of her.” His accent was thicker than I’d ever heard it and it was so sexy I thought I was going to die.
“That’s amazing,” I said. I’d seen pictures of her and I could just imagine. She looked a lot like Hope and I always saw her in my mind impeccably dressed with gorgeous heels on her feet.
“I want you to come with me to see her grave. I know it’s not the same as meeting her, but I want to go. I haven’t been. Not since the funeral.” I shuddered, imagining how young and broken he must have been. It wasn’t regret, exactly, but I wished more than anything I could have been there for him during that time. Could have stood with him and held his hand.
“Are you sure?” I asked. He met my eyes and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m sure. But we need to get some flowers first.” He got to his feet and held his hands out to me.
“Okay,” I said, suddenly feeling nervous.
Hunter took us to a little floral shop run by a woman who actually knew who Hunter was. Gotta love small towns.
“I was so sorry about what happened to your mama,” she said as she put together a bouquet of different wildflowers. Hunter had said that his mother had loved those best, especially when he’d gone out and picked them himself and brought them back for her.
“That’s so sweet,” I said, leaning into him.
“It always made her smile,” he said and then took the bouquet from the florist.
“That’s no charge. I always liked your mama.” Hunter gave her a tight smile and a thank you and we left the shop.
We sat for a minute in the parking lot, Hunter looking down at the bouquet.
“It shouldn’t have happened,” he said, almost so quietly that I didn’t hear him. I didn’t need to ask what he was talking about.
“There was nothing you could have done,” I said, not sure if those were the right words. But I had my share of guilt about situations I hadn’t been able to control. The only one to blame in my situation was in jail. In Hunter’s case, the person couldn’t be punished because he’d been a fucking coward and had put a bullet in his own brain.
“I know that. I know that. But still. I wonder how things could have changed if she’d left him and agreed to take both of us to Maine to stay with Hope and John.”
His voice broke and he started sobbing into the flowers. The jagged sound hurt me more than any other sound I’d heard.
“I know, baby, I know,” I said, holding him and rubbing his back as he cried. There were no words to say to him to make it okay. To undo the pain and the hurt and the regret. All I could do was stay with him, and hold him. Somehow it didn’t feel like enough.
After about ten minutes, his breathing slowed and he looked up. His eyes were ringed in red and there were streaks of tears on his cheeks. I used my thumbs to wipe the tears away.
“I just miss her so much,” he said, his voice shaking.
“I know you do, baby. I know.” I pulled him toward me and we crushed the flowers between us in a hug. Hunter rested his head on my shoulder as he tried to regulate his breathing. It was another ten minutes before he raised his head and wiped his eyes with his hand.
“Thank you. For everything. Thank you.” He kissed my cheek and I held his face in my hands and pressed a kiss to his mouth.
“I love you so, so much,” I told him. He let out a long breath.
“Let’s go.”
Lucy Margaret Pearce.
The decision had been made to put her maiden name, and not her murderer’s, on her gravestone.
Beloved Mother And Sister.
They’d left off “Wife” as well. Even though she had been a good wife. She just hadn’t had a good husband.
I leaned down and placed the flowers on the ground.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, my voice cracking. For some reason, seeing those wildflowers had broken something inside me and I couldn’t hold back the tears and the pain anymore.
Taylor had stayed back a few steps, as if she wanted to give me some time alone with my mother.
“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come and see you. I’m sorry that you’re here and not in the kitchen making pies with Hope. I’m sorry that you didn’t get to see me grow up. I’m sorry that my children will never get to know you as their grandmother. I’m sorry about so many things. But what I’m sorriest about is that you can’t meet my girl, Taylor. You would adore her. I know you would. You’d probably hate her a little too, for trying to steal your baby boy.” I laughed a little and wiped away a few tears. My legs were stiff already, but I wasn’t going to move.
“You can’t meet her the way I wanted you to, but this is as close as we can get, okay?” I turned and looked over my shoulder to find Taylor standing about ten feet a
way, her arms clasped around her chest, even in the heat.
“Missy,” I called and she met my eyes. I motioned for her to join me and together we crouched down in front of my mother’s grave.
“Mom, this is Taylor Elizabeth Caldwell, the girl I’m going to marry,” I said. This time my voice was strong. Taylor put her hand in mine and squeezed.
“Hi,” Taylor said. “I mean, hello. I’m not really sure how to do this. But I love your son very much and I wish I could have met you. I wish you could have given me a hard time and I wish you could have grilled me about my intentions toward Hunter.” Her laugh was a little wet.
I kissed her cheek and tasted her tears.
“Thank you for having such a wonderful son. He means the world to me and I’m going to do whatever I can to make him happy and take care of him for the rest of our lives.” She turned to me and smiled through her tears.
“Thank you for your son.”
I pulled her toward me and we sort of fell to the ground until we were both sitting on the grass and holding each other. There weren’t any other people at the small cemetery, which was nice. It was just the two of us and Mom.
I didn’t know how long we sat there, but we held one another for a while.
“Hunter? I don’t want to ruin the moment, but my butt is completely numb and I’m afraid if I don’t get up now, my legs aren’t going to work.” I snorted into her hair.
“Okay, Missy,” I said and we both got unsteadily to our feet, stretching and bending our legs. I kissed my fingertips and then rubbed the kiss onto the cold stone.
Taylor did the same and started to back up, giving me another moment alone.
“I’ll come back and see you soon. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to tell you all about my wedding. My girl is stubborn. Just like you.” I smiled and left one last kiss on the gravestone before turning around and walking toward Taylor.
Our Favorite Days Page 10
