“Vi…” Katie sang out.
“Kira! Are you here?” Violet called out, and sure enough, the sassy child came skipping into the kitchen.
“Hi, Aunt Vi! Mommy said we’re gonna bake cookies today, and you were gonna tell a story! But it was a special story you were going to tell her when I took a nap. Is it story time now?” Then she bit her lip. “I’m not sleepy yet.”
What the…?
Walking over to Katie–who looked ready to burst out laughing–she realized no one was in labor. There was no need to find the packed bag.
“I’m supposed to tell you a story?” she mocked.
And then her friend did laugh.
Hard.
Hysterically.
“Can I watch Frozen and have peanut butter and jelly?” Kira asked, completely unphased by her mother’s laughter.
“Of course you can, baby girl,” Katie said, coming to her feet. As she walked past Violet, she murmured, “But once the movie starts, I want all the details about last night.”
Yeah, Violet knew they were going to do this, she just didn’t think it was going to cause this much drama.
Sheesh.
Twenty minutes later, she and Katie were back on the couch–each with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“That was like an Olympic event,” she murmured.
“Really? Sex with Hunter was that good?”
“Yes. I mean…no! No, I was referring to wrangling your daughter up and getting her situated with a sandwich and a movie. Good Lord…the demands! Her blanket, her dolls, her special chair, her special cup…how do you do it?”
“Well…I’ve had lots of practice and know if she’s watching Frozen, she needs all of her Anna and Elsa paraphernalia.”
“Yeah, well…maybe don’t buy the new baby so much…paraphernalia. You’ll need a bigger house for sure if you do.”
“Need I remind you how you purchased most of the items Kira requested?”
“Fine, I enjoy spoiling her. She’s my godchild. So sue me.”
“You know what I think?”
Turning her head, Violet replied, “No, what?”
“I think you’re stalling. I want to hear all about your date with Hunter and if it was everything you thought it was going to be!” she stated excitedly. “I mean…I don’t even remember what it’s like to have a romantic night and when Brian gets home, a romantic night will be the last thing on either of our minds because we’ll have a new baby and a four-year-old running around. So please…for the love of it…tell me about your date!”
It wasn’t like they hadn’t done this dozens of times before, but it was the first time they would be talking about Hunter.
“Are you sure you want to know this? I mean…he’s a friend of yours and Brian’s. Do you really want me to put these images in your head?”
“Nice try. Spill it.”
With a groan, her head hit the back of the sofa. “He had ordered Chinese for us…”
“You’re welcome. I told him all your favorites.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“So, there was dinner and then…?”
Ugh…why was this so weird?
“We didn’t even make it to dessert,” she blurted out. “Although we did eat it in bed between rounds.”
“Ooo! There were rounds! Yay! How many? Two? Three?” Katie asked, practically bouncing up and down in her spot. “Four? Oh, my God! Tell me it was four!”
“Now who needs the hose turned on them?”
Pouting, Katie settled back comfortably in her seat. “Go on.”
Where did she even begin? Twisting slightly to face her friend, she sighed. “It’s not good.”
“Oh, no! The sex was bad?” She paused. “No, that’s not possible. He’s a fireman, for crying out loud. And you said there were rounds. If the sex was bad, you would have been fine having a one and done.” Giving Violet the side-eye, she asked, “Does he have some sort of weird kink? Fetish? Wait…do I even want to know?”
So not the direction she thought they’d go in…
“The sex was amazing. Beyond amazing! Just like everything else Hunter does, he’s a giver. Good lord is he a giver!” she clarified. “No one’s ever…”
“Given?”
“Oh, yeah. So…much…giving. I swear I went blind a time or two.”
“Damn,” Katie said, fanning herself. “So then what’s not good?”
“If anything…I’m usually the one and done,” she admitted lowly. “I don’t…connect. I don’t get all touchy-feely and want to cuddle. Hell, I love sleeping alone! But last night?” Pausing, she shook her head. “Last night I slept beside a man who likes to snuggle and…I didn’t hate it.”
“Ooohhh…okay. I get it. You’re freaked out.”
“Well yeah! Of course I am! We cuddled! All night!”
“In between the rounds, though, right?” she prodded. “Three rounds? I’d guess three.”
“Yes! Fine! It was three! Three rounds last night! There, happy now?”
“As a matter of fact…no.” There was the side-eye again. “Last night.”
“What?”
“You said there were three rounds last night. Does that mean there were more rounds this morning?”
“Ugh…why are you like this? Can you stop focusing on the sex and help me! What am I going to do?”
“About what?” Katie asked with a small laugh. “You’re dating one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He’s a good friend, a great dad, and…according to you…amazing in bed! What could you possibly need help with?”
Flopping back on the couch, she groaned. “I’m not staying in Magnolia, Kate. Once Brian comes home, I’m leaving.”
“And?”
“And I have a feeling it’s not going to be so easy to leave.” One arm flung over her eyes as she sighed. “The last thing I want to do is hurt Hunter.”
“Have you talked about this? I mean, he knows you’re only here for a few weeks.”
“No, we didn’t talk about that.”
“Then what did you talk about? You didn’t just sit in silence between rounds, did you?”
“Okay, can you stop saying rounds?”
“Sorry. You didn’t just sit in silence between all the lovemaking. There, better?”
With a roll of her eyes, Violet sat back up. “I know I didn’t want to talk about it. We had a rather depressing conversation over dinner so the rest of the night, we stuck to safe topics. He told me about being a fireman, I told him about being a travel agent…I learned all about his family…then we watched some TV and would talk about what we were watching.” She shrugged.
“Well, I don’t have anything overly wise to suggest, you just really need to talk to him about this and make sure you’re both on the same page.”
“Yeah, but what page am I on? I don’t want to admit I have some really strong feelings for him if he’s only taking this casually.”
“Hunter doesn’t strike me as the casual type. He doesn’t date a whole lot, but…” She shrugged. “I don’t talk to him about his personal life. When are you seeing him again?”
“Not until Monday when he drops off and picks up Eli.”
“Maybe see about having dinner with them and after Eli’s in bed, the two of you can talk.”
“I don’t know. I kind of feel guilty.”
“About what?”
“You! I’m supposed to be here with you and I’m making plans with Hunter!”
Reaching out, Katie patted her leg. “Don’t worry about me. Magnolia Sound is small and even if you were out, all I’d have to do is call and you’d be here in a matter of minutes. We’re good. Plus…I like seeing you happy.”
“I’m not feeling so happy right now. Right now, I kind of feel like I’m freaking out a little.”
“That’s because you are,” Katie said simply. “But don’t worry. You’ll get over it.” Slowly, she got to her feet. “Now come on. Let’s bake some chocolate chip cookies.” She started
to walk away before turning and adding, “And if you’re good, I’ll even let you eat some of the raw dough.”
Now that got her attention!
“Do you think it’s weird that I don’t travel?”
Kyle looked at his brother like he’d grown a second head. “Travel? Like to where? Europe?”
“No, just…anywhere. Is it strange?”
“I don’t think so. Not everyone likes to travel or has the time to.”
“I mean…you’ve traveled a bit. Is it something amazing I’m missing out on?”
His brother eyed him suspiciously. “Amazing?” He shrugged. “Hunt, you and I are very different and have very different ideas on the definition of amazing. And fun.”
Frowning, he demanded, “What the hell does that mean?”
“Remember when I went down to Florida for spring break in college? It was a week of being drunk and stupid and sleeping on the floor with fifteen other people.”
“That’s just stupid. You can’t consider that to be fun.”
“But I do,” Kyle replied, picking up the ham and swiss sandwich he had made for himself out of Hunter’s refrigerator. “And how about last year when I went skiing with a group of friends?”
“Yeah…”
“It took us almost eight hours to get to Sugar Mountain, we got three tickets along the way, we crammed six guys into a hotel room with two full-sized beds, skied for two days straight, drank way too much, and primarily ate out of vending machines. Fun to you?”
“I can’t imagine that’s fun for anyone! What is wrong with you?”
Kyle took a huge bite of his sandwich before answering, “Not a damn thing. I’m not uptight like you.”
“I am not uptight.”
“Dude, we all call Dean the careful one, you’re the uptight one, and Scarlett’s the girl.”
It was a ridiculous conversation, but he had to ask, “And what do you think we all call you?”
“Me? I’m the laid back and lovable one.” And with a stupid grin, he took another disgustingly large bite of his sandwich.
Unable to help himself, the bark of laughter came out.
And kept on going.
After a minute, the sandwich was gone, and Kyle stood glaring at him.
“Bro, you are definitely laid back, but…that’s not what we all call you.”
Taking what Hunter supposed was a menacing step toward him, Kyle said, “Oh, yeah? Then what do you call me?”
“Weren’t we talking about travel? I had a legit question about that.”
“First tell me what you call me and then we’ll get back to your weird travel issue.”
“It’s not an issue, per se…”
“Tell me what you all call me! It’s not that hard! For the love of it, just answer me!”
Smirking, Hunter leaned in close and told him what he so desperately wanted to hear. “We call you the attention whore. There.” He paused to let his words sink in before pulling back and sitting down at the dining room table. “Now, do you think I’m in the minority because I don’t have any interest in traveling?”
Kyle pulled up the chair opposite him–while pouting–and let out a long breath. “Honestly, yeah. You’re probably in the minority. It doesn’t make you a total weirdo, but…”
“But…?”
“I don’t know, maybe if you’d unclench a bit, you’d find that it’s kind of fun. Maybe take Eli someplace fun like Sea World or Legoland–you know, something the kid would probably enjoy.”
“Those places aren’t free, Kyle.”
With a groan and eye roll, his brother slumped down in his chair. “Okay, I get you’re a single dad and you have to watch your money. But that doesn’t mean you can’t live.” He paused. “Do you remember when we were kids and Mom was still alive and how we’d go to Busch Gardens for a weekend?”
It had been years since he’d thought about that, but now that it was there, it did make him smile. “She hated most of the rides,” he said with a quiet laugh.
“Yeah, she did. But we would go, and Dad would take us on most of the bigger ones while she’d take Scarlett on the merry-go-round. We never had a lot of money, Hunter, but it was something they did with us. We’d eat sandwiches Mom made for us and kept in a cooler in the car and it was a big deal when they’d buy us ice cream or popcorn in the park. And after Mom died, Gramps would take us up to the Port of Virginia to watch the cargo ships come in and we’d stay overnight and just hang out. It was his time to hang out with just the grandkids.”
Another memory he hadn’t thought about in years, however…
“Okay, those are weekend trips, not big ass vacations.”
Studying him, Kyle said, “Okay, what exactly is this all about? Why the sudden interest in your travel habits?”
As much as he enjoyed being a private person, Hunter knew he needed to talk to someone about this before his head exploded. So he told his brother all about Violet and their night together and how it was so obvious that traveling was a huge part of her life and…he didn’t get it.
“Wait…so this is the gymnast? The one who got Eli talking more?”
“Um…”
Holding up his hand, Kyle chuckled. “First, let me say good for you.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because you haven’t been seriously interested in a woman in a while.”
“That’s not true. I’ve dated.”
“Yeah, casually. A date here, a date there. And you’ve never talked about one like you’re talking about Violet. So I’m guessing this is serious, huh?”
Why did I think this was a good idea?
“Hate to burst your bubble, but…no. It’s not. It can’t be.”
“Why not? I can tell you’re crazy about her, and even though I’ve never met or seen her, I can already see she’s good for you!” And before Hunter could even respond, Kyle was talking again. “If this is about Melissa and you holding out some hope…”
“This has nothing to do with Melissa!” he cried, frustrated that everyone seemed to think that was his problem. Jumping up from his seat, he started to pace. “Here’s the thing that no one seems to understand–the only reason Melissa was a factor in anything was for Eli’s sake. I never held out romantic hope for us after the divorce. I knew our relationship wasn’t working for a long time, but I had hoped she’d at least put in an effort for our son’s sake.”
“O-kay…then why don’t you date more?”
Eyes wide, he stared at his clueless brother. “Dude, I have a son to raise, I work crazy hours, and there are only twenty-four of them in a day! When am I supposed to find time to date?”
“You’ve found time now with Violet.”
And there was no way to argue that.
“It’s just…she’s…she’s different. I don’t know. It’s sort of like the planets all aligned or something because there was suddenly…time.” He shrugged.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“She’s not staying, Kyle. She’s here for a few weeks to help out Katie and then she’s leaving.”
“Maybe she won’t.”
He gave his brother a bland look. “Brian’s coming home and there’s going to be a new baby. The last thing they need is a houseguest. Plus, Violet’s got a life back in Nashville.”
Kyle excitedly got to his feet. “Then there’s your answer!”
“What’s my answer?”
“Yeah, the travel thing! You can go to Nashville! I hear it’s awesome! Go and spend a long weekend there and then she can come here…you know…the long-distance thing!”
But Hunter was already shaking his head. “Nuh-uh. That’s a big no.”
“Why? Because it means you having to break out of your boring routine?”
“Oh, so now I’m uptight and boring. Do I have that right?”
“Add big fat baby to the list, and yeah. That’s you.”
The pacing was getting him nowhere, so Hunter sat back down. “Okay, let’s just…stop with the na
me calling because it’s not helping.”
Kyle shrugged.
“The thing is…I have a legit feeling of…I don’t know…I’m starting to feel things for Violet that I never felt before, and then there are feelings there that I know are going to come back and bite me in the ass.”
Thankfully, his brother refrained from making a joke and realized he was serious. He straightened in his chair and studied Hunter hard for a moment.
“I get what you’re saying, and I’m sure it sucks to feel the way you do.” He paused. “But can I make an observation?”
With a curt nod, Hunter felt himself hold his breath.
“You know I am all for going out and having a good time with a woman. Hell, that’s usually all I enjoy doing. This thing with Violet…you know it’s temporary. You can’t let your feelings get all involved in it because she’s going back to Nashville and then on to whatever trip is on her calendar next.”
“I know, but…”
“There are no buts here, Hunter. That’s what her life is. And do you really want to get in any deeper with a woman who you already know isn’t interested in sitting around and growing old in a small town? Didn’t you learn anything from Melissa?”
When Hunter went to argue, Kyle held up a hand to stop him.
“You knew all the way back in high school that she did not want to stay in Magnolia Sound forever and you thought you’d change her mind. Then you thought having a baby would change her mind.” Another pause. “I don’t want to see you get hurt like that again.”
Well, damn. Who knew his dufus of a brother would be the one to toss genuine logic his way?
“So what do I do, Kyle? How the hell do I stop myself from having feelings for her?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. Maybe just don’t…you know…see her.”
“She’s living with Katie. I see her every time I drop off and pick up Eli.”
And on top of that, he really wanted to see her.
Letting out a long, weary breath, he shook his head. “I’m so screwed.”
“You could just talk to her. Maybe if you do, you’ll get a little more clarity. You’re a very level-headed guy, Hunter. I think you can handle having a no-strings affair for the next month. Hell, you might even enjoy it!”
Somehow, he didn’t think it was going to work quite like that for him.
Can't Help Falling in Love Page 9
