Can't Help Falling in Love

by Samantha Chase

  “It’s gorgeous,” Scarlett commented, but she was still glancing at him.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing it. But I’m thinking I should head home by next weekend because I’ve already been gone for so long. Then,” she continued, smiling up at Hunter, “I figured your brother could come to Nashville and see where I’m from, and I can show him around. We’ll have to do the back-and-forth thing until I can get everything organized.”

  “Oh, right,” Scarlett said. “Since you’re going to hopefully be moving here, I’m sure there’s a lot you have to do to get ready for that.”

  “Absolutely. It’s not like I can just go home and pack up and move. But we’ll work it out. And who knows, Hunter may find he likes Nashville just as much as Magnolia Sound!” Violet said, and before the conversation could continue, the music turned to a more upbeat song, and it seemed they both were done dancing.

  The four of them walked back to the table, but Hunter was done with family time. After checking on Eli and asking Kyle to keep an eye on him, he turned his attention to Violet. “Hey, how about a walk down on the pier?”

  “Ooo…that sounds wonderful.”

  Hand in hand, they walked across the yard and down to the massive pier. Hunter’s heart was pounding hard in his chest, and it wasn’t until they were halfway to the gazebo that he finally spoke.

  “So, um…I’m sorry my sister put you on the spot like that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The sun was going down, and normally he would be pointing out how spectacular the sunset was, but all he could focus on was what she had said to Scarlett.

  “I mean, we haven’t even talked about getting you moved here,” he explained, hoping he sounded casual. “I know you were just speaking off the top of your head since we never discussed me going to Nashville.”

  They reached the gazebo, and he motioned for her to sit.

  But she didn’t.

  Pulling her hand slowly from his, she faced him. “Well, I realize we haven’t talked about it, but…if I’m going to move here, I would hope you’d help with it. Plus, just like I said to your sister, it’s not like this is going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time, Hunter.”

  “Why? Packing up shouldn’t take long. I can’t imagine that you have a huge house to go through.”

  Arms crossed, hip cocked, she glared at him. “Oh, really? And why is that?”

  “Why is what?”

  “Why would you just assume I don’t live in a big house?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, Violet. I didn’t mean anything negative by it. I just figured you’re a single woman and you’re very practical. You don’t strike me as the kind of person to have a large house when it’s just you.”

  Clearly it was the wrong thing to say.

  “I’m going to just ignore what you just said,” she huffed. “And for the record, I happen to have a fantastic townhouse that I own, Hunter. It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and it’s fantastic. So yeah, even though I’m practical, I also enjoy having a nice place to live where my friends can come and stay if they need to.”

  “Oh. Um…I guess…”

  “I’m going to have a lot to pack up and deal with putting it on the market,” she went on. “So I realize it’s not going to be a quick transition, but it appears you did not.”

  Raking a hand through his hair, he realized all the ways he’d misread the conversation.

  And the situation.

  “Let me ask you something, Hunter. Will you be coming to Nashville at all?”

  “Um…well…I guess it would depend,” he stammered. “I mean, I can’t just pick up and leave, Violet. I have to worry about Eli, and once Katie starts working again, I’ll be going back to work so I can’t put in for any more time off…”

  She held up a hand to stop him. “If I said to bring Eli with you and come home with me next week, would you?”

  And he froze. It was a simple question, but for some reason, he simply wasn’t prepared to answer it.

  “And not just to help me pack,” she added for clarification.

  “Violet, why don’t we put a pin in this for today and we’ll sit down and talk more about it his week.”

  And for a minute, he thought she’d agree.

  “What if I said we should take a week and take Eli to Legoland down in Florida? Or that we plan a trip to Disney World in the fall?”

  “What does that have to do with anything right now?” he asked, feeling more than a little exasperated. This wasn’t going as he had planned and things were quickly spiraling out of control.

  “Fair enough,” she said slowly. “What if I said I was going to need a few months to make this transition?”

  “But…why? I get that you have to pack up, Violet, but you can put your place on the market and still move here. You’d be moving in with me so your only expense would be for the movers. And I’d be more than willing to help with that.”

  She began to pace. “You don’t get it. Like you seriously aren’t getting this.”

  “Getting what?” he demanded, hitting his own limit.

  Rather than answer, Violet paced back and forth for a moment as if trying to choose her words carefully.

  Wish I had thought of that before suggesting coming down here…

  “Okay,” she said after a minute. “I think maybe we’re rushing things because it’s becoming blazingly apparent we’re not on the same page.”

  She didn’t give him a chance to respond.

  “This can’t all be one way, Hunter. I can’t be the only one making sacrifices or being willing to travel. You need to be willing to meet me halfway!”

  Quickly calculating the math in his head, he said, “So…what? We meet up in Charlotte for a weekend?”

  The look of utter disbelief on her face told him–again–how wrong he was.

  “Violet, I…”

  “No,” she interrupted, her voice oddly calm. “I think we need some time to think about this because we’re getting nowhere. Plus, this really isn’t the time or place to be discussing this.”

  The sounds of laughter and music suddenly felt like it was mocking him.

  “Please tell everyone I said goodbye.” With a curt nod, she went to walk past him. His hand reached out and gently grasped her arm to stop her.

  “You’re leaving?”

  And now that she was standing close, he could see the slight tremble of her lips, the unshed tears in her eyes, and he felt utterly helpless.

  “I think it’s for the best. This is a happy occasion, and you should be up there celebrating with your family.” Leaning in, she kissed him on the cheek. “But I need to go.” When he didn’t release her arm right away, she glanced down at his hand and then back up to his face. “Please.”

  With no other choice, he released her.

  Staying where he was, he helplessly watched as she walked up the pier and out of the yard.

  And possibly…out of his life.

  Sixteen

  “Go ahead and say it. You think I’m making a mistake.”

  “Do you think you’re making a mistake?”

  Violet closed her suitcase and turned to stare at Katie. “Don’t do that. Don’t answer my question with a question.”

  “Technically, you didn’t ask me a question.”

  “Kate…”

  “Okay, fine. I think you’re making a mistake. I think you hit a bump in the road and you’re running.” She sighed. “And I’m not going to say I told you so, but…I do recall having a conversation with you about this and telling you this is your M.O.”

  “It’s not like that. Not this time,” she argued, placing the luggage on the floor. “He’s completely inflexible! Like the thought of leaving his precious town paralyzes him! I’m not asking him to climb Everest or to bungee jump off of the Macau Tower, for crying out loud! I asked him to come to Nashville and see the city!”

  “What’s the Macau Tower?”

  “Seriously? That�
��s what you’re focusing on?” With a huff of annoyance, she answered, “It’s the highest bungee jump in the world. Now, can we please get back to the topic at hand?”

  “Sue me for being curious. I’m not as worldly as you.” And yes, there was a lot of sarcasm in that one statement.

  “I was more than ready to take the leap, Kate!” She began to pace the small room. “And you know that wasn’t easy for me! I had started looking at real estate back home to see what I could sell the townhouse for!”

  “I know, but…”

  “I was willing to relocate my entire life here to Magnolia Sound to be with Hunter and Eli!”

  “Yes, I know that too, but…”

  “All I was asking was for him to be willing to come to Nashville! Not even for the long-term, and I certainly never would have suggested that he pick up and move there, but he wouldn’t even consider coming for a damn weekend! I refuse to be the only one giving and sacrificing! It’s not reasonable!” And before Katie could comment, Violet quickly added, “And this is not about me running away or sabotaging anything! This is about Hunter not being flexible about anything!”

  You could have heard a pin drop in the room and it was a stark contrast to the last several minutes. Violet was breathless and full of nervous energy and she didn’t know what to do with herself.

  “May I speak now?” Katie quietly asked, and all Violet could do was nod. “I get that you’re upset and rightfully so. But I also believe you owe it to yourself and to Hunter to sit down and talk to him.”

  “I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. Yesterday he…”

  “He was at his brother’s wedding, Violet. Frankly, it was stupid on his part to even bring the subject up in the middle of such a big family celebration.” Grabbing Violet’s hand, she tugged her down onto the bed to sit beside her. “I don’t want you to have any regrets, and I think if you leave without trying to talk to Hunter, you’ll regret it.”

  “Or…Hunter and I both were living in a bubble. A temporary bubble,” Violet said miserably. “And the thing about bubbles? They burst.” She sighed wearily as she rested her head on Katie’s shoulder.

  “You have to know this was a big step for Hunter. Brian and I have known him for a while and…neither of us remember him getting serious with anyone. His ex really did a number on him, and he’s kind of obsessive about who he brings around Eli. But with you, he was different–more relaxed and happier than I’ve ever seen him.”

  “So what are you saying? He deserves a pass because he’s been hurt?” She straightened. “We’ve all been hurt. And you know, we can make a list of who’s been hurt more, but at the end of the day, it won’t matter. He talked about wanting a future with me, but if he’s still clinging to what happened in his past and using it as an excuse to stay cocooned in his safe little world, then what kind of future can we have?”

  “All relationships take work, Vi.”

  “I get that, but they also have to have compromise from both parties. I deserve more than someone who refuses to give even an inch.”

  The sad look on Katie’s face told her everything she needed to know.

  She was about to say that she was planning on leaving today after lunch when her phone dinged with an incoming text. When she picked it up and swiped the screen, she saw it was from Hunter.

  Hunter: Hey. Can we please get together for lunch? I’d really like to talk to you.

  Her heart sank a little at the impersonal tone. They had gotten to the point where their texts were usually fun and flirty and always had some kind of emoji. Considering the circumstances, she figured this was just part of them going their separate ways.

  Violet: Sure. Where do you want to meet?

  Hunter: Here if it’s okay with you.

  “What?” Katie asked. “What is it? Is it Hunter? Is he apologizing?”

  Rolling her eyes, she sighed. “No. He wants me to come over for lunch. I’m guessing we’ll have ‘the talk’ and…that’ll be it.”

  “Wow. Way to be positive.”

  “We’ve been over this!”

  “Okay, okay. You’re right.” She paused. “So are you going to go?”

  “According to you, I have to.” Which reminded her…

  Violet: Sure. About an hour?

  Hunter: See you then.

  Putting the phone down, Violet swore she was okay. This was the way things had to be. She’d go over, they’d each say their piece, and then say goodbye.

  She didn’t even realize she was crying until Katie got up to hug her.

  And she didn’t stop until it was almost time for her to go.

  “Dad? What are you doing here?”

  Hunter had just finished texting with Violet and was making up some sandwiches. He needed the next hour to figure out what he was going to say.

  Or rather…how he was going to say goodbye.

  “There’s a carnival over at the high school and I thought I’d take Eli over to check it out,” Dominic said as he walked over and sat down at the kitchen table.

  “Why didn’t you mention it yesterday?”

  “You were a little distracted–especially after dinner.” He paused and studied Hunter. “You want to talk about it?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “Well, that’s too bad because I had to get tough with Scarlett and Kyle who were arm-wrestling over who was going to get to come over here and kick your butt.”

  “What?!”

  Nodding, his father explained. “Even without telling anyone the specifics, we all know Violet didn’t just suddenly remember something she had to do. We all figured there was a disagreement–for lack of a better word–over her moving here.”

  “Oh, really? And who thought that?” he asked and hated how defensive he sounded.

  “Scarlett mentioned the awkward conversation y’all were having while you were dancing. You take that and the fact the two of you disappeared not long after and only one of you came back? Well…we may not be a family of geniuses, Hunter, but we’re certainly not stupid either.”

  It was rare that his father pried, so Hunter sat down and told him about the disastrous conversation he and Violet had at the wedding.

  “So what are you going to do now?”

  “She’s going to be here in a little while so we can talk about it.”

  Dominic nodded. “And you’re going to tell her you were wrong, right? That you’ll go to Nashville?”

  “Um…no,” Hunter replied, thoroughly confused. “Why would I do that?”

  “The question really is, why wouldn’t you?”

  “Because there’s no reason to! She’s moving here! Why do I need to go there?”

  His father’s brows furrowed, and for a moment, he seemed at a loss for words.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t last long.

  “You need to go there because it’s part of her life,” he reasoned. “You need to go there because it’s someplace that has meaning to her. And lastly–and this is the most important one–you need to go there because she asked you to.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Dad, no one does everything someone asks of them. Eli asked me to take him to the moon last week. Clearly that’s not going to happen.”

  “You’re over-simplifying as much as you’re deflecting, Hunter. You and I both know you can’t take your son to the moon, but you can go to Nashville.” He paused. “Why are you so against it?”

  Good question.

  “Look, we all know you have some weird issues where traveling outside of Magnolia is concerned.”

  “It’s not weird…”

  “And to be honest, I don’t know where that came from. Your mother and I couldn’t afford to travel much–mainly because we had you all so close together, and it was hard to herd you all up and go anyplace. But we would go places, Hunter. We took day trips and sometimes got away for the weekend. Nothing bad ever happened to you when we traveled, so what’s this phobia of yours all about?”

  “It’s not a p
hobia, Dad.”

  His father let out a long, weary breath. “Hunter…”

  “Why aren’t I enough?” he asked a little too loudly. The shocked look on his father’s face told him that was not the explanation he was expecting. But he didn’t let it deter him. “I was a good kid, Dad! I followed all the rules, I got good grades, I did my chores, and…and Mom still left!”

  Holy shit! Where did that come from?

  Reaching over, his father placed his hand on top of his. “Hunter, your mother didn’t leave because of anything you did. Don’t you think if given a chance she would have stayed? Lived? There wasn’t a choice. Life is unfair like that. You have to know that given a choice, she would have been here to watch you all grow up!”

  “Then there was Melissa. All she did was talk about how great everything would be if we left Magnolia–if we moved. I was faithful, and I did everything I could to make that relationship work, and where did it get me, huh?”

  “It got you that amazing little boy playing in the other room,” Dominic said fiercely.

  “Eli is the greatest thing to ever happen to me, Dad. I know that. But what is so great about everyplace else, huh? What is wrong with being happy with just me? Or with being here? Why…” He paused as emotion had him by the throat. “Why am I not enough to make someone happy? It was always, ‘I love you, Hunter, but what if we moved?’ and now I feel like Violet’s saying the same thing.”

  “Violet is not like Melissa, son.”

  “There are a lot of similarities, Dad. The same…what’s the word…wanderlust. It’s just a matter of time before she’ll pack up and leave too.”

  “I realize I don’t know Violet as well as you do. But from everything you’ve told me before today, and what Rose told me about her, and even what Dean and Courtney observed from the night you all had dinner together, I can say with some certainty that she is nothing like Melissa. Hell, just watching her with Eli yesterday proved that! Plus, she’s not asking you to move, she’s asking you to share a part of her life with her. Briefly.”