“I’m sure you realized how much you were mistaken when I pulled a Dirty Dancing leap on you.”
“Dirty Dancing leap?”
Violet pushed herself up and looked up at him. “Please tell me you’ve seen the movie!”
“Um…I think so.”
“At the end? Their last dance when she runs up to him and he lifts her up in the air?”
Gently, Hunter guided her head back onto his shoulder. “I don’t think it was quite like that, but yeah, when you wrapped yourself around me, I knew you were happy to see me. And believe me, I was nervous as hell that you’d tell me to leave.”
“Well…you had cupcakes with you so I figured I could at least hear you out.”
Hugging her tight, he tickled her ribs a little. “So it’s not really me that you love, it’s just the cupcakes. Is that what you’re saying?”
“The fact that you’re up here with me and the cupcakes are downstairs all by themselves should tell you exactly where you stand.”
He fell silent and rolled Violet onto her back. “Where do I stand, Violet?” he asked quietly, realizing he’d said he loved her and…she hadn’t said it back. And more than anything, he needed to hear her say it to him and know he wasn’t alone.
One soft, delicate hand caressed his jaw, down the column of his neck, and came to rest over his heart. “I love you, Hunter Jones. I love the fact that you got on a plane to come here to me.” She kissed him softly on the lips. “I love talking with you, I love laughing with you, I really love making love with you, and yes, I love that you brought cupcakes with you.” She paused and gave him a sassy grin. “And I wish we had brought them upstairs with us because I’m starving.”
“Me too!”
“Oh, thank God! I was so afraid to admit that and ruin the moment!” She maneuvered out from under him and got up. Hunter lay back in awe as she stretched and walked around the bed completely naked and beyond sexy. She walked into what he guessed was her en suite bathroom and came back out wearing a robe. “Okay, I had planned on getting takeout tonight, so what are you in the mood for? Pizza? Chinese? Mexican? There’s a great chicken and barbecue place I order from all the time that I think you’d like. Or…”
“Or,” he interrupted as he climbed from the bed. “We can go out to eat and you can show me around the city a bit. What do you say?”
“I say…” She moved in close and wrapped her arms around his waist. “That I love you and I’d very much like to take you out and show you around.” And she kissed his chest before looking up at him. “But I think we need a shower first. What do you say?”
“Can we be as loud as we want?” he teased.
“Hell, yeah!
“That was…amazing.”
“I have to agree.”
“You know, you see these things on TV, but you don’t realize how truly amazing they are.”
“Well, it is one of the main reasons I bought this house.”
They were drying off after their second shower of the night. They had gone out to dinner and had walked around downtown for a while before coming home and having the cupcakes for dessert.
And using the icing for pleasure purposes.
Exhausted and clean, they climbed back into the bed and snuggled in close. Violet left one of the bedside lamps on so there was some soft lighting in the room, and Hunter realized just how practical his home was compared to hers. Everything here looked like it had been handpicked to make the room feel cozy. Whereas everything in his home was there because it was functional. The structure of the house itself was great, but sadly, his decorating skills kind of sucked.
Damn.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Hunter, you just sighed like…I don’t know…like something’s bothering you. Did you not have fun tonight? Was all the walking around too much? Too boring?” She gasped and sat up to face him. “Are you regretting coming here and you’re going to fly home in the morning?”
“Violet…”
“You never did say when your return flight was. Did you only plan on being here for the night? Oh, God…we really need to talk about stuff like this!”
“No, Violet, I was just thinking…”
“All night I yammered on and on and on about the city and all the things we were seeing and trying to keep the conversation light. When really, I should have been asking the big questions and figuring out where we go from here.”
Much like he had earlier, Hunter gently guided her back down beside him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. “Okay, take a breath and relax. I was sighing because your home is …it’s fantastic, Violet. I’m looking around and realizing how much is lacking back at my place. Like you have all this great furniture that matches and looks a little like it came from a decorating magazine. Then I think of my place and it’s kind of depressing.”
“I wouldn’t say depressing…”
“You certainly wouldn’t see any of my rooms in a decorating magazine.”
“Well, don’t be too impressed,” she began slowly. “Because…this was the model home, and I bought it furnished, so…I can’t take all the credit. Or any of it, actually. And for what it’s worth, I love your house. It’s comfortable and lived in and…I can’t wait to be there with you again.”
This girl…
Holding her tight, he let out a long breath. “I know I was kind of unbending about this move, but I want you to know I get it now. You can’t just pack up your whole life in a week. It’s just not possible. So take as long as you want and I’ll come back as much as you need. Maybe I can even bring Eli on one of the trips.”
“I would love that, but…I’ve kind of been thinking about it all too.”
“Really?”
“And I mean since I left Magnolia and not just tonight.”
“O-kay…”
“I was being kind of bratty and pushing you too much. I love that you’re here, but the truth is that I could have done it all–packed up and sold the house all by myself. I just saw how you were being and it made me defensive. I’m so sorry, Hunter.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You had every right to push. I was the one being stubborn and selfish. I wish I could say it will never happen again, but…I’m sure you’ll have to stay on me over it.”
“I don’t want you to change, Hunter,” she said softly. “I fell in love with you just the way you are.”
“Just remember that the next time I’m being stubborn about something.” Luckily, she knew he was teasing because she laughed.
“You may have met your match, Hunter, because I can be pretty stubborn too.”
“Hmm…that is true. Two stubborn people living in the same house…things could get ugly. Oh, well…at least we tried, right?”
Laughing, she elbowed him in the ribs. “Not so fast. Our stubbornness led us to giving up too easily. I say we put a little more effort in this time. What do you say? A little more than a few hours?”
He pretended to ponder what she was saying.
“Um…Hunter?”
“I’m thinking!” he teased, and then looked down and met her gaze. “I definitely think we should give it more than a few hours.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Geez, way to be dramatic there. You scared me.”
Chuckling, he kissed her. “Sorry.” Then he paused for a moment. “You want to know what I personally think is the perfect timeline for us to genuinely know for sure if we can live with each other’s stubbornness?”
Glancing up at him, she shook her head.
“I’m thinking at least forty or fifty years. What do you say, Violet? You ready to take a chance with me?”
“I am. I really am.”
Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her sweetly, then deeply, then thoroughly.
This time when they made love, they took their time, and it was as if they had the time in the world.
Which they did.
They had
forever.
Epilogue
One Month Later…
“Hey, can you step outside for a minute?”
Violet looked up from her laptop and smiled at Hunter. “Sure. Let me just hit send on this email.” And she did. “What’s up?”
“Just…I need you to see something.”
It wasn’t like him to be so vague, but ever since she moved in with him, he’d been in a constant state of motion to try to get the house ready to sell. Honestly, she was perfectly fine with them staying here for a while, but he had been adamant about them getting someplace bigger so they could have more privacy.
And it was hard to argue with that.
Standing, she stretched and figured he was going to show her whatever else he had done to the yard, but when she stepped out onto the porch, she saw Eli sitting on the steps with the cutest little black and white puppy wearing a big red bow.
“Oh my goodness! Who is this?” she said softly as she sat down beside them. The dog was on its hind legs, tail wagging, and desperately trying to lick her face. Unable to resist, she picked him up and snuggled him close while her face was bathed in puppy kisses.
She noticed Hunter and Eli exchange a look before either spoke.
“His name is Nash’ll!” Eli said excitedly, and Hunter chuckled.
“We named him Nashville,” he explained. “But we’ll probably call him Nash for short. What do you think?”
It didn’t seem possible for her heart to be this full of love.
Shifting the squirming puppy to one arm, she held out the other so she could hug Eli. “Did you name him?”
He nodded. “Yup!”
“It was kind of a…group effort,” Hunter clarified. “We thought he’d make a great addition to our family.”
Violet couldn’t help but giggle because Nash was squirming desperately to get down and presumably play. “Does he have a leash or something? Can I just put him down?”
Reaching over, Hunter took the puppy from her and held him up to look at him. “He certainly is cute.”
“He really is! I can’t believe you guys did this! Where did you get him?”
“Scarlett works with an animal rescue here in town–Happy Tails. They got a litter of these little guys and when she told me about them, I knew we needed to give at least one of them a home.”
“What kind of dog is he?”
“A Boston Terrier.” The puppy reached up to lick Hunter’s face, and he laughed before moving him a little out of reach. “But you know what really drew him to me?”
She shook her head.
“Boston Terriers are known for their tuxedo coat and I thought it was perfect.”
“Um…I don’t get it.”
Hunter and Eli exchanged glances again before they moved to kneel in front of her.
“Violet, you have given so much to us,” Hunter began. “You made us a bigger and better family than I ever could have imagined.” He looked at Eli. “Right, buddy?”
Eli nodded.
“We love you so much, and you’ve made us so happy, and we thought what better way to show you than with this little guy. You’ve mentioned before how much you’ve always wanted a dog,” he added before reading into his back pocket. “Here. We think you should be the one to put his new collar on him.”
She knew she was smiling from ear to ear and couldn’t believe how much her life had changed. A month ago, she thought all hope was lost for her and Hunter. Then he showed up on her doorstep and things had been amazing ever since.
Hunter had stayed for five wonderful days, and they spent them packing and going sight-seeing. It was an exhausting time, but when she took him to the airport and had to say goodbye, they both realized long distance wasn’t for them. For so long, there had been a part of her life that she felt was missing, and she found it with Hunter. As soon as she’d gotten home, Violet called a friend who was in real estate and listed her townhouse.
It sold in a week.
That’s when she definitely knew she was doing the right thing.
Now, her home was in Magnolia Sound, and she was close to Katie and Brian, but also made a ton of new friends. It seemed like Hunter and his siblings knew everyone in town and it was overwhelming and wonderful, and it filled her heart to overflowing to find herself as part of this incredible family.
She was home.
And now she had an adorable puppy too!
Reaching out, she took the collar from him and saw a little sparkle on it. “Um…did you get this sweet boy dog a blingy collar?” But when she looked a little closer, she saw it wasn’t bling for Nash. It was a ring for her. “Oh my goodness,” she whispered.
Hunter took the collar back and took the ring off and held it up to her. “You complete us, Violet. And Eli and I wanted to ask you…”
“Will you marry us?” Eli cried out excitedly, jumping to his feet.
Violet couldn’t have uttered a word if she wanted to, but she nodded and held out her hand and watched in awe as Hunter slid the beautiful marquis onto her finger.
“Yay! She’s gonna marry us!” Eli said before going to run in circles on the grass. Nash immediately jumped out of Hunter’s arm to join in. Which was just as well. That freed up his hands so he could pull her close and kiss her senseless.
When they finally broke apart, she looked at him with pure wonder. “How did I ever get this lucky?”
“We’re the lucky ones,” Hunter said gruffly. “And I can’t wait to make you my wife.”
“Ooo…I like the sound of that,” she said, smiling.
“I do have…well…maybe one request to make.”
“A request?”
He nodded.
“Um…o-kay…”
“All the talk you, Katie, and Brian did about that California road trip,” he said, “I think I’d like to check that out for our honeymoon. What do you think?”
Eyes wide, she cupped his face and gave him a loud, smacking kiss on the lips. “Hunter Jones, I would go anywhere with you. And I can’t wait to plan a trip just for us!”
Preview of Last Beautiful Girl
Want to know what happens with Hunter’s brother Kyle??
Here’s an excerpt of
“To the happy couple!”
Kyle lifted his glass of champagne along with everyone else and smiled at the happy couple. His brother Hunter and his fiancé Violet were both beaming as everyone toasted their new engagement. And as much as he usually made fun of people who opted to tie themselves to someone for the rest of their lives, he had to admit he was happy for them.
Hey, just because he didn’t want to take the plunge, didn’t mean others couldn’t.
“There he is, the last Jones standing.”
Looking over his shoulder, Kyle smiled at his oldest brother Dean walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “Yup. That’s me!”
They stood shoulder to shoulder as Hunter and Vi shared a kiss. “Nice of you to fix yourself up.”
“What? What’s wrong with the way I look?”
Dean reached over and ruffled his hair. “You couldn’t bother getting a haircut?”
Groaning, he raked a hand through his hair. “For an engagement party? Not necessary. I’ve always worn my hair long and no one has a problem with it.” Then he paused. “Wait…do they?”
Chuckling, Dean shook his head. “Sometimes you make it too easy.”
“Ass.”
“Look at him,” Dean said after a moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hunter look so happy.”
“I agree. And honestly, he deserves it.” Nodding, Kyle took another sip of his champagne.
“What about you, bro? When are you going to give up your wild ways and settle down?”
It wasn’t the first time someone had mentioned how it was time for him to give up his partying lifestyle and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Honestly, it didn’t even bother him.
“Never,” he said mildly.
Beside him, Dean chuckled. “Seriousl
y?”
Another nod. “Not everyone wants to settle down. Me? I enjoy dating. I enjoy dating different women.” Then he chuckled. “And many different women enjoy dating me.”
Rolling his eyes, Dean shook his head. “It’s going to get old eventually. And so are you. And then where will you be?”
“That is a long way off and I’m not worried about it. You weren’t in any rush to settle down.”
“And yet I did. I just had to find the perfect woman.”
That made him laugh. “Yeah, and she’d been right under your nose for most of your life. You were a little slow on the uptake there.”
But his brother didn’t even seem mildly offended by the ribbing. “True, but once I realized that Court was it for me, I didn’t waste any time.”
True, he had married her six months after he proposed.
Whatever.
He was about to comment on it when Dean’s wife walked over and snagged her husband to go and dance. He raised a glass to them and told them to have fun, but now he wished he had someone to dance with. Glancing around the room, there were plenty of women he knew, but they all were here with dates. Hell, he could have brought a date, too, but taking someone to your brother’s engagement party implied a level of commitment that he just wasn’t interested in.
No thank you.
There was a time when he thought it was, but…that was a whole other lifetime ago.
His father walked over and took the spot his brother had just vacated.
“You know what I wish?” Dominic Jones asked.
“What’s that, Dad?”
“That I had someone to dance with.”
Wow…color me surprised.
Turning his head, he looked curiously at his father who had been widowed for close to thirty years. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why don’t you date?”
Shrugging, his father said, “I guess I just sort of…forgot how.” He laughed softly. “For so many years after your mother died, I was focused on just trying to keep it together and raise you kids. Then I was so set in my routine that I didn’t even think about it. But now? Now I’d like to think about it, but I don’t know how.” Sliding his hands into his trouser pockets, he glanced at Kyle. “You know any single women my age?”
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