Reforming Hunt

by Jules Barnard

  “What’s a fiancé?” Noah asked.

  If Abby followed through with the fake marriage, Noah would need to see this. He’d need to know Abby and Hunt were more than just friends. She hated lying to her son, but she couldn’t tell him the truth until she’d made a firm decision. Noah was completely guileless at this age, and incapable of lying. Vivian would hear the truth from Noah, and the jig would be up.

  “I’ll explain later,” she told Noah. She sent Hunt a look. “Would you like to join us for breakfast?”

  He gave her a toothy grin. “Only if it’s not too much trouble.”

  After a breakfast in which both boy and man consumed an inordinate amount of pancakes and bacon, Abby stood and put dishes in the dishwasher.

  “I have a proposition for you,” Hunt said, and Abby looked up. “What do you think of me taking Noah to the store to buy those chain locks? You’d have an hour or so to yourself.”

  An entire hour to herself? Yes, there was laundry to do, but still… Except this wasn’t Club Kids. This was Hunt taking her son in the car and driving off somewhere. “I don’t know,” she said, and looked at Noah.

  “Yes!” Noah shouted, and ran to his bedroom.

  Hunt laughed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said it in front of him. You can still back out.”

  If she was considering marrying this man, she needed to be able to trust him around her son. Technically, Hunt spent as much time with Noah as she did—or more so due to Club Tahoe—so it was silly to stand on ceremony now.

  Noah returned and stripped off his pajamas before putting on pants and a T-shirt. The shirt went on backward, of course.

  Abby closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Noah, we change in the bedroom.”

  “Hunt’s leaving,” Noah said, “and I want to go with him.”

  Hunt looked up, a question on his face.

  There went her quality time with her son on her day off. Truthfully, she spent almost no time by herself, and she could use it. “Okay, but can you take my car? It has the car seat.”

  Hunt looked out the window and winced. “No, no, I got this.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Is Sunflower not good enough for you?”

  “Sunflower?”

  “My car is delicate. The name fits her.”

  Hunt chuckled. “Delicate is one way of putting it. I’m afraid I won’t actually make it to work today if I attempt to drive Sunflower to the store and back.”

  She wanted to be insulted, but no joke, it could happen. “You can’t drive Noah without a car seat.”

  “Which is why I’ll take yours from Sunflower and install it in my car.”

  “You know how?”

  He sent her an incredulous look. “I have a niece. I know how to install a car seat.”

  “Interesting.” And it was interesting to think of Hunt taking his niece around town. And pretty darn cute. “Well,” she said, “it’s less of a car seat and more of a booster, since Noah’s older now. Should be easy to install.”

  “No worries.” He looked out the window again. “What do you say about me taking Noah across the street to that park? If I know him”—Hunt winked at her son—“your boy needs to get a few wiggles out after eating all those pancakes.”

  This was almost like having a babysitter. Hunt was good with kids. Really good. And he paid attention.

  She looked at Noah, who was jumping up and down and tugging on Hunt’s arm. “I guess that’s a yes,” she said.

  “Be back in a few.” Hunt walked out the door with Noah.

  Abby watched them from the living room window, and saw Hunt hold Noah’s hand and look both ways before they crossed the street.

  Even Noah’s father hadn’t been as conscientious with their son as Hunt had been just now. Abby didn’t realize until Trevor was gone how much she’d looked after things on behalf of the both of them.

  Whatever this was between her and Hunt, it was temporary. She didn’t want to get used to the help, because she’d sorely miss it when it was gone.

  Abby should have been folding laundry or finishing those dishes she’d started, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Hunt and Noah playing in the park.

  Currently, Noah had his arms and legs wrapped around Hunt’s torso like a spider monkey, while Hunt did pull-ups on one of the tall playground bars.

  Noah wasn’t light at over forty pounds, and Hunt was doing pull-ups with the extra weight like it was nothing. How did he do it?

  Hunt’s biceps bulged with each repetition, his body tight and angled to support Noah on his chest. It was mesmerizing.

  Until Noah began to slip.

  Abby yelped, hand flying to her mouth.

  But Hunt smoothly dropped to the ground, his arm already secured around Noah. He was in perfect control, this strong man with her son.

  Her eyes grew wet, nose burning. She would not cry. That was ridiculous. It was only that she’d never seen a man so thoroughly careful and kind to Noah. Trevor had been a loving father, but he’d always put his me-time first. The birth of their child hadn’t slowed Trevor’s outdoor adventures one bit.

  Noah ran to the slide, and Hunt followed him. They played on the equipment for a few more minutes, with Hunt pushing Noah on the swing or catching Noah when he flung himself at Hunt from atop the playground set. And then they were walking back toward the house.

  Abby sucked in a breath and rushed for a tissue to blow her nose. She quickly grabbed the laundry basket and began folding clothes. She smiled when they walked in the door. “How was it?”

  “Great!” Noah said.

  Hunt hadn’t even broken a sweat; the clean scent of his soap wafted past her on his way to the kitchen counter. “You mind if I grab your car keys? I’ll get that booster seat set up, and we can be on our way.”

  “Sure.” Abby strode across the room and fished inside her purse for her keys. She handed them to Hunt.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Be right back.”

  Abby looked down at Noah. “Use the bathroom before you leave, okay?”

  Noah raced to the bathroom, did his business, splashed water on his hands for less than half a second, then ran back out.

  She’d never seen her son so excited to spend time with someone. She had a special bond with Noah, but it was clear he’d been missing a man in his life.

  Hunt returned, and Noah was already racing past her to buckle himself in the shiny new Range Rover.

  Of course Hunt wouldn’t want to drive Sunflower when he had that beauty. Not that Sunflower wasn’t pretty. She was just…special.

  Fine, her car sucked.

  “Okay, so you’ll call me if you need anything?”

  He sent her a knowing look. “We’ll be fine. Enjoy your free time. And try not to spend it all on chores. If I return and those dishes are gone from the sink, I won’t be happy.” He winked.

  “Hunt,” Abby said. She’d already made her decision. It had come to her sometime between the pull-ups and the slide. “The answer is yes. To your question. I’ll—marry you,” she said quietly, though Noah was nowhere near earshot.

  Hunt blinked, and then a smile slowly spread across his face. “It’s going to work out. You’ll see.” Before she could gather her wits, he was out the door and headed for his car.

  Abby collapsed on the couch, shivers racking her body. “Holy shit.”

  Had she really agreed to this? And if it was a marriage in name only, how would she fight her attraction to the handsome man in her house?

  Chapter 16

  “Getting married? As in married, married?” Levi made a practice swing with his golf club like he was swinging a baseball bat, ready to blast the ball into outer space. Emily thought her boyfriend was soft on the inside, but Hunt never saw that side of Levi. He was all brute force.

  Hunt furrowed his brow and set his golf bag down. “Is there some other form of marriage I’m not aware of?”

  Levi glanced at their brothers standing around the first tee holding
similar expressions of disbelief. He dropped the head of his driver on the tee box and leaned on the handle. “Leave it to you to do things ass-backwards. This isn’t some game, Hunt. We’re talking about a single mother and her son you’ll be responsible for.”

  Hunt looked up and slowly let out a strained breath. “I’m aware of that. I’m not some impulsive eighteen-year-old.”

  Levi chopped his hand through the air. “You’re always playing with the kids at the club—”

  “Because it’s my job! You should try it sometime. It’s cathartic.”

  “—and you go out almost every night looking for hookups.”

  Don’t have to look, Hunt thought but didn’t say. “I’m capable of commitment.”

  “Oh really?” Levi said, again turning to their brothers for backup. Dammit.

  So Hunt hadn’t committed since the disaster with Lisa nearly ten years ago, but still. “I don’t need hookups. They simply kill time.”

  Wes bounced Harlow in the BabyBjörn she’d nearly outgrown. But they couldn’t let her loose on the course. That one was a runner. “There’s no reason to believe Hunt will mess this one up,” Wes said.

  “Thanks.” Hunt rolled his eyes. Did none of them have faith?

  “No, really,” Wes continued, taking a practice swing one-handed. He couldn’t do it with both hands without jostling Harlow. “You’re great with the kids at Club Kids. Kaylee says so all the time.”

  Levi glared at Wes. “And that’s supposed to make him a family man?”

  Wes shrugged, then ducked at the sound of someone yelling, “Fore!” from a mile away.

  Hunt looked up, but the ball landed nowhere near them.

  Crouched and blocking Harlow, who already wore a specially designed baby golf helmet, Wes said, “None of us were raised to be family men. That doesn’t mean we can’t adapt.” Wes gestured to himself.

  True, Wes had shocked them with his dad skills. And they couldn’t fault him for his overprotectiveness of Harlow, because they all behaved that way around her.

  Harlow swung a short plastic golf club and smacked her father in the head.

  “Good job, Harlow,” Wes cooed, and kissed her on the cheek.

  Bran walked up to the tee and took a practice swing. “As much as I enjoy these family discussions, I gotta get back to the restaurants. If we’re going to play, let’s play.” He shot a look at Levi. “You can’t control who Hunt marries.”

  The only brother missing from this diatribe was Adam, and only because he was running late.

  Levi’s expression didn’t change. Shit. Hunt wasn’t going to like what his brother said next. “You’re the most fucked up of all of us. Maybe it’s because you never knew Mom. Never had that maternal influence in your life. I’m not sure why you are the way you are, but I don’t want to see you hurt that woman and her child.”

  Hunt’s blood rushed through his veins and his head pounded. “I will never hurt Noah and Abby. I’m doing this for them, you idiot. And if I’m scarred, so are the rest of you. We all lost Mom and Dad when Mom died.”

  Hunt scrubbed a rough hand down his face. He knew what this was about. He’d always known what Levi thought. Not like his brother hid it. “Just admit it. You don’t trust me.”

  No answer.

  “Fuck you, Levi.” Hunt grabbed his clubs and stormed off the course, leaving his brothers gaping.

  He never showed Levi how much his shit got to him. Okay, almost never. But this was different. Hunt had never been as serious as he was when it came to Noah and Abby. And he didn’t know how to explain his feelings to his brothers—or to himself, really. He just felt an overpowering instinct to protect them. And as long as Abby was willing, that was what he would do.

  Hunt thought if he could get Levi’s support, his other brothers would follow suit at the news of his sudden engagement. But the conversation hadn’t gone as planned. None of them supported Hunt, with maybe the exception of Wes, who was the kind of father none of them expected him to be.

  But Hunt didn’t need his brothers. If he had to, he’d marry Abby at the courthouse without any of them. This wasn’t about his brothers, anyway. Hunt would keep Noah and Abby safe if it was the last thing he did.

  One week later, Hunt stood inside the small, rustic Fallen Leaf Lake chapel alongside Abby. A manager friend at the lake’s general store had gotten them a chapel slot despite the short notice. Hunt wore a new suit just for the occasion. He could have worn one he already owned, but it seemed only right to buy new clothes on his wedding day. Given his track record, this might be his one and only.

  Abby had told Noah they were getting hitched a few days ago, and the little guy had been attached to Hunt’s side the rest of the week whenever Hunt worked at Club Kids.

  A smile pulled at Hunt’s lips. He loved the idea of having Noah for a son. Even if it was short term.

  His smile fell. His marriage to Abby was temporary. Just long enough to protect Noah and Abby from Noah’s grandparents, and to provide them with a stable home. But that would take time, wouldn’t it? Not like they could show a united front in just a couple of months; the grandparents would never believe it.

  Hunt’s shoulders loosened, and he looked down at the woman holding on to his left arm. Abby wore a white, ankle-length sundress, her hair pulled up with a few wisps of artfully messy curls falling around her forehead and neck. If Hunt envisioned the perfect bride, he couldn’t do better than Abby. The more time he spent with her, the more beautiful she became to him.

  A light bump hit Hunt from behind, and a sweaty hand grabbed his right palm.

  He smiled down at Noah, who must have gotten bored standing as his best man and decided to join the party.

  Noah wore a matching suit. Couldn’t let the kid wear jeans to his mother’s wedding, could he? Abby had been surprised when Hunt suggested he buy Noah an outfit for the wedding, but she’d smiled shyly and allowed it.

  The rest of the last week, Hunt had been busy talking with lawyers and arranging the wedding, the details of which Abby had been all too happy to hand off. She had work, and Hunt’s schedule was flexible. Meaning he forced his brothers to cover for him when he had an appointment. He’d also quickly gotten a prenup drawn up, following through on his promise to Abby when he’d been trying to convince her to go along with his plan and marry him.

  The lawyers he and his brothers had hired a couple of years ago when they took over Club Tahoe had given Hunt the name of the best family lawyer in town. The woman was already preparing for a custody battle, should it come down to one with Noah’s grandparents.

  Hunt couldn’t let Abby and Noah dangle on their own without his protection. The longer he waited, the more nervous Noah’s grandparents made him. They’d already taken Noah from Abby once, and what was to stop them from trying again? So Hunt had wasted no time in planning the wedding. But now that it was here, the magnitude of his actions had his head spinning.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the attendant said, forcing Hunt’s attention on the present.

  He was married. To Abby.

  Somehow, what he’d avoided for so long—marriage, a commitment—didn’t feel painful at all. It felt almost right.

  Huh.

  He looked down at the beautiful woman at his side.

  “Kiss the bride!” Noah said, and jumped up and down.

  Hunt glanced past Abby to the back of the chapel. Despite the shit Levi had given him, he’d shown up with Emily, along with the rest of Hunt’s brothers and a few of their friends, including Jaeger and Cali. Jaeger was one of Adam’s best friends, and Hunt had known him since school. The chapel held enough witnesses to make the marriage real.

  Because the marriage was real. But not real.

  Abby was watching him, chewing the corner of her mouth and not exactly meeting his eyes.

  This was a real wedding, even if he and Abby knew it was only temporary. And at real weddings, the groom kissed the bride. He’d been imagining how her lips would f
eel since the day they’d met. Who was he to pass up an opportunity?

  Hunt leaned down and touched the underside of Abby’s jaw. He pressed his mouth to hers.

  Electric sparks set off everywhere their skin touched. Heat coursed through him, settling deep. He lingered, distracted as he sampled her mouth, forgetting everything but the feel of her lips against his, her soft skin…and heard Noah giggle.

  Hunt lifted his head and locked his gaze with Abby’s. Her eyes were half lidded, the pupils dilated.

  Damn and shit. This was bad.

  He was married, and he wanted his fake wife with every breath in his body.

  Chapter 17

  After the ceremony, the wedding party moved to Wes and Kaylee’s place, where Wes had arranged a small reception. His brothers understood Hunt wanted to protect Abby and her son, but they didn’t know the marriage was a farce, and Hunt wasn’t about to tell them. Admitting he’d married a woman he didn’t love would only prove Levi’s point that Hunt was reckless, and it wouldn’t look good if Noah’s grandparents discovered the truth. This marriage needed to appear real.

  Kaylee crossed the room, Harlow nowhere in sight. Not in this crowd, with all four uncles and their best friends within grabbing distance. It was a pass-the-baby event. Someone seriously needed to have another kid or Harlow would grow up to be the most spoiled child on the planet.

  Kaylee grabbed Abby’s hand and looked at Hunt. “I’ve already talked it over with Abby. Noah’s going to stay with me and Wes this evening so you guys can have a proper wedding night.”

  Hunt looked at Abby, whose expression was a stiff, unnatural grin. Great.

  “That’s not necessary,” he said.

  “It’s all arranged.” Kaylee looked over her shoulder to where the kids were playing, Harlow crawling all over Noah, and Noah laughing loudly at the baby’s aggressive antics. “The kids are getting along great, and we’d really love to do this for you.”

  Hunt raised an eyebrow at Abby. Your call.

  Abby sighed and her shoulders loosened. Her forced smile turned genuine. “We’d love that. Thank you again for the offer. Noah is already close to you from Club Kids, so this is perfect.”