“No you’re not. I love hearing this. I love when you open up to me.” Becca reached for his hand.
“You’re the only one I’ve ever been able to open up to like this. See, there you go. Another sign. And damn it, I don’t believe in signs like this, but they all point to you. I wish I’d opened up a lot more to you in the past, but I never wanted to bombard you with my crazy life. That’s why I always focused on you.” He sank to his knees before her. “I want to give you everything. I want you to know me, all of me. So know that I’ll try. It’s weird to bare my deepest thoughts to anyone, but I’m ready to with you.”
“You’re going to make me cry!” Becca hugged him.
Hunter stroked her hair, holding her close. “I know you don’t like attention drawn to you, so that’s why I never mentioned this before, but I think you should know now.”
She pulled back, her eyes wide.
“It’s nothing bad, I promise. I just don’t know how you’ll react.” His heartbeat sped up. He was ready to tell her.
“What is it?”
“Well, when that settlement came in, I didn’t know what to do with that kind of money. I never wanted anything like that, and I could have just turned it away, but I decided to go ahead and make the best out of it. You already know I admire you and all you’ve overcome, so I wanted to do something in your honor. So I created a research fund in your name. And I’ve donated to it, helped with the cause. I’m pretty involved with it. In fact, we have an annual fundraiser coming up that I’m supposed to speak at and would love to introduce the inspiration behind the Rebecca Lange Fund.”
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Hunter…”
He put a finger to her lips. “I’ve been involved with helping to fund brain trauma research. It’s scary, but it’s fascinating and I wanted to be a part of it.”
“Now you’ve done it. Now I-” Tears fell from her eyes.
“Oh angel. Don’t cry.” He held her as she let out all of her emotions on his shoulder.
“I’m stunned right now.” She sobbed. “Never in a million years did I think it was something like this.”
“You’re not upset, are you?”
She laughed through her tears. “Upset? No! I mean, you’re right. I don’t like attention drawn to me, but this … this is amazing. I had no idea! I love it.”
“Here’s a bit of honesty. Part of me did it out of guilt.” He’d never admitted this to anyone. Carrying a twenty year guilt ate at him though.
“Guilt?” Becca frowned. “What in the world did you have to feel guilty about?”
“Your injuries were so complex. I know it sounds silly now, but back then, I thought I could have done more. I’d promised that I would keep you safe. When you shut down, I thought it was my fault.”
“You carried that pain with you this entire time?”
Hunter nodded, climbing to his feet. He held out his hands to help Becca up. “For the longest time. Obviously now that I’m older and I’ve learned more about brain trauma, I know I did the best I could. It’s like survivor’s guilt. You survived, but you went through more trauma than I did. I hated that I couldn’t be there with you after you finally woke up. The first time you reacted to my voice, the doctors were stunned. I grew up fast during those few weeks. You and I experienced more heartache in our lives in those few weeks than some do in years or even a lifetime. I promised myself I’d live life to it’s fullest. While I learned to deal with my fear of planes, I never gave my heart fully to anyone. Even though Sienna isn’t biologically yours, you complete this family. I have everything I need and want, right here and right now.” He tipped her back and kissed her. “Just so you know, I want to marry you one day. I’m still going to take this slow, but I want to spend my life with you by my side. No matter what, I’ll find a way to make us work. Whatever it takes. I told you all those years ago I’d always find a way to get to you, and I stand by that. You are the center of my life, Becca. You and Sienna. I don’t regret the things in my past because it led us here.” Hunter wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Becca close. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Thank you for sharing more in-depth parts of you tonight. I feel like we’re bonding even more, if that’s possible. After twenty years, you still surprise me.” Becca leaned into him.
“I hope for many more surprising things to come our way. Good ones, that is. I think we could do without the bad, even though I know they will happen. I want-” He stopped, startled as the sounds of Sienna’s cries drifted through the monitor’s speaker. He let go of Becca and frowned. “Well, poor kiddo is up again. Sorry, Bec-”
“Shh.” Becca kissed his lips. “Let’s go check on Sienna and make sure she’s doing all right. Thank you again for a beautiful night.” Taking his hand, she was the first to head inside.
Hunter was stunned. No matter what curve balls were thrown at them, Becca took it with ease and jumped right in. He had no intentions on letting her slip away from him ever again. Four years away from her gave him the realization that she was what he needed the entire time.
Chapter Nineteen
Becca woke up the next morning in a different place than where she’d fallen asleep. What on earth? She shot up in bed and surveyed her surroundings. Hadn’t she fallen asleep with Hunter on the floor in Sienna’s room? She was in the room she shared with Hunter. Their room. It still felt weird saying that, even though he insisted that this was their room.
She found a note taped to the headboard right above her pillow. Curious, she carefully pried it from the spot and read it.
Angel,
You’re such a deep sleeper that I was able to pick you up and carry you to our bed. Sienna and I have taken off for a quick errand. I hope you slept well. Thank you for everything. I love you.
Always yours,
Hunter
With a smile, she folded the note and stuck it on the nightstand. She wondered what the two of them were up to.
She dressed quickly, eager to work more on the painting before Hunter returned. Just as she was about to pull open the door, someone knocked on it. Could Hunter be home already? Heart skipping a beat, Becca pulled it open and stopped short when she saw Shara at the other side.
“Morning,” Shara said quietly.
“Hunter isn’t here,” Becca informed her.
“I know. I called him a little while ago and he told me. I actually came to talk to you.”
“Me? What for?” She probably wanted to give her an earful about why she and Hunter wouldn’t work. After Shara’s reaction yesterday, Becca knew the woman didn’t like the idea of her being here.
“I want to apologize.” Shara shuffled her feet, staring down. “I was rude to you yesterday, and that’s the wrong way to start off.”
“I-” Wow. She hadn’t expected that.
Shara sighed. “Want to head downstairs and have a cup of coffee with me? I promise, I won’t act like a bitch again.” Her eyes were warm and friendly, a far change from yesterday.
“Sure. I’d like that.” Becca smiled. The tension eased just slightly. It didn’t hurt. Shara was a friend of Hunter’s and even though she wanted more from him, Becca wasn’t about to hold that against her. It would be nice to clear the air.
Downstairs, Shara moved around the kitchen, pouring the hot, black liquid into two mugs. “Don’t know how you take it, so help yourself.” She handed a white mug to Becca.
“Thanks.” Becca found a creamer she liked in the fridge and poured some in, watching the color change from a brown to light caramel.
“I won’t lie. I’ve wanted a more than friendly relationship with Hunter for a long time. I’m one of the many people that knew his heart was with you, though. It’s a little hard to accept, but I know when I need to move on. I should have realized it a long time ago, but I’m stubborn.” Shara shrugged, slipping into a chair across from Becca. “I met Hunter when we were seventeen. We lived in the same foster home for a while. My sister and I were taken
away from our father when I was fifteen.” A dark shadow crossed her face. Shara took a sip of her coffee. “The fact that a young guy like Hunter knew exactly what he wanted to do in life intrigued me. I knew about his circumstances, but as I spent more time with him, I only respected him more. What teenager at seventeen did the kind of things Hunter did? He invested into a research fund that would go on to help others. We became friends, and then when he was old enough to finally be in control of everything, he hired me on as his assistant. I have been in awe at all he’s accomplished.”
“He just told me about the fund last night,” Becca admitted, remembering every single detail so fresh in her mind.
“Becca, it’s more than just a fund. Hunter invested so much into this research and treatment facility. His generosity built it from the ground up with passionate doctors and researchers. The place is amazing. What they’ve done…”
Becca blinked, taking in what Shara had just told her.
“I’m really surprised he didn’t tell you all of this,” Shara said quietly, leaning forward. “I guess he doesn’t want to draw attention to himself. He’s not one to brag.”
“I know.” Becca had to catch her breath at what Shara just told her.
“I worry about him. He’s been out of sorts the past few months. He opened his heart to Eva and after everything that happened, she turned against him and blamed him. She hurt him bad, even though he tries to hide it. I don’t want him to hurt anymore.”
“I would never hurt him,” Becca protested, digesting Shara’s words. What would Eva have to blame Hunter for? She must not know the whole story.
“Becca, his heart is in the palm of your hands. From day one, you were the one that brought him happiness. Every time he got off the phone with you, he was happy. He couldn’t wait to hear from you. He spent a lot of time on the phone calling people on your behalf, trying to get them to listen to what he had to say. Never have I seen such dedication. It’s beautiful. To be honest, I came to you today to talk to you about Hunter. I worry about his mental state lately, an I’m hoping you can help him.”
Tears stung her eyes, hearing the words from another person about Hunter and his determination about her.
“Most people could only dream about a love like that. I hope you two make it. Maybe now he’ll come out out of his shell and open up more.”
Hunter in a shell? Well, she hadn’t seen him in four years prior to this, and no doubt he’d changed.
“He hides his pain,” Shara said, as if she could read her mind. “He acts like things don’t bother him, but he suffers a silent pain. Eva’s actions haven’t helped. He let her in and she broke his heart. I just want to see him happy for a change. She blames him for things.”
“I want him to be happy, too.” Blamed him for things? What kind of things? Becca realized that for a man she’d known so long, there was still so much she didn’t know about Hunter.
“Just bear with him. He’s been pretty good with you here, but he’s had some dark days. Honestly, I almost think it’s PTSD.” Shara bit her lip. “I think the night he almost lost control of his plane did something to him. Things haven’t been the same since.”
“PTSD?” That would explain the nightmares and flashbacks. The way he freaked out and pulled away at times. It made sense.
“Yeah, you know-”
“I know what it is. You just caught me off-guard, but I can see where you’re coming from.” She told Shara about the parasailing and the nightmares.
Shara sighed. “You might want to see if you can coax him to talk to someone, before it gets worse. With all the stress he’s under, I can see this blowing up in a bad way. He might listen to you, whereas sometimes I come off harsh and pushy, which I admit I can do. My sister gets really annoyed at me sometimes because of it. That’s why I swallowed my pride and came to get to know you. I don’t want Hunter to be anymore upset than he already is.”
At the mention of a sister, Becca closed her eyes. She and Ellie had been close, even though they’d had their share of fights. What siblings didn’t? She’d been Hunter’s age. What would things have been like if Ellie was still alive?
“Becca? You okay?”
She snapped her eyelids open. Shara stared at her, eyes narrowed and her lips set in a thin line.
“Sorry. I was thinking about my sister.” Sadness crept in her voice.
Shara’s hand flew to her mouth. “I am so sorry-”
Becca waved her off. “No, no. It’s okay.”
They both stopped at the sound of a car door opening, then the front door opened.
“Anybody up?” Hunter’s voice drifted through the room.
“We’re in here!” Shara called.
A few second laster, Sienna barreled into the room, heading straight for Becca. She wrapped her in her arms.
“Hey, sweet girl. Did you have fun with your daddy this morning?” she asked Sienna, whose face lit up in a big grin.
Hunter appeared in the doorway, holding a bag and a vase full of roses. His eyes lit up at the sight of her. “Hey, angel.” He strode over to her and bent down for a kiss. “Sleep well?”
“I did! I was a bit startled when I wasn’t where I fell asleep.”
He chuckled, handing her the vase. “Sienna picked them out, so they’re from both of us. I also have something else for you, but I’ll show you that a little later.” His sly grin had her all sorts of curious. “Hey, Shara. I didn’t know you were coming over when you called me this morning.” His gaze moved from Becca to his assistant.
“I came by to apologize to Becca. We’ve been sitting here talking.” Shara sent him a genuine smile.
“I’m really happy to see this. I’d hoped you two would get along.” Hunter rested his hand on Becca’s shoulder. His fingers gently caressed the spot. “So here’s the thing. I have to go to a few meetings today for the upcoming fund raiser event. It’ll be a few hours, but I’m not sure how to go about this.”
“That’s easy.” Becca bounced a squirming Sienna on her knee, even though she already felt the swelling for some reason. “I’ll watch Sienna here. You don’t have to worry.”
“I thought I could push the meetings off, but I can’t. Now that I’m back, they’re all too happy about getting them done earlier. I don’t want to ask too much of you, Bec.”
“You worry way too much, you know.” Becca tilted her head back to look at him. “I have no problem hanging out here with Sienna while you do what you need to.”
“I’ll stay too, if Becca wants company, that is,” Shara offered.
Hunter looked between the two of them. “Thank you. Thank you both. I’m still trying to get a hold of Eva. I’m worried more ‘things’ will show up.” He looked down at Sienna. “There’s so much-”
Sienna climbed off Becca’s lap, moving toward her diaper bag where she grabbed her sippy cup and lifted it to her mouth.
Becca took that opportunity to stand up and hug him. “Will you relax?” she whispered. “You can’t be with me every waking minute when you have obligations. I’m not going to be the reason you get so distracted, you don’t get done what you need. I didn’t come down here expecting you to drop everything. So things haven’t gone quite as planned. That’s all right by me. If anyone or anything shows up, we’ll let you know. I’m rattled, but we can’t let them win.”
Hunter sighed deeply as he pulled her closer. “I’m not used to such a laid back attitude. Okay, but you and I will have our special time. You can count on that. Oh, and you don’t get this gift until later.” He grinned, then the look faded. “I just want to stay with you and keep you close. I don’t like the craziness.”
“That’s totally teasing, but you know what, I’ll go with it.” She looked up in his eyes, which held so much love. “We’ll be fine for a little while, Hunter.”
“Don’t have too much fun without me,” Hunter teased, giving Becca one more kiss. He nodded at Shara. “If you hear anything concerning Eva…”
“You’ll
be the first to know after me. I haven’t heard a thing in a few days.” Shara put down her coffee. “Seriously, go. Becca’s right, you need to relax. You’ve been wound up for months.”
A dark shadow crossed Hunter’s face and his smile disappeared. “I know. I’m trying to relax, I really am. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” His smile returned when he picked up Sienna, peppering her face with kisses. “Daddy has to work for a few hours. Will you be good for Becca and Shara?”
“Bye Daddy!” Sienna said, hiding her face from the kisses.
“I guess that’s my cue to go.” He set Sienna down. “Her medication is-”
Becca pressed two fingers to his lips. “I love you. I know where everything is, I helped you last night. Go concentrate on your meetings. We’ll be right here waiting for you when you get home.”
Ten minutes later, Hunter reluctantly left. Becca closed the door and sighed. “You’re right. He’s way too wound up.”
Chapter Twenty
A few hours turned into longer, but by two o’clock, Hunter was finally on his way home. He couldn’t wait to see Becca and give her what he bought this morning. It was an impulsive move, but she’d love it. She’d probably tell him once again that he was too much.
As he pulled into the driveway, he noticed that Shara’s car was still parked by the curb. What a turnaround. He hadn’t expected her to change her mind so quickly when she’d obviously been jealous about Becca coming here.
Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom Page 98
