by Selena Kitt
The scent of raspberry scones and fresh coffee is in the air, and we’ve got a crowd of happy people enjoying their pastries and conversation. The sun is shining and I’m feeling really good about my decisions. I’m starting to realize that with the people I love behind me I don’t have anything to be afraid of. My family and friends will never let me fall hard, and they’ll never let me fall alone. With that kind of support, maybe it is time to give love a chance?
Moreover, maybe with the baby on the way Hunter will be willing to take things slowly. Perhaps he’ll even want to take things slowly when he finds out he’s about to become a father. I’m sure this is a huge step and life change that he wasn’t planning on making anytime soon.
There’s a lull between breakfast and the afternoon crowd that lasts several hours. While I’m behind the pastry case cleaning the glass, I hear the bell on the door chime as a customer comes in. I step out from behind the case to greet whoever has come in. I’m glad that I’m still partially hidden behind the cash register because it’s Hunter.
He looks devastatingly handsome. The extra exercise he’s been getting with the team has leaned his muscular frame out even more than usual, and all of the time he spends outside has given him a deep, golden tan. He’s wearing a t-shirt that doesn’t fully cover his biceps, and I can see that he’s gotten some more ink done since I’ve been gone.
“Hello, Allison.” He says, and I start to melt into a pool of goo at the sound of his voice.
Being pregnant with his child must be making me even more attracted to him.
“I thought you were out of town.”
“I couldn’t wait anymore, sweetie. We’re free until Monday, so instead of spending my weekend with a bunch of smelly football players, I flew home to see you.”
“It’s really good to see you, Hunter.” He takes a step towards the counter, and I take a step back.
“What’s wrong? Why are you backing away from me, Allison?” He says and a frown darkens his normally bright eyes.
“There’s something I need to tell you. I just wasn’t prepared to tell you today.”
“My mom said I needed to talk to you about something important. What is it?”
“Your mom knows?”
“You mean about us? Yes, she’s known since the island. What is all of this about, honey?” He says and I can see the anguish and worry written across his chiseled face. His strong jawline is clenched up in a way that makes my heart hurt. I don’t ever want to make him feel this way again.
“Does my dad know?”
“No, she promised me that she would give us time to tell him. Mom didn’t like keeping a secret from Will, but she understands why we need to discuss it with him. But, you’re stalling. What is it you need to tell me?”
I can’t do this to him anymore. He has to know whether I’m ready or not. This is his baby, and no matter what happens, Terri is right. He has every right to know. Who knows, maybe having him with me will make all of this easier.
Suddenly my head is full of images of him and me going through the pregnancy together. I can see him standing next to me at the ultrasound when we find out if our baby is a boy or a girl. Visions of him wiping my forehead with a cool cloth while I’m in labor make the whole idea of giving birth a little less frightening. I can imagine waking up in the middle of the night and finding him rocking our baby back to sleep in the soft light of a little yellow lamp.
All of these thoughts make me feel bold and ready to come forward with the truth. I won’t even have to say anything because I’m showing enough now that it’s obvious. So, I step out from behind the cash register.
Hunter’s jaw drops. His eyes travel up from my belly to my face and then back down to my belly. He puts his hands on his hips and appears to think very hard for a few long, excruciating moments. He shifts his weight back and forth a few times, but doesn’t say a word.
Hunter raises one finger and opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, and then he does the one thing I never expected. He turns around and walks out the door without saying a word.
What the hell?
Did he think the baby was someone else’s because I’m already so big? Maybe he thinks I was already pregnant when he and I got together? If he would have said something, anything, I could have told him that it’s not another man’s baby. I’m just showing fast, and I’m not sure why.
I feel my knees starting to turn to jelly, and thankfully Terri and Jen are at my side in a heartbeat. We go to the back of the store and Jen takes over cleaning up front. Terri brings me a box of tissues and I cry ugly tears for a minute. Then, I start to feel sick to my stomach.
“You’ve got to calm down, sweetie. The stress isn’t good for the baby. I don’t know what just happened, but I know you’re going to be fine.” She says and walks to the front of the store.
When she comes back, she’s got one of Jen’s famous sugar cookies. She hands it to me, and I take a big bite. Thankfully it has the effect it usually does and calms my stomach.
“Do you have any chocolate for me to dip this in?” I ask her suddenly feeling ravenous instead of sad.
We both laugh, and she goes off to find me chocolate. When she comes back, she’s got a tub of homemade chocolate icing and another cookie. Terri knew the one she left me with would be gone by the time she got back with the chocolate.
It doesn’t matter that Hunter took off the second he found out I was pregnant. I have my friends, and I have my family. It’s all going to be okay. Especially if I can have some more of these cookies. Don’t tell Jen, but she’s an even better pastry chef than me, and that’s not just the hormones talking.
Hunter
I know what you’re thinking, and I’m not an asshole. I swear. I should have said something before I left, but I was too excited. There is somewhere I have to go right now, and it can’t wait one more second. I get out my phone to send her a text message.
Be right back my love.
I’m going to find out the hard way later that I didn’t hit send before I put my phone back in my pocket, but for now, I think my dumb ass is covered. I make my way to my car and head for a jewelry store I know quite well now. I’ve been in the place several times since getting back from the island.
It seemed stupid at the time to have a ring made for her since she broke things off with me, but something inside of me told me I was going to need this. I show up and Lenny comes out from behind the counter to shake my hand.
“Is it here? Is it ready? I need it, Lenny. I need the ring now.” I say excitedly.
“It’s in the back Mr. Marks. It arrived a couple of days ago, but I hadn’t called you yet since I thought you’d be out of town with the team.”
“Well, I’m here and I need that ring.”
He brings it out and it’s perfect. We managed to find a two carat green diamond that almost the exact same shade as that snake the boy, Wesley, took a picture of on the jungle tour. It’s unique, and it symbolizes the trip where I knew that I couldn’t live my life without her. It also means that every time she looks at her finger, she’ll know that I’m her Anaconda for life and longer. Allison tamed the beast, and now she’ll have me wrapped around her finger forever.
And, oh my god, I’m going to be a dad.
I start to cry right then and there, and Lenny has to get me a tissue. I thank him and put the ring box in my pocket.
“Are you alright, Hunter?” Lenny asks me.
“Yeah, I’m perfect. I’m more than perfect. I’m going to be someone’s daddy.”
“Congratulations, Mr. Marks.”
“I need something else, Lenny. The ring is because I want her to be my wife, but I need something to show her how much I appreciate her being the mother of my child.” I say and start to look around.
“How about this, Hunter.” Lenny says and walks over to a jewelry case near the center of the store. “They’re pink diamonds, and I think they complement the green diamond perfectly.”
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�Oh, that’s perfect, Lenny. You are the master.” I say as he takes out the pink and white diamond bracelet.
On my way back to the bakery, I stop at a florist and pick up a monstrous bouquet of orchids and jasmine. I can’t get there fast enough, but when I do arrive, I know our moment is coming. She’s finally going to be all mine in name as well as in spirit. I’m about to ask the only woman I’ve ever loved, and the mother of my child, to be my wife.
I make sure the bracelet and ring are ready, grab the flowers, and walk into the bakery ready to get down on one knee.
Allison
I’m in the back fixing my makeup and getting ready for the afternoon rush when I hear the bell for the door jingle. The late day coffee crowd must be starting early today, or perhaps there is lone straggler who just wants to buy a pie.
“Alley Cat, you better get out here. This one’s for you.” I hear Terri call from the front of the store.
I make my way out to the front, and it’s Hunter standing there with a huge bouquet of tropical flowers and a nervous grin on his face. I take a deep breath and count backwards from ten before I open my mouth to speak. Nope, that didn’t calm me down one bit.
“Get out of my store.” I yell, and I’m glad that there aren’t any customers right now.
“What? Allison, wait.” He says and his shoulders fall as his posture changes to one of complete defeat.
“You heard me, get out of my store.”
“Sweetie, I’m here to ask you to marry me.” He says and hands Terri the flowers before getting down on one knee.
“Get up, Hunter. Or crawl out, I don’t care. Maybe you could slither out like the snake you are.” I’m on a roll now. “You don’t get to come in here after walking out on me the way you just did and try some stupid storybook proposal on me. Get out.”
“You’re having my baby, Allison. I want you to be my wife.” He says and takes out the ring.
“This baby is exactly why I don’t want to hear this nonsense from you right now. I don’t want to get married just because I’m knocked up. Now, you can be on your way.”
“Allison Landry, you are the most stubborn and bull headed woman I’ve ever met. I’m not asking you to marry me because you’re pregnant. I had this ring commissioned as soon as we got back from the island on the hopes that I’d be able to give it to you someday. I’m sorry I ran out of here so fast to get it, but I was excited. I sent you a message while I was on my way to the jewelry store, but apparently you didn’t get it.” He says and puts the ring back in his pocket before pulling a bigger box out of his other pocket. “But here, you take this. The bracelet is for you whether you marry me or not. It’s a gift for being the mother of my child, which you’ll be for the rest of our lives whether you like it or not. And, keep the flowers too. Every pregnant woman deserves beautiful flowers.” He gets choked up at the last part.
He sets the box down on the counter and leaves in a hurry. I open it and it’s a breathtaking bracelet made of pink pear-shaped diamonds and heart-shaped white diamonds. Terri is smelling the jasmine in the bouquet and giving me the evil eye.
“Allison Landry, that was completely stupid. I’ll let you off the hook a little because you’re probably a hormonal mess, but you need to fix this.”
“What if I’m right?
“You’re not right, sweetie. I’m pretty sure you’ve never been more wrong in your life.”
“Yeah, you’re being a total asshole.” Jen pipes up from behind Terri. I have to laugh when she holds out a cookie like a shield.
I take out my phone and call my dad.
“Daddy, can you ask Angela where Hunter is staying?”
“Okay, sweetie, hold on a second.” I hear him cover the phone and talk to Angela.
“She says she didn’t know was is in town. Hold on while she calls him.”
“Allison, Angela says Hunter isn’t picking up or answering her text messages. Is everything alright?”
“Everything is fine daddy. I’m sure I can find him. Thanks anyway.”
“Okay, pumpkin. Hey, while I’ve got you on the line, dinner with Angela and I tomorrow night?”
“Sure daddy, see you then. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
I takes me a couple of hours and a dozen phone calls, but I finally track down where Hunter is staying. I take a cab over to his hotel, and I can feel my heart in my throat when I knock on his door.
No answer.
It figure’s he’s not here. This hotel has an excellent restaurant, though, so I head downstairs to eat. One of the benefits of being hungry all of the time is that I always have something to do.
A couple of hours and two desserts later, I figure it won’t hurt to try again. I stop at the front desk and ask them to call up. He’s in his room. The clerk wants to know who she should tell him is asking.
“Tell him there’s a stray in the lobby looking for him and that you’ll send her up.”
She looks at me like I’m crazy, but gives him the message.
“What did he say?”
“He said to send you to the pound.” I have to bite my tongue to keep from crying. “But, then he said to go ahead and send you up because you might be exactly the alley cat he’s been looking for.” She says still completely confused.
I curse the elevator for moving so slowly. Not just because I need to be in his arms right now, but because I have to pee. I bang on the door to his suite a little harder than I intend, and he opens the door laughing. Hunter holds his arms out to me like he’s ready to embrace me.
“Hold that thought I have to pee.” I say and dance back and forth on my feet.
“Last door on the left.” He says and steps out of my way.
When I come out of the bathroom, he’s standing in the living room area of the suite with the ring out. As I walk towards him, he gets down on one knee again. I start to talk, but he holds one finger to his beautiful, full lips.
“Let me, please my love.”
I nod my head.
“Allison Alexandra Landry, you are the love of my life and the light in my dark places. I’ve loved you since we were kids, and I’ll love you when we’re old and grey. There is no woman in this world that could hold a candle to you, and there’s no other woman I’d rather have as the mother of my child. You are my best friend even though you’ve thought you were my worst enemy. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than if you would do me the solemn honor of being my wife.”
“Yes Hunter. Yes.” I say in a whisper.
He stands up and pulls me into his arms. His lips cover mine, and I can barely breath I’m so excited. Hunter slips the ring on my finger without breaking our kiss, and then lifts me up. I’m surprised he can still pick me up, but he makes me feel as though I’m as light as air.
Hunter carries me to the bedroom and undresses me slowly. It’s as if he’s worshiping me, and I’ve never felt more beautiful in my entire life. He makes love to me slowly and gently as if he’s afraid he’s going to break me, but it feels like we’re becoming one. When I look down at our hands laced together, I can’t tell where mine ends and his begins.
When we’re finished, I feel him slip out of bed. I’m too tired to protest, but fortunately a short time later I feel his weight settle back into the mattress. We nap for a while, and then I hear a knock at the hotel room door.
“Someone’s at the door.” I say sleepily as he strokes my hair gently.
“It’s room service. I knew you’d be starving.”
“With that news, I hop enthusiastically out of the bed.”
The food is a huge plate of mozzarella sticks and three kinds of ice cream. I know instantly that I’m with the right man. I mean, I already kind knew that, but this seals the deal.
“I’m guessing you were invited to the family dinner tomorrow night.” I say as I finish off the last mozzarella stick.
“Yep. I guess you were too.”
“I was. I think it’s time we tell my dad about us.”
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br /> “Well, since we’re getting married and having a baby, I think you’re right.” Hunter says and smiles.
“How do you think he’s going to take the news?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. He’s your father.”
“We probably should have told him back in high school.”
“It would have saved us some heart break. But on second thought, I’m thankful for everything that has happened because it got us here. I wouldn’t change a thing.” He says and covers my hand with his.
“So, we’ll tell him tomorrow at dinner. And, no matter what, we’re in this together. I promise you that.” I say, and I mean it.
