"Ow!" she cried as her knee gave out beneath her. She'd pushed just a little too much. Hunter caught her and helped her back to her feet.
"I'm glad you're that happy to see me, but don't go hurting yourself on my account," he drawled, wrapping her in a bear hug. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed you! I'm so sorry I haven't showed the last few years or that I haven't called," he whispered while he combed his fingers through her hair in a gentle gesture.
"You're here now." Becca threaded her fingers together around his neck. "This was going to be my last time. I needed to give it one last shot before attempting to let go." All of the fear, anger, hurt and frustration she'd carried for the past few years faded. All she wanted was to hold on to Hunter and keep him there. He was really here! The rest, she'd figure out later. Right now, she couldn't be happier to be hugging him.
"I'm so glad I caught you then. I see that others have discovered the tranquility of our meeting spot." Hunter pulled back and studied her. "You look so good! How have you been, Becca?"
He looked great for sure. Maybe a little worn out, but Hunter's appearance hadn't changed much. He'd let his dark brown hair grow a little and he had a hint of a five o'clock shadow. Otherwise, he was the same old sweet, good looking man she'd always known.
"I- I'm good." Standing so close, being held in Hunter's arms as he continued to hug her, she couldn't breathe. He overwhelmed her with his presence. He hadn't changed. He still found a way to make her heart beat faster. Something about him always gave her a sense of being safe.
He had been the one to pull her from the wreckage. Before the crash, they hadn't spoken to each other the entire ride. He'd been too busy playing a video game. She had been coloring. Funny, the bits and pieces she remembered about that night. Most of it had vanished. Only fragments of that life remained in her mind. She wished she could remember a whole lot more than she'd been given.
Leaves rustled as a breeze dragged in the salty scent of the ocean and the moss from the trees. The air grew chilly. Crickets began their nighttime harmonizing.
"What do you say we grab a late dinner and catch up? Did you check in at Range's already?"
"Yes to dinner and to catching up and yes, I've already been in my room." She tore her eyes away from Hunter's face to gather herself. He let go of her and took her hand. They walked away from the swing as fog rolled in. The blanket of clouds coming up against the shore reminded Becca of that night. Then again, almost everything on the island reminded her of that night.
Why did she do this to herself? Was it really just to find a way to meet Hunter again? Should she have let him go, along with the memories that made up of this quaint little place? Nothing would ever bring her family back. Maybe her grandparents had a point, as much as she hated to admit that they might just be right after all.
"How long are you staying?" Becca inquired. Another gust of wind ruffled the hem of her skirt. She should have worn jeans and brought a jacket. Goosebumps broke out on her arms. She'd been so set on getting over here to see if he'd actually show that she hadn't put much thought on the night's sudden weather change. She should have.
"A week," Hunter replied. He stopped and faced her. "You're cold? Here, take my flannel." Before she could protest, he shrugged out of the shirt and draped it over her shoulders.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness. With Hunter, it never felt like hovering. It always felt like he truly cared. That's the kind of thing she longed for. Not like with Vince. He was fifteen years her senior and it showed. She cared for Vince, but not in the way he or her grandparents hoped. Every way she looked at it, Vince didn't make marriage material for her. Sure, he came from money and had a solid career, but Becca knew that he could never be the man for her. Not when she longed for true love. As an avid artist, she had very vivid images in her mind of real love. She tried to tell Vince about them once and show him on canvas. He'd barely even acknowledged it. She wanted someone that showed interest in her hobbies and dreams, not someone who called her art trivial and then blew it off.
"Thank you, Hunter."
He slid an arm around her shoulders. "I've missed you so much. I don't even know where to begin. I'm just glad something told me to come back. You came back every year, didn't you?" Sadness resonated in his voice. Would he tell her the reason for his absence the past few years? Did their almost-kiss four years ago scare him off? Not that she dared to ask. No way did she want to sound childish or needy. It definitely crossed her mind a thousand times. He'd called to let her know he made it home as he always did after they parted, but after that, she never seemed to be able to get a hold of him.
"I have. My grandparents fight it stronger every time, but I've come back."
"Are they still strict and stuffy?"
Becca burst into laughter at Hunter's boldness. He never did care to hold back. He told it like he felt it. "Yes. They haven't changed much. They're trying to marry me off to a well-to-do man."
He rested his hands on her shoulders, freezing her right where she stood. He inched his face closer. "Do you love him?" Why did his voice sound so edgy?
"I care about him, but love? No. I don't feel that kind of love for Vince."
"Tell me about him." He released his hold on her and grasped for her hand, beginning their trek back to Range's.
"He's nice. Older than me," Becca said, then paused.
Hunter laughed. "You're finding it difficult to have great things to say about him. Is he that bad?"
Becca hadn't meant to sound so crass when it came to discussing Vince. Despite her feelings, or rather, lack thereof, he'd been fairly good to her. "No, he's not bad. He's just not the man for me. He acts just like my grandparents do, very protective and overly cautious. He disagrees about my coming here, too."
"Is that why you planned this to be your last year?" They rounded the corner. The sign to Range's Inn and Diner lit up the night. The D was only half lit as it buzzed, the threat of the letter going completely dark evident.
"Partly," Becca admitted. Her stomach growled. When had she eaten last? Something on the road on her drive here. Not enough to fill her.
Hunter pulled the door open to the diner and held it for her to enter. As he followed, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Is the other part because I haven't shown up the past few years?"
The sign up front read 'Seat yourself'. Becca found a booth near the window that faced the ocean and scooted in. What an eerie, beautiful image outside. She kept her gaze on the scene, memorizing every detail in order to paint the landscape later.
"Becca?"
Oh, that's right. Hunter had asked her a question. Heat flared in her cheeks as she met his inquisitive stare.
"It's a mix of things, to be honest. Yes, you're part of it, but not the only factor. It's been twenty years. How can I keep holding on to the past? It doesn't do me any good, and maybe I should get on with it." The words came out so harsh that she flinched. Goodness, when she was tired, words had a way of not coming out right.
Hunter's face fell and his hands shot across the table to cover hers. "Do you really feel that way?" he asked softly, his eyes never leaving her face.
"I don't know what I feel anymore. I'm stuck in the midst of people that tell me what I should think and feel, and quite frankly, it's tiresome on my mind. I need to get away from that chaos for a while, which makes this trip even more needed. Everyone looks at me and I know even when they don't say it, they're thinking, 'Why can't this woman get over her past?' It makes me wonder if coming here is useful or not."
"Here's the thing. Only you can decide that, Becca. If this is what you need then you should do it for you, not for anyone else. Don't let other people's thoughts and words sway you from doing what's best for you." Hunter squeezed her hand before letting go, busying himself with searching the menu.
His words hit her right in the heart. He had a point. Why did she continue to allow her grandparents, Vince, and all those people rule her mind? They had no idea what she went thro
ugh. Still, twenty years after the crash, she should learn to stop reliving the events in her mind and stop being so fearful. Right?
"I'm just so sorry I fell out of touch. I regret that more than you know. I promised to always be there to talk to you, and I haven't kept up very well." A deep, sad emotion fell into Hunter's dark green eyes. He hid a pain there. What happened to him? He looked the same and in some ways acted the same, but the more he opened his mouth, the more Becca realized that he had changed. People do that, especially after so many years, but it made her curious. After all the years they'd written letters and made their annual trips to the island, he'd been so much more open. Now, he acted like a shadow. His eyes held an untold story that she couldn't decipher.
"I just assumed that you'd finally moved on. Maybe I was a part of your past you felt like you had to let go." Their last meeting, something had changed with them. Maybe he hadn't liked where things were going. Hunter had tried to take her mind off the breakup with Justin, which had devastated her! After almost three years together, she thought he was the one. How wrong she'd been. Justin only wanted things for himself. According to him, Becca didn't fit the bill anymore. She'd come to the island feeling a little lost and was trying to keep it together.
Hunter squeezed her hands and shot her a wounded look. "That was never it! I've always enjoyed having you in my life, Becca. So many times I wanted to reach out and talk to you."
"Why didn't you? Did something happen?" Hunter was acting strange. His words were so vague.
He shifted and stared out the window a long while before he faced her again. "I think this is a conversation for another time, if that's all right. I'm still processing things and I don't really have the right words to say. Please understand. It's been a rough few years. I need to get some things off my chest, but right now isn't that moment."
Becca nodded. She wouldn't press him if he wasn't ready to talk about it. "Of course. Just know I care. I've never seen you like this." Not even after the crash. Hunter had managed to overcome that event so much better than she had. Now it seemed like he slid in reverse. She just had to give him time.
"So what have you been doing? Are you still teaching? Have you taken your art further? Do you have anything new that I can take home as a souvenir?" His eyes lit up for the first time since he met her by the swing. "I have your paintings framed on the walls all around my house."
Becca giggled. "No you don't! Stop teasing me." Could he really be serious? No one else took her art seriously. To them, it was just another side passion that kept her in her own childish world. "I'm still teaching. I love it. The kids I work with are wonderful. Some of them have such a love of art and it makes me happy."
"You doubt me? Have I ever lied to you?" Hunter feigned hurt, flashing her a smile. "If I had known that, I would have taken pictures to show you. How do you not know how much I believe in your talent?" Hunter frowned. "Wait. Don't answer that. This coming from the man that stopped contacting you for years." He shook his head with a sigh. "I'm glad you're enjoying your job. I remember how excited you were when you got that call."
So did she. So excited that when Hunter went to kiss her cheek, she'd moved and their lips met. Talk about awkward. She remembered that day well.
A perky waitress sauntered up to them to take their orders. After she walked away with the promise of drinks and the night's special, Hunter turned his attention back to Becca.
"You have this knack for memorizing every detail and then capturing it on canvas later. Everyone who visits me asks about your paintings. I tell them that the artist is special - one of a kind. I've even had a few people offer money to take your art home. I've had to turn them down."
Becca opened and shut her mouth again. He had to be pulling her leg on that last part.
"I'm serious. If I could take you home and introduce you, I bet you'd have people lining up to meet you."
She let out a laugh, but it came out more like a squeak. "You still have that way about you that flatters me every time."
"I'm sure you get flattery all the time. But I mean what I say." Hunter extracted his hand from hers and reached in his pocket. "I brought you something."
Before she had time to protest, Hunter pulled the item from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a small box, wrapped up in pretty blue paper. He pushed it across the table, urging her to open it.
Sometimes he acted like four years hadn't passed between them. Becca shook it off and reached for the box, carefully removing the perfectly wrapped ribbon, then tore into the box.
He didn't get her just one thing. There were multiple items inside. She held up a small seashell and a key chain.
"It's from Mexico. I bet you don't have anything from there in your collection." At her silence, Hunter bit his lip. "Do you still collect them?"
She certainly did. She used to keep all her small keepsakes like these in a chest that had a lock on it. That way her grandparents could never get into the chest and search through her mementos and memories that only she would understand. Now that she lived by herself, she displayed them proudly. Hunter knew her fear of flying, so every time he went somewhere new, he'd send her a piece of the world.
Hot tears pricked her eyes. "Thank you. They're beautiful. Perfect. I can't believe you remembered."
"I don't ever forget things when it comes to you, Rebecca. I have more, but I thought I'd bring those for now." A dark emotion flashed in his eyes. "I can't make up for the years I didn't show, nor will I try, because you can never make up for lost time. I just want you to know how important you are to me."
They spent the entire night talking and laughing and most importantly, bridging that four year gap. After dinner, they wound up looking at the stars and the water from her balcony. The night chill deepened. After another shiver, Hunter ran inside the room, returning moments later with a blanket, which he gently draped over her. Eyelids half closed, Becca smiled. "You shouldn't have brought that blanket out. Now you've given me more reason to want to fall asleep right here."
Hunter laughed, still kneeling beside her. "I've kept you up so late. You look exhausted. Don't you need your sleep?"
"Of course I-" She let out a yawn. "Do. Oh good heavens, I can't stop yawning all of a sudden."
Hunter surprised her when he scooped her up in his arms. He sailed through the open door of her room and set her down on the large bed. "We've got more time to catch up. I look forward to it. Call me when you wake up," he pleaded, then rushed away to close and lock her balcony door.
Becca's eyelids were heavy with sleep, so she gave in and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Hunter," she said in a soft, tired voice.
"For?" His voice came from nearby. The mattress sank beneath his weight. Then she felt his hand on her cheek, brushing her skin lightly.
"For coming back. For not forgetting," she mumbled, succumbing to sleep.
The last thing she heard before fully conking out was Hunter's voice. He kissed her cheek, then brushed her hair from her face.
"You're unforgettable. I never want to stay away for so long again. I'm glad you welcomed me back with such gentle ease. You're amazing, Becca. Good night."
Chapter Two
Hunter's dreams were filled with Becca, but then they turned into nightmares when his past collided with his dream of her. He bolted out of bed, drenched in sweat and ran to the bathroom. The man facing him in the mirror could have easily been a stranger. He barely recognized the pale face with wet locks of dark hair sticking up everywhere.
His mind went to Becca. He hoped she slept well after their long night. She had fought sleep as long as she could just to talk with him. He didn't realize just how much he missed her until he caught her on that swing, having a carefree moment. Hunter couldn't believe his luck. He didn't think she'd be here when he arrived. He'd only had hope to go by. He could have called her beforehand, but wanted to see the utter shock on her face if she did make it. She'd sure been surprised.
How dumb was he to let four years s
lip by without talking to her? No matter what, he should have kept in touch. He missed her. Damn, had he missed her. Even if he hadn't been able to get up here the past few years, why did he have to push her away, too?
His phone rang. At the sound of the all too familiar ringtone, Hunter groaned. The only time Shara called him was when she had an update. Lately, the updates hadn't been good. He rushed to answer it, his heart thudding against his rib cage. "Good morning Shara. What have you got for me today?" He kept his tone neutral when on the inside he feared whatever she had to say.
"She wants half of your net worth, or she plans to run away with the child."
Hunter swore. With shaky knees, he sank onto the bed and balled his fist. Damn you, Eva. She was going to go after him every which way she could. What had he ever done for her to be so vindictive? He'd given her all he could and it wasn't enough. She wanted to make him pay, literally and figuratively.
"Are you there? My advice for you is to not give in. You signed a prenup for a reason. It's not like she can get anything from you."
"How can you possibly say that when my daughter's life is at stake? I don't trust her not to do something foolish, but everyone seems to be on her side. She's not being a good mother. I just want Sienna to be safe." His frown deepened. Shara had called Sienna 'the child' again, as if his baby girl was the enemy. But then, Shara wasn't a fan of kids, and she'd been after Hunter for more than a working relationship for a long time. Why did everyone around him have an ulterior motive? They wanted this or that. "It's not about the prenup and what she can get. It's the fact that she's using Sienna against me."
A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) Page 2
