CHAPTER TEN
T onight, Luke had picked Rachel up from Fairy Baked. He’d also driven her back to Hunter’s and told her in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t leaving until Hunter returned home.
Two weeks ago, that declaration probably would have gone down like a lead balloon. It may have even led to the safety of Luke and Hunter’s balls being compromised. But right now, she didn’t have it in her to argue. Not when every little noise was still making her jump. So she was going to suck it up and admit to herself that she felt safer with someone around.
While she preferred that person to be Hunter, Luke wasn’t so bad. Sure, he wasn’t tree trunk size, but he was still pretty tall. She was guessing six feet. Plus, he had the whole broad-shoulder thing going on that all the men at the fire station seemed to have.
“Fuck me, this cake is good.” Luke’s compliment was delivered through a mouthful of sponge.
She realized then that she’d probably spent more time with Luke in the past two weeks than she had in the whole time she’d known him. And she’d warmed to him. A lot. For so long she thought he hated her, little did she know that, like Hunter, he just wasn’t big on communication. Not unless he was joking around or ribbing one of his friends.
“I never took you for a rainbow unicorn cake kind of guy.” Rachel bounced down next to him on Hunter’s gray U-shaped couch.
“Darlin’, it wouldn’t matter if this was hot pink and covered in glitter, it wouldn’t stop me from eating it ... this shit is delicious.” Luke loaded up another forkful before not so gracefully shoving it in his mouth.
“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just refer to my cake as shit .” Rachel collapsed into the cushions, fidgeting until she was comfortable. It was kind of surprising just how comfortable she felt in Hunter’s home already. Despite all the typical bachelor touches like gray walls, a disturbing amount of dark wood furniture where takeout menus went to die, and of course the classic massive flatscreen TV.
She only got a muffled response from Luke as he raced to devour what little cake was left.
Using the remote beside her, she clicked on the man-sized television and started flicking. There had to be something good on.
She was still channel-surfing when Luke’s plate clattered against the wooden table in front of them. And while she was trying to decide between Say Yes to the Dress and Love After Lockup , Luke cleared his throat.
“I’m kinda glad I got to pick you up today, ’cause there’s something I wanna talk to you about.”
Is he talking to me?
Twisting her neck to get a good look at the man next to her, she confirmed he definitely was talking to her.
Wow. The man who doesn’t talk wants to talk.
“Okay?”
“So, I heard you and Hunter have made things between you official.” He waited for her nod of acknowledgment before continuing. “Good. I’m glad. But just make sure you go easy on him, okay? He may be a big-ass giant, but the man is soft as shit. A fucking marshmallow. He’s a good man, and he hasn’t always had the best luck with women.” Luke paused for a moment to scrub a hand through his beard. “It’s been a really fucking long time since he’s let anyone in, Rachel. Him doing it now, with you ... it’s a big deal. So, if he fucks up, just do me a favor and give him a chance to fix whatever he did.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Don’t give up on him, okay?”
For the first time ever, Rachel didn’t know what to say. Logically she knew Luke loved his friend, but hearing the protective words still had an impact.
“I know he was married,” she was quick to say. “He told me. And he also told me that I’m the first woman he’s been with since his ex-wife.”
God. She still couldn’t believe he’d been married. And she’d never forget the pain on his face when he’d told her. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the scars from that marriage ran deep.
Luke didn’t seem surprised he’d told her. “He tell you anything else?”
“Like?”
She hadn’t exactly pushed Hunter for details. She figured he would share when he was ready.
Plus, he’s really good at distracting me.
“Like why they broke up?”
Rachel shook her head. Even if she was dying to know, it was Hunter’s secret to share. “He’s not ready to talk about it yet. I can wait.”
Luke considered her a moment before nodding. “You’ll go easy on him?”
She couldn’t help but smile. Hunter wasn’t the only one who was soft as shit. “Yeah, Luke, I’ll go easy on him.”
“Good.” Slumping back into the cushions, Luke’s attention went to the television. “ Love After Lockup .”
I guess we’re done talking.
***
R achel looked down at her hand, which Hunter was holding. This was weird. It was like they were coming out as a couple. Officially. In front of half the town. And everyone was politely pretending they hadn’t noticed.
They’d been at Matt’s birthday party at the Evans ranch for an hour and not one person had addressed the great big elephant in the room. She didn’t get it. What was going on? Her friends were nosy as hell. And since when did Cat, of all people, hold her tongue?
“Hunter and I are together,” Rachel announced to the group, interrupting their conversation. Just in case they missed it, she decided to lift Hunter and her entangled hands too and wave them around for dramatic effect. “Anyone have any thoughts on that? Or are you gonna carry on pretending you haven’t noticed?”
She could feel Hunter’s eyes on her, and she definitely heard his snigger, but her attention didn’t waver from Zach, Libby, Cody, and Cat. All of them had goofy smiles on their faces.
“We’ve noticed.” Amusement danced in Cat’s bright eyes. “Everyone’s just scared that if they say something, you’re the one who’s gonna start pretending nothing’s going on again.”
“Something wasn’t going on, Cat. Now it is,” Rachel clarified.
Cat’s reply came in the form of a snort. She would bet a sassy retort was just around the corner too if Libby hadn’t interjected.
“Honey, it’s just ... we all kinda knew something was going on with you guys. I mean, Cat was convinced you guys were hooking up months ago.”
Here we go again. Okay, she might have snuck a few glances over at Hunter over the past few months, but she’d been careful not to stare. Or drool. She definitely hadn’t done anything to justify her friends thinking they were hooking up. Had she?
While she was busy contemplating just how obvious she’d been, Hunter decided to enter the conversation, breaking his grunting streak. “Will all you fuckers just make my woman happy and congratulate us?”
Rachel beamed up at him then. There was something to be said for being with a man like Hunter. He didn’t waste time beating around the bush; he just said it like it was.
Squeezing her hand in response, he dipped down and laid a kiss on her forehead, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
“Welcome to the caveman club, Rach.” Cat lifted her beer bottle in a toast. “We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays; on this week’s agenda, we have grunting as a second language and latest loincloth trends .”
Rachel joined Libby in her laughter as Cody pulled his wife into his arms. “Very funny, kitten.”
Cody may not be laughing, but there was no way he could hide his smile. She’d never seen two happier couples than the ones that stood before her. That’s what she wanted too. With Hunter.
Zach was next to pull his fiancée into his arms, wrapping a hand around her waist.
“Yeah, good luck, man.” Zach warned Hunter. “You’re gonna have your hands full from now on.”
Next thing she knew, she was being tugged into Hunter’s side, their hands no longer laced together as he took hold of her hip.
“Looking forward to it.” Hunter’s deep rumble made her all tingly. She was looking forward to it too.
While she was busy basking, glasses started clinking, and everyone’s eyes were diverted to Wade. Standing next to one of the buffet tables, he had his arm around his younger brother Matt, a smile pasted across both of their faces.
“Okay, guys, if I could have your attention, please,” Wade called out again, quieting down the barn in which they all stood.
“I wanna thank y’all for coming out today to celebrate my little brother’s birthday. If you know Matt, then you’ll know that we’re still waiting for his brain to catch up with this old-ass body of his.”
“Hey!” Matt shoved his brother, but it didn’t break Wade’s rhythm.
“Anyway, Matt aging another year isn’t the only thing we have to celebrate. As you know, my brothers and I recently took over the Evans ranch, and we’ve been making a few changes. A few very big changes.
“Well, one of those changes will be that, as of next month, we’re gonna be opening the ranch up to guests. As well as some pretty sweet guest cabins, we’re teaming up with the McBride’s to offer riding lessons, trail rides, and fishing for locals and tourists. So, if you’ve got folks coming in from outta town, don’t forget to give us a call.”
A round of hollers commenced. Rachel glanced over at Zach and Libby and saw she was looking up at her fiancé with pride in her eyes. Zach, being the eldest of the Evans brothers, had a big hand in helping the ranch diversify, and as a result, the business was now in the black.
“Okay, okay, I’ll shut up. But before I do, let’s raise our glasses to Matt. Happy birthday, man! You’re officially too old to fit birthday candles on your cake.”
A round of “happy birthdays” rang around the room as Hunter tugged Rachel closer. It felt so good to be there with him. Finally. No more stolen looks or awkward conversations. She’d even stopped blushing. Well, outside the bedroom anyway.
This was going to work; she knew it. It had to. Right now, she couldn’t contemplate any other outcome, because it was too late. Rachel had fallen for this man. Hard. And if it didn’t work, she knew deep down that things would never be the same again.