Under the Texas Sky

CHAPTER 33

TRENT

It’s our second day at the resort, and Hunter is back to feeling one hundred percent. We enjoyed breakfast in bed this morning. A full spread of eggs, bacon, fruits, and bagels with cream cheese. Lying in bed in our pajamas and taking turns feeding each other bites from our plates was peaceful.

Before this trip, I would have believed that I could wake up each morning like this and it would be as close to perfect as life could get for me. But now, I’m not sure. Seeing Kian, in the flesh and not through a screen, is messing with my mind.

I need to tell Hunter that I saw him. It’s not going to do me any favors if I wait until we run into him again. I need to warn Hunter, because if Kian sees me, he’ll probably cause a scene. Not that I don’t deserve it after everything I put him through, but I would rather Hunter didn’t see that.

“Hey, baby?” I say.

He hums, acknowledging me, and lifts his dark eyes from his food to look at me.

“I have to tell you something.” I swallow the nerves. It’s not a big deal , I tell myself. Everyone runs into their exes at one point. It's a normal occurrence.

Hunter puts his fork down and takes my free hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

Why is it when people ask what’s wrong, it’s always so hard to fight back tears?

“Yeah, everything is okay–” I pause and take a deep breath. “Actually, I don’t know if everything is okay. I don’t know…” I trail off, breaking eye contact.

“Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me,” he says. He’s so fucking sweet, and he doesn’t deserve someone like me.

“Kian’s here,” I murmur, keeping my eyes downcast at the white comforter.

His sharp inhale lets me know that he’s heard me.

“Do you want to leave?” he asks me.

Fuck, how can he ask that? Do I want to leave this luxury resort that I spent an arm and a leg for? No, it was supposed to be an amazing surprise for my boyfriend for Christmas. I don’t want to leave because I saw my ex who I haven’t seen in two and a half years. Of course I don’t want to.

I don’t. I’m a grown man and I can handle seeing my ex. I can.

“No, of course not, baby. I want to be here with you, but I wanted to tell you. No secrets, remember?”

He nods, holding my hand tighter. “How do you feel about it?”

I feel like I’m cheating on him by being here with you, I think. But I don’t say it. I can’t tell Hunter that.

“I think I’m okay, though it was a shock. It’s been so long since I saw him…” I trail off.

“You were together for a long time, and the end of your relationship was really hard on both of you. It’s understandable if you’re feeling conflicted over it.”

Damn him and his insightfulness. I wish he would scream and rage at me for even thinking about Kian. But that’s not Hunter. Hunter is the most level-headed and understanding person to ever be in my life.

“Can we not talk about this anymore? I don’t want to think about him, not while I’m with you.” I lift my eyes and his are lined with concern, but he still smiles at me anyway.

“Do you have something better you would like to do?”

My voice is husky when I answer. “I could think of a few things I would like to do to you.”

Hunter’s laugh is loud as I grab his plate off his lap and place it on the nightstand before I throw myself on him.

It sounds all wrong, the loud laughter in my ear while I nip and bite, leaving my mark on his neck.

I’m so fucked.

Even as I do my best to get him off, I can’t think of anything other than Kian.

???

We’re both exhausted, my legs feeling like jelly after the hours we spent on the slopes. It was only the green slopes for me, but they still whooped my ass. I was proud of myself for how well I was doing until I saw the kids zooming past me in their multicolored snowsuits, putting me to shame.

Hunter still cheered me on from where he waited for me at the bottom, though, and that made all of it worth it.

“Do you want to eat in the restaurant or order room service? The restaurant is supposed to have good food, according to the website. I would kill for a cheeseburger right now,” Hunter says, dusting the snow off his clothes before walking inside.

I follow suit behind him. “Oh my god. I could definitely go for a cheeseburger, but I doubt anything will top Miss Mary’s. I still don’t know how she gets the buns to be perfectly toasted, and she refuses to tell me the truth. Last time, she said it was butter! And when I said that didn’t work the same, she just shrugged her shoulders and walked away.”

Not that I’m pouting… Okay, I’m definitely pouting, but the buns make them the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever had.

“She won’t tell you, because then she worries you won’t come back. She tells everyone you’re her favorite customer.”

“No shit? She says that about me?”

Hunter presses a kiss to my cheek while we wait on the elevator and wraps his arm behind my back, holding me to his side. “You know she says that about you, and you tell everyone you’re her favorite.”

“Yeah, but that’s just because I’m trying to keep her in business. People get jealous of me being her favorite, so they come more so they can be her favorite,” I reason. It’s not the truth, because I eat at Mary’s Diner twice a week just to see Mary. She’s become a comfort in my life, and I love when she shows me pictures of her grandchildren. They’re so adorable and she’s so proud of them.

I can’t wait to make Mitch a proud grandpa one day. He’ll be the best.

“Okay, whatever you say, sweetheart,” Hunter sasses me.

I swat him on the ass, and he squeals joyfully at the same time the elevator doors open. On the other side is Kian, hanging off the arm of a tall blond man.

Well, this is awkward.

As we stare at each other, I really take in the details of his appearance. His long curly hair that’s perfectly styled. Bright green eyes lined with black eyeliner, giving him an ethereal persona. Like an angel that crashed into earth and is making the best of his time before he’s called home. The septum ring that I’ve stared at so many times in pictures is right in front of me, the dainty piece of silver slightly slanted in his nose.

Fuck.

Fuck.

I need to say something.

“Excuse us,” Kian says, his eyes hard and his face void of all emotion as he tries to brush past us with his boyfriend. The same man from his Instagram and the video on his OnlyFans. Klaus.

He’s moved on, and so have I. We can be adults.

“Kian…” I start. But I don’t have a chance to say anything else before he continues on his way. Never acknowledging me.