Chapter 36
The phone vibrated in Hunter's pocket. He pulled out the cell and gazed at the screen. Annie's name lit up.
For a moment, he couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. She had reached out. She wasn't gone.
The silence around him pressed in, but this time it wasn't empty—it was filled with her. The thought of her fingers typing those words, of her choosing him, cut through the loneliness that surrounded him.
Hunter's hand trembled as he held the phone. He felt the weight of it, the weight of her message, and the weight of everything he wasn't.
Would he be enough for her?
Could he keep her safe?
Would she want to be part of Royalla, to live in the shadows of the club, to carry the burden of his world? That was a lot to ask anyone. She'd need to make a lot of sacrifices for him, and that was unfair to ask of her.
But with the club, he could assure her that she'd be protected. As his old lady, she would have the protection of his MC brothers.
The doubts clawed at him. God damnit. It was too much to ask of her.
He was deaf. He couldn't hear danger coming. He couldn't hear her voice when she whispered his name. He couldn't tell if she hesitated, was scared, or was lying to him.
But, fuck, he would bend over backward to give her everything she wanted. He would do anything to make sure she was happy.
But as the questions circled, one truth cut through them all.
He loved her.
He didn't want to live without her.
And if she was willing to step into his silence, he needed to give her the chance to know what that life would be. To understand that belonging to a deaf man wasn't the same as belonging to someone who could hear. But he could make it sweet for her. He could make it real.
Hunter typed slowly. His fingers were heavy and clumsy on the screen.
I want to see you.
The reply came fast, her words glowing against the dark.
I'll be at the clubhouse in an hour.
Hunter's heart slammed against his ribs. He set the phone down, his jaw tight, his hands shaking even more now.
An hour.
She was coming back to him.
He rubbed his hands over his face. How many days had it been a week? It seemed like a fucking lifetime.
After spending days trying to find her and having Kodiak's contact in the department tell him that Jason started the fire at the house and committed suicide, he understood that some information was still missing.
He was relieved to learn that Annie and Leigh weren't arrested after they were taken away from the scene, but he knew enough about Jason Stevens' background to believe something else had happened that night.
It was vital for him to talk to Annie, not only to tell her how he was feeling but to make sure she was protected and provided for.
Hunter sat alone at the end of the bar in the clubhouse, the phone heavy in his hand. Annie's message was still on the screen, but the doubts clawed at him because there was so much at stake.
Baker pushed through the kitchen doors and approached him. The old man had a face carved from years of regret. His gray beard twitched as he lit a cigarette, eyes narrowing at Hunter.
"You look like shit," Baker said, smoke curling from his lips.
Hunter shrugged. He'd aged since losing Annie. He had no idea where she was or how she was coping.
"Would a woman ever stay with a man who can't hear her? Who misses everything she says? Who only knows how to fuck women?" He pulled on his beard.
Baker's gaze sharpened, and he leaned back with a long drag. He exhaled, shaking his head. Hunter watched his mouth, waiting for him to answer.
"You think women give a damn about you hearing every word? You think they want some perfect son of a bitch who nods at all the right times? That's bullshit."
Hunter's jaw tightened, his chest aching. He was forty-five years old, and the only kind of relationship he had with women was the fuck 'em and leave 'em kind. He had never wanted anything more. Until now.
Baker leaned closer. "A woman wants a man who shows up. Who fights for her. Who makes her feel like the only goddamn thing in the room. You don't need ears for that. You need heart. And you've got that, whether you believe it or not."
Hunter's eyes burned, his throat tight.
Baker's gaze softened. "I sent the woman I loved away. Sent her off pregnant with my kid, and I never saw either of them again. Thought I was protecting..."
Hunter motioned for Baker to face him again.
"I was a coward. Don't be me. Don't let her walk away because you're scared that you're not enough. You love her? Then fuckin' love her. No excuses." Baker fisted his hand and hit the counter. "All in."
After a childhood spent as his father’s target, he’d never known a man to speak to him without cruelty. Baker’s words lingered, gentle and unexpected. He sat there with the advice, letting it settle into places that had long gone numb.
He loved Annie. There was no doubt in his mind that he could love her for the rest of his days. The idea of not having her in his life about killed him.
But would he be enough for her?