37. Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Blake
Sam places Charlie’s pancakes on the island in front of me, and I make sure to add her favorite part— whipped cream. Once Charlie is done helping with the rest of the food, Sam gets her to sit down and eat her own breakfast.
Charlie is halfway done when she looks up at me with a chocolatey smile. Then, she points toward my plate. “Do you like your food, Mama?”
I smile and nod, sticking a piece of bacon in my mouth. “I sure do. You and Mrs. Sam did a great job!”
“Oh God, don’t call me Missus. That makes me sound so old.” Sam laughs, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Fair enough. I used to hate when the kids would call me Missus too.”
We spend the rest of our time together in blissful silence as all of us enjoy our food. Over time, more men and women wake from their slumber and push through the house toward the kitchen for food.
As soon as Charlie is done eating, we wash our dishes and head outside.
“Can I go play?” She looks up at me, and I look out into the yard. It's beautiful here in the morning. Birds chirp in the distance, and the morning dew sits on the grass. I don’t know what she is going to play with, but I don’t see an issue with her running around if she wishes.
“Sure.” I smile and cross my arms.
She takes off out into the yard, laughing as she goes. I watch her for a moment as she leans down and picks up a dandelion from the ground and sniffs it. Laughing, I call to her. “Those don’t have a smell, silly goose.”
She holds it up in the air like she just found a buried treasure and yells, “I don’t care!” Then she takes off around the pit for the bonfire.
“There you are,” comes Hunter’s voice from behind.
I turn to watch him walk down the steps and join me in the yard. “I wasn’t aware I was hiding.” I smile. “We just came outside to get out of the way of the large crowd surrounding poor Sam.” I laugh.
Hunter wraps his arm around my waist from behind and rests his head on my shoulder, and I lean into his embrace. “Yeah, when the guys wake up from a long night, they act like they are starving to death.”
I can definitely see that. The way they swarmed the kitchen was like they haven’t eaten in days. I snicker at my thought, and Hunter looks down at me.
“What is so funny?”
I let out a breath. “I was just thinking about how the guys swarmed the kitchen is all.”
“Ah, yes.”
It gets quiet between us as we both watch Charlie play by herself in the yard, until he breaks the silence with the clearing of his throat.
“I have something I need to talk to you about.”
I look up at him and raise my brow. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, everything is fine. It’s just, the ride the crew is doing will be happening in two days.”
“Yeah, we can find another place to go when y’all leave.”
He shakes his head. “No. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. When we leave, I want you guys to stay at the clubhouse until I get back.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I would feel better if I knew you guys were safe. That's why.” He turns so that he faces me now.
“But I’m not your responsibility, Hunter. Neither of us are. I can take care of us just fine.” I take a step back, but he grabs me by the shoulders to keep me in place.
“I have no doubt that you can take care of yourself.” He cups my cheek. “But you don’t have to right now. Not with me around.”
As much as I want to believe him, there is no way that I can. It is not his job to take care of me. I have to learn to take care of us myself, or I will never survive without Craig in our lives. I lean into his palm and give him a small smile. “I understand you want to take care of us, Hunter. But I need to deal with this on my own. When you guys leave, me and Charlie will leave, too.”
His hand goes to the back of my head and he grips my hair. “No,” he says firmly and then softens his tone. “Please, don’t. Just wait for me to get back.” His eyes search mine for the answer he wants, and it’s hard for me to not just give it to him.
I want to tell him, “Okay, fine,” but I can’t continue being a burden on him and this house. I bite my lip and look up at him. “I don’t know. Are you sure? I mean, I know that you aren’t obligated to take care of us, so if we need to leave so that we are no longer in the way—”
I’m interrupted when Hunter presses his lips to mine, holding me in place by my hair.
At first, I’m shocked into silence with my mouth on his and my eyes still open, but then I slowly close my eyes and relish in his touch. I open my mouth and let him explore me with his tongue. His kiss is devouring and soon I find myself being walked backward until I am pressed against the house.
He breaks only to lean back and look at me through dark eyes. “You will stay here while I’m gone; that is final.”
Before I can argue, he slams his lips against mine again, and I am left breathless.
How am I supposed to say no to this kiss?