Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Riley
He told me last night that he had to go back to work today, something about falling off a horse and climbing back on, whatever.
I’d rather see him walk out the door wearing his sexy suit and sitting behind his desk all day than putting his life at risk.
I mean, how scary is a board meeting compared to someone drowning or shark attacks?
I apologize; I’m getting a little carried away.
My problem is that I miss him when he’s not around. I went from being an independent person who took care of myself for twelve years to a whiny, blubbering, needy woman. Ugh, I hate it. I jump out of bed and head to the bathroom. I’ll take a shower first, then go to Dad’s and see what I can do.
As I walk through the front door, I notice the mail sitting on top of the table.
Something catches my eye—it’s a letter addressed to me.
I don’t have to open it to know it’s from my mother.
I can tell by her handwriting. How dare she try to reach me here after all these weeks, especially since she couldn’t stick around long enough to say goodbye.
Grabbing the letter in my hand, I crumple it as I walk upstairs.
I have no intention of reading it. Once I’m in my room, I toss it on my desk next to my laptop.
I’m not even curious to see what she has to say.
I check my phone to see if I have any messages, and I find one from Hunter.
Hunter: I love you, baby. Miss you too.
I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face, as if he can see it, idiot. I send him one back:
Me: Same here, see you soon.
Nothing from Ashley yet, and I’ve also sent text messages. If I don’t hear back by next week, I’ll have to call her mom. I’m getting worried.
I decide to sit by the pool; a little sun is just what I need right now. After taking off my clothes, I put on my bathing suit, grab my e-reader, and head to the pool. Sitting in my favorite lounge chair, I start reading a book that makes me believe in happy endings.
I’m so lost in what I’m reading that I don’t notice someone approaching until it’s too late. I look up to see Hunter’s mother standing right in front of me, blocking my sun.
“If you’re looking for Hunter, he’s at work.” I keep reading, hoping she’ll catch on.
“Actually, I knew that; I’m here to see you.” She smiles down at me, but it’s more like a grimace.
“Why would you want to see me?” She better not think she can pump me for information—my lips are sealed.
“The board meeting Hunter attended yesterday told him to stop seeing you; you’re a conflict of interest. If he doesn’t follow their instructions, he will lose the company his grandfather spent his life building.” She taps her lips, trying to suppress a smile.
“Why am I a conflict of interest?” Now I am curious.
“Your father’s a lawyer for the opposing firm; you could be giving him information about Hunter’s Company. It’s called pillow talk, my dear, but you’re too young to understand what that means.” I can’t shake the feeling of dread that washes over me. Is this true?
“You’re on private property; would you like me to call the police so they can remove you?” I need to put this bitch in her place. She just destroyed me.
“If you truly love him, like I think you do, letting him go now will be the best thing for his future. Whatever you decide to tell him is up to you. Just don’t tell him the truth—you’ll hurt his pride.” She glances over her shoulder as she walks away.
I press my fingertips against my eyes, recalling the conversation we had on Wednesday.
When he first told me about the company, he said he would sell his shares, and we could still live comfortably.
I was the one who convinced him to run the company his grandfather built—his legacy. Did he know about this then?
When I get upstairs, I throw myself onto my bed, feeling my tears slide down my face. My heart feels like it's breaking, and what hurts the most is that it took me so long to learn how to love someone unconditionally. Now, I have to let him go.
Lying on my bed, I stare up at the ceiling for what feels like forever, but I know it’s only been a few hours.
I must have dozed off somewhere along the way because when I open my eyes, it’s getting dark in here.
Hunter’s going to call or message me soon to let me know he’s home.
I can’t hide in here forever; I have to go see him and get it over with as soon as I can.
I go into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. When I look into the mirror, I see a stranger staring back at me. My eyes are all red and puffy, with dark circles underneath. I don’t look like the same girl who kissed Hunter and sent him off to work this morning.
I grab my concealer from my makeup bag and dab a little under my eyes. Then I apply some foundation to cover my blotchy face. I put on a bit of lip gloss to make my lips shiny instead of dull and dry. After brushing out the tangles in my hair, I decide to leave it down.
Putting on a brave face, I make my way down the stairs. As I open the front door, I can’t help but look back one last time. I know that the next time I walk through these doors, I’ll only be a shell of the girl I once was.
When I turn the corner, his Jeep is already there. I notice another vehicle parked behind his that I don’t recognize. Could this be why he hasn’t called me to let me know he’s home? I still have no idea what I’m going to say to him as I head up the stairs, so I walk in without knocking.
As I walk in, I can’t believe what I'm seeing. Hunter stands in the kitchen with his back to me, holding a girl with her hands clenched in front of his shirt. I don’t recognize her from this angle; she’s small next to his large frame.
When he tilts her chin and leans down to kiss her, I see red.
I slam the door behind me and glare at them.
He frowns as he turns around and sees me standing there. The small girl hiding behind him is Emma — I knew that girl wanted him the moment I first met her.
“Hi, baby, I was going to call you in a little bit.” He looks down at Emma, who’s shaking her head at him.
“When were you planning to call me, after you finished screwing her first? I knew she wanted to get in your pants from day one, but you’re too blind to see it.
We’re done, Hunter; don’t call or text me, and don’t you dare try to come knocking on my bedroom door ever again.
” I didn’t need to come up with a lie after all; this is all the evidence I needed to end the relationship.
As I go downstairs, I hear Hunter shout, “You couldn’t be more wrong, Riley. I’m sorry you think so little of me, best I find out now before I’m in too deep.” He slams the door louder than I did the first time around.
The tears I expected to shed didn’t come; instead, I felt a deep emptiness in my soul. This was what I came here to do, and Emma’s presence made my task a lot easier.
* * *
Hunter
I’m leaning against the door, my hands clenched tightly at my sides.
I’m really trying to control my breathing.
I can’t believe what just happened; she just broke up with me over another stupid misunderstanding.
This time, I won’t run to her first—she was so wrong, and she needs to apologize to Emma.
I open my eyes and see her sitting on the couch; the bruises on her face seem worse now after crying for hours. I walk over and sit beside her, pulling her close as she rests her hand on my chest.
“I’m so sorry, Hunter. I should never have come here; now look what I’ve done,” Emma whimpers, and it breaks my heart.
“I told you if you ever need me, I’m here; that’s what friends are for. I just wish you’d let me take you to the hospital so they can check you out.” If I get my hands on Drew before the cops do, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.
“I’m just bruised, but nothing’s broken. The police told me to stay at a friend’s house in case Drew shows up at my place.” She takes a deep breath as her body shivers.
“You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll take the couch. Let me go see if I have something you can change into.” She nods as I get up to go into my room.
I need some time alone to clear my mind because I feel my body start to shake. I’m so angry at Riley right now for thinking something was going on with Emma.
I just got home from work when Emma knocked on my door.
I thought it was Riley. When I saw her standing there with all those bruises, I completely lost control.
She’d been seeing this Drew guy for a few weeks, and we met him a couple of times.
He seemed like an okay guy. I guess we found out too late that appearances can be deceiving. Poor Emma.
I grab some of Riley’s clothes she left here because my clothes will be way too big.
“You can take a shower, then change or do whatever you want. I’m going to make us something to eat,” I say, heading into the kitchen.
“Please don’t go through all that trouble. I feel terrible. Why don’t you talk to Riley? I’m sure you can make her understand.” She looks so tired.
“Remember, she accused me of screwing you, so I won't be the one to run to her. She’s going to have to come to me and apologize to you first.” Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I take a much-needed drink.
She nods reluctantly as she goes to the bathroom. Now I just need to figure out what I’m going to make for dinner.
I decide that a little comfort food is just what I need for this occasion, so I make chicken and broccoli Alfredo over linguine. It’s definitely a carb overload, but after a day from hell, it’s exactly what I crave.
I set the plates on the table as Emma steps out of the bathroom. I do a double take when she walks out because she's wearing Riley’s clothes. Fuck. Bad idea.
“Something smells delicious in here. Did you make Alfredo?” she squeals as she sits down at the table.
“Yes, I did. Would you like a glass of wine?” She nods, so I fill our glasses.
We don’t talk much during dinner, and I shouldn’t have served wine because it feels more like a date. I should have grabbed a couple of beers instead.
“You shouldn’t be angry at Riley. A woman can see things that men can’t. She was right.” She grabs her plate and heads to the sink.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“You know how much your friendship means to me, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that.” She sits down, but her eyes don’t meet mine.
“Just say what’s on your mind.” My palms begin to sweat.
She looks up at me, and when her eyes meet mine, I realize I’m fucked.
“I’ve wanted you for a long time, Hunter.
I also knew you didn’t do relationships—only one-nighters—so I backed off.
I would have kept this secret to myself, but I wanted to let you know that a woman’s intuition is never wrong.
Riley was right, although I didn’t come here tonight as anything but a friend.
She’s good for you. Don’t let her get away.
” She walks over, kisses me on the cheek, and goes to bed.
What the ever-loving fuck?