Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
HUNTER
Dorothy’s words hit me in the head like a baseball bat. I didn’t see them coming.
Rage flares through my every limb, so I turn away. I can’t scare her again or she’ll run away, and I’ll lose her for good.
“Hunter, shit. Let me explain.” She tries to reach for me, but I slide away.
“Do I even want to know?”
She places her traitorous hand on my knee. I tense on reflex. I don’t want her touch right now.
Getting the hint, she pulls away. “Hunter, look at me, please. After what Jami did to me, you deserve for me to be honest with you.”
My gaze snaps to her, wanting to spew fire. “So if this event with Jamison tonight hadn’t happened, you would’ve kept this from me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Your jealousy scares me sometimes, and what I want to tell you could send you off the deep end.” Her tiny body cowers in the corner of the sofa.
It takes all my willpower to keep my madness at bay. I finally have the upper hand in this love triangle and I’m not about to throw away a winning hand .
I pull in a calming breath and brace myself for her to destroy me. “I understand. Tell me what you need to say, and I promise to remain in control.”
“After that night with Jami, I… Well, you know when I was sick.” Her voice is timid and full of shame. She hangs her head, hiding her eyes from mine. “I had an ectopic pregnancy.”
With those words, my heart explodes. I push off the couch and run my hands through my hair, searching for something to divert the evil thoughts from entering my brain.
Goddammit!
I want to murder him all over again.
“Hunter, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you, but you almost killed Jami when I came clean about what happened in the cabin. The pregnancy wasn’t viable, so I thought I could spare your feelings. It was wrong of me. I’m sorry. Please believe me.” She tucks her legs underneath her. “I’m sorry I keep hurting you.”
“Fuck! He got you pregnant?” I storm down the hall to calm the fuck down.
The thought of her carrying his child makes me see red. The only child she should ever have in her belly is mine.
Fuck!
I tear off my clothes and jump into a cold shower to soothe some of the treacherous burns she’s inflicted upon me once again. Visions of them together invade my thoughts. I close my eyes and breathe.
How can I find the good in this situation?
This technique is something my therapist has me working on. I figure now is a great time to practice.
If Dorothy had been able to carry full term, she wouldn’t be sitting in my house right now. It’s also ten times worse for Jamison because he never told her about his son or Lauren.
The points are stacking up for me. My shoulders and neck muscles relax. This could work out in my favor .
A plan forms in my mind, so I finish my shower and get dressed. I just hope Dorothy’s still here.
She’s in the same spot, crying so hard she’s shaking. Now’s my chance to show her what I’m willing to do to win her back.
“Beauty, don’t cry. It’s going to be alright.” I sit beside her and take her in my arms. I breathe in her sweet perfume and remind myself of the desired outcome. “What happened is in the past, so let’s leave it there.”
“I don’t deserve your understanding.” Her chest bounces as she takes in a soothing breath. “Why are you always so forgiving?”
“Don’t you know by now?”
She peeks through her swollen eyes. “No. I don’t. Why would you allow me to take comfort from you when I’ve been hurtful? If the roles were reversed, I’m not sure I could ever forgive you.”
“I love you, beauty. Like I’ve told you before. That doesn’t go away just because we’re dealing with some fucked up issues.”
Thinking of Jamison and her together causes my chest to constrict. I swallow the hostility that wants to rear its ugly head.
She pushes out of my embrace, and I immediately want her back in my arms. “So you forgive me? Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that. We’ve been dealing with this roadblock for too long. Being on opposing sides isn’t worth it. I want you back, and I’ve told you many times I’ll do anything to make that happen.”
“Really?”
“Really. No doubt this will be something I talk about with my therapist, but I’ll work through my anger so I don’t harbor any resentment. You can count on that.”
She stills herself and blinks. “You’re seeing a therapist? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was one of your stipulations, so I thought you knew. If you haven’t figured it out yet, when I tell you I’m going to do something, I do it.”
Her body softens. “You try very hard for me. Thank you.”
I nod and reach for her hand. “Anything for you. Now, let’s get you set up in the guest room. I still have some of your clothes and toiletries, so I’ll bring them to you and you can get ready for bed.”
She glances at the clock. “Wow. It’s past eleven.”
“That it is. Come on.” I nudge her leg with my hand.
“Hunter?”
“Yes, Dorothy?”
She swallows as her gaze dances around my face. “If this is out of line, I understand, but can I sleep in your bed with you? Not like anything sexual, but I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Her audacity never ceases to amaze me, but I want nothing more. “Sure. I’d like that.”
We prepare for bed and slide under the covers like we used to. She crawls over to me and lies her head on my chest as soon as the lights are off. Being as upset as I am, a part of me wants to push her off. The other part of me never wants her to be anywhere else.
“Thank you for everything. You’re an amazing man, Hunter Efron.” She presses her lips against my chest.
The anger slips away with her gentle touch. All my love for her ignites. I have to hold myself back from rolling her over and making love to her.
As much as I want her to realize how much I cherish her, the timing isn’t right. It’ll happen when it’s meant to. I’m sure of that now she knows the truth about Jamison.
Hopefully, he’ll be so focused on fixing things with Dorothy he’ll keep my secrets to himself. I’ve got to be the one who tells her about my issues. Otherwise, my relationship with Dorothy could go up in smoke.
“Yes, Jonah. She’s with me.” I press send on the email containing the latest budgets.
“Is that a wise idea?”
“She’s stayed here many times. If anyone asks, she’s taken some time off, and she’s working remotely until the first of the year. The documents that our department heads need to review are on their way to you now.”
“You couldn’t have planned this better if you tried.”
Someone talking in the background of Jonah’s line filters through.
“Hunter, I’ve got to let you go. Jamison’s in my office. Call me if you need anything.”
I say goodbye and hang up as Dorothy enters the kitchen. The sight of her swimming in one of my blue sweatshirts and baggy sweatpants tugs at my heart.
She’s so beautiful.
“Good morning, beauty. You look more rested than yesterday.” I tip my head to the coffeepot. “Would you like some?”
“Please.” She slides onto a stool at my kitchen island, rubbing her eyes. “Why did you let me sleep so late? People are going to wonder where I am.”
“I’ve let everyone know you’re taking time off and working remotely until the beginning of the year. My assistant is picking up everything you’ll need from the office and bringing it by at noon.”
“Why do that for me? I should’ve done it myself.”
“Nonsense. I figured you could rest, since you can’t work without your laptop.” I pour a cup of the aromatic coffee and I slide it her way.
“Okay, thank you.” She gazes around the kitchen while chewing on the corner of her bottom lip. Her eyes fill with angst. “I have a big favor.”
“Anything, just ask.”
“I couldn’t sleep most of the night. I woke up at around three and thought about some things.”
“What things?”
She turns away, hiding her face from me. “I need some time to think. I don’t want to talk to anyone until I figure out what I want to do and say.”
“That’s not a problem. I can leave you alone.” I say the words, but I want to stomp around and pout like a child. I want her to lean on me.
She spins back to me. “No. That’s not what I meant. Let me try this again. I was wondering if I could stay here for a little while.”
Her cheeks turn red, but her request has me feeling like I won a jackpot.
“Of course you can. Stay as long as you need.” I lift my cup to my lips to hide my smile. I don’t want her to think I’m enjoying her misery.
She mixes hazelnut cream into her drink and then sips on it. I get the distinct feeling she wants to say more, so I don’t say a word.
She cups her mug like she’ll fall if she doesn’t have a hold of something. “Here’s the big favor I need from you.”
I raise my brows. “You mean staying here isn’t what you need?”
“It’s part of it, but I knew you would say yes. I won’t stay in your bed, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
I want to beg her to stay in my bed, but I don’t. “Either way is fine with me. You do what’s comfortable for you. I promise to behave no matter what.”
“Thanks. So I was wondering… Do you think you could get me a new phone? Mine’s at Jamison’s and I can’t see or talk to him until I figure out how I feel. ”
Her already red-rimmed eyes pool with tears, but she sucks in a breath and holds them back. “I don’t want you to get my stuff from him either because I don’t want him to know where I am.”
“I’ll need your phone to transfer all your information to the new one.”
“No, you’re not understanding. I want a new number, and I was hoping you could have the IT department set me up with a different email. Just until the New Year.”
I shake my head. “I wish I could help you, but I don’t see how we can get around your email. The phone, yes. The email, I don’t know. People need to be able to communicate with you.”
“I’ve thought about that. The IT department can set up rules to forward important emails to my new one. I’ll still go through my old one, but I need to be able to take some time and not be available to everyone.”
She means Jamison.
“Okay. Leave it with me.” My mind goes into overdrive. This is a tremendous opportunity for me. I’ll make it work one way or another.
Dorothy takes a drink of her coffee and peers over the rim of her cup as she does. “Do you still have Melanie’s cell number?”
“Of course. Mel’s your best friend, so why wouldn’t I?” My stomach rolls over.
For what reason did Dorothy think I would erase her friend’s number?
She swipes away a piece of hair that’s fallen in her eyes. “I didn’t know where your head was. The last time we had a private conversation, you told me you were rethinking how you felt about me.”
“You told me you wanted something with Jamison more than you did me, but I didn’t believe we were done.” My hands shake. “Did you think it was completely over between us? Is that why you assumed I would’ve erased Melanie’s number?”
How could Dorothy brush me off that easily?
She bites her lip. “I didn’t know for sure. Telling you how I feel about Jami must have really hurt you, so I figured you would walk away and never talk to me again.”
My entire torso hollows out. “And it was that easy for you to let that happen?”
She spins off the stool and marches to the window. Her shoulders shake, but no sound comes from her.
I take a minute to try to understand—we were hours away from being over forever. The blood drains from my body and fear balls in my chest.
I round the island and stride over to her. “You said you wanted to be honest, so please tell me now. If what we had is done and over with, don’t string me along.”
She turns to me, her swollen eyes coated with sorrow. She wipes her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. I fold my arms over my chest to hold together my breaking heart.
“Hunter, I don’t know how to answer that. My mind’s a scattered mess. I can’t remember what I was thinking other than I had come to terms with the fact that you and I couldn’t go forward with our relationship because of work. I wasn’t ready to walk away, but I didn’t see any other choice.”
“The work issue makes sense. You’ve been upfront with me about that part. My question is, what are your feelings for me now?”
“My feelings haven’t changed. Good God, Hunter. I’m not a robot.” She has the audacity to storm away.
I growl deep from within. She knows running away from me makes my blood boil, but I restrain myself from going after her. She disappears down the hall and I take a minute to stabilize myself.
This therapy bullshit is working better than I thought it would. Dorothy’s pushing every one of my buttons and I’m remaining in control.
My phone rings, so I jog into the kitchen to answer it. Jamison’s name illuminates the screen. No doubt he’s calling to find out if I know where Dorothy is.
My hands curl into fists. Since this guy makes me want to kill, I connect to his call to see how well my therapy is working for me.
I grit my teeth. “Jamison. Good morning. What can I do for you today?”