Chapter 25
Hunter drove past K&Bs three times before finally deciding to park his bike in the lot. He was disappointed Britt’s car wasn’t
there, but he was also a little relieved. He hadn’t gotten the first-shift job, so Monday was still his only day off. For
the past three weeks he’d been living in a weird limbo of watching her videos, wanting to reach out to her, and changing his
mind. He even tried being mad at her for cutting him off at the knees and shutting him out. But whatever anger he had didn’t
last long. He’d made the mistake of not being forthright with her and he had to live with that.
But what he couldn’t live with was not knowing if she was okay. She hadn’t uploaded a new video or replied to comments on
her most recent ones in almost a month. He’d given up texting her, figuring she’d probably blocked his number by now. He couldn’t
go to her house and try to talk to her, even though he knew where she lived now. She—or more likely, her mother—might call
the cops on him for trespassing, and he couldn’t afford to have that happen.
An hour ago, he checked her channel again. She’d taken it down. He’d lost his last connection with her. That’s why he was
at K&Bs. Hopefully Maude and X could at least let him know if Britt was all right.
Hunter walked into the store, trying to tamp down the nervous energy running through him. He wasn’t surprised that it was empty. It was Monday, after all. He inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla and... ginger? Cinnamon? Whatever it was, it smelled like a snickerdoodle. Maude must have taken over X’s diffuser today.
They were both behind the front counter, their eyes wide as they stared at him. Uh-oh. Maybe he shouldn’t have come. Maude and X would be protective of Britt, just like Daniel was. That’s why Hunter hadn’t asked
him about her, although the guy was cordial to him during their golf game. No matter what, Daniel would be on Britt’s side.
Hunter would feel the same way if he had a daughter.
Maude’s shocked expression disappeared as she bustled out from behind the counter and went to him. “Hello, Hunter,” she said,
without her usual enthusiasm. X appeared behind her, looking hesitant.
“Uh, hi.” Clearly, he shouldn’t have come. “Have you, um, seen Britt lately?”
“Yes.”
He blew out a relieved breath. “Is she okay?”
“No.”
His stomach sank to his knees. “I guess you heard everything.”
“She told us.”
“Then you know I’m a recovering alcoholic and drug user with a prison record—” He stopped talking as X’s and Maude’s eyes
grew to the size of saucers.
“Um, no,” she said.
“Britt never mentioned that,” X added.
Hunter squeezed his eyes shut. Now they probably wouldn’t ever let him back in the store. He opened his eyes and looked at
them. “I’ll be going now—”
“Hunter.” Maude put her hand on his arm. Then she glanced at X before shoving her hand inside her bra.
“Uh...” Hunter said.
“There it is.” She withdrew a gold coin and showed it to him. The number thirty was engraved in the middle, along with the
words “one day at a time.”
A sobriety coin. The program he’d gone through at church didn’t give out coins, but he’d seen them before. Some of the participants
had been through other sobriety programs and had relapsed, but they still carried around their coins.
“You’re among friends here.” She shoved the coin back in her bra. “I like to keep this close to my heart.”
The tension eased from his body as X nodded his approval. “Have you tried to reach Britt?”
“She’s not answering my calls. Or texts.” Hunter shoved his hands into his shorts pockets.
Maude fiddled with her glasses chain and glanced at X again. He gave her a single nod and slipped away. Then she motioned
for Hunter to follow her to the front. When they reached the counter, she went behind it and faced him. “Do you love Britt?”
“Yes,” he said emphatically.
“Then why aren’t you fighting for her?”
Her blunt question caught him off guard. “If I could, I would,” he answered honestly, then shook his head. “I’m the one who
messed up here.”
“I think there’s some blame on both sides, Hunter.”
“But—”
“Do you want her back or not?”
Hope suddenly grew in his heart. “Yes. I’d do anything to make that happen.”
“Good.” She grinned and put on her large red reading glasses. Today’s beaded chain colors were red, white, and blue in honor of the Fourth of July, even though the holiday had already passed.
“So,” he said as he rubbed his hands together. “What should I do?”
“Nothing.”
He stilled. “Come again?”
“Well, almost nothing.” She bent down and foraged through some stuff behind the counter. When she stood again, she was holding
a pad of drawing paper, a pack of colored pencils, and a ballpoint pen. “You’re going to write her a love letter.” She slid
the supplies toward him.
Hunter eyed the art supplies, doubt creeping in. “I’ve never been good at writing.”
“You don’t have to be. Just tell her everything you would say if she were standing right here.” Maude pointed to his left.
“Don’t hold back. When you’re finished, give it to me. I’ll make sure she gets it and reads it.”
He touched the colored pencils. “You really think this will work?”
“I have no idea.” She clasped her hands together. “But it’s worth a try. You’re a good man, Hunter.”
“I didn’t used to be—”
“Stop. Whatever you were in your past, you’re not that now. I’ve seen you with Britt. How you look at her, how she looks at
you. Even before you got together there was something special between you. I’m an expert at these things, you know.”
“Oh, really.” He smirked.
“Britt’s changed since you came into her life. She was growing into her own, learning to let go of her fear. You had a lot to do with that. But now she’s retreating again, something she does when she’s hurt or scared. Will the letter work? Maybe it will get you two talking. Or maybe it won’t, and Britt will decide it’s easier to hide from life than to live it, even though we all know that’s not true. At least you would have given her the chance to decide.”
Hunter frowned. He was the one who needed the chance, not her, and she was the one who was refusing to talk to him. But Maude
was right, he needed to fight for her. He gathered up the materials. “Can I use the room?”
“Of course.”
A few minutes later he was staring at the blank page, the past couple of months rolling through his mind—how much his life
had changed since meeting Britt. Not just falling in love with her, although that was the most important thing. He hadn’t
given in to his instincts to run and drink away his problems when Britt broke up with him, or when he found out about his
mother’s subterfuge. Instead, he stayed sober and reconciled with his parents. He and Sawyer were cool now, after Hunter told
him he knew about his arrangement with Mother and that he understood why he did it.
“Dude, I am so glad this is out in the open now,” Sawyer had said, visibly relieved. “I didn’t like keeping that secret from
you, especially now that we’re friends.”
Friends. When he’d left prison, he didn’t have a single friend left. Now he had Sawyer, Maude, and X. His parents too. He’d
always felt like the odd man out, that it was him against the world, although he realized that was just his immature reaction
to being different from his family. Even if things didn’t work out with Britt, even if he had to carry the pain of losing
her for the rest of his life, he wasn’t alone anymore.
But he had to fight for her one last time.
He picked up the colored pencils and began his love letter.
***
“Sorry I’m late,” Daniel said to Amy as he sat down at the table. “Traffic was a mess today.”
“Uh-huh.” She folded her arms on the table and glowered at him.
“Seriously, you can check the traffic report.” He fought to restrain his temper and opened the menu. Was she going to treat
him like poo on the bottom of her shoe for the rest of his life? Amy was a passionate woman, and she could hold a grudge.
He just wished she wasn’t so volatile toward him. “Did you order yet?”
“I’m not hungry.”
He snapped the menu shut. “All right, let’s get this over with so we don’t suffer any longer than necessary.”
She flinched, her scowl morphing into surprise.
“I’ve been thinking all afternoon about what we should do, and there’s only one solution.” He paused, bracing himself for
her inevitable negative reaction. “We both talk to Britt. Together.”
“Absolutely not.” She uncrossed her arms, her hands closing into balls. “I won’t be in the same room with you.”
“You already are.” He tried to smile, but the bitterness coming off her in waves prevented it. “Look, she needs our support—”
“I’m only talking to you now because Britt won’t talk to me, and I need you to tell her to.”
He blinked. “What?”
She grabbed a paper napkin and started shredding it. “At least she’s communicating with you. Tell her she has to start talking
to me.”
“Amy—”
“You’re going to refuse my one request?” Her voice broke, and she turned her head to the side when the waitress appeared.
“We need a few more minutes,” Daniel said.
After the waitress left, Amy glared at him again. “I can’t believe this,” she said, her eyes filling. “All these years, you were never there for us. I ask you for one simple thing, and you can’t even do that.”
Guilt almost flattened him. But he stood his ground. “I want to, Amy. I want to do everything I can to make up for abandoning
you and Brittany. But I can’t tell our daughter what to do and who to talk to.”
“Then what good are you!” She jumped up from her chair and rushed out of the restaurant.
Daniel yanked his wallet out of his pocket, threw a few bills on the table, and went after her. She was getting in her car
as he reached the parking lot. He ran and blocked her.
“Get out of my way!” She tried to shove him aside.
He didn’t move. “Not until you calm down.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
“But you want me to tell Britt what to do.”
She halted, staring up at him. Tears dripped down her face. “I—”
He couldn’t stop himself from wiping her cheek with his thumb, nearly melting with relief when she didn’t stop him. “You’re
not alone in this anymore, Amy,” he whispered. “I’m right here by your side.” He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around
her.
“I tried my best to be a good mom,” she said, weeping against his shoulder.
“You’re an amazing mom.”
“I’m too overprotective. I worry too much about her. I—”
Daniel shifted her in his embrace so he could see her face. Her beautiful, anguished face. “It’s going to be okay, as long
as we handle this together. She’s never seen us united. Right now, she needs us to be.”
There were people filtering through the parking lot, the evening sun blazing down on them, and he was still wearing his chauffeur uniform except for the jacket and tie, and his clothes were sticking to him... but neither of them let go of each other, didn’t stop gazing into the other’s eyes.
Having her in his arms again felt so incredible, so right. How had he been such a fool for so long? He could have been with
her all this time, and they would have raised their daughter together.
“Don’t,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “Don’t beat yourself up.”
“You could always read my mind. It’s kind of eerie.”
“You’re an open book... when you’re sober.” She moved out of his arms.
“I plan to stay sober, for the rest of my life.”
Amy looked at him. “I think you mean that.”
“I do, but it won’t be easy.” He held her gaze. “I’ll have my problems, my temptations. But I will fight them, because I want
to be a part of yours and Britt’s lives.”
“Daniel—”
“I don’t expect to be welcomed with open arms, or even forgiven right now. Not until I’ve proven myself to you and Britt.
I’m going to do that for the rest of my life, if that’s what it takes.”
***
Amy couldn’t move. She was sweating, still crying a little, and emotionally spent. The last several weeks of Britt’s silent treatment had taken their toll. She’d tried everything she could to get Britt to open up to her—offering to take her back to counseling, to go on a vacation, to help her with her channel, to mediate things with Savannah—everything except help her get back together with Hunter. That was the last thing Britt needed to do, to go back to the man who had demolished her heart.
Nothing had worked, and that’s why she reached out to Daniel. But she hadn’t expected him to want to talk to Britt together,
or for her to fall apart in his arms, and she hated that she’d given in to her weakness. But even now, as they looked at each
other and tried to figure out their next move, her body still tingled from his touch, the faded memories of how much they’d
loved each other and the passion they’d shared washing over her in waves.
She couldn’t give in to those confusing feelings, but she could agree to Daniel’s suggestion. He was right that neither of
them should tell Britt what to do. Amy hated when people did that to her. “When should we talk to her?”
Relief appeared in his green eyes. “As soon as we can.”
“Right now?”
He nodded. “I’ll meet you at the house.”
She watched as he turned to leave, then leaned against her car, feeling the hot metal and glass through the thin pink cotton
fabric of her T-shirt. Never in a million years did she think she’d be at the point where she needed Daniel’s help, or that
he would be available and level-headed enough to offer it. And the fact that he was right blew her mind. He was showing shades
of the man she’d fallen in love with, before alcohol had taken over his mind and spirit.
She shoved down her thoughts, got in her car, and sped to the house, worrying her bottom lip as she tried to figure out what to say to Britt. What she hadn’t revealed to Daniel was that Britt wasn’t just giving her the silent treatment and refusing to upload videos. She looked awful. Pale, thin, her hair uncombed and her shirts so stretched out they didn’t fit her properly anymore. Even at her worst levels of anxiety, she had taken care of herself. This wasn’t just anxiousness. This was depression.
Her teeth clenched as she pulled into the driveway and waited on Daniel, who had always been a careful driver when he wasn’t
drinking. This was Hunter’s fault, and she wanted to give that kid a piece of her mind he’d never forget. How dare he hurt
her daughter like this? And once Britt was on her feet again, she would march right over to the Picketts’ and tell him exactly
how she felt about him.
The engine hummed as she reined in her ire. No matter how much she wanted to put Hunter on blast, she couldn’t. For one, it
would embarrass Britt. Two, it wouldn’t do any good. Hunter Pickett couldn’t care less what Amy thought about him.
Other than him being incredibly good-looking, Amy didn’t understand how Britt could fall for him. He was cocky, manipulative,
a troublemaker, and a huge flirt. The short time he’d been in her class she’d seen the female students fawning over him, and
he had basked in their adoration, but only if they were pretty. The plain and unattractive girls he ignored. Now that he was
a grown man, he was even more stunning. And while Amy thought Britt was lovely, she wasn’t a typically beautiful woman. Coupled
with her anxiety issues... What drew him to her? Was it a conquest? A joke?
Amy pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead, kicking herself for thinking Britt couldn’t attract an exceptionally
attractive man on her own merits. But Hunter wasn’t an upstanding man. If he were, he wouldn’t have hurt her so deeply.
Daniel pulled up beside her and got out of his car. Together they went inside.
“She’s probably in her room,” Amy said as they entered the foyer. “I’ll get her.”
“Amy.”
She turned, disturbed by the uncertainty on his face. “What, you changed your mind?”
“No. We’re going to talk to her. But I have to tell you something first.”
Amy faced him, baffled.
“I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to say this.” He frowned. “Or if I should tell you at all. But there’s been too
many secrets floating around lately. And if you found out that I knew—”
“Know what, Daniel? Just say it.”
Hesitant, he nodded. “Hunter has a past. Similar to mine.”
Her eyes widened. “He’s an alcoholic?”
“Yeah. He’s also got a record.”
“I knew it.” She threw up her hands. “I knew he was no good. Does Britt know?”
“She does, but—”
“Then thank God she’s out of that relationship.” She exhaled with relief.
“Amy, they might get back together. Hunter cares about Britt. In fact, he loves her. I doubt he’ll give up on her so easily.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re taking his side? Of course you are. You’re both the same.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “No, we’re not.”
“And he’s going to hurt her over and over again,” she continued, ignoring his words. “Just like you hurt me.”
“Amy, just listen—”
“No! There’s nothing you can say that will make any difference. And if Hunter Pickett dares step foot on my property, I’m
calling the cops. He’s not coming anywhere near my daughter.”
Daniel exploded. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you? Jumping to conclusions, swinging your anger like a baseball bat, closing off your mind to anything you don’t want to hear. I bet you don’t even remember how many times I tried to sober up, tried to do better. But it was never enough. I never made enough money, I didn’t do enough around the house—”
“You didn’t! You were always drinking, Daniel. Except for the first couple years of our marriage, you were never sober.”
“That’s not true,” he insisted.
“You were too drunk to remember!”
“I—”
“STOP IT!”
They both turned to see Britt standing in the hall, her body shaking.
“Stop... fighting...” She burst into tears and sank to the floor.