Chapter 6 Hunter
HUNTER
“Daddy!” Amira yells out as she runs my way.
I crouch down and open my arms, loving her excitement every time she sees me. I barely make it to her level when she smashes into me, wrapping her body around me like she’s afraid I’ll disappear. “Hey, baby,” I whisper against her hair as I lift her into the air.
Amira’s almost too big now to hold like this, but I’ll do it as long as I’m physically able to because there’s nothing better than the love of my daughter.
My eyes find Natalie, staring at us with an unreadable look on her face. If I didn’t know any better, I would think it’s sorrow or remorse, but Natalie’s never dwelled too much in the past or her feelings—especially when it came to me.
“Hunter,” Natalie says with a cold edge to her voice.
“Nat,” I reply.
Natalie crosses her arms in front of her chest as one of her shoulders droops. “Can you keep her for the weekend?”
“Of course.”
“Mommy doesn’t feel good,” Amira tells me as she skates her fingertips across my beard.
“I packed her extra clothes,” Natalie says to me, ignoring Amira’s comment.
There was a time when Natalie was my everything, but now, the only thing tethering us together is Amira. Even though we are no longer in love, I’ve never wished her ill, and I hate seeing her go through something like this.
“I’ve got everything else covered,” I tell her.
I already stocked my place with all of Amira’s favorites. The kid is a bottomless pit when it comes to food, and I do my best to make a few healthy choices while also spoiling the crap out of her.
“Thank you,” Natalie says, but somehow the words sound bitter coming out of her mouth.
“Text me and let me know when you want her to come back,” I tell Natalie, leaving any distasteful tone out of my voice.
Normally, I’d ask her what the issue is, but I won’t do that in front of Amira, and I’m going to give Natalie some grace since she’s going through a lot right now.
I can’t imagine navigating something so serious with an immense amount of uncertainty.
I know that she’s under a lot of stress right now and that I didn’t do anything to cause her to have an attitude.
Natalie reaches down and grabs Amira’s bag before she walks the short distance between us. “I will,” she says to me before she turns her gaze to our daughter. “Have fun with Daddy, bug.”
“I will, Momma. I always do.”
Natalie kisses Amira’s cheek before stroking her hair a few times. “Be a good girl.”
“She’s the best,” I say to Natalie, earning me a flash of narrowed eyes.
Amira can do no wrong in my eyes, and with the limited amount of time I have her, I’m not about to spend any chunk of it discipling her for stupid shit either.
“Ready to go?” I ask Amira as I set her feet back on the ground.
Amira takes my hand, pulling me away from the front of her house as Natalie stands watch. “Let’s do this.”
I laugh at her very old-school adult saying. The kid is growing up faster than I want. I know in the blink of an eye she’ll be talking about boys and trying to sneak out of the house to hang out with her friends. The very thought makes my stomach twist and my heart ache.
“Aunt Lizzy is on her way here,” I tell her as I open the car door for her.
Amira fist-punches the air as she lets out a tiny screech of excitement. “Best weekend ever.”
Fifteen minutes later, my car is parked, and we’re heading up to my new place. “This is fancy,” Amira says, glancing around the parking garage that takes up the entire bottom floor of the building besides the lobby.
“It’s really not, baby.”
“Do you have a doorman? I’ve heard some buildings have a doorman.”
“Yeah. There’s one there.”
She peers up at me as she takes my hand. “Can we go see him?”
When I don’t immediately say yes, the kid pours it on thick with a pouty face that makes it impossible for me to turn her down. “Only for a minute. We’ll grab my mail and then let the man work.”
“Perfect,” she says, almost skipping with every step.
At this age, the smallest things make her happy, and I do everything in my power to make them happen. She deserves happiness, especially now, with Natalie being sick.
As soon as I pull open the door separating the garage from the lobby, Walter is nearby and hustles our way. “Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” he asks, staring down at Amira.
“Walter, this is my daughter, Amira. She’ll be staying with me from time to time and wanted to meet you.”
Walter smiles as he fishes something out of his pocket and holds out a sucker to Amira. “This is for you.”
Amira glances up at me, and I give her a nod, before she snatches the sucker out of his grasp. “Do you always have suckers?”
If the kid didn’t love the idea of a doorman before, she sure as hell does now.
“Always.” Walter pats his pocket as he smiles down at my little girl.
“Best place ever,” she whispers as she tears the wrapper off the sucker like an animal.
“Thanks, Walter.”
“Anytime, Mr. Evans,” Walter says with a tip of his head. “Anything else I can do for you?”
“I want pizza for dinner, Daddy,” Amira says between licks of her sucker.
“What’s the best pizza in the area?” I ask him. “I haven’t explored too many places yet.”
“Hook & Hustle has the best pizza, hands down.”
Of course they do. “I’ve been.”
“And the pizza was great, right?”
“Yes,” I reply because I can’t lie to the man. And besides the pizza, it had the prettiest woman I’ve laid eyes on in a very long time.
“Your neighbor owns the place,” Walter adds.
Amira gasps. “You know the owner of a pizza place?”
“Kinda, kiddo,” I tell her, but I don’t get into specifics.
But I already know the night is going to go to shit. The last place I want to take Lizzy is to the Hook & Hustle because once she lays eyes on my hottie neighbor again, she’ll be trying to set us up on a date. But maybe since Amira will be with us, Lizzy won’t come on quite as strongly with Zoey.
I was wrong. Dead wrong.
“Hey, Hunter. It’s nice to see you again,” Zoey says, her eyes drifting to Lizzy and Amira. I can see the questions swirling behind her eyes.
From the outside, we look like a married couple with our daughter, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Hey, Zoey.” I smile at her, careful not to let my eyes linger on her for too long.
“I’m Lizzy, Hunter’s sister,” Lizzy says, giving Zoey a giant smile. “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting yet.”
“Ah. You’re the sister. I’m his neighbor. He borrowed the vacuum from me when he was moving in.”
My sister’s gaze snaps to my face for a moment. “Ah. The hottie next door,” she whispers, hopefully too quiet for Zoey to hear.
If Zoey did hear her, she doesn’t let on. “And this is…” Her eyes are pinned on Amira.
“My daughter, Amira,” I say, waiting to see some sort of reaction out of her. I never said anything about having a daughter or any kids in general. Not because I am embarrassed or trying to hide anything, but we barely know each other and there wasn’t a reason to tell her…at least, not yet.
“Well, aren’t you cute as a button,” Zoey says as Amira glances up at her and smiles.
“You’re the hottie neighbor?” Amira asks.
My heart sinks, and I wish I could go boneless, slink underneath the table, haul my ass out of the bar, and never have to face Zoey again.
Zoey chuckles. “Kids, huh? They say the darndest things.”
Lizzy covers her mouth, but her eyes are glistening with tears of laughter and completely at my expense. “They do,” Lizzy replies.
“What do you want to drink?” Zoey asks, totally glossing over Amira’s statement.
“A pitcher of iced tea would be great if you have it,” I tell her, knocking my knee against my sister’s underneath the table.
“Tea would be great,” Lizzy says after she clears her throat.
“Perfect. I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu,” Zoey says, giving me one last look-over before she walks away.
“Well, this is kismet, isn’t it?” Lizzy says, her eyes pinned on Zoey as she stands behind the bar.
“What’s kiss met?” Amira asks Lizzy as she draws in a blank notepad Lizzy brought with us.
Lizzy finally looks down at Amira and smiles. “It’s kismet, and it means fate.”
“What’s fate?” Amira asks in response.
“It means meant to be.”
Amira’s eyebrows draw together. “Pizza is meant to be?”
“No, darling,” Lizzy says with a chuckle. “It’s our waitress that’s kismet.”
“Zoey?” Amira asks, looking where Zoey is filling our pitcher with iced tea. “I’m confused.”
“Just draw your picture, sweetheart. Ignore your aunt. She’s confused.”
Lizzy stares at me across the table with a raised eyebrow. “You knew she’d be here, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Been here before?”
“Once,” I reply honestly.
“By accident?” she asks.
I shake my head. “We all came here after work. The shop is across the street.”
“See?” Lizzy says. “What are the chances?”
“Pretty damn high since her cousin owns the tattoo shop.”
Lizzy’s eyes widen as soon as the words are out of my mouth. “What? Are you serious?”
I nod. “I didn’t know it until we came here after work.”
“You’re not making a good case that this wasn’t meant to be,” Lizzy replies.
“It’s a no, Lizzy. Drop it.”
“Amira,” Lizzy says, drawing Amira’s attention away from her picture of something that resembles a cross between a dog and an elephant.
“Yeah, Auntie?” Amira says sweetly.
“Do you think Daddy should get a girlfriend?”
My eyes narrow at my sister. She’s stooping to a new low, asking my kid about my personal life. I’m sure, in Amira’s mind, she’d rather have her mom and dad together than for me to find a new girlfriend.
“Who?” Amira asks without hesitation.
“Here’s the tea,” Zoey says, placing the pitcher on the table in front of us, along with three cups. “Did you decide what you want to eat?”
“We’ll take a large pepperoni and a small black olive for the little one. Both well done,” Lizzy replies.
“Excellent choices,” Zoey says, and her eyes flick to me. “Anything else I can get you?”
“No, Zoey. That’s it.” I give her a smile, loving the sweet softness on her face. There’s a kindness to her I haven’t experienced in many people, but I haven’t spent enough time with her to know if it’s genuine or a mask she wears in front of others.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she says before she stalks away, heading back to the busy bar area.
“She likes you,” Lizzy says to me before turning her attention back to Amira. “What do you think of her for your daddy?”
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, scrubbing my hand down my face.
“I like her,” Amira says. “And she makes pizza.”
That’s my kid. Always thinking of her stomach. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
My sister grabs the pitcher and starts to fill the empty glasses. “Well, it’s settled. You have two yes votes for Zoey.”
“Um,” I mumble as I lean back in the booth. “I’m a no, and my vote is the only one that counts.”
“Daddy, it’s time for you to find someone. Mommy has Tim, but you have no one,” Amira says, sounding more like an old sage than a little girl.
I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer. “I have you, kiddo, and that’s all I need.”
Amira curls into my side as her arm comes around my middle. “I’m not with you all the time. I like Zoey. She looks like fun.”
“Yeah, she does,” Lizzy says, waggling her eyebrows at me.
“Enough of that,” I tell Lizzy, giving her my best shut-up glare before looking back at my kid. “How’s school?”
“Good. I have a boyfriend.”
She says those words as I take my first mouthful of iced tea, and I nearly choke to death on the liquid. “What?” I cough out, pounding on my chest to clear my airway.
“What’s his name?” Lizzy asks, like this is normal for a kid Amira’s age.
“Bryant,” Amira says as she draws spots on the animal.
If I wasn’t choking before, I surely am now. Bryant is such a basic, stuck-up prick name. There is no way in hell I’d ever let her be with a guy named Bryant when she is old enough to date.
“Is he cute?” Lizzy asks.
“He’s okay. He’s nice to me.”
Well, Bryant at least has that going for him.
“You know if a boy isn’t nice to you, that doesn’t mean he likes you, right?” Lizzy asks Amira.
“I know. If a boy is mean, then they’re a jerk. But that’s not Bryant. He gives me a cookie from his lunch every day.”
My sister eyes me across the table as I wipe the tears from my eyes. “Calm down. It’s an elementary-school crush. It’s about cookies at that age.”
“It’s always about cookies, no matter the age,” I tell her with a flat stare.
“So, I have Bryant, and Mom has Tim, and now Daddy needs someone too. What about you, Auntie Lizzy? Do you have someone too?”
“No, baby. Not yet.” Lizzy brushes her hand across the back of Amira’s head.
“You need a boyfriend,” my kid tells her aunt, and for once, I’m in agreement with her. “Everyone needs someone in their life.”
“When did you get so smart, baby?” I ask her, hating that she’s growing up.
It’s an amazing thing to watch, but also heartbreaking at the same time.
When I gaze across the bar, my eye catches on Mason. As soon as he sees me, he strides across the room. “Hey, man. Good to see you again, but without a tree this time.”
I hold out my hand to shake his. “You too. This is my sister, Lizzy.”
When I turn my gaze toward my sister, she’s staring at him with a look I’m not sure I’ve ever seen on her face before.
“Hey, Lizzy,” Mason says with a smile on his face.
“Hi,” Lizzy barely squeaks out.
“I’m Amira. His daughter,” Amira says, pitching her thumb at me.
“Nice to meet you, kid,” Mason says, giving my kid a wink. “I’ve got to run. We’re slammed. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon. Nice to meet you, Amira and Lizzy.”
As soon as Mason is a few feet away, Lizzy finally sucks in a breath. “Who is that man?”
“Zoey’s cousin,” I tell her.
“He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Ooh,” Amira teases. “Auntie Lizzy has a crush.”
Lizzy’s back straightens. “I do not. I can appreciate beauty.”
“Uh-huh. I saw the way you looked at him,” Amira adds.
The problem is, I did too, and it is the same way I look at Zoey. And that means nothing but trouble for the both of us.