23. Ellie
Chapter twenty-three
Ellie
Ican’t describe how good it feels to not have to get up and drag myself to Cypress City to the dentist’s office.
So far today I’ve slept late, met Cleo for brunch at the Starlight Valley Family Restaurant—she works from home and has a very flexible schedule.
While there I got a call from DeeDee. She’d made me a loaf of her famous cinnamon swirl bread.
I would have been happy to visit without the bread, but it was a very nice perk.
Afterwards, I took my time perusing the general store.
I’m back home, and like the pampered princess I now am, the door swings open before I even slide in the key. Hunter’s standing there looking as handsome as ever in a dark brown henley that makes his eyes look like pools of dark chocolate.
“Hello, wife.” His deep, gruff voice almost makes me shiver. Holy smokes, I like the sound of that coming from his lips.
“Hello, husband. Have you been waiting by the window for me to get home?”
“I didn’t even leave my perch by the window to go to the bathroom.”
I burst out a laugh. “Now that’s dedication.”
“No one could ever accuse me of not being dedicated to you.”
He stares down at me, his lips quirked in a little smile.
My face feels suddenly heated, and I don’t even think I can blame Sweetpea for this.
It certainly didn’t sound like he was joking when he said he was dedicated to me.
I mean, he did marry me just to help me, so I guess, in a way, he really is.
He notices the bags in my hand. “Are there more?”
I clear my throat, glancing away in the hope that Hunter won’t notice my flushed face. “There are a few more bags. I’d forgotten how enjoyable it can be to shop for groceries when you aren’t in a rush.”
Hunter scratches his beard, clearly holding in a laugh. I knock him on the shoulder with my free hand. “What?”
“I would never, in a billion years, describe grocery shopping as enjoyable.”
“You seem to have a fine time when we go together.” I start toward the kitchen and look over my shoulder at Hunter when he speaks.
“That’s more about the company than the activity. I’m gonna go grab the rest.”
Hunter makes it back in record time. I’ve only put away the milk and eggs when he steps into the kitchen. We finish unloading the groceries together, then Hunter steps in front of me wearing a huge smile.
“I have something to show you.”
“Oh?” The combination of being with Hunter and the excitement on his face has my insides feeling like bubbles of carbonation are popping all over the place.
Hunter takes my hand and leads me to the nursery.
We step into the room and I’m blown away.
He bought Sweetpea a rocking horse. Or …?
“Did you build this?”
“I did.”
I wrap my arms around his middle. “This is the sweetest thing. I can’t believe you did this.”
“Well, Dad helped a bit.”
“I’ll have to thank him too.” We stand in silence for a moment before I give him a squeeze and reluctantly let go. “Thank you so much. She’ll love it. I love it.”
“As much as you love slowly shopping for groceries?”
I purse my lips to try to keep from laughing. It doesn’t work. “Maybe.” I grin. “Definitely.”
“Good.” His pleased smile is so handsome, I could faint.
I throw my arms around him and kiss his cheek. He holds me for a moment before letting me go, leaving his arm around my shoulders.
“One day, before long, there will be a baby living here,” he says, and while it sounds like he can’t quite believe it, there’s a strong undercurrent of excitement in his voice.
“Things will change,” I say.
“For the better,” he says, and my heart soars. I can’t believe how my life has changed since that night at my parents’. When Hunter rescued me from Dylan.
I shiver as I think about that moment when we drove past Dylan as we left my parents’ house. And I just hope I never come that close to him again.
We eat leftover chicken noodle soup for dinner, then head to the living room to finish the movie we started the night before. Hunter takes a seat in his grandma’s old rocking recliner. I move past him toward the sofa, but his hand shoots out and grabs my wrist, pulling me into his lap.
“Hunter!” I giggle like a child being tickled. “What are you doing?”
“I just thought … we should be comfortable being close so when we’re put on the spot like we were at my parents’ the other day, it doesn’t feel awkward.”
That did not feel awkward to me in the least, and neither does this. I want to curl up in his lap and let him hold me until I fall asleep.
“That makes sense.” I shamelessly snuggle into him and sigh. He wraps his arms around me and I don’t know when I’ve been so content.
This thing with Hunter could be real. I could see it. A life filled with love and adventure with this surprisingly tender man. I’m tempted to say something to him. To suggest something more. But I remember my conversation with Cleo, and I don’t want to risk what I have with Hunter right now.
He reaches for the remote. “Ready to watch?”
“Mmmhmm.” Though, I’m not sure I’ll be able to focus with his thumb lazily caressing my forearm. “I’m ready.”
We’re nearly finished with the movie when Hunter puts up the recliner’s footrest.
“Slide down there and lean back against me. We can try the shoulder rub to relax you before bed.”
“I’d make the chair tip forward.”
Hunter chuckles. “I don’t mean on the footrest. Still, I’m sure you wouldn’t make the chair tip over.”
“Oh.” I laugh, then scoot to sit cradled between Hunter’s knees. I lay my head against his chest, close my eyes and prepare to listen to the movie—which thankfully, is one I’ve seen at least a dozen times.
It’s pure bliss when he starts kneading the muscles of my shoulders and upper back. I hadn’t realized how tense they were. His gentle, but still effective, movements have the tension fleeing my body and before I know it I’m on the cusp of sleep.
“Ells?” Hunter whispers.
“Mmmhmm?” I feel like a puddle of Jello, spilled all over him.
“Just checking if you were still with me.”
A sleepy laugh escapes from me. “You’ll never get rid of me now.”
In the middle of the night, the furnace went out in the house so it’s legitimately cold inside this morning. I was tempted to snuggle up in Hunter’s bed with him to stay warm but sanity won over.
I’m wearing a USMC hoodie Hunter loaned me, with sweats and wool socks, sitting under a blanket in the sunroom with the fire on. My coffee isn’t even making a dent in the cold. Snow coats the top half of most of the mountains I can see and I sigh.
I’ll never tire of this view.
Hunter walks into the room wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that perfectly encapsulates all those muscles the military gave to him.
Apparently, he’s immune to the cold—either that or fixing a furnace is harder work than I realized.
“Okay. The furnace is fixed. Hopefully things will warm up quickly.”
I’m glad he’s handy. Because while I’m good at a lot of things, I have no interest in even trying to fix something like a furnace. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He joins me on the love seat with his own coffee. “I had a thought while I was down there. This whole time I’ve been focused on keeping you from Dylan but haven’t really thought about his family. Are his parents around? Do they want to be involved? Was his mom at the baby shower?”
“No. His mom died before I met Dylan, and his dad was never in the picture. No siblings. His mom was all he had for family. He’s alone now.” I stare down at my coffee, some of the cream still swirling on the top. “Part of me wants to feel bad for him, but I don’t.”
He grunts. “I don’t blame you. He’s made his bed.”
I sigh, shimmy closer to Hunter, and lay my head on his shoulder. He’s so warm. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
I straighten and look at Hunter. “For keeping us safe. You’ve turned your life upside down for us, for little in return.
” The look on Hunter’s face makes me think he’s trying to deflect my thanks, to downplay what he’s done and who he is.
I reach out and trace his Semper Fi tattoo that peeks out behind his shirt sleeve.
Always Faithful, that’s what Hunter told me Semper Fidelis means.
Which perfectly encapsulates all the things that Hunter is.
Loyal. Steady. The kind of man who shows up when it matters.
“You’re a hundred times the man Dylan ever was, even in his better moments.
It’s hard to think what I ever saw in him. ”
I can’t look at Hunter while I talk about Dylan.
I don’t want to think about why that is, so I just stare out the windows at the mountains.
Shame wells within me as I think about the early days of my relationship with Dylan, when he was a completely different person.
“I think … the only thing I can figure out is that he must have tricked me into loving him.” I blink back tears, sipping my coffee to try to keep from crying.
I cry too much. “It makes me feel so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid.” Hunter squeezes my hand. “Things like this happen all the time. They make it so hard to see anything but the good.”
“I guess you’re right.” I need to stop thinking about Dylan. And I really need to stop comparing him to Hunter … and letting myself think how real this feels with him.
The dangerous thing about someone like Hunter is that his loyalty makes it easy to imagine it means more than it does. But that’s just who he is. He would’ve done this for anyone. Always Faithful. That’s the Marine in him.
I need to remember that before my feelings get all mixed up.
“I think I’ll make breakfast,” I say, extricating myself from the couch.
Hunter smiles and kisses my cheek. I try to hide how much it affects me, and he speaks like nothing happened. “Let me know if I can help.”