Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Rochelle
“All I am saying is it is nice to see your world finally made right,” Victoria says as she sits across the table from Hunter and me a few days later in a little café in downtown Huntington Beach.
“This guy about lost his damn mind. He showed up at our house and looked worse than death when he thought it was all over.”
“Correction,” Hunter interjects quickly. “Just for the record, I never thought it was all over, it just needed a little help and time to bridge the gap before I could make everything right and get her back in my arms.”
I look over at my fiancé. My heart bursts. I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Victoria grabs across the table and holds my ring up into the light. It sparkles brightly in the afternoon sun. A jolt of happiness rushes through my veins at the sight of it on my finger.
“Woo wee,” she whistles. “And look at just where that bridge brought you.”
Looking up at the two of us, she gives us another joyous grin.
“It is kind of fast, huh?” I ask, trying to still grasp it all myself as she bends my wrist and the ring’s glare dances in the sun.
“It’s never too fast when it is right,” she says quietly, before looking up and giving us both a small smile. “There is no point in living life without heart, right, Hunter?”
The man in question straightens next to me. His free hand comes to rest on my knee. I look over at him and get lost in what she just said as he gives me a loving grin.
“That’s right,” he whispers, staring deep into my eyes. “She’s my Angel. I’ll be damned if I ever live another second without heaven on earth.”
I take my hand back from Victoria’s grasp.
“Like I said, when it’s right, it’s right,” she shrugs with a smile. “ Do Mom and Dad know yet?”
Hunter adjusts himself in the seat next to me and clears his throat. “We haven’t actually gotten that far yet, V,” he confesses.
The two last days we’ve both called into work, canceled all plans, and did nothing but lay in each other’s arms. Making promises with our words and our bodies, we connected in a way we never had before making plans for our future.
“Eh, they’ll get over it. They always do.
” She gives us both a wink before rising.
Hunter throws a few bills in the center of the table and we follow suit, rising and walking with her towards the exit.
“So, how does it feel, having the perfect life? I knew you’d be completely thrown when Dad asked you to sit in on that meeting for him.
I thought for sure he’d have to tell you exactly what it was all about and ruin the surprise before you even got to hear it from the owner’s mouth.
What, starting Catcher for the Atlanta Braves next season wasn’t enough?
You had to go and get yourself engaged too? ”
“Starting Catcher if I play the way they like in the big game two weeks from now, V. There’s still a lot riding on that offer. But yeah, life couldn’t be sweeter, that is for damn sure!”
Hunter smiles down at me. His dedication to what he loves most is his most admirable quality.
Not just me, but the game that makes him who he is and the potential million dollar offer neither of us saw coming.
It was another reason we stayed cocooned away from the world these last few days as we fought over where we would live if he gets the offer, before making up beautifully, to only argue some more and have to start all over again.
And, I can’t be completely mad at him for not telling Edward and Sylvia just yet about our engagement, because I haven’t told Momma either.
There is no telling exactly how she’ll respond to having to move back home to the place we quickly fled from in the middle of the night more than seven years ago.
“You know me, V,” Hunter grins. “I know what I want and don’t back down from the perfect opportunity to take it.
The woman I can’t live without and possible million-dollar offers included.
In that order, too.” He winks, pulling me to his side as we step out of the café and onto Main Street.
Kissing the top of my head, I close my eyes and get lost in the moment, in him, in a dream come true.
“Well, I am glad, for the both of you,” Victoria says.
I open my eyes just as she winks and whispers, “If you ever need help keeping his ass in check, you know who to call.” She reaches out and wraps me in a big hug.
“I guess this makes us family now.” Releasing me, my heart bursts with happiness knowing I finally have a family.
“I never had a sister,” she smiles, “I’m glad I get to call you mine. ”
She looks up at Hunter as tears of happiness fall down both our cheeks. He wraps her in a big brotherly hug and refuses to let her go. “I’m happy for you, Hunter. You found all you ever wanted in life and somehow managed to do it all on your own. One day, I hope I am lucky enough to do the same.”
He releases her and smiles sadly. “You will, V. Just give it time.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, she backs away and starts to make her way toward the cross walk to the parking garage. Holding up her hand, she crosses two fingers signaling she hopes so.
“Here’s to wishing.” She waves goodbye and we turn to walk away. “Hey, Hunter!” she yells, making us look back her way. “You know what they say, you lose 99 percent of the chances you don’t take. I’m glad you grabbed a hold of yours and never let it go.”
Smiling, she turns and starts to cross the street.
“And so am I,” Hunter whispers as I look up into his eyes. They’re full of love and mirror the way I feel for him. We’ve both found heaven in a life of hell, and we won’t let anyone take it away from us now.
Suddenly, screeching tires, grinding metal, and honking horns assail our ears.
Hunter drops my arm and rushes forward, pushing past a group of people.
A scream steals my next breath. I don’t know if it’s mine, or Victoria’s, but my lungs burn as I catch up to Hunter’s side.
He kneels beside Victoria’s lifeless body.
My eyes grow wide as I take in her blood coating the middle of Main Street.
“Victoria,” Hunter yells. “V, Open your eyes!” Her eyes flutter open slightly. I pick up her wrist to check her pulse and look up just in time to see a gentleman exit the vehicle that hit her.
“Oh my God,” The man exclaims. Horror fills his eyes. People begin to gather and a few strangers fight through the crowd to our side.
“Sir,” one of the bystanders says addressing Hunter. “I am a nurse. Please can I have permission to help?” Hunter brushes her off and holds Victoria up to his face, his head rests against her chest listening for a heartbeat.
“Victoria,” he yells, “Please, don’t leave me. Not like they did. Please, V. Fight. Stay with me.”
Speechless, paralyzed, I watch in disbelief as Hunter’s world comes crashing down and there is nothing I can do to stop it.
“I didn’t see her!” The gentleman panics as he starts to pace back and forth. “I swear, I didn’t see her. The sun’s glare blinded my eyes. I haven’t been drinking, I haven’t been…”
But his pleading cuts off as he slowly starts to cry. His body shakes like a child as he realizes the magnitude of his mistake.
“Sir,” the woman from earlier repeats. This time Hunter looks up. “I can help.” She flashes a badge from a nearby hospital. “If you’ll let me?” Slowly Hunter lowers Victoria from his arms and lets her address her wounds.
“Someone call 911,” The woman shouts. Stunned, Hunter and I glance up at each other in fear.
“My phone,” he panics. “I left it at the apartment.”
I glance up to the crowd. I don’t have a phone either. Luckily, I catch the eye of a bystander who quickly pulls their phone from their pocket and begins frantically dialing.
“Yes, a woman. She was hit. She is bleeding pretty badly. I am not sure; someone is here who says she’s a nurse. We are at the corner of Main and PCH.”
The bystander’s words trail off as Hunter pushes to his feet and barrels towards the man who hit Victoria.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” he yells, as he tackles the man to the ground and begins an assault of punches to the man’s startled face. Defenseless, the man lays underneath him and tries to block each blow. Quickly, I rush towards them and attempt to pull Hunter from the man with no luck.
A few men in the crowd rush to my aid and a moment later we have Hunter backed up against the assailant’s car.
“Breathe, Hunter!” I plead. “I am going to need you to breathe!” His nostrils flare as he stares at the man, who is now attempting to stand and address his own wounds.
“Hunter!” I yell. It works and he finally looks into my eyes.
Fear, anxiety, hopelessness stare back at me.
I worry I’m losing him. “Breathe, Catch. For me. Please.”
I take a deep breath and will him to do the same, but he stands firm. Motionless. As if nothing will get through to him. I continue, taking a deep breath in and out, needing it to calm me as much as I need it to calm him.
Finally, he mimics my breaths and slowly starts to take a few deep inhales.
His shoulders sag, his eyes grow sad. Soon, the man I love falls apart.
He grabs me to his chest and begins to sob uncontrollably.
Sirens grow closer. My heart drops to my stomach as the woman from earlier yells, “We’re losing her! Get her to the ER, STAT!”