9. Juniper
Epilogue
"This isn't going to be weird for you, or anything, is it?" I ask as we both stare at the large box truck sitting in front of the cabin that only recently got pulled off the market a couple of weeks ago. "I mean, seeing someone else living there?"
Hunter rocks silently, considering the question. Finally, he cocks a brow. "You give me too much credit if you think I can focus on anyone else but my beautiful wife."
Giving me such a cheesy answer, he smiles when I swat his arm.
Just then, the distant rumbling of motorcycles fills the air, confidently scaring away any wildlife that could be enjoying this nice summer day. We share a look as a rustic truck pulls up, with a few bikes following behind it.
"I met the new owner at the closing. She seems nice."
He grunts, the noise noncommittal.
Together, we watch men wrapped in leather jackets pull out box after box from the moving truck.
"I just hope they're not going to be the rowdy kind of bunch." His brows pinch together as his hand strokes my shoulder. "No one wants to disturb the silence up here."
"We could use more friends, you know." Much to his dismay, I move to my feet and abandon him on the swing. Approaching the edge of the porch, I raise a hand toward the men as a greeting.
I don't purposely try to make Hunter jealous, but I'm not surprised when he appears at my back, either. He mimics my motion.
Getting out of the truck is a woman with sunglasses plopped on her nose and a head full of box-dyed, fiery red hair. She says something to one of the men before starting her way over.
The first time I met her, I thought she looked cool. Hunter's first impression makes him pull me to his chest.
She's covered in tattoos with a few piercings, and hangs out with a bunch of leather-clad bikers. She's not that scary.
"Samantha, right?" Keeping my voice light and airy, I give her a welcoming smile. "Welcome to the neighborhood. This is my husband, Hunter."
After these last few months, there's nothing I love more than introducing this man.
The woman pushes her sunglasses up to her forehead and gives us a surprisingly soft smile. Reaching her hand out, she's amazed by Hunter's firm handshake. "Please, call me Cherry."
Adding to this woman's coolness, I do the same thing I do whenever a new person enters my life. I offer them baked goods, simply because I always have something fresh in the kitchen. If not because of Hunter's endless appetite, then it's for our other neighbors.
"I baked a fresh batch of blueberry scones this morning," I offer. "If you and your crew need a break from unloading in a little while, you’re more than welcome to come grab a plate."
Cherry’s eyes light up, her cool exterior melting completely. "Woah. You just became my favorite neighbor."
Hoping to get to know her even better, a man calls out to her, encouraging her to return in a manner that sounds too familiar.
Cherry rolls her eyes and excuses him before introducing him as Diesel.
Diesel.
Keeping my smile planted on my lips as she excuses herself, I turn toward Hunter once it's back to being just us. "We've got a problem."
Hunter cocks a brow. "The bikers?"
Slipping out of his hold, I start my escape toward our cabin. "The scones. I don't think I have enough. I'm going to need to bake more."
"Bake more?" Hunter calls after me, his heavy footsteps thumping across the porch boards as he takes off in quick pursuit. "Juniper, you've been in the kitchen all morning!"
I pick up my pace, but he catches me before I even reach the threshold, wrapping both arms around me and lifting my feet clear off the ground.
I laugh, leaning my head back against his shoulder as he carries me inside. He kicks the front door shut behind us, leaving the quiet mountain and our new neighbors outside while he breathlessly insists on helping me bake—refusing to let his wife overwork herself for even a second.