Chapter 7 Letters
LETTERS
HUNTER
Hunter,
I’ll never forget the day I told you that you were going to be a big brother.
For years, you begged your dad and me for a little brother, and when we sat you down at the dinner table that night, I was so worried you were going to kick and scream and demand a brother.
Your dad wasn’t worried at all. He knew you’d step up.
He rested his hand on your shoulder, knelt in front of you, and said, “Son, you’re going to have a little sister.
” You burst into tears, wrapped your arms around us, and pressed your tiny hand to my stomach.
You whispered to your little sister, “I’ll protect you forever.
You’ll never have to be scared because I’m your big brother.
” There are so many things I want to say to you.
So many things I need to apologize for. This isn’t the life I wanted for us after your dad’s car accident.
The life we had with him was everything I dreamed of, and I foolishly believed Ray could give that back to us.
I should have known better. He played on my grief, twisted my hope until I couldn’t tell right from wrong.
You were just a boy, but somehow you knew, and I was too blind, too weak to see what you did.
Halle was only two when we moved in with Ray—just a baby when your daddy passed.
Too young to have the memories you hold, too young to know what love felt like before everything changed.
That’s why Ray treats you two differently.
By the time I pulled myself out of the fog and saw the damage I’d done, it was already too late.
I wish I had the strength to fight, but all I have left is the strength to survive.
I wish I had your courage. I wish I had Halle’s fire. I wish… I wish I knew how to leave…
I fold the worn piece of paper once, twice, and slip it back into the envelope. My heart pounds so hard, it echoes in my ears. I feel the sting behind my eyes from her words. The way the letter finishes feels wrong, unfinished. Like she meant to say more.
Why didn’t she continue?
My gaze drifts to the stack of letters bound tightly together, the edges bent and discolored because I keep touching and hiding them.
Did Ray walk in and catch her writing to me?
Did he stop her? Maybe she heard the front door slam, the hinges shuddering through the house, and shoved the paper away before rushing to the kitchen to start dinner.
Maybe the next letter picks up where this one left off.
I fall back on my bed, my head landing with a soft thud against the pillow, and rub my eyes.
Keep it together, man.
The other letters sit untouched. I haven’t had the balls to open them yet.
I know I should, but I’m not ready. Call me a coward.
Call me a wimp. I don’t care. After all these months, there’s only one person I want beside me when I finally face them.
I just have to fight through the new walls she’s built—the ones I put there when I thought I could do this alone.
Maybe I am a coward. Thank God for Sarah.
If it weren’t for her, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to come to my senses and come back home.
“You can’t… or you don’t want to?” her voice whispers to my left, and something inside my chest tightens.
“I don’t know if I can,” I murmur, the words scraping out of me.
“You can. It’s why you came back here. To find your closure.
To say goodbye to her. To confront him. You’ve been here long enough, hiding out with me and Remi, helping us for too long.
The sooner you do this, the sooner you can go home.
” Her eyes find mine, and there’s no judgment in them, only understanding.
“Back to your sister. Back to Madison. It’s time for you to go home. ”
A faint rustle from the other side of the wall pulls me from my thoughts.
Sheets shifting. A small yawn. A smile creeps in before I can stop it as I listen to Remi waking up.
Last night was something else. My house was full of laughter, toy cars crashing against table legs, and Connor’s half-burnt popcorn filling the air.
The guys had shown up the second they heard I was on babysitting duty.
I swear they thought I was incapable of doing it on my own.
Like I’d somehow lose the kid or forget to feed him.
I wasn’t sure how they would take Remi at first, but of course, he won them over.
The same way he did with me and Halle. He had Connor crawling on the floor pretending to be a dragon within ten minutes.
His fiery personality and high imagination are contagious, and you can’t help but fall into his little orb.
What I didn’t expect was how quickly Connor and Remi clicked.
They were like two peas in a pod. They sprinted through the house, plotting pranks and whispering like partners in crime.
Most of their chaos was aimed at Asher because the broody asshole is a hard one to crack.
He sat on the couch for most of the night, glued to his phone, pretending not to care while clearly waiting for Halle to call.
Connor finally rolled his eyes and talked Remi into stealing the phone.
“You can’t get mad at a three-year-old,” he said, grinning.
The two of them were hiding behind the couch, giggling uncontrollably while Asher tore the place apart trying to find it. The guy is completely and utterly gone for my sister.
“Uncle Hunter!” Remi’s voice yells from the spare room.
I jump into action before he can yell again.
The last thing I want is Sarah thinking I can’t handle one night with the little dude.
She deserved a night off. Time to let go, to laugh, to get to know the girls…
to meet Madison. Nerves swoop low in my gut as I tug on a pair of charcoal sweats.
Did Sarah get the chance to introduce herself properly?
Did Madison ask about me? Did Tessa include her?
The questions spiral as I drag a hand through my hair and straighten my bedding, trying to look like I’ve got my shit together.
“Morning, little man,” I chirp, stepping into the room.
He slides down the bed, his little feet pattering against the floor as he runs toward me. I crouch just in time to catch him, lifting him high into the air before spinning us both in a quick circle. His laughter bursts out, and I can’t help but grin wider as I settle him against my hip.
“Oodmorning, Hunter,” he says through a giggle.
My chest squeezes at the way he says good morning. Sarah told me when I first met him that he was late to start talking—didn’t say his first word until two and a half. He’s still learning, and some of his words come out jumbled. It’s the cutest damn thing ever.
“Come on, let’s go find some breakfast and see if your momma’s home from girls’ night yet,” I say, ruffling his wavy hair.
A few minutes later, we’re tiptoeing to the couch like we’re on some secret mission.
Remi’s bare feet kick excitedly, while I press my finger to my lips, shushing his giggles.
His eyes are wide with mischief. I nod once—our silent cue—and he tips the plastic cup in his hands.
Cold water splashes across Sarah’s face.
She bolts upright, sputtering, and we completely lose it.
Remi squeals as laughter booms out of me.
He wriggles out of my arms, races around the couch, and launches himself onto his mom’s lap.
I wipe the tears from my eyes, still laughing, and toss Sarah the dish towel.
“You’re a bad influence on him,” she mutters, wiping her face and neck.
“Momma, are you ick?” Remi asks, his little fingers poking at her cheeks and under her eyes.
I snort, grabbing a bottle of water from the table and handing it to her before dropping onto the couch across from her.
“I don’t think she’s sick, buddy,” I say, grinning. “I think she’s just super tired from her girls’ night.”
Her arms wrap around him, pulling him close, and I watch the way her whole body exhales.
The tension in her shoulders melts, and her eyes flutter shut as she breathes him in.
The whole world falls from her shoulders in that one embrace.
It’s the type of hug my mom and dad would give me.
The kind that made me feel like the world wasn’t so scary…
so big. A soft smile tugs at my lips as Sarah sinks back into the couch, Remi sprawled across her chest.
“So tired, my Rem-Rem,” she murmurs, pressing a kiss to his hair. “We’re having a Bluey and all the snacks kind of day.”
“Big night?” I chuckle, leaning back on the couch.
She groans, rubbing at her temple. “Your sister and her friends are on a different level.”
“What time did you get in?”
“Like, thirty minutes ago.” She yawns, waving a lazy hand.
“Halle dropped me off. She decided to go to meet Asher, something about him and the sun and running and dragging him back to his house for a nap.” Her lips twitch before she looks down at Remi, brushing a lock of hair off his forehead.
“How was your night, buddy? Did you have fun with Hunter?”
Remi bounces in her lap, his grin stretching ear to ear. “So much fun! Boys night rules!” his voice pierces through the quiet morning, and Sarah winces, pressing a hand to her forehead.
“Come on, Remi, let’s go make some breakfast.” I scoop him up.
My gaze lingers on Sarah. Her dishevelled hair, a faint smear of drool drying at the corner of her mouth.
If it weren’t for the glint in her eyes, the smile lines I can see, I would worry that last night was a disaster.
But beneath it all, there’s something new.
For the first time since she came back into my life, the heaviness in her seems to have cracked open, replaced by something that looks a lot like peace… and belonging.
She raises a brow at me, her lips pursing. “Boys’ night?”