Chapter 14
NO SEDUCING. FRIEND
MADISON
“Who are you?”
The tiny voice catches me off guard. I look down and smile at who I’m guessing is Remi. His wide brown eyes study me as he shoves a cracker in his mouth, crumbs falling on his shirt.
“Remi! Where are your manners?” Sarah scolds, rushing toward him.
“I’m Madison,” I say softly, crouching until I’m eye-level with him. “You must be Remi.”
“That’s me.” He points to himself proudly, a little crumb still clinging to his lip.
“Madi! Hi, sorry about that.” Sarah reaches his side, brushing off his shirt.
“Hi.” I smile, standing to hug her.
We haven’t seen each other since our girls’ night, and I’m relieved to see her here. My nerves are in overdrive. I haven’t been here since before Hunter came home, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for whatever he has to tell me. Having Sarah here is a nice distraction.
“Hunter’s in the shower,” she says, lifting Remi onto her hip. “He said to wait for him and practically demanded Hals and I make sure you don’t run off.”
I laugh, falling into step beside her. We pass through the living room and into the open-plan kitchen and dining area, the afternoon sunlight spilling through the wide glass doors that lead to the backyard.
The air smells faintly of eucalyptus and fresh-cut grass.
Everything feels distant, yet so familiar.
We’ve spent countless summer days, lazy afternoons, and late nights out here.
Fairy lights hang from the wooden posts to the trees, casting a warm glow when the moon is high in the sky.
The long table to the right sits more than enough people, and the barbecue sits off to the left, lid propped open, a reminder of the nights we’d hang out here until the early hours, laughing until our voices went hoarse.
Hunter’s house has always been our safe place.
The place we come to when life gets too heavy, when our own homes become too quiet, too lonely.
Asher practically called this house his second home before Halle came along.
He tried to keep his distance at first, but love has a way of ignoring all the rules.
Their pasts called to each other, hard and broken in all the same places, and somehow, they came out on top, healing together.
After Hunter left, they stayed here the most, keeping the place alive when he couldn’t.
But since his return, and with Sarah and Remi here now, they’ve been spending more time at Asher’s. Giving everyone the space they need.
“Madi, you came.” Halle’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
“Hey, girl.” I drop into the chair beside her.
Remi wriggles out of Sarah’s arms and takes off after a ball.
He misses the kick, tumbling to the grass.
Instead of crying, he lets out a laugh so full it fills the air, and pushes himself up, dusting off his knees, and goes again.
A smile pulls at the corner of my mouth, his energy radiating through the late afternoon.
“He’s a little cutie,” I say, glancing at Sarah.
Her gaze stays fixed on him, pride softening her features. “There’s been a lot of change for him lately. New town, new people, but he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
“That’s because you have us now,” Halle teases, nudging her with an easy grin.
“Please tell me you’re planning to stay for good?” I ask, hope lacing my tone.
“She better be. There’s no way we’re letting her go back to that shit hole of a town.” Halle’s tone comes out half joking, half serious.
Sarah laughs under her breath, shoulders relaxing. “Right now, the plan is to stay. Remi’s happy, and I feel…” Her voice falters for a second. “Safe here.”
I reach across the table, curling my fingers around hers. “Hey,” I say, meeting her eyes. “You’ll always be safe here with us.”
I’ve seen the same look in Hunter’s eyes before. The quiet hesitation that hides behind a steady stare. The same one Halle wore when she first arrived here, like she was bracing herself for the next hit in life, even when she didn’t have to.
Growing up, my world was small but safe.
No siblings or cousins, just me and Mom, and I never realized what a privilege that was.
I never had to grow up before I was ready.
Never had to carry the burden or the kind of pain that leaves marks you can’t see.
These guys did. And yet here they are, laughing, rebuilding, loving anyway.
It’s impossible not to admire their strength.
Life could have broken them, but they flipped it off and kept going.
Against all odds, they found their way back to something good.
Sarah sighs as she looks between us. “I know. I can’t thank you guys enough for welcoming us like you have.”
“They’re pretty stubborn. Once they decide they want to keep you, it’s a losing battle. They won’t let go,” Halle teases.
“Now I just have to find a job and a place for us to stay. We can’t move in here permanently.” Sarah laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Why not?” Hunter’s voice comes from behind me.
I turn to see him leaning against the door frame.
His dark jeans cling to his thighs, his Whiskey Cove shirt stretched tight across his chest and arms. Droplets of water darken the fabric near his collar, and his hair is damp, spiked in every direction like he only half bothered with a towel.
His sharp jaw is clean of the stubble that was there earlier this morning.
His eyes cut to mine, and something glimmers there—heat, amusement, maybe both.
I swallow hard. My body tingles with the weight of that look.
“Because,” Sarah says, snapping me back, “I have a son who’s a little terror, and we need our own place. We need stability, and I really don’t want to overstep your and Halle’s space…” She pauses, her lips curling into a smirk as her eyes dart to me. “Or get in the way of things.”
“Things?” I question.
Halle’s laugh bursts out. “Ew, Sarah. That’s my brother and my best friend. I don’t need that image in my head.”
Hunter scoffs. “Now you know how it feels, lil sis.”
Oh my god. Heat crawls up my neck, flooding my cheeks. I sink lower into my chair. My brain catches up with what they’re insinuating when Halle pokes her tongue out at him, rolling her eyes as she stands.
“Don’t you guys have dinner plans?” he says, far too casually.
“Yeah, yeah.” Halle waves him off, walking back inside.
Remi comes running over, stopping suddenly at Hunter’s feet. The way his eyes light up when they catch Hunter’s melts something inside me. It’s pure, unguarded adoration.
“Hunt hunt! Kick ball wif me?” Remi bounces on the balls of his feet, excitement radiating off him in waves.
“Buddy, I would love to, but maybe tomorrow?” Hunter scoops Remi up, pressing him in a quick hug before handing him over to Sarah. “I think your momma and Aunty Hals want to take you on an adventure.”
“Okay!” Remi shouts, his tiny legs kicking as he squirms happily in Sarah’s arms, his round cheeks lifting in that wide, innocent grin.
I can’t help but smile and give them a little wave as they follow after Halle.
Hunter walks over, dropping into the seat Halle was just in. My stomach tightens as I watch him lean back, hands linking together and resting against his stomach, like he’s completely at ease and not feeling an ounce of the nerves I’m feeling.
“Hi, friend.” His lips curve into that infuriating smirk that makes my pulse race.
I press my lips together, fighting back the smile that wants to break free. My eyes lock with his, and my breath catches. The air thickens. He’s so handsome, it makes my heart do these stupid little stutters.
“Hi, friend,” I echo.
He tilts his head, watching me for a beat too long. I swear the corner of his mouth lifts, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
“How was the rest of your day?” he asks casually, as if we’re not both sitting on the edge.
“Are we really going to small talk right now?” I throw back at him, brows arching.
All day, I’ve been spiraling over what it is that he wants to show me, what’s got him so twisted inside that he went to our spot this morning.
Now he’s going to just casually sit here?
Ask about my day? About the weather? Nope.
Past Madi would have waited patiently for him.
That’s not me anymore. I shouldn’t have to wait patiently for any man.
He must see the quiet resolve in my face. He frowns slightly, then stands with a sigh, stretching out a hand toward me.
“I guess not,” he says.
Reluctantly, I take his hand. His fingers thread through mine, warm and firm, and that simple touch sends a spark up my arm.
He leads me down the hall to his bedroom, and I swear my heart forgets how to beat.
I suck in a sharp breath when he pushes the door open.
Everything about the space is still as I remember, still him.
The scent of soap and cedar clings to every surface, the dark gray bedding perfectly made.
My senses trip over themselves, caught between comfort and chaos as I sit on the edge of his bed.
“Why are we in your bedroom?”
“I swear I didn’t bring you in here to seduce you.” He stops in front of me, that teasing smile playing at his lips. “Unless you want me to.” His brows lift, and I roll my eyes even as my skin warms.
“No seducing. Friend.” I punctuate the last word, crossing my arms.
“Well, that’s no fun, is it?” He grins.
“Hunter…” I warn, my voice coming out softer than I intend.
His shoulders drop, and the whole room stills with the shift in his mood.
The light-heartedness from moments ago fades out, leaving only tension.
Hunter moves to his bedside table and slides open the drawer.
The faint scrape of wood echoes through the quiet as he pulls out a stack of envelopes.
His thumb brushes over them, his other hand clenching at his side.
When he sits beside me, the mattress dips under his weight.
The envelopes drop between us with a soft thud, but I don’t look at them, don’t care for them.
Whatever storm is happening inside his head is loud enough to drown out everything else.
I reach for his hand, my fingers tightening around his, hoping to offer him some small piece of strength.
“Are you okay?”
“They’re letters from my mom.” His voice cracks above a whisper.
My eyes widen. “What? Where did you find these? How long have you had them?” The questions rush out of me before I can stop them.
I pick up the envelopes, the paper worn.
Once white, now tinged with age. Some of the handwriting is smudged.
My throat tightens when I notice some are addressed to him and some to Halle, her name written in the same delicate script.
Only the first two at the top of the stack have been opened; the others remain sealed.
My chest aches. Everything he said earlier today makes sense now.
Maybe you could help me with the next one.
He’s been struggling to face these, to open them, to hear from her. This is why he wanted to show me, because finding the words to tell me is too hard, too raw and painful.
“The first night after Asher left to come back home,” he starts, his voice low and rough, “I was filled with so much hatred, so much grief. The memories of everything were crashing through me, and I knew Ray would be down at the local bar, drinking himself stupid, so I went to the house Halle and I grew up in.” He pauses, a quiet scoff slipping out.
“The spare key, after all these years, was still in the same spot under the broken flowerpot.”
“What happened then?” I murmur, taking his hand back in mine.
“I walked in and went straight to her room. I tore through everything I could—drawers, the closet, under the mattress. I didn’t believe Halle when she said he got rid of everything.
I had to see for myself. I can’t describe it, but I just knew she left us something.
I found them hidden in the back of the closet.
I froze, not believing it was her handwriting I was staring at.
” His eyes drop to the stack of letters between us.
“I shoved them into my hoodie, checked the rest of the house—mine and Halle’s old rooms—then went back to the motel. ”
He runs a hand through his hair, the movement restless, his chest rising and falling faster as a shaky breath leaves him.
I don’t believe for a second that his mom was a bad mom.
I think she loved Hunter and Halle with everything she had.
She just made choices that led her down a path she couldn’t escape, and in the end, she chose to turn it all off.
She couldn’t keep going. I bet with every piece of me that those letters hold her truth.
The truth that Halle and Hunter so desperately need to hear.
Grief clings to the air, and sadness washes over me.
I wish I could have met her. To know her before everything shattered into pieces for them.