Single Dad "Starting Over"(Hunter Hayes Fanfic)...Completed

Chapter 98

She takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. "Well, if she does, I'm just glad you'll be there for Hunter. He will need you."

I'm surprised by her admission and it must show on my face.

"Oh no, did I jump to the wrong conclusion? I'm sorry. I just assumed that since you came here with Hunter that you two were back together. I probably shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. We are back together." I showed her my engagement ring.

"Thank the lord." She says before pulling me into a hug. "Thank you for forgiving my son. I know he hurt you terribly."

"He isn't the only one to blame for our break up. I had a lot to do with it."

"You did?"

"Yes, I ah I broke up with him, remember?"

"I know. Hunter told Leo and I all about the things he did. It sounds like he didn't give you much choice."

I can't stand that she thinks Hunter is to blame for all our problems. "He did do some things that hurt me. But the real reason I broke the engagement was because I wanted to give him the chance to ...."

"To raise Harper like he was raised."

"Yes, but how did you know?"

"I didn't know for certain, until right now. " She says as she cuts the last of the sandwiches in half. "I just know how much you love my son and because of that I always wondered if you might have intentionally called off the wedding. He must have shared with you how guilty he felt about letting Harper down when he couldn't hold his marriage to Renee together."

"Yes, he did. He blamed himself so much. I tried many times to help him see it wasn't his fault, but it didn't do any good. So when he told me that Renee still loved him and wanted him back...."

"You saw it as an opportunity for him to give Harper the childhood he always wanted her to have."

"Exactly." I sigh. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

She smiles. "I know you did. But you didn't take into consideration how deeply Hunter loves you. You weren't around when he and Renee were together, so you wouldn't know this, but their relationship was always difficult even from the start. Hunter always had to bend to try and make Renee happy. He sacrificed a lot when they were together."

"I know he did at the end. He told me so. But I wasn't aware it was like that from the beginning."

"I'm not sure he even knew how one sided the relationship was. He was young. They both were. Renee was his first real love so he didn't have a lot of experience to draw from." She pauses as she places the sandwiches and ice tea on a tray. "What he feels for you is so much more than what he felt for her. You two have the real thing. You're both willing to put the each other's happiness before your own. He's never had someone love him like that before."

"So you don't blame me?"

"Of course not. How can I blame you for wanting to try and take away one of my son's biggest regrets?" She hugs me.

"But I hurt him. I didn't mean to, but I did. I hurt him so much more than I thought I would. I...."

"It's okay." She pulls me into another hug as I start to cry. "Hunter forgives you. We forgive you. Now, you need to forgive yourself. We all know you were trying to do what you thought would make him and Harper happy in the long run."

"I was."

She passes me a tissue. "I just hope you now realize how much he loves and needs you. You and Harper are his world. He's never going to happy with anyone else."