Take A Walk (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 5 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Four

She didn't look up from the mixture she was putting together, turning on the stove and beginning to whisk the butter and flour together to make the magical cream sauce that went so well with her meatballs. "Well... I dunno."

"Why?"

"It holds a lot of memories for me, too, this house. Not all good ones." She looked up at him, and he saw the reminders of the past that she endured. "It's... I know. It'd be nice to have a new environment to start over in, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah."

She took a deep breath, and said without looking at him, "What about Cassie?"

He stiffened immediately, the atmosphere of the kitchen changing in less than a second. "What about her?" he asked, sounding forcedly calm.

"You need to talk to her," she said nonchalantly, her actions as relaxed as earlier. She poured beef stock and heavy cream into the mixture without looking at her measurements, radiating quiet confidence that took Hunter's breath away. "And I feel like she'd want to know all that happened in these walls between you and her mother. She deserves to know."

"Yeah."

"You're seeing her when?"

"Tomorrow."

She pursed her lips. "And you're ready?"

"I have to be. I don't get a choice."

She sighed. "So that's why you've been so stressed."

"I'm not-"

"You mixed up beef and chicken, Hunt."

He glared at her, then the anger in his teal blue eyes dissipated, and his shoulders dropped. "I'm sorry. It's like I can't keep a thought in my head for two minutes anymore. Everything is just happening so quickly."

"Shh," she said, laying a hand on his arm, and he glanced at her, getting lost in her soft, ocean green eyes. "It's okay."

He shook his head, and Ryan said, "In exchange for reading, I'll make you a chamomile tea and light the lavender candle? Maybe that'll help you to be less tense."

"Maybe," he said. "Do you need help?"

"Yes, please. Get started on mincing the meat, the mincer is in the top left cupboard beside the pantry."

They fell into a familiar routine, chatting and laughing and singing silly songs while making dinner. They gotten halfway through Bohemian Rhapsody until Elle yelled through the walls at them, telling them to shut up.

For a moment, it felt like the good old days, when everything was perfect, and everyone was happy.

It was bliss.

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Hunter buttoned his shirt up in the mirror, and Ryan appeared behind him, adjusting his collar. "Well?"

He stared at himself, thinking about twenty years prior, when Lilly was alive. Today was Valentine's day, Ryan's birthday. He was meeting his daughter with her by his side, along with Elle and Drew.

"Well?" he echoed, looking at her through the mirror.

She stood beside him, her pastel blue sundress bringing out the blue in her eyes, and contrasting Hunter's dark ensemble. "You look nervous."

"Probably because I am nervous," he said.

She pursed her lips, looking down. "Do you want me to come with you?"