Hunter's POV
"Thanks mom for watching Harper while I took a shower. I never thought I would get so dirty and sweaty moving a few pieces of furniture."
"It probably wouldn't have been so bad, except that Liddy's old apartment was on the third floor with no elevator. So you had to carry it down 3 flights of stairs, load it into the truck and then carry it up one more flight to the garage apartment." My dad reminds me.
"Good point."
"Hunter, do you happen to know why Craig didn't help Liddy' move today?" My mom asks.
"I think I heard her sister tell one of the guys that he is out of town but I'm not sure so don't quote me on that."
"Oh, that's why. I was thinking that they might have broken up and that was why he wasn't around."
"What makes you say that?"
"The last time we saw Liddy was the weekend that she and Craig had the fight in the apartment. It was a pretty bad fight according to your dad." I look over at my dad who confirms what my mom said with a nod. "When we picked her up to take her and Harper to the airport the next day, it was obvious that she had been crying. We didn't say anything to her, but we both had our suspicions."
"She has never said that they've broken up, so I assume they are still together."
"Okay, you would know better than us. You see her every day. Well, your dad and I should head home. You look really tired. Why don't you go and lie down while Harper is taking her nap?"
"I might just do that. Thanks again for helping me with her." I give each of them a hug and walk them to the door. " Oh, are you still going to be able to watch Harper, Friday night when I take Liddy to MK's?"
"Absolutely! We're looking forward to spending more time with our beautiful granddaughter. See you on Thanksgiving, if not before. Love you. Bye."
Liddy's POV
Everyone is finally gone except for my sister, who decided to stay to help me make up my bed and put a few more things away.
"Can you believe how much we were able to get accomplished today? The guys did such a great job moving my furniture in and setting it up. I owe them big time. Maybe I can have them over for dinner when the tour takes a break in December."
"That's a great idea. I'm sure they'll appreciate it." Liz says while stuffing a pillow into a pillowcase. "Did you notice that Hunter set up your TV for you?"
"No. I didn't. That was so nice of him." I can't help but smile. "Actually, I'm really glad he did, though. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to figure it out." I giggle as I pull the bottom sheet on to my mattress.
"Did you happen to notice how Hunter just stared at you whenever you held Harper, today? It seemed like he never wanted to let you out of his site. I swear he would still be here if Harps didn't need a nap. He has such a crush on you."
"Stop it Liz. No, he doesn't." You can hear the anger in my voice. "We're just friends. He's my boss."
"I dare you to ask anyone else that was here today. They would all say the same thing. Hunter Hayes is crazy about you. It's so obvious. Neither of you are doing a very good job of hiding it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You know exactly what I mean. Liddy, you and Hunter are starting to develop feelings for each other. You couldn't take your eyes off of him, either. You can deny it all you want, but I know what I saw. Heck, there were so many sparks flying between you two, I am surprised something didn't catch on fire."
I sit down on my bed and hug one of my pillows to my chest. "Liz, I honestly don't know what I'm feeling. I really like being around him. He makes me laugh. He makes my heart race a million miles an hour when he stands too close. Sometime he can look at me a certain way and he takes my breath away. "
"Awww, that's so sweet."
"No it isn't." I snap. "He's my boss! He's Harper's dad. Hunter will NEVER allow himself to fall in love with me. Because if he did and it didn't work out. It would hurt Harper. It's just too complicated. So whatever I feel for Hunter, it can't turn into love."
Hunter's POV
Harper is still napping and I am just sitting here thinking about Liddy. I feel like it's all I do nowadays. The more I get to know her, the more I realize what a beautiful person she is and I'm not just talking physically. Although, hands down she has to be one of the most stunning woman I have ever met. Her skin is flawless. Her eyes are a rich sable brown with flecks of gold and green that can completely mesmerizes me. The natural waves of her chestnut colored hair with golden highlights only adds to her classic beauty and as for her body, it may be petite but everything about is perfect.
The more time I spend with Liddy, the more she intrigues me. I'm awed by her compassion and the way she always thinks of others before herself. I admire the fact that she is kind, generous, dependable, strong and not afraid to be silly. I respect that she is such a positive person even after alluding that she has had some difficult times in her childhood. Liddy reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle. Every part of her is unique like a puzzle piece and when put all together the combination of the pieces creates something amazing beautiful.
I hear Harper's voice coming from the baby monitor, so I jump up off the couch and head towards her room. "Hey there punkin. Did you have a nice nap?'
She shakes her head, yes then extends her arms out to me. "Pick me up, dada, peez"
I love when she first wakes up, she is always super cuddly. Once I scoop her up, she immediately snuggles into my chest and places her head on my shoulder. "Are you hungry? I thought I would order some Chinese food and we could take it over and share it with Liddy. Do you like that idea?"
"Yes!" I can see the excitement in her eyes. "I want chicky tingers, peez."
Absolutely, one order of chicken fingers for you!" Now all I need to do is find the take out menu.
Liddy's POV
Liz left a little while ago. We managed to get all my boxes unpacked and most everything put away. Now, I need to finish hanging these last few pictures and I am done for the day. As I'm standing on the top step of the ladder, I hear a knock at my door. I wonder who that could be? "Come in." I say while stretching to pound in the last nail.
"Lids, look what we got you!" I recognize Harper's excited little voice. It makes me smile. As I turn to look down at her, I loose my balance and fall to the floor landing on my left ankle.
"Oh my god Liddy, are you okay?" Hunter shouts as he runs over to me. I can feel his breath on my face he is so close to me.
"Besides being embarrassed because I am such a klutz, I think I'm fine."
"Here, let me help you up." He offers his right hand and pulls me to my feet.
As soon as I put pressure on my left ankle I wince in pain. "Ouch."
"What's wrong?" I can hear the concern in Hunter's voice.
"My ankle, I must have twisted it."
"Well, you need to get off of it, then." Before I can say another word, he places his left arm behind my knees and his right arm around my back and starts to carry me to the couch.
I can feel his strong arms holding me close to his chest. My face is literally inches from his. I am so close I can see the many different flecks of gray that make his eyes so gorgeous. My breath catches and I know I'm starting to blush, so I quickly look away. The pain in my ankle is nonexistent. All I can feel is my heart racing. So this is what it's like to be in Hunter's arms. It's even better than I dreamed.
When we reach the couch, he carefully puts me down. Taking care to avoid bumping my ankle. "Do you mind if I take a look at it?" I shake my head, no.
He then starts to examine my ankle. I can feel the calluses on his fingers. I expect then to be rough from all his years of playing the guitar, but surprisingly they are quite soft. When he is finished he removes his hands and looks me.
"It's starting to bruise and swell. I think I should take you to the hospital to get an x ray taken."
"No Hunter, I don't need to go to the hospital. I doubt it's broken. It's most likely just a sprain."
He lifts his eyebrows and gives me the most adorable look. "So when did you get your doctor's degree?"
I giggle. "Ha ha, very funny. The reason I think it's a sprain is because I've had several of them in my life. I was a cheerleader who twisted her ankle all the time. Really, trust me. All I need to do is to elevate it, keep ice on it and stay off it as much as possible for the next few days."
"Are you sure?" He asks with a skeptical look on his face.
"Yes, I'm sure. So would you mind moving over a bit so I can get by? I need to grab a bag of frozen peas."
"Excuse me. You're not going anywhere. Miss Deans. Until further notice, you are the patient and Harper and I are your nurses. "Isn't that right, punkin?" He looks to Harper who is standing quietly close by.
"Yes." I hear her squeal. "I'm gonna be Lids' urse"
"I know you will be a great nurse. Just promise me that you will do exactly what daddy says." He is now crouching in front of her, holding her little hands, so he has her undivided attention. "Promise me."
"I promise, dada." Hunter smiles, then kisses the tip of her nose.
"That's my girl. Now go tell Liddy that we will be right back and that she needs to sit still. Make her promise."
I can't help but giggle to myself. Harper is trying so hard to remember what he just said. "Dada says sit still. Promise. We'll be back."
Aw, she is so adorable. I reach over and grab her hand. "I promise Sweetie, and thank you so much for offering to be my nurse. I know you will take such good care of me." I kiss her cheek, as she turns to run to her dad. I look over at Hunter and mouth the words, "thank you." He smiles that smile that takes my breath away then whispers. "My pleasure."