"The fire in the shelter ten years ago was my father's doing."
It took a moment for his words to sink in.
The fire in the shelter. My memory conjured up images of an orange night. The sounds of cats and dogs calling for help, then fading as smoke and fire claimed them. The shock. The heartache.
"What?" My voice sounded weak. I turned to look at him. His attention was on the windshield, his eyes hard and unforgiving.
"The only people who mattered to me back then were Tia Sofia and you," he said. "After Tia Sofia left, he realized he lost one of his cards. That left you. He and my grandfather..."
He shook his head, running his fingers roughly through his hair. "When meeting with you that weekend didn't get them the results they wanted, they switched strategies. They destroyed the shelter, and then they got Sam fired from his job."
"What? No. Sam resigned..."
"He didn't. Sam told me he was fired. My grandfather knew the chairman of the company Sam worked for. He got him fired in exchange for some favor, I guess. When I confronted my father, he admitted to everything and told me it was just the beginning if I didn't get my shit together. That it wouldn't be difficult to ruin your college life or even stage an accident in your car-" he closed his eyes tightly. "That's when I knew he wasn't going to give up. I was ready to give everything up and do what he wanted but-"
"You would've hated me."
He shook his head. "I would've given up the world for you, Sapphire. But I knew that as long as you were important to me, my father and grandfather would always use you and you'll be in danger. At first it'll be for college, but later it'll be something else. There will always be something else. I couldn't put you in harm's way. I couldn't do that to you."
My pulse throbbed in my ears. I couldn't believe his father had stooped that low. But that was the man who threatened Tia Sofia and then tried to bribe me. A man who beat up his son simply because he could. A selfish man who didn't care about his family.
My throat closed up. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Even as I asked the question, I knew. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I could be used as a card to keep Hunter in line, so I would break up with him. I couldn't live with myself knowing the reason he did something he didn't want to was because of me. And no matter what he said now, he would have hated me for it.
In the end, it would be the same result. We'd been doomed to break up.
I looked away from him.
"You know why," he said. "It would've ended up the same. At least that way, you didn't have to feel that... crushing sense of helplessness." His voice turned horse. "And I was a coward. I couldn't tell you that the reason the shelter you loved so much was ruined was because of me. I couldn't tell you that the reason your brother lost his job was because of me."
"It wasn't because of you," I mumbled.
My heartbreak at seventeen had been dulled by the years and the losses I'd suffered afterwards. I'd known, somewhere deep inside, that Hunter wouldn't have just left without a good reason.
But did that even make a difference? At the end, he'd left and I was heartbroken.
But he was heartbroken, too. He'd had to make the decision to break up.
Had it been the right decision? Had there been no other option?
Maybe. But hindsight was twenty twenty. He'd been pushed into a corner. And we'd both faced the consequences.
I rubbed my face. Tears clogged up my throat. I didn't cry. I didn't want to cry. What good would it do?
"I'm sorry," Hunter whispered. "I should've found a way. Maybe I should've told you about it later. I don't know. It wasn't fair that you had to think I left you because I no longer loved you. I did. I still-"
"No," I cut him off. "No, you don't. You don't know me anymore, Hunter. I'm not the same person."
"Aren't you?" He mumbled, so low I could barely hear it. A deep sigh rattled his chest. "Do you forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't mine. It was just... life. We're not meant to be."
I could feel the weight of his gaze on my face. I knew he wanted to argue. I could feel the weight of the words in the air between us. But he didn't.
"Come home with me," he said. "We can eat something. The dogs and Tux would be glad for some company."
I sighed. All I wanted to do was to curl up in my bed and sleep. No. That was a lie. I wanted a hug. But I knew if Hunter hugged me, I would break down. Hunter's hug would be a temptation I wasn't sure I could resist.
That was why I should go home.
I looked at him. "I'm on a strict diet."
"I know. I was in the farmer's market earlier. I got some of the things you liked from nonna Gabriella."
Surprise pierced through the layers of heavy emotions. "You did?"
"Yeah." He gave me a small smile, rubbing his cauliflower ear. "I don't know if it's going to be any good, though. I'm not a great cook. But I'll try."
Warmth flooded my chest. I really shouldn't. This was getting too close.
But after his confession, I had a feeling he didn't want to be alone as much as I did. And he'd gone through the trouble to get my favorite things from nonna Gabriella.
Just tonight. I'd cave in just tonight. I blew out a breath and started the car. "Fine. Show me the way."
I drove the car up the steep exit of the underground parking lot. The night street buzzed with life. Lights glittered on buildings and across shop fronts.
"Why now? After ten years?" I hesitated. "Did something happen to your father?"
"My father is alive and well. He knows better than to cross me now," he grumbled.
"Why then?"
"Something happened," he said, "to me."
I glanced at him. But he was was looking out the passenger side window. I quelled down my curiosity for now. We were both too raw from our glimpse into the past. Later. Maybe I'd ask him later.
"Why did you transfer schools back then?" I asked.
His sigh filled the car. "I wanted to convince my father that wanting a photography degree had been just a phase. And that I was already planning to break up with you even before he threatened me. He wanted me to transfer schools. To prove that I'm over you, I guess? I have no idea what was going through his damn head."
"And he just believed you?"
"Yep. I guess he never loved someone enough to ever doubt me," he said. "I just asked him for a few thousand dollars in exchange, and he bought the lies I fed him right up."
Yeah. He was the sort of person to believe Hunter would give it all up for money, because that was what he would've done.
"Anyway," Hunter said. "It worked out well for my plan, anyway. Staying in school and seeing you everyday would've been pure torture. It was also easier for you to forget about me that way. So I transferred schools."
"You left a few months later," I said.
"Yeah. I got my passport as soon as I turned eighteen and got the hell out of the country. Remember Antonio?"
Antonio? Oh. "The creepy guy from Steve's gym?"
Hunter chuckled. "Creepy?"
"Yeah. Never liked him. Wait, you went with him? I remember him telling you about going overseas."
"Yeah. We went to Cuba, for the first year. Then we went to Thailand, Russia. After I went pro, we visited all over the world to train and stuff. Anyway. I owe it to Antonio. He took a chance on me."
Huh. "No wonder he looked at you like that," I mumbled.
"Like what?"
"Like you were a money-making machine," I said. "I guess he was right, in the end."
"I guess. He's still on my team. I owe him a lot."
"Hmm." I didn't know how I felt about that guy. But it must be just my memory painting him in a bad light, for some reason. "Is your father with the mob or something?"
Hunter laughed. A full laugh that lined his cheeks and did pleasantly weird things to my stomach. "No. But he might as well have been. He- well, my grandfather- had enough money and influence to get almost anything they wanted done. There are always people willing to do some crazy shit for enough money."
Unfortunately, that was the world we lived in.
Hunter navigated the way through streets that turned less busy the more we headed to the outskirts of the city.
"Did you move here?" I asked.
"Yeah. Last year," he paused. "How did you know I didn't live here?"
Heat crawled up my face. I hoped he couldn't see it in the dim light.
I knew he didn't live here because, in my most shameful moments of weakness, I'd look him up on the internet. "Just asking."
If he knew I was full of it, he didn't call me on it, fortunately.
"Why didn't you get a place downtown?" I asked. He could certainly afford it.
"No. The dogs need space. And I couldn't have the house I'd always wanted in the city."
For a moment, my brain conjured up a memory, of us discussing our house. A pang of sadness came with it. We'd been so young, so hopeful.
Almost an hour and a half later, Hunter pointed to the left. This area had massive estates, separated by green spaces and tall trees. I wished I could see it during the day. It was difficult to believe that all this existed an hour's drive away from the crowded city with its skyscrapers and crammed buildings.
The gate we pulled over to was painted a dark color, and the gray walls surrounding the estate looked almost ten feet high.
"Trying to keep your fangirls out?" I asked, pointing at the absurdly high walls.
"No. Trying to keep the cat in. Someone once told me I needed to have high walls so the cat doesn't jump over."
I glanced at him. That had been me. He still remembered?
He smiled and gave me a small card. I rolled down the window and pressed it to the square scanner. The gate rolled open.
"Well, the cat could escape if you open the gate."
"I know. I'm trying to find a solution. In the meantime, I lock them all inside the house whenever I leave."
"Good strategy," I mumbled, absent-minded.
The driveway was a white stone pathway that led right to the stairs. Wow. The estate was actually bigger than I expected. The dogs would get a great amount of exercise here.
Garden lights illuminated the grass nearby, but the land inside the walls stretched farther than I could see in the darkness.
"I still need to get lights all around the property," Hunter said, opening his door. "And the house still needs a lot of work."
I unstrapped my seatbelt and peeked at the house. The light was on in the porch and in one room on the ground floor. It was a two story place, with over a dozen windows. The walls looked pale under the lights of the garden, and the thatched roof looked dark.
I got out and followed Hunter, who was carrying our bags, up the flight of stairs and inside the house.
Brownie and Stevie greeted us at the door. Hunter smiled and crouched down, giving them some love. There was a blur of black and white that disappeared into a hallway. That must be Tux.
The empty entrance hall opened to a large living room area, with one black couch and a low wooden table next to the fireplace. The walls were an off-white color, and the floor was white marble veined in black, matching the black banister of the staircase on the right. All the white and the space made it look... empty. But I could see the potential of what it could be. Decorating this place would be a dream.
"Do you have a secret family or something?" I asked, looking around the living room. "Why do you need so much space?"
He glanced at me with an odd look and stood up. "I just do."
I crouched down and petted Brownie and Stevie. They seemed to remember me because their tails wagged instantly and they licked my hands. I smiled. I guess the treats worked their magic.
"Come on. I'm starving," he said, putting our bags on the couch. His voice echoed in the empty space. He headed to the right, where an arched entrance next to the stairs separated the living room from the kitchen.
"Wow. Nice kitchen," I said, instantly jealous. The kitchen had two granite counters and a big island. Damn. This really was a great house.
The only thing I would change was the color of the cabinets. Plain black. But this wasn't my home. And I should stop fantasizing about living here.
He opened the fridge and pulled out a loaf of sourdough. I recognized the paper bag as nonna Gabriella's.
"You kept it in the fridge?" I asked, moving around the counter. The dogs stood right next to Hunter.
Hunter froze. He glanced between me and the bread. "I shouldn't have?"
He looked so cute flustered. I bit back a smile. "No, it's okay. But it's better if you don't. Just keep it at room temperature, but make sure it's wrapped."
"Huh." He glanced at the dogs. "Could you please check if their food bowls are full? They're right there."
I went around the island. The dogs joined me as soon as they heard the food bag crunching.
"Do you keep their bowls full all the time?"
"When I'm leaving the house, yeah," he said.
"Well, that might be why Stevie here is a little overweight." Stevie's ears flickered when he heard his name, but he was too busy ravaging through the food. I ran my hand through their soft fur. I'd forgotten what it felt like to have a pet waiting for you at home. I missed the feeling.
Cheddar's orange eyes flashed through my head, the dull knife of grief stabbing my heart. I pulled my hands away and stood up.
Hunter was slicing through the bread. A container of mozzarella, two tomatoes, garlic and basil, were on the island next to him.
I could tell he wasn't used to cooking by the way he managed the knife. But even clumsy, he managed to look so handsome it hurt.
God, I still couldn't believe he was right here, in front of me.
"What about Tux?" I asked.
He glanced at the clock of the microwave. "It's still not dinner time yet. I read somewhere that keeping a fixed routine is good for cats."
"It is," I said.
Hunter put the four slices of bread on two plates, two each. He took the little bouquet of fresh basil and stared at it.
I chuckled. He glanced at me, and gave me mock glare. "Having fun?"
"Yes, actually," I said and moved to wash my hands.
He put the basil on the cutting board. I nudged him away with my hip and reached for the knife.
"What are you doing?" he asked, not moving away and not relinquishing the knife. My insides were a fluttering mess.
He was taller than me. He'd always been taller than me. But it wasn't just that. All the guys in my life were tall. Scott, Stefan. Jason was even taller. Matt, too. But no one exuded this sense of sheer masculinity. It wasn't stifling or intimidating. It was... protective, fiercely so. He made me feel delicate and feminine, not weak.
And his smell. God, how come he still smelled almost the same?
He raised one eyebrow. Right. He asked a question. I cleared my throat and took the knife. "Taking over."
"No, I'm supposed to cook," he grumbled.
"It's the thought that counts."
He opened his mouth.
"Hunter, you're good in the ring and in the cage. But you're horrible in the kitchen," I said, shooing him away. "I'll let you help."
He sighed. "Thanks. I've seen the recipe just this morning. It's supposed to be easy."
"Bruschetta?" I asked.
He nodded. "How did you know?"
"It's pretty clear. Why don't you wash the basil first."
We worked in companionable silence, broken only by the sound of dogs eating. Hunter hovered over me, getting me whatever I asked for since I didn't know the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, he went to give Tux his food. The cat was in the bathroom nearby.
My phone rang. Snagging a dishtowel, I wiped my hands and pulled it out. It was Scott. He had the most convenient time.
"Yes?"
"Where are you?"
"Why?"
"I'm right outside your door. You're not answering."
"That's because I'm not home. You didn't say you were coming."
"You never go anywhere. Why would I call?"
He made me feel like a hermit, just because I didn't have friends and I spent the majority of my time home.
Okay. So maybe I was a hermit.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No, I just dropped by. Where are you anyway?"
"Somewhere. I'll tell you later, so drop it."
If he knew where I was, I wouldn't hear the end of it. The last thing I wanted was to hear his nagging.
Scott had become overprotective ever since my sickness.
He'd always been the more easy going of my brothers. But after he'd found out I had cancer all those years ago, after I tried to hide it from them, he'd become unbelievably overprotective. I was the main reason he was playing for his team in the first place. He'd had several offers- better offers- but he chose this team because it kept him close to me.
But he really needed to let go. I loved him to death, but if I let him, he would drag me to live in his place and give me a bodyguard or two.
"Fine," Scott grumbled. Hunter came into the kitchen. He'd shed his hoodie and was dressed in a plain white t-shirt. "Matt is talking about you. He's hounding my ass about that date."
"If he wants a date, you should give him a chance," I said, deliberately misconstructing his words.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. Why don't you give him a shot? He's a decent guy."
Hunter pulled out salmon from the fridge and put it on a pan. I sighed. "I'm not going on another date with Matt, Scott. He's a good guy, but I'm not interested."
Hunter froze. He glanced at me, the line of his shoulders tense as he salted the salmon.
"Is Salt and pepper enough?" Hunter asked, a little louder than he should've.
"Who's that?" Scott asked, coming to life like a shark scenting blood.
"No one," I replied, looking pointedly at Hunter. I put my phone against my chest. "Hunter, what are you trying to do?"
"There's also garlic powder," he said.
"You're being deliberately obtuse," I said.
He gave me an innocent grin. I rolled my eyes and put my phone to my ear. Scott was yelling.
"Sapph! Is that who I think it is? If that motherfu-"
"Alright, Scott. Goodnight."
"Don't you dare hung up on me, Sapph-"
I hung up on him.
"Why did you get in a fight with Scott anyway?" I asked, tossing my phone on the island.
Hunter turned over the salmon to season the other side. "He knew I was there to see you and he didn't like it."
"So he punched you?" I asked, spreading the garlic confit over the toasted bread slices.
"Yes." He hesitated. "I might have pushed him out of the way first. Then he punched me. I punched him back. That's all."
I shook my head. Men.
The bruschettas were ready, and the salmon and veggies cooked in the oven. Hunter pulled out a bottle of coke and looked at me. "I take it you don't drink coke, either."
"Nope. Just water is fine," I said.
He got me a bottle of water and we sat at the island. We dug into the bread, too hungry to wait for the salmon.
Hunter hummed after taking a bite, nodding to himself. After that workout and the long drive, the bruschetta tasted like heaven.
"So? You and Matt Durant?" he asked. I hummed. "You dated or...?"
"Or what?" I asked.
His shrug was too forced. "Just curious. I didn't think he was your type."
"Let's get one thing clear, Hunter," I said. "Whether I dated Matt or I am dating him is none of your business."
"Like hell it isn't," he grumbled.
"It's not," I said. "Not after ten years."
"It's always been my business," he said.
Unreasonable, arrogant man.
"You're talking like you've been a celibate saint for the past ten years pining for me. Stop it. I'm not that gullible. You've dated half the models and actresses in the country."
He opened his mouth, closed it. His jaw clenching. "I didn't date anyone."
I rolled my eyes and stood up. I could feel my temper rising, and that wasn't good. I checked the oven, breathing through the irritation. Stressing myself out wasn't good. I kept away from relationships for exactly that reason, and here was Hunter, throwing it all down the drain after a few hours in his company.
"I'm serious-"
"I don't want to talk about it," I said, putting on the oven mitts. "It's none of my business. Dinner is ready."
Hunter knew when to drop it, fortunately. He helped me plate the salmon and veggies, and we sat to eat.
"So, why the drastic change of diet?" he asked.
I sighed. There were no easy questions tonight. I shrugged. "I figured my health is the most important thing in my life."
My cheek burned from the force of his gaze. "Yeah?"
"Hmm."
"Care to elaborate?"
The best defense is a good offense. I turned to look at him. "Why did you come back now? After all these years?"
He stabbed a few green beans. "How about this? I'll tell you if you go somewhere with me next Saturday. It's not a date," he added the last part in a rush.
I chuckled. "Just because you say it isn't a date, doesn't mean it's not a date."
"Come on. You'll have fun," he said.
I sighed. Was I curious enough to go somewhere with him? Yes, I was. To be honest, I wanted to spend more time with Hunter. Other than some annoying moments, being with Hunter was effortless. He made me feel peaceful, comfortable.
And I must really be starving for human company if I was debating going out with him.
What could it hurt?
"Where?" I asked.
He smiled, his eyes lighting up. "A friend's place. He's a good guy. I think you'll like his wife."
"Why?"
"She reminds me of Lia."
I chuckled. "I don't know if I can handle two Lias in my life."
"You can," he said. "You'll love it."
"You really like them, huh?"
He nodded. "I'm their kids' godfather."
A stab of dull pain pierced my chest. Kids. If only I could... I stopped myself from embarking on that painful train of thought and forced a smile. "Sure. I'll come."
Hunter grinned. "Deal."
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Thoughts?
I hope you liked the early update. Don't forget to vote and comment! I appreciate it.
Much love <3 <3 <3
M.B.