To ease the tension on her shoulders, Blanche rolls her neck and looks skyward out the window. Tufts of white clouds scatter on the blue sky. Hunter, sitting beside her in the back of a rented SUV, reaches to massage the back of her neck. She peers at him through narrowed eyes. A warm smile spreads on his face. He can be charming when he wants to be.
"How are you feeling, babe?" Hunter leans over to kiss one corner of her mouth. His other hand ghosts over her rounded belly.
Even the long six-hour flight from New York City to Bar Harbour hasn't been enough for Blanche. She's hoped for a little more time to get over the anxiety of meeting Hunter's parents, despite Hunter's constant assurances that his entire family will adore her. She can't help but feel... insignificant.
But she isn't about to tell him exactly that. "I'll be fine. Just have a bit of a headache," she says, rubbing her fingers over her temples.
Hunter regards her, knowingly, and whispers in her ear, "I said it before and I'll say it again, you have nothing to worry about. My parents will love you." He pauses for another kiss along her jawline. "Maybe even more than they love me."
Blanche tilts her head, leaning one side of her face over Hunter's hair. The short strands tickle her cheek. The previous night, as they prepared for their trip back to his hometown, he'd asked her to give him a haircut. Upon entering their bedroom, Hunter handed her a pair of sharp scissors and a comb.
Ever since the debacle with Perry, they'd been bombarded with phone calls, police visits, and several conversations with Jay concerning the fight. Blanche is sick of it all. As soon as Perry came to, while in the hospital, he called his own lawyers and demanded that they file charges for assault. The charges are dropped before a full-out investigation began. Jason isn't just a good family and divorce lawyer; he is an excellent criminal lawyer too with the help of his peers.
The trip to Maine is something she's been looking forward to as a form of relaxation and escape from all the stress Perry has caused, but the anxiety of having to meet the rest of Hunter's family has weighed down on Blanche. She's never been in this position before. Having only gone out with Perry, whose parents have abandoned him many years ago, Blanche has never had to endure headaches of bad in-law relationship.
"Babe." Hunter touches her chin with a thumb. "Just remember, if Mom says she wants to show you my baby pictures, do not say yes." There's playfulness in his eyes, and it tickles her from the inside out.
Blanche leans to kiss his lips. Hunter cups her face with both hands and as soon as his tongue dances between her lips, they hear, "Ew! Gross! They're kissing again!" from Jay's little boys.
Hunter inches away from Bee and narrows his eyes at the boys. "Then look somewhere else!" He turns to Bee and in a not-so-low voice, he says again for the umpteenth time during the plane and car ride, "I'm so glad we're having a girl."
A little laugh gurgles from Bee and it's enough to ease her stress, at least for the rest of the ride. But as soon as they stop in front of a large white clapboard farmhouse, the butterflies return. Before they step out of the SUV, Hunter squeezes Bee's hand and raises it to his lips. He gives her a reassuring smile when he helps her out of the car.
"Relax, Blanche, I promise you'll have a great time," Marianne squeezes one of her shoulders while they walk towards the house.
"They're here!" a tall, blonde girl shouts from the porch that wraps around the house. She comes barreling towards Hunter and Blanche.
Hunter lets go of Bee's hand as the girl jumps into Hunter's arms. She wraps her long legs around him and returns Hunter's tight embrace.
"Coral, stop! Stop it!" Hunter unwraps her from him and sets her on her feet. "Can't you see I'm with someone?" He waves a hand towards Blanche, who's stepped away from the mauling girl. "Bee, this is my immature little sister, Coral. Coral, Bee."
Coral's blue eyes turn into huge saucers and her grin widens from ear to ear. "Oh my god! Look at your cute belly!" She stretches her hands out to pat the belly but she stops inches away from it and asks, "May I?"
Blanche presses her lips together, smiles and nods.
"Aw!" Coral coos, and bends down to her knees. "Hello in there! It's me, Auntie Coral, the best auntie in the world."
"Be gentle, Squirt. That's my precious girl in there," Hunter warns his little sister.
"Let me see. Let me see," a petite elderly woman, with striking facial features similar to Coral and long silver hair pulled at the nape of her neck, comes ambling towards the three of them, guided by a much taller man with salt and pepper hair. They stop in front of Hunter, who has his head bowed, and the woman gives his right cheek a couple of soft pats. "Ah! You've finally returned. You look well."
Hunter leans in to wrap her in his arms and presses his lips on top of the woman's head. "Hi, Mom."
Blanche almost feels like she's intruding in this special moment between a mother and son reunion. Tears prickle behind her eyes. Hunter hasn't been home for years. She's delighted that she's able to come with him and witness the warm welcome from his mother. But as soon as Hunter lets go of his mother, and they both turn to her, Bee's anxiety blooms in her gut.
"Mom, this is Blanche," Hunter says, and he places a hand on her belly. "And this one in here is going to be your first granddaughter."
Hunter's mother suppresses her gasp behind a trembling hand. She steps forward and cups a hand on Blanche's cheek and the other on her stomach. "How beautiful," the teary-eyed woman says. "Welcome to our humble home, dear."
Blanche covers the hand on her cheek with her own. "Thank you, Mrs Peters."
"Oh, there would be none of that!" The older woman flicks her hand in the air. "You can call me Mom."
A throat clearing interrupts their moment, and the man who has come out with Hunter's mother stretches his hand to Blanche. From the way his shoulders are built and he way his eyes crinkle at the corners, Blanche feels like she's looking at the future Hunter.
"Is a grandpop allowed to rub the belly too?" he asks with his hands raised palms forward.
Bee smiles at him and gives him a curt nod. He reaches forward and instead of rubbing her belly, he wraps her in a tight hug. "Welcome. Thank you for bringing our son home to us."
"Pops, careful, she's fragile," Hunter warns behind them, but his eyes sparkle with happiness.
"Well, we best go in so you can put your feet up, dear," Hunter's mother suggests, guiding Bee towards the house.
Growing up in a five-bedroom Victorian home in Chicago, Blanche has gotten used to seeing old homes, and appreciating their quirky characteristics which make them unique. But as soon as she enters, Hunter's childhood home, the first feature she notices are the framed photos adorning the walls. It would seem that every inch of the home has been dedicated to the love that has existed in it for years. It sends a delightful warmth into Bee's heart. She can almost imagine coming back here every summer with Hunter and Aria.
While Hunter hangs back with his father, Bee pauses in front of a large photograph of the entire family. She could guess that Coral might be a year old in it, which makes Hunter close to four years old. It is beyond her understanding, but immediately, she can spot which of the six boys is Hunter. The little boy in beige shorts and blue shirt sports the biggest smile on his face compared to the rest of them. Blanche traces his profile with a finger.
"He's never been a handful, you know. He was such a good boy. Always smiling," his mother recollects. She squeezes one of Blanche's hands. "I cannot tell you how happy we are to have him back."
Hunter's large arms drapes over the two women's shoulders. "Stop talking about me. I'm going to give Bee a quick tour of the house then have her rest. Okay, Mom?" He kisses the side of his mother's temple. Then he takes Blanche by the hand and leads her throughout the house.
"It's easy to do this now before the rest of them come over. This is the living room." He shows her an expansive, bright room with more pictures on the walls. "Over there is the dining room, beside it is the kitchen. Now, we go upstairs." He points at the adjacent rooms.
"Wait." Blanche giggles as he rushes her out of the living room and back into the hallway, ready to push her up the stairs. "Don't I get to see the dining and kitchen?"
Hunter inhales slowly. He strokes the side of her arms and over the curves of her hips. Even without him saying a word, it isn't hard for Bee to guess what he's thinking. It's in the way he quirks his lips and how his eyes turn smouldering.
Hunter leans in to whisper in her ear, "I want to show you my room. I've never had a girl in there."
Blanche holds off her laugh at his confession. "I find that very difficult to believe." Her hands splay on his broad, hard chest, covered only by a thin jersey t-shirt. His muscles contract under her fingers as he continues to run his hands over her curves. If she doesn't know any better, she can almost say that Hunter seem timid.
"Babe, if I've let Mom show you the rest of our photos growing up, you'll know why I've never had a girl in my room before." He kisses the side of her neck, producing a small moan from her. "I promise I'll only try for second base."
The laughter she's been trying to hold bursts out of her. She throws her head back, a hand placed on her chest, and something delightful eases into her heart. "You're naughty." She playfully slaps his arm. "You're lucky I love you." As a response, Hunter continues to nuzzle her neck.
They walk up the stairs, pausing every now and then to kiss, or in Hunter's case, grope, until they reach one of the bedroom doors. With a large hand, Hunter reaches for the door knob, and faces Blanche. "Prepare to be amazed."
With one turn, the door opens to a cozy bedroom. Bee steps forward to take in two single beds pushed together to make one big bed, which takes over the entire room, and a small side table and a lamp on one side of the bed. Silently, she continues to assess her surroundings. It is much like the small room which Hunter has used as a bedroom before. The walls are adorned with sketches, drawings and paintings of everything from animals to landscape and portraits of people. Hunter joins her on the bed, sitting beside her on the edge of it.
"Did you make all of these?"
"Yes," he answers, and toes off his shoes before he stretches over a handmade quilt. "Come."
When Blanche turns to him, his hand awaits her. She copies his earlier actions, getting rid of her sandals, and slides up to snuggle with him on the bed. As soon as her head touches his chest and hears the thrumming of his heartbeat, she wonders what it was like for him growing up in a happy home.
For her as a child, a house is nothing but wood and nails. Love has never been whispered in her ears before she slept for the night. Hugs have never been a sign of affection. Her mother has only shown her such affectations whenever she's accomplished something. It's like a reward. And something Blanche, as a kid, had always looked forward to getting. Other children may have asked for toys or a new doll, not her, not Blanche. She had always just wanted more hugs and more kisses.
She wants all of these for her daughter. She wants a family where the parents love and care for each other. She wants grandparents who dote on their grandchildren, boisterous aunts and uncles who show just as much affection to their niece as much as to their own children, and cousins who will become Aria's first best friends.
"Babe, are you alright? Did you fall asleep?" She hears Hunter's deep voice through her daydreaming.
"No, I'm awake. This is nice." She closes her eyes and listens to his quickening heartbeat.
Through the slightly open windows, Bee can hear the laughter and life of a lively home. At the moment, all that matters to her, is with her in this room.
Hunter combs his fingers through her hair. "I have something I want to ask you."
"Yeah?" she mutters, inhaling his scent. His heart beats faster.
"Blanche--" Hunter sighs deeply, heavily. "Will you marry me?"
Bee pops her eyes open and as soon as she does, a solitaire diamond on platinum band appears before her. But it's only the second brightest thing in the room while Hunter's smile reaches every little bit of his face, from ear to ear, and all the way up to his honest eyes.
****
A/N: Thanks for reading!