“I’m sorry, but I’m taking you to the house.”
“Well, I don’t want to go.”
“Then I’m collecting my wish.”
“What? No. When was this?”
“The night you slept in my bed drunk as skunk. You might not recall it, but I do, fondly actually.”
“A gentleman wouldn’t remind a girl when she was indisposed.”
“What is this? The 1960s, sorry sweetheart, I hate to break it to you, but I’m not a nice guy.” He looked over at me while maintaining he truck on the road driving across town to the house. I wasn’t in the mood to jump out.
“Explain to me why? What happened after the drive-in and no bullshit because that’s Damien’s territory.”
“I screwed up, Taylor Jane. I made choices that could have hurt and scared you. Heck, they scared me. I behaved like an animal. I learned it by watching my dad be that way and I made the same mistake he did.”
“I’ll agree you screwed up, but what happened, Hunter? Those guys had something coming based on how rude and awful they were as human beings.”
“But I should have done better whether they deserved it or not. I should have never behaved in a way that would make you question my integrity toward you.”
“Your dad was a bully?”
“He was an abusive asshole, and I shouldn’t say this, but I’m glad he’s gone because there wasn’t a single thing he did right in this world.”
“Well, he gave me you.” I held his hand, and we remained quiet inside the truck. We had a lot of ground to cover to make this relationship work and putting the past to bed was as good as any for a start.
“Thank you.”
“Hunter, you have to talk to me when you feel this way. It can’t be good to carry around this kind of burden all the time. I’m here for you. I’m not going to let this go.” He squeezed my hand gently before letting go.
“I didn’t expect you would let it go.” He let out a deep breath, but I wasn’t going to drop this conversation. “We’re here. I want to show you something.” He stopped the truck in the driveway and came over to help me out.
Our conversation was tabled for another time. I didn’t think I could have borne living in the same town without contact from my best friend.
32
Hunter
She was looking at me, a frown on her face. Maybe I overstepped some boundary or rule I didn’t know about. Despite my past, I wasn’t the one good with girls
and relationships because I just didn’t do them.
“Hunter, what is this?” Tentatively, she made her way up the steps, stairs that Damien helped me fixed so no one would fall and break their ankle walking up. Her hand reached for the railing, a shake to her arm while her fingers gripped the banister. I was nervous as hell she was going to dislike this gift of mine.
“I just thought, I thought that every house needed a good rocking chair on the porch. That’s all. And even if you don’t keep the house, you’ll always have the rockers to take with you.” I let my hand cup the back of my neck and ran my fingers through my short hair, waiting for a reaction from Taylor Jane.
She looked up at me for a second and then rushed over to the chair, kneeling on the porch, her hands gently caressing the wood I’d spent the better part of my weeknights sanding and finishing so it was just the right color and smoothness, matching the wood of the porch. Her back was to me now and I couldn’t tell if she was crying happy tears or sad ones.
“Oh, Hunter….”
I reached for her and picked her up in my arms. She felt fragile to me cradled in my arms, and I reminded myself she had a backbone of steel in her tiny frame. I plopped down in the chair and gave it a gentle rock to make us sway back and forth. She clutched my shirt and rubbed her nose across my shoulder.
“Do you like it, Taylor Jane?”
“Like it?” She sniffled and raised her head so I could see her pretty face, pale and wide-eyed. “Hunter, it’s perfect. Exactly like my mother’s.” She snuggled back into my arms, and I held her tightly, letting the moment stay with us. I rested my lips against her head of soft hair, breathing her in. Dryness clogged my throat and I had to swallow the lump before I could speak.
“I’m glad you like it.”