Love Under Construction (Love By Design 1)

“Boyfriend?” Did he mean Hunter? We weren’t dating at the time but I guess it was a safe assumption.

“Construction partner, then.” Mr. Culvers implied.

I hadn’t sat to watch the video, so overwhelmed that I slipped the finished DVD into the mail in the nick of time. I trusted Matt and Logan with the final cut of the video. I figured it was what it was and whatever happened would happen, or not.

Hunter snatched the phone from me and spoke to Rodger. “Whatever it is, she’ll say yes and do it.”

“Hunter!” I was grasping at the phone, and Rodger was chuckling, rattling off details I couldn’t hear.

“Baby, I can’t let you not follow your dreams. I’ll be here and the house will be here.”

Confused, I grabbed the phone from him, speaking to Rodger. “I’ll have to call you back and see what the details are. Thanks for the call.” I hang up the phone, looking at Hunter. “What the hell was that about?”

“Taylor Jane, I love you, I love that crazy house, and I want you to pursue whatever offer Rodger has because you’ll make one hot house flipping designer or whatever it is they want you to do.”

“But I’m not leaving.” I grabbed onto his thick arms, getting his attention, but it wasn’t enough. He thought I was leaving? How could I do that when I just got him back? My heart wasn’t leaving New Paltz ever again.

“Oh, baby, you’re going to be the next queen of home design television.”

“Um, Hunter, I love your enthusiasm, I really do, but I’d already decided I wasn’t leaving you. I’m staying here, wherever you are. You are my heart and this is my home.” Turning on the bed, I straddled him and cupped his cheeks to lean over, kissing him deeply. Hunter got all alpha male, flipping me over to exactly where I wanted to be, with him over me, keeping me safe and loved.

“Then it’s a good thing I just bought our starter house, huh?” From his pocket he pulled out a silver chain. A set of new house keys dangled from them along with a diamond platinum ring.

My mouth and eyes rounded out in wonder. Hunter had done the unthinkable but most wonderful thing.

“Hunter Hart, what have you done?” I was speechless. Obviously. Only Hunter had the ability to do this to me.

“Hopefully, made you the happiest woman for the rest of your life? Taylor Jane Bryant, will you marry me?” The man who pushed me away and ran off to the Marines was getting down on one knee to make the forever kind of promises after living a life with a wounded heart. Okay, so he was the one straddling me now, but probably so I didn’t freak out and lock myself in the bathroom for an hour hyperventilating. I loved him more than sunrises, mint chocolate chip ice cream from our diner and all the EpiPens in the world. Hunter Hart would be mine.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I pulled him down by the ears and kissed every inch of skin I could get to. We didn’t call Rodger back for three days and we didn’t leave the bedroom the rest of the weekend, too exhausted making love and ordering take-out from the diner. We weren’t exactly fit company, too busy rutting like rabbits to catch up for lost time. Happiest woman ever… Hunter might have made an understatement with that one. I was busting at the seams with joy and now we had a house to fill with all the love we could make.

And apparently a video to watch… just not the kind you’d find on a porn site and for that I was grateful. We could leave that stuff to Kristen and Damien.

34

Taylor Jane

“So can you tell us how the two of you started Hart Construction and Design?”

We looked at each other, and Hunter took my hand in his, retelling our tale or at least the brief version that was PC enough for daytime television. I didn’t think I would ever get tired of hearing this part, the part where Hunter confirmed that he did in fact want me all along. If only my loving caveman had given up a little earlier, although I didn’t think I would have changed anything for the world.

“Well, Ellen, it all began in high school. I took one look at Taylor Jane and I knew deep down she was mine once I got past all the denial and cooties.”

The audience made an awed sound, and Hunter charmed them. Sly devil was probably the wet dream of every woman in the audience between the ages of sixteen and eighty. I couldn’t believe we were actually on the Ellen show right now. After Mom died I focused on learning to live again and organizing my life into something that made sense. Hunter made sense. He always made sense even if he seemed like a long shot, but I didn’t realize he was also my future back then.

“And from there the two of you decided to flip a house and make millions?”

“Not exactly. Taylor Jane, my beautiful wife here, picked the worst house in town, and I felt compelled to save her from ghosts, rabid owls, and shady contractors.”

“Oh, please, you loved every minute of it.”

“Sure, honey, right up until the flooring went out in the bathroom and the power washer nearly took me out of the second story window.”

I smiled because as horrific as some of these things might sound, they were actually some of the best moments for the two of us before we hooked up and never looked back. I liked to image Mr. Hooter found a Mrs. Hooter and made lots of Hooter babies.

“As you can see, Ellen, my husband loves these projects.”

“I love my wife,” he told the audience, who clapped and tittered with excitement.