Surrender to Me (Boggy Creek Valley 4)

His words made me pause for a moment. “You’ll help me?”

“Yeah,” he said with a firm nod. “I’ll find out who the bastard is. And you and I will take care of him. But right now, your focus should be on Arabella. So get your shit together, Hunter, and go back inside and be there for her.”

“Right,” I said as I stood up. “You’re right.” We started toward the door, but I pulled Kyle to a stop. “Aiden and Bishop can’t know.”

A determined smile grew across Kyle’s face. “Can’t know what?”

With a nod, I put my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before we headed back in.

Abby and Bella were setting the table with dishes of pasta. When Bella looked up and met my gaze, I smiled. I held my breath until she returned it. She made her way around the table and walked over to me. I held my arms open and wrapped her in a hug.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m sorry I lost control.”

She looked up at me, tears pooling in those ocean-blue eyes of hers. “I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you.”

I leaned down and pressed my mouth to hers in a soft kiss. “No more apologizes. I want to work on us. Getting back to us and the future we both dreamed about.”

Her eyes sparkled. “I like the sound of that.”

“No more secrets between us. Ever,” I said.

“No more secrets, I promise.” She stretched up onto her toes and sealed our promise with a soft kiss.

I wanted to keep that promise to her—but I knew I wouldn’t. Because the moment I found out who had touched her, stealing her and our happiness away, I was going to make him pay tenfold.

Arabella

“Where’s your Prince Charming taking you today?” Candace asked as she added ingredients into a quiche she was making.

“I don’t know. He just told me that he’d be here at ten thirty and to dress warmly.”

Candace smiled. “You seem lighter on your feet this morning, Arabella. I’ve never seen you this relaxed and happy.”

I smiled back. “I am. It was a pretty emotional evening last night, but Hunter and I took a big step forward.”

I still hadn’t told Candace what happened to me. Not that I didn’t trust her, but it all felt too raw. Telling Aiden, my parents, and Hunter yesterday, as well as Bishop and Kyle, nearly wiped me out.

After everyone left last night, Hunter and I sat on the sofa and talked for hours. I gave him the very short version of the rape. He asked me a few questions, and I answered them, but he didn’t want me to tell him details, and I honestly wouldn’t have been able to. I broke down a few times, and he held me while I worked through it. But he was so sweet and loving…after he’d calmed down. He blamed himself, which Christina had warned me would happen. He apologized for not being there, and that had been hard. I’d been the one to push him away, so we were both dealing with a plethora of emotions and what ifs.

After all the worst moments of yesterday evening, something had shifted between us. Something good. I was positive Hunter felt it as well. Now that he knew why I was having a hard time being more intimate, and now that I knew his feelings for me hadn’t changed because of the rape, I hoped things would progress quickly in the intimacy area. I knew I wanted that more than anything, and when Hunter held me while we slept, I could feel his desire for me. Despite knowing the truth, his desire for me hadn’t dampened at all.

Knowing he still loved and wanted me was such a relief. I was still worried how it would go when things got more sexual between us, but I knew that with Christina and Hunter’s help, we’d be okay.

I woke up this morning feeling like the real, carefree Arabella Adams for the first time in a very, very long time. The past was no longer going to be able to dictate my future.

“That’s good,” Candace said when I told her. “I hope both of you can work through it all and end up happy, just like Abby and Bishop.”

Smiling, I nodded. Abby and Bishop had been to hell and back after they’d suffered a miscarriage. I could tell by the way Abby was beaming last night that she was most certainly pregnant again, but I understood why she and Bishop would keep that news to themselves for a bit.

“When will you extend the hours of the café here in the store?” Candace asked.

“Closer to spring, when more people are interested in the apiary.”

“Are you going to start advertising the baskets you make? I think you should.”

I lifted a brow. “Advertise them?”