Surrender to Me (Boggy Creek Valley 4)

My heart felt like it would burst from my chest as I leaned back and we finished our meal. The rest of the evening was spent back on the sofa watching a marathon of Jane Austen movies. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to while away an evening.

Hunter

I walked up the porch steps of my folks’ house and was about to knock when my father opened the door.

“Well, this is a surprise, son. To what do we owe the honor?”

Smiling, I gave him a quick hug and walked in. My mother was sitting in the oversized chair Dad had bought her for Christmas a few years ago. She loved to knit in that chair. She was so tiny, the damn thing about swallowed her whole.

“I was hoping I might be able to talk to you both.” I leaned down and kissed my mom on the cheek. “Making a blanket for Ciara?”

She smiled. “I am. Now that we know she’s a little girl, I need to get working on it.”

Nodding, I took a seat in the chair opposite her while my dad sat down on the sofa. I drew in a deep breath and let it out as I looked around my childhood home.

“How was lunch with Arabella yesterday?” Mom asked.

I snapped my head back to face her. “How did you know I had lunch with…” Then I rolled my eyes. “Never mind, don’t answer that.”

Both my parents chuckled, then Mom said, “It’s Boggy Creek, Hunter. When your son is seen standing outside The Coffee Pot kissing his ex-girlfriend, the news gets back to his mother rather quickly.”

“Gotta love a small town,” I mumbled.

“From what I could tell the other day at Willa’s house, there was something brewing between the two of you,” Dad said with a wink.

“I thought you were going to expire when you saw Arabella holding Ciara. I know how much you long for a family of your own,” my mother added with a look that said she was already making plans for a wedding.

“I’ll admit that it took me by surprise to see Bella holding the baby. And yes, I might have wished that it was our baby for a moment.”

“Our baby? So you still have feelings for her?” my father asked. Mom shot him a look as she shook her head in disbelief.

“Seriously, Jack? Did you really just ask the boy that? It’s obvious he never stopped loving her. Men can be so dense sometimes.”

My dad looked at Mom. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t have the magical powers that you seem to possess in certain areas. I cannot, nor do I want to, understand how you know these things.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

With a shake of her head, Mom focused back on me. “What’s going on, Hunter? I see it in your eyes.”

I wasn’t sure how my mother knew when one of her kids was off in some way, but she always did. Dad was right: Mom had magical powers, indeed.

“I’m not sure what to do.”

“About?” my mother asked.

“I stayed with Bella for most of the day yesterday and last night. She asked me to be patient with her, and I’m going to be. I know she wants to tell me the reason she broke up with me, but she can’t for some reason. And over the years I’ve had bad thoughts about what might have happened to her, though I’ve never admitted it to anyone, let alone myself. I’m having a hard time processing that.”

My father sat up on the sofa and looked at me. “Bad thoughts?”

I pressed my finger and thumb to the bridge of my nose in an attempt to ease the headache that was growing. I had struggled to even decide if I wanted to talk to my folks about this, but I knew they would help guide me. Honestly, I felt lost. “Every time I touch her, even if it’s just to put my arm around her, she stiffens. She doesn’t want me to do anything other than kiss her.”

Both of them exchanged a look of concern and then faced me. “Have you asked her what happened?” Mom asked.

I nodded. “Yes. Many times. I think she’s afraid to tell me.”

Dad cleared his throat before he spoke. “Then you be patient with her, son. It seems like she took a rather big step yesterday. From what you’ve told us, she’s been treating you like nothing more than a casual acquaintance over the years, or, dare I say, a stranger at times. Now you’re kissing her on Main Street. You spent nearly the entire day with her yesterday—”

“And last night,” Mom added.

The corners of Dad’s mouth curled up in a slight smile. “I’m going to guess you’re seeing her again?”

“Yes.”

He smiled wider. “Then try not to let your imagination run wild. Enjoy the time you spend with Arabella, and trust her to tell you when she’s ready.”