Chapter Thirty-Five

The next night, Callie studied herself in the mirror. The cream-colored sweater dress flattered her figure and the asymmetric neckline left her right shoulder exposed and added a touch of sexy to the cozy material. Slip-on pumps donned her feet. She wore her curly hair in an updo with tendrils around her forehead.

When she’d left Hunter’s last weekend, he’d told her he wanted to take her out for dinner in Rustic Creek. The next town over had just as many charming shops and restaurants as Windsong but without any nosy friends or family. Because, he’d said, he wanted to keep her to himself for as long as possible. She agreed it was a good idea. Nova and Birdy already had designs on her and Hunter living behind a white picket fence.

She turned off the light in her living quarters and moved to the front of the cottage to wait for him. Tonight, she’d ask him to stay with her. To mess up her sheets. Fall asleep under her covers. Eat breakfast in her bed.

She’d also tell him more things she liked about him. She owed him so many more nice words.

The decorative clock on the wall said six. She looked out the front window onto the dark street lit by tall lampposts, hoping to see Hunter’s headlights any minute. Across the way, the windows of Kennedy’s office were lit up. She often worked late, especially when walk-ins paid her a visit.

Wait. Was that Hunter’s truck parked across the street? She leaned her face closer to the glass for a better look. It was. Confirmed when she realized he was also sitting in it. What was he doing?

Her feet carried her out the door and to his passenger-side door without thought. She gently knocked on the window, not wanting to startle him.

He turned his head to meet her eyes. His troubled expression worried her. She opened the door and hopped in.

“Hi. Is everything okay?” she asked.

He leaned over and kissed her squarely on the mouth. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You look very nice yourself.” Dark pants. Collared shirt. Cleanly shaven and smelling amazing. Could they have their date right here inside his truck instead? Order food to be delivered curbside?

The glow from his phone sitting in the center console disappeared, cluing her in to his reason for sitting here. She turned to face him fully. “How long have you been here?”

“About twenty minutes.” He reached into the back cab and produced a bouquet of red roses. “These are for you.”

“Thank you. I love them.” She took a sniff before placing them in her lap so they could talk. Hunter’s normally cheerful demeanor felt off. “Did something happen?”

“Have you ever felt like you’re juggling all these important things at once and you don’t want to drop the ball on any of them but it’s overwhelming trying to keep up?”

“I have. Life is hard, and sometimes you have to give yourself permission to fail. Or go out on a limb to ease some of the pressure.”

His eyes warmed toward her. “That’s a good way of putting it.”

“I’m not just a pretty face,” she teased.

That earned her a smile. “You’re definitely more than that.” He touched a tendril of her hair. “What prompted this mini existential crisis of mine was Brett just called to tell me he’s moving to Seattle. A friend of his has a start-up there and has offered him a job. I’m really happy for him. It just reminded me of how much I want to be taken more seriously, professionally and personally. Before he called, I was sitting here debating whether to tell you how I feel about you.” He turned to look directly into her eyes.

She gave him a soft smile. She felt things for him, too.

“I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want to scare you away, but I’m going to go out on a limb now and tell you I think we can make this work, Callie. Scratch that, I know we can. Because there is nothing I will take more seriously than my commitment to you. I love you. I love you more than anything.”

Oh, shit. She wasn’t quite ready for that.

She blinked away the sudden, gut-wrenching feeling she was about to hurt him. Deep down, she thought she just might love him back, but she’d convinced herself she had to keep that a secret, buried somewhere deep inside her so that he’d follow through on his promise to find his soul mate after Maverick and Kennedy’s wedding. How foolish, selfish, and mean of her.

“Hunter…” She put as much apology into his name as she could. And that’s all it took for the hope and adoration in his baby blues to immediately turn to pain and sadness. Saying the L word changed everything between them. At least for her. She wished it wasn’t so, but she couldn’t just wish it away, either.

He shifted his attention out the windshield, shook his head. She felt the simple gesture like a punch in the throat. He was disappointed…and upset with her. “I should have known better than to voice that aloud.”

“Hunt—”

“Save it, okay?” His clipped tone made the inside of the truck feel a thousand times smaller. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk.”

“You’re hurt. I get it. I’m sorry. But I…”

“You…?” Hope followed the one word.

“I wasn’t expecting this. Not tonight.”

He cut her a quick glance. “Meaning I haven’t blown my chance?”

She silently counted to ten. That was a good idea, right? When the next words out of her mouth carried enough weight to brighten their world or drown them both.

Eight, nine, ten. She still had no good answer. Her heart pounded so loud in her ears she couldn’t think straight.

“If it’s taking you this long to decide, then I have my answer.”

“Hunter.”

“Please stop saying my name with so much pity. I get it. Your heart doesn’t feel anything.”

Ouch. That direct hit to her “unfeeling” heart stung deeply, considering it was currently beating harder than it ever had before. She gripped the flower stems in her lap. “That’s not true. You know I’m not like that. But I told you from the beginning that I can’t commit. And contrary to what you believe, it’s because I feel too much.”

Her parents’ atypical relationship topped the list of influences. Add in the men who had disappointed her and made her feel like she didn’t matter, and she’d had years to hone her skill to not get too attached. That way it didn’t hurt as much when she found herself alone.

“You made me think…” His trailing off hurt more than if he’d come out and finished his thought because she had to fill in the blanks. And wonder.

“I’m sorry,” she said again. She hated the misery etched around his eyes. Hated herself, too.

“Don’t be.” He suddenly sat taller. “Let’s agree to forget this ever happened. I’ll make good on my promise to try and find someone after Maverick’s wedding. Your lucky wedding streak won’t end with me.”

The pulse at the base of her neck galloped. She hated that thought and how he said it like they hadn’t meant anything to each other. If she didn’t get out of the car immediately, she’d say things equally hurtful in return, and she’d already hurt him enough.

The roses slipped through her fingers onto the truck’s floormat as she jumped out of the car and ran as fast as she could in her heels back inside the cottage. She locked the door, kicked off her shoes, and walked to her bedroom. She collapsed onto the bed where she stayed, motionless and lost in thought.

She refused to cry.

Hunter was better off without her.