Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Chapter 35
Hunter
One week later
Holy shit.
I’d always suspected it was her.
I came to visit Jayce a few times a year—but every year on his birthday, his grave always had flowers on it before I arrived. They were such an odd combination—a violet, a lily, a carnation, maybe two roses, and some Hawaiian birds of paradise. It wasn’t an arrangement a florist would ever put together. And they weren’t wrapped in the traditional way; only a string of jute bound the disorganized bundle together. It made me think someone had walked into a florist and just started picking out flowers they liked—or ones they thought the recipient would like—without regard to matching or making a bouquet of any sort.
Which was why I’d always suspected it was her. It was classic Summer—bold and beautiful, as seen through her eyes.
Her back was to me, but I knew it was her from two rows away. Out of habit, I stopped and watched from a distance. I’d done that for a few months after things ended—not wanting to see her, but not being able to keep the hell away.
She paced back and forth in front of Jayce’s headstone, and I thought maybe she was talking to him. That seemed about right. I smiled when I saw her wag her finger at the stone. After watching longer than I should have, I turned to walk away. I’d come back later for my visit. But I’d only made it a half a dozen steps when her familiar voice called to me.
“Hunter?”
I froze. Shit.
What the hell did I do now? Keep walking and pretend I didn’t hear her? I’d been a dick for long enough. Maybe it was time I manned up. Taking a deep breath, I slowly turned back around.
How long had it been? Jayce had been gone more than seven years now. All that time and she looked exactly the same, yet nothing like she used to. She was still as beautiful as ever, but she looked more mature now—almost tamed.
“Hey,” I said. Quite an unimpressive opener after so long.
She smiled and tilted her head. “Were you leaving because you saw me?”
Our eyes locked. “Truth?”
“Always.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“I was just finishing up. I come every year on his birthday to yell at him. Just let me say goodbye, and I’ll go.” She turned to the headstone for a minute and then back to me. I still hadn’t budged from where I stood. “All done. He’s all yours to yell at.” Summer took a step toward the car parked on the nearby paved lane and looked my way again. “You look good, Hunter. I hope you’re happy.”
She was almost at the car before I finally grew some balls—although I had no idea what I wanted to say.
“Summer…wait.”
I made my way to the end of Jayce’s row where she stood, only to stare down at my feet like an awkward schoolboy. “You look good,” I said.
“How can you tell when you aren’t looking at me?” I heard the humor in her voice. She hadn’t changed, even after all these years.
I looked up, and she smiled. It was genuine and real. Summer didn’t hold anger or grudges.
“Are you happy?” I asked.
Her hand went to her stomach, and she rubbed a small bump I hadn’t noticed. “I am. I’m four months pregnant and have morning sickness all day and night. But I’m happy.” She pointed over to the car. “That’s my husband, Alan.”
Wow. I looked over at the parked car. I hadn’t noticed anyone sitting in it. Really on your game today. “Congratulations.”
Her eyes searched my face. “Give me a minute, okay?”
I nodded, mostly because I had no idea what she was talking about. But she walked over to the car and spoke to her husband behind the wheel. Leaning into the window, she kissed him before he started the engine.
When she returned to where I stood, the car drove away. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk. Alan’s going to give us a little while to catch up.”
I started walking along side of her, unsure where we were going or what she might have to say.
“Are you married?” she asked.
“No.”
“Divorced?”
“No.”
“Kids?”
“No.”
She looked over, studying me. “You still have no idea, do you?”
The question could’ve referred to a million things, but I knew exactly what she was asking. “No. I told you, I don’t want to know.”
“So you still don’t have any symptoms?”
I shook my head. “Not yet.”
We walked in silence until the path came to a fork. We turned right.
“Have you fallen in love since we broke up?”
I didn’t have to consider it. “Her name’s Natalia.”
“How does she feel about your decision to not get tested?”
While I thought about how to answer, Summer came to the correct conclusion.
She nodded. “You dumped me because you didn’t want to put me through possibly watching you get sick. I tried for months to get you to change your mind. So I’m guessing your warped brain now thinks it’s easier to not even tell someone you care about. Just love ’em and leave ’em with no explanation so they hate you. Am I right? She doesn’t know you have a fifty-fifty chance of developing Huntington’s disease. Or that you’re too stubborn to get tested.”