Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“I’m going to agree with your father,” his mom said. “We could sit here all day and speculate about what happened, why Arabella did what she did. I know you were hurt, but I think she was just as hurt—if not more—to have pushed you away. In the long run, you’ll only find out the answers when she’s ready to share them. I know you love her still. You’ve waited this long, Hunter. A little longer won’t hurt you.”
Standing, I walked over to my mother and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks, Mom. I know you’re right. I won’t push her, I promise.”
She smiled up at me. “I never thought you would. We raised you better than that. Why don’t you invite her over for dinner? We’ll invite a few other people so it doesn’t seem like the focus is all on the two of you.”
“I think she’d love that. Just let me know when, and I’ll ask her.”
“Done. I’ll look at my schedule later and text you.”
Dad stood, and I turned to face him. “You know we’ve always loved Arabella, and I never once thought ill of her. I think you’re right, though, son. Something happened that scared her, and I hope it’s not what I think we all suspect.”
I thought back to Bella mentioning the nightmares but decided to keep that to myself. With a nod, I said, “Yeah, same here, Dad. Thanks for letting me stop by and talk to you guys. I just don’t want to push her in any way. The last thing I want is for her to pull away again.”
They both smiled at me as my mother said, “I don’t think she will, Hunter. Anyone can see how the two of you look at each other. You’re both still very much in love.”
“And your mother is right again,” my dad chimed in. “It’s obvious you love one another.”
“I do love her; I never stopped loving her.”
Dad hit me on the side of the arm. “Then she’ll be worth the wait. Now, where’s my namesake granddog?”
Jack bounded by as he chased a tennis ball that Kyle had just thrown across our shared office. Cat wasn’t far behind Jack, tripping up on her large paws and tumbling.
“That’s it, Cat! Keep up with him!” Kyle said with a laugh.
I looked from the two dogs over to Kyle, who was sitting at the desk across the room from me. Thanks to Kyle’s dad being the police chief, we always worked the same shift, so it made it easier when we wanted to do things together on our days off. Like go fishing.
“I still cannot believe you named your police dog…Cat,” I said.
Kyle shrugged. “Her name is Catherine, Cat for short.”
“You could at least spell it with a K.”
Kyle shot me a look. “That would take away the meaning of the name.”
I sat there for a few minutes and watched the two dogs play, racking my brain to try and figure out why in the hell Kyle would name his dog Catherine. I knew him. There was a meaning behind it, like he’d said, but what was it? I’d named Jack after my dad because he’s my hero. But Catherine? He’d never dated anyone by that name. Hell, I was pretty sure there wasn’t even anyone in school with us by that name. We went to the same college, and unless he just never told me about her, I was clueless.
Turning in the chair, I thought about the movie marathon I’d ended up having with Bella. All Jane Austen movies. Damn, Thursday had been one of the best nights I’d spent in a long time. I stared at the computer screen—then spun around and looked at Kyle as it hit me.
“Holy shit.” I laughed and shook my head as I pointed at him. “You named her after—”
Kyle threw a book at me. “Don’t even say it. You will take that to the grave, Hunter.”
I lost it laughing. “Dude, you need a fucking girlfriend.”
He rolled his eyes and started to turn toward his computer before he looked back at me. “Wait. How did lunch with Arabella go?”
“Nice change of subject.”
Kyle raised his brows. “I take it by your happy mood that things went well.”
“I think so. We had a bit of a rough start in the beginning. I got angry and wish I hadn’t, but it all worked out. Thanks for picking up her car and bringing it to her house, by the way.”
He smiled. “No problem. I’m just really glad to see you both talking and spending time together. How long did you stay at her place?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I left around six in the morning.”
“You stayed all night?”
When I didn’t say anything, Kyle threw Cat’s leash at me. “Don’t stop there, dude, what happened?”