“What would you say if he did?”

It was my turn to not answer. The truth was, I didn’t know what I’d say if he called. Part of me wanted to believe that I’d be strong enough to quit him for good, but if that was the truth, I’d have done it already. The painful reality was that I wanted Hunter almost as much as I wanted the baby, our baby. I was pathetic, but if he wanted me, I’d take him back. Instead of saying any of that I told her I didn’t know.

If Felicity saw through my lie, she was a good enough friend to not call me on it.

Finally home, Felicity grabbed the doorknob, but didn’t open it. Her forehead creased and she bit her lip. “I did something that you might hate me for.”

She curled her fingers into a fist and banged on the door. Two loud knocks. She opened it and then stepped out of the way.

Balloons. Flowers. Our apartment looked like a gift shop had exploded in it.

“What’s all this?” I took a tentative step through the door, then stopped in my tracks. “What are you doing here?”

Chapter Fifteen

He looked like hell. His face was pale. The bags under his eyes told me he’d been sleeping about as well as I had been—not at all. He hadn’t shaved in a while and he looked as if he’d lost the eight pounds I’d gained.

He took a step toward me. “Summer, please. I’m sorry. I just want to talk.”

My brain told me to say no. I should make him leave, but before I could think, I nodded and dropped my purse onto the counter.

Felicity threw her arms around me and gave me a squeeze. “I’ll have my phone on if you need me, Summer.” She shot a sympathetic look to Hunter as she slipped out of the apartment. I twitched when the door clicked shut behind her.

Hunter reached for me, but I stepped back. “Why are you here?”

I crossed my arms and walked to the other side of the apartment. I’d forgotten the power he had over me. He’d barely spoken a word, but I wanted to wrap myself up in him. Despite my best efforts, I’d failed to hate him.

“I screwed up.”

I laughed. “Did you just realize this? How did you even find me?”

“I called Felicity. I figured she’d know where you were.”

I groaned and sat on the couch. “She swore not to tell anyone I was here.”

“She was worried about you.” Hunter grimaced. “She put up a hell of a fight, though, if that makes you feel better. I thought she was going to kill me over the phone.” He paused for a long time as if he searched for the right words and came up empty. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

I walked to the window and stared out through the rain spatters. The storm outside was picking up speed. The people on the street below ran for cover. I had nowhere to hide.

He crossed the room and stood next to me. “I’m miserable without you.”

“Good.” Emotion cracked through my resolve and my chin quivered. “What do you want from me, Hunter?”

“I want my life back.” He took my hand in his. He ran his thumb over the top of my hand, and I knew right then I’d already forgiven him.

“Hunter,” I started to speak, but his other hand went to my face.

He placed a finger over my lips. The simple act of his touch woke up parts of me I’d thought were dead forever. Outside, the severity of the storm increased. Lightning flashed in the distance and thunder shook the windows. None of that compared to the storm that brewed inside me.

“Please, Summer. Just hear me out.” He took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here for you. I should have been. I was angry and stupid and confused, and I let myself fall for Mitch’s bullshit. I should have listened to you.”

“I didn’t exactly try hard to explain.”

Hunter shook his head and squeezed my hand tighter. “Don’t you dare take the blame for any of this, Summer. I was the idiot. I knew you’d never lie to me about something like that, but I panicked. It was easier to believe Mitch’s line of bullshit than to confront the truth.”

I pulled him to the couch, and we sat. We were quiet for a minute. We hadn’t officially reconciled yet, and it felt as if one of us said the wrong thing, this fragile conversation would break apart and dissolve completely.

“Why did you tell Mitch before me?”

The hurt was etched into his face, and it killed me to know that I caused it. “He came to the reunion and was the same old Mitch. He wanted me back, or at least he thought he wanted me back. I just wanted him to leave me alone.” I folded my hands on my lap and twisted my fingers around each other. “I thought he’d leave me alone.” I wiped a flurry of tears away. “I didn’t think he’d try to ruin everything. But then Mitch saw you come out of the study. He figured you’d been with someone, so he waited to see who you hooked up with.” I took a deep breath as I remembered the ugly scene at the reunion “Why did he do that to me in front of everyone?”

“Revenge is my guess.”

“Revenge?”

“Mitch and I used to hit the bars and parties together, a lot. We were each other’s wingman.” Hunter looked away. “Tiffany Jacobs wasn’t the first chick Mitch cheated on you with.”

I shrugged. The knowledge should have been a knife in my gut, but it was more like a thorn in my side. “I’m not surprised.” I groaned as the familiar feelings of embarrassment and stupidity returned.

“I could tell he was getting serious about Tiffany, but he wouldn’t stop seeing you. I didn’t love you then. I barely knew you, but I didn’t like how he was treating you. So when he disappeared into his room with Tiffany, I texted you from his cell.”

The memory of that day played back in my mind like a scene from an old movie. The footage was grainy and some of the words were missing, but it was all there. Mitch had texted me to come over, he’d said he had a surprise for me.

I flicked my gaze over Hunter’s face. “You set me up.”

“I just wanted you to know the truth.”

“You should have told me.”

Hunter arched an eyebrow. “We fought whenever we came within twenty feet of each other. Would you have believed me?”

I thought about Hunter’s confession. “So Mitch being a dick to me was to get back at you?”

“Well, and you too. His ego took a hit when you dumped him.

“So he ruined everything for a little revenge?”

My tears fell like the rain outside. The fat drops streamed down my cheeks. Hunter moved close and swept me into his arms. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and buried my face into his chest. All the misery and fear from the past week evaporated into pools of tears. The more I cried the more I believed everything was going to be okay.

Hunter waited until my tears ran dry, then kissed the top of my head. “I made a mess of everything, but I have a plan for us.” He pulled out of my grasp and slid to the floor as he pulled a little black box out of his coat pocket. “Summer. I know I screwed up. I know I don’t deserve you, but if you give me one more chance, I’ll spend my life making it up to you.”

My gaze fell to the ring. A princess-cut diamond bigger than I’d ever seen shimmered in the box. “I can’t wear that ring, Hunter.”

He looked as if the air had been vacuumed out of him. His face fell and he snapped the box closed. “I understand.” He started to get up, but I caught his hand.

“I’m allergic to gold.”

Hunter stared at me, his expression blank for a moment before it was slowly replaced by a wide grin. Mischief glimmered in his eyes as he stuffed the ring box back into his pocket. “You scared me, Summer. I thought I’d lost you for good.”

I brushed his cheek and ran my fingertips through his hair. “You’ll never lose me, Hunter.”

He pulled me into a kiss. His tongue grazed my lower lip, urging me to open for him. Hunter slipped a hand up my shirt. He went slowly, as if he savored every sensation. He cupped my breast as our tongues danced together. He moved his thumb over the hard tip of my nipple, and I gasped into his mouth.