Surviving Regret (52 page)

“That door leads to the basement, but it’s a mess down there. I don’t want you getting hurt on the steps since there are a few broken ones.” Hunter pointed at a door in the family room. “Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs.”

He led me up the stairs to the first bedroom on the right. Bright yellow paint and stained carpet greeted me.

“Don’t worry; this is getting new paint and hardwood floors. Actually, all the other rooms are too. The only room that is already finished is our room.” He lifted my hand and kissed it.

He took me into the second room. The mint green paint and dark green was as stomach turning as bacon. Yes, it had to go too.

The bathroom was at the end of the hallway. It was very out dated but it was huge. With a few upgrades, it would be great.

“Ok, now I’m going to close your eyes. This is our room.” He stood behind me, and covered my eyes with his hands.

Hunter walked us into the room and lowered his hands. The room was gorgeous, enormous compared to the other two. Chestnut hardwood covered the floors, with a king-size canopy bed positioned between two wide windows. There was a dresser and a bureau, both black. Behind the only door in the room was a walk-in closet with all the shelves and racks you could ever use and in the center there was a tall square table with drawers.

“So what do you think?” Hunter asked. “Could you live here with me?”

I wrapped my arms around him. He tucked me under his chin.

“Hunter, it’s perfect. Are you positive this is what you want, and it’s not just because of the baby?”

He rubbed my back. “I was going to ask you to move in with me once we worked everything out, so yes, this is what I really want.”

He wiped my tears again and I laughed.

“It’s just these stupid hormones.”

He laughed with me. “Guess I better get used to that, huh?”

“Yeah, that seems to be all I do, well that plus throwing up every day, all day.”

He pulled me to the bed. He lifted my shirt and tossed it behind him. Then he unclasped my bra and pushed me back. He knelt in front of me, placed a single kiss on my stomach, then looked up at me and placed a few more kisses. He worked his way up to one of my nipples and sucked it into his mouth. I moaned.

I pulled his shirt off and reached for the zipper of his jeans.

He frowned. “Can you do this?”

“I’m pregnant, not broken.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him towards me.

Hunter and I spent the next hour memorizing each other’s bodies, whispering how much we loved each other and through our lovemaking, apologizing for all the hurt that we had caused each other. After we were completely spent, I placed my hand over his heart. He mirrored the gesture.

“You are my heart,” he said. “Always and forever.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

I woke the next morning, wrapped contentedly around Hunter, my hand still pressed to his heart and his hand still on mine. I didn’t want to move but I knew I would be getting sick any minute now. I tried not to think about it. I tried to focus on Hunter lying here with me, our lovemaking from last night.

“Mm…” Hunter lightly ran his fingers up my arm. “I love waking up with you wrapped in my arms.”

I lifted my head up to look at him but regretted it as soon as I did. My stomach rolled. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, begging for my stomach to calm down. It didn’t work, and I was sprinting to the bathroom.

Hunter sat on the edge of the tub with a glass of water in his hand.

“Does this happen every day?”

I nodded. “Looks like it.”

I realized I was naked. I stood to get dressed, but Hunter stopped me from moving.

“Take a shower with me?” he asked.

“Where are the towels?”

Hunter reached around me and opened a cabinet in the wall. He pulled out two fluffy white towels and reached to turn the water on. After adjusting it a few times, he reached for my hand and helped me in the shower with him.

Hunter pressed his lips to my neck and pushed back on me until the shower tiles pressed up against me. He hands slowly lowered down my back, past my ass and stopped on the backs of my thighs and he picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him and he pressed himself into me.

Groaning into my neck and thrusting slow and hard, he said, “I’ll never forgive myself for pushing you away, CC. I was so fucking stupid.”

I adjusted my hips so he could hit deeper. “Everything is fine now; we worked it out.”

“I know but you’ll never know what that did to me. I didn’t think I would ever get this with you.” He said panting in my ear.

Moaning his name aloud as my body started tightening, my head hit the tiles with a thud and everything started going out of focus with my release. Hunter thrust a few more times and came.

After we both caught our breath, he lowered me down but still held me against the wall. I was thankful for that considering my legs felt like Jell-O. He helped me wash my hair and body, spending extra time on my belly. I loved watching him in complete awe of my tiny baby bump, of how my body was changing daily.

After we got out of the shower, he wrapped me in one of his over-sized towels and he handed me a pair of my yoga pants and one of his t-shirts to wear.

“You left them at my place and I was going to return them to you but hadn’t had the chance yet.” he said.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t. But I really need a toothbrush more than I do my pants now.”

“Yeah, sorry, there is an extra in the drawer in the bathroom.”

I grabbed the toothbrush and brushed my teeth. Hunter came in behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his hands on my stomach. “I can’t believe there’s a little piece of me in here.” He kissed the side of my neck.

I spit the toothpaste out and rinsed my mouth. “I know, I was really scared at first but it’s kind of growing on me now.” I twisted in his arms and reached up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He lifted me and sat me on the bathroom sink and I pulled him between my legs. I giggled. He was hard again.

He pulled back from the kiss, smirking. “I can’t help it.” He kissed me again harder this time, but I pushed him back before things could get crazy.

“I know, I know.” He kissed me a few times before he helped me down off the sink. “We should probably head back to your parents’ house and tell everyone what’s going on.”

“I guess you’re right. Mason and Cooper will probably just wind up here anyway.”

“Trust me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I want to tell everyone. There is going to be a bunch of bullshit that goes down, but it is you and me, CC. I won’t let anyone come between us.”

I hoped he was right this time.

On the drive back to my parents’ house, I told Hunter that I was going to finish out the semester at ODU. I would transfer my credits back to a college in New Jersey close to the house. That way, I could still figure out how to get my teaching degree and be close to him where we would have help with the baby. Mom and dad were in the kitchen eating lunch when we arrived.

“Andrew, Elle, we need to talk to you guys.”

Hunter, who never gets nervous, stood at my side, sweating.

“Well, I’m glad you two are back to speaking again,” my dad said. “I didn’t like seeing you guys fighting. It was worse than you fighting with Mason.”

“Um, Dad, things might not be so well between us and Mason once he finds out what is going on.” I reached over and grabbed Hunter’s hand; I needed the connection with him.

Hunter squeezed my hand and cleared his throat, “CC and I are going to move in together when I graduate college in a few months.”

Dad frowned. “Kenzie still has three years left of school.” He looked at me for answers, “You want to transfer back home just to be closer to Hunter? That’s not like you.”

My eyes darted to mom. She gave me a thin smile. “I’m pregnant, Dad.”

He had the same reaction as my mom. Disappointment, hurt.

“I don’t know what to say.” he said.

“I’m sorry, Dad, I know you’re disappointed in me, and I’m more disappointed in myself.”

I started crying. He turned from me. Mom stopped him before he left, wrapping him in her arms.

“You knew about this?” Dad asked mom. She nodded. “What are you going to do about school? You need to finish, MacKenzie; you need a college education nowadays.”

“She’ll finish, I’ll make sure of it,” Hunter said. “We will do whatever we have to do to make sure she gets her degree. I have a job lined up when I graduate and I have money saved up from my inheritance. She will be taken care of Mr. Cahill, you have my word.”

I was proud of Hunter for standing up to Dad. It made me fall a little more in love with him.

“This isn’t going to be easy, MacKenzie,” Dad said. “You are basically giving up your life. You understand that right? You are sure this is something you want? You are ready for such a huge responsibility?”

I smiled at Hunter. “Yes, this is what I want. I want to raise our child together. I know things are going to be tough and I’ll have to work extra hard, but I have to do this.”

“Hunter, you are in this for good now, right? You are going to take care of my little girl, protect her and my grandchild?” Dad said sternly.

“Yes, sir. No one comes between us ever again.”

“You know I already think of you as a son, but I’m glad it’s you that this happened with and not some other asshole. I’m not happy with it at all but as long as you give me your word I’ll accept it.”

Hunter cleared his throat. “You have it, sir.”

Hunter and I left shortly after that and went to talk to his mom, his sister was out somewhere with Cooper so she would find out later tonight when we told my brothers. His mom took it pretty well. She was disappointed, but that was to be expected, but was proud of her son for standing up and taking responsibility. She rode with us back to my parents’ for dinner.

Cooper, Jaylinn, Chloe, Jackson, and Alex were at the house when we got back, but Mason was out picking up Hailey. Mom had dad grill so that the smell wouldn’t turn my stomach. She was already helping me so much with my pregnancy.

Mason finally showed up with Hailey. She glanced at me, but I could only shrug. She knew, but I hadn’t prepped her for the shit-storm. I hoped she knew to hold on tight.

We served dinner, and I trembled as we sat. I decided to wait until everyone was mostly done with dinner before making our announcement.

I took my last bite of food set down my fork. Hunter grabbed my left hand, and Chloe took my right.

“So, I, um…”

Hunter squeezed my hand giving me the courage to finish my sentence. I squeezed my eyes shut.

“I’m pregnant.”

Everything stopped. Mason was in mid-bite, frozen in place. Cooper dropped his fork. Jackson almost knocked over his soda.

“You’re kidding, right?” Mason asked.

I shook my head.

Jackson stared at Chloe. “You knew? And you didn’t tell me?” He glanced at Mason. “She was at the house so early Saturday morning. I knew something wasn’t right.”

I nodded. “I was scared, and I didn’t know who else to talk to.”

Mason and Cooper simultaneously rose from the table. A moment later, Mason’s car started out front. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Hunter ran his hand up and down my back, trying to comfort me. I was hoping they would be supportive and not freak out.

Wishful thinking.

Jackson didn’t say anything more about the pregnancy; I didn’t really expect him to. He was already a father and knew what we would be in for with the baby coming.

Jackson finished off his soda. “Let’s go.” He placed his empty cup on the table and walked away without a goodbye.

Chloe grabbed Alex from the highchair. “I’ll catch up with you later in the week.” And then the three of them were gone.

Jaylinn and Hailey were both happy for us. Mom and I were in the kitchen cleaning up dinner when Hunter came back with Mason and Cooper.

They each had their hands in their pockets, a good sign, except for Hunter’s busted up lip. Hunter motioned for me to follow them.

“Before you guys say….”

Cooper cut me off. “We talked to Hunter, we’re all good.”

Mason’s voice was on low simmer. “I’m not good with it but I’ll deal. He gave us his word and that’s all I need to deal with it.”

“What happened to Hunter’s lip then?”

“Nothing,” Cooper said.

“Didn’t look like nothing.”

“Kenz, drop it.” Mason said stretching out his hand. At least I knew who hit him.

Now that everyone knew, the weight I had felt on my shoulders was gone.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Hunter, Hailey, and I returned to school that weekend, on the way back I told Hailey what my plans were for next year. I explained about going to school in Jersey so that I was closer to home and the baby and I could be with Hunter. She agreed with me that that would be for the best. She said she would be transferring too since her and Mason were getting pretty serious and talked about moving in together if she did.