Taking the Fall (40 page)

They left at this point, all except for Gage. The one he knew what he would say, the one who warned him that this would happen.

“You didn’t give up on me, and I’ll be damned if I give up on you,”
Gage said as he sat down next to Hunter.
“Dammit, Hunter! You both deserve better than this, you both deserve to be together. Eat crow, beg on your knees, do whatever you have to do to make this right!”

“She picked her daughters over herself. How can I ask her to change?”

“It shouldn’t be one or the other?”

“Not the way she sees it. Do you think this is easy for me? Gage, whatever agony I thought I was in before is not even a sliver of what I feel now. When she walked out my door, she took my heart with her. I am completely hollow. “

“Then go claim it back!”
his brother whispered desperately.
“Nothing was more right than seeing you two together, the family you made.”

God, how he missed that family—Molly, Jess and Sammy completed him and Leah. With the five of them, nothing but great things were on the horizon, but poof it was gone and he feared nothing would ever make it right again.

Shoving the curtain aside and leaving the exam room he was just in, Hunter leaned against the counter as he typed his notes into the computer.

“Hunter? I mean, Dr. Dennison?”

Hunter’s head shot up at the timid familiar voice. There, like a mirage, stood Jessica. No longer was there green in her hair or heavy black makeup. Instead, a fresh looking naturally beautiful young woman who looked younger than her fifteen years stood before him. She fidgeted nervously, leaning on one side, with her hands crossed over her chest.

She looked so much like her mother. Hunter wanted to weep.

“Jess? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” He left the computer, reaching her side in a moment, looking her over.

Speaking with a quiver in her voice, she smiled shyly. “No, I’m fine . . . well, not fine, but I’m not sick or anything. I came to see you.”

“Me? Of course.” Hunter looked around, before guiding her with his hand on her shoulder over to the physician’s lounge. He opened the door and was grateful to find it empty.

He told her to have a seat on the couch before offering her something to drink or eat.

“Uh, no. No, thank you.”

Hunter sat down opposite her with his forearms resting on his knees and his hands folded as he waited for Jess to speak.

“So, what’s up?”

He watched as she nervously fumbled with the worn loose threads in the cushion of the old couch, avoiding his gaze. But when she did look at him, he saw nothing but pain. An identical pair of green eyes, showing an identical emotion that continued to haunt him whether asleep or awake.

“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I ruined everything,” she cried, as the tears began to flow.

Hunter was on his knees kneeling in front of her and engulfing her in her arms a moment later.

“Shh, Jess. This isn’t your fault.” She continued to cry. Hunter placed a kiss on her forehead, before holding her arms and pushing her gently back so that she looked at him. “Listen to me. This isn’t your fault. It isn’t! It is my fault. It’s true; I ruined my chance with your mom years ago, long before you were even born.”

He continued to soothe her, hating that her tears ripped gaping holes into his weak standing composure.

“Mom is miserable, yet she puts on a show of happiness and gives me so much attention, especially since the restaurant isn’t reopened yet, that I think I’m going to pop.” Jess hiccupped through her still flowing tears. “Sammy misses Leah so much. Everyone around me is miserable, and I feel like it is all because of me.”

“Honey, I promise you, this is no one’s fault except for mine.”

Now those green eyes looked at him, and instead of tears and sorrow, he saw hope. “Can we fix it? Together?”

Oh, you sweet girl! You truly are your mother’s daughter.

“I really want to, Jess. I love your mom with everything I have. I want nothing more than to be with her and show her every day in every way, but she asked me to stay away. I love her that much that even though it kills me, I’ll do it.”

Jess stared at him and begged, “Love her enough not to. I don’t know what that kind of love is, but I do know that the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you is the way I want my mom to be now; happy.”

“It isn’t that simple.”

“It should be!” Her voice rose in an attempt to drive home her point.

Settling back on his haunches, he let out a deep breath and asked, “How did you get here?”

“I walked,” she mumbled.

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride back to your grandparents’ house.”

Twenty minutes later, they were in his Jeep. To reach the Sowards’ home, he had to pass the park. It actually caused a tightness in his chest when they drove past the entrance.

“I should have figured she would be there,” Jess mumbled as she looked into the parking lot.

Hunter slammed on the brakes, stopping the middle of the road looking down into the park and seeing her car. He didn’t need to ask anything, for Jess offered all the information he needed. “She comes here every day. Says she is going for her walks, but one day I followed her and saw what she did. She just picks one of the benches to sit on and stares off into space. She cries and then stares some more.”

He looked into the distance trying to see her and when he no longer found a reason to stay, Hunter slowly took his foot off the brake and started driving once more.

“Don’t you see . . . she is miserable, the opposite of happy. I’m begging you, Dr. Dennison, please, if there is anything you can do to fix this, please do it.”

He drove but a quarter of a mile, before pulling off to the side of the road and popping the Jeep into park.

“I may have an idea, but it will involve you and Sammy helping.”

“Anything!” Jessica shrieked.

As Hunter told her his idea, he had to believe that it would work; after all, it would all be truth. It would leave him bare and exposed and if it didn’t work, it would official end all hope. But with Jess’ help, he knew it was his only attempt at righting fate and finally living the destiny that should have been theirs all along.

“Hey Mom, why don’t we head to the park and take a walk together,” Jess asked.

“Really? You aren’t much for walks,” Molly asked as she folded the same piece of laundry for the hundredth time.

Living here again under her parents’ roof didn’t exactly give her the quiet space she needed to lick her self-inflicted wounds, but it was good for Jess and Sammy.

With the girls out of school, her parents so nearby, and the rebuilding of the restaurant and home above, it left very little to distract Molly.

She tried to put on a brave face, hoping she was finally making headway in showing the girls that they were her priority going forward.

There had been some good spots in the midst of all her secretly held misery; Jess and hers relationship was in full bloom. They talked all the time about everything, well almost everything. Jess had brought up Hunter a few times, and each time, at the mention of his name, Molly felt the bile rise in her throat that she was constantly holding at bay.

She couldn’t eat, sleep had become almost nonexistent, but in the few moments of unconsciousness, she always went to the same place—that moment when they lay on his couch in each other’s arms and talked about the future. Where they talked about getting married, raising their girls together. Going on family vacations and spending each night for the rest of their lives in each other’s arms.

She would revel in the potency of his smell even in dreams, or how his dimple would pop out, engaging his already sexy face. But then, she would remember how it felt to be kissed by him and the tears that she no longer could hold would wake her up. Her pillow would be soaked from the tears that occurred while in dreamland and the pain that she struggled to shelve during consciousness would come crashing down on her.

But Jessica was thriving, so it must be because Molly was finally doing right by her.

For the love of her daughter, she would live every day in desolation to ensure Jessica would never doubt her place in Molly’s life ever again.

It seemed like an easy enough price to pay. But in her mind she knew it would be easier to get blood from a stone.

Sammy came bouncing into the room and jumped on the bed. “Yeah, Mom, let’s all go to the park.”

Jess tickled her sister down onto the mattress, filling the room with the most wonderful of sounds. Their laughs echoed off the walls, filling the empty void in Molly’s chest with tiny grains of sand.

Both blond-haired beauties looked up at their mother with complete joy and happiness as they said, “Please.”

How could she refuse them?

They arrived at the park and as they all exited the car, each of her daughters grabbed for one of her hands. The walked through along the main path, leading away from the playground and ball field into to the more private of corners.

The day was truly beautiful and the promise of summer warmth made her comfortable in the light green blouse she wore over her favorite blue jeans. As they followed the path to the far corner, Molly was distracted by her youngest daughter’s tale of summertime’s expected exploration when Jess let go of her hand and approached a young girl who sat on a bench with her back toward them.

Molly watched the unusual event unfold. The closer she got to the young girl, the more familiar she was. Her black hair was tied back in a loose braid and only the smallest glimpse of her profile showed black glasses.

Leah?

With Jess’ arm around her, Leah stood, leaving the small blanket she sat on in its place as she walked toward Molly.

Molly’s eyes filled with tears as one of the three most beautiful girls she ever laid eyes on walked toward her with tears in her own.

Molly let go of Sammy’s hand and engulfed Leah in her embrace. They both cried happy tears at the sight of the other, as Leah held on to Molly tighter than ever before.

Molly finally pulled away, only to place her hands on both sides of Leah’s face so she could look even closer at the young girl’s beautiful face.

“What are you doing here, sweetie?”

“I came to see you.”

Molly searched her face; sure the answer was plainly obvious but still unable to come to it.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“Maybe I can help,” Hunter said as he emerged from the trees, walking toward her looking nothing short of amazing. His crisp white dress shirt was open at the collar tucked into clean black dress pants with the highest shine on his shoes. His face was clean-shaven, and his eyes were intent on their gaze.

He soon stood in front of her as their daughters moved off to the side.

“Hunter?”

Unable to control any of the tears any longer, they rolled down her face with every millisecond that passed.

“Shh, I don’t want you to say anything. I just need you to listen.” He came to a stop a mere foot from her, placed his hand in his pocket, and stared into her eyes. “I’ve done some things that I’m not very proud of. In fact, I’ve done a lot of things that I loathe myself for. And of all those things, the worst one is letting you walk out of my life without fighting for you like I should have.”

“You . . .” But he cut her off with a brush of his index finger against her lip, a feeling that she felt all the way to her toes.

“I failed you again like I promised I never would.” He finally reached out his hand, cupping her face like she so desperately wanted. With a clear voice and the smile and dimple she saw every time she closed her eyes, he said, “I want to make this right. I need to make this right. I need you. I want you. And because of how deeply I love you, I won’t pressure you. I’ll take a hike if you want, but I can’t live another moment of life knowing I didn’t try everything to bring myself back into your good graces.” His thumb caressed her cheek and it felt as if her heart had been put back in her chest. “You want just a friend, I’ll be that friend. You want just a casual date; I will be the one across the table from you, hanging on your every word. You want to make love to someone, then by God, that man, the only man will be me. Whatever you need, I will contort myself to fit. Just don’t ask me to turn away because even though I’d do it, it would be the end of any sort of life for me.”