Isabel’s Welcome Home Party
A month later…
Isabel and I have spent a month locked in her house, ignoring the demanding world around us like it doesn’t exist at all. Our days were filled with breakfast in bed, long naps, and a lot of makeup sex. We made love and then we fucked until the connection between us is restored. We talked too. We talked about everything. We talked about us and we’ve come to an understanding of sorts. Isabel and I are in this together.
Whatever this may be.
I glance past the colorful streamers and balloons and come to realization that my house is once again filled with everyone in Cherry Creek. The young. The old. And everybody in-between. They’re all here to celebrate Isabel. Isabel is surrounded by her protective shield Falcon, Harmony, and Victor. They all dance under the twinkling jars of flickering light. No one gets too close to her. I can give her distance knowing this.
I grab a cup full of ice and sit in the lawn chair and watch Isabel rub Harmony’s pregnant belly as she says something to her. She looks like she’s due any day now. Harmony grins at whatever she says and nods, rubbing Isabel’s stomach back. I narrow my eyes so I can read Harmony’s lips better.
Surely Isabel wouldn’t keep anything from me.
Or would she?
“Hunter still doesn’t know,” Harmony asks.
Isabel shakes her head and whispers something in her ear.
Harmony frowns at her, but embraces Isabel. “You need to tell him,” her lips say.
I’m suddenly filled with nerves and anxiety as the unimaginable runs through my head.
***
Isabel
“Hunter still doesn’t know?” Harmony says.
I give my head a slight shake and lean in close to whisper, “How the hell do I tell him I’m three months pregnant? He’s going to freak out, Harmony. Hunter is in a good place and when he finds out that I’ve been keeping this pregnancy a secret he is going to flip. I can’t do it right now.”
She holds me tight against her. “You need to tell him.”
“How?” I choke.
“Lovebird—”
Firm fingers curl around my elbow. “I need to speak to Isabel alone,” Hunter growls. He tugs me along until we’re inside of his house and up the spiral staircase and locked away inside of his room. My back is against the wall. He presses his muscular body into mine and his severe face fills my vision until it’s all I can see. One of his hands swiftly captures my jaw, the other travels under the hem of my loose shirt and his warm palm press flat against my belly, his fingers splaying over my navel, rubbing languid circles.
“You have my child inside of you, Isabel?”
I inhale sharply and burst into tears.
“Don’t cry, baby,” he murmurs, cradling my face and wiping my tears with the pads of his thumbs. “I’m going to take care of you and our child. You know this. I’m going to do the best I can to provide everything you all will ever need.”
A deep sadness resonates within my soul. “I lied.”
His golden brows push together as he looks into my eyes. “About what?”
“About last night. I do care about what kind of future I have. I don’t want whatever future you want. I don’t want to be a house wife. I want to experience life. I want to work.”
His expression is pained or maybe disappointed. His thumbs slide down my cheeks and gingerly stroke the sides of my neck. “You think I’m going to take that away from you.”
“You’re Hunter Knight,” I sniff, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. “You take what you want.”
I watch stunned when his full lips tip up in a grin. “I do take what I want, but I also want what’s best for you. As in, I want you to be more than enough Isabel. Enough is simply not good enough for you. So if you want to work, fine. You can work. You want to experience life, then that’s okay with me too. I want to experience everything with you, Isabel.” His heated hand under my shirt threatens to burn through my stomach. “I’m not going to cuff you to my bed for the rest of your life.”
“I mean,” I begin, “you are Hunter Knight.”
He laughs, blinding me with many white teeth. “I guess you have every right to doubt me. But I’m not going to do that ever again. You have my word, Isabel.”
“We can keep the cuffs in the bedroom, just not the part where I’m restricted to your house.”
“I understand you. Now give me a kiss, baby,” he says through a smile.
Leaning forward, I do as I’m told and softly press my lips against his supple ones. Hunter immediately takes over the kiss. His hand wraps around my neck. His lips are demanding and relentless over mine, nipping and sucking at mouth with eager persistence that leaves me breathless and dizzy. His hand leaves my tummy to rest on my hip, his fingers biting into my skin and when his sweet tongue touches mine, I lose everything but mind. My hands knot in his golden hair and I press closer into him until there’s no space between us.
“You’re all that I’m living for, Isabel. You’re all that I care about. I vow to never harm you again,” Hunter whispers against my lips.
“What about hurting me? Are you going to hurt me?”
He lifts a brow and grins smugly. “My baby likes pain, so I promise to only hurt her when she wants to be hurt.”
I do nothing to cover my smile. “My Hunter knows me so well.”
“That he does.”
“I was pregnant when you left me on the beach. At first, I had no idea. I spent two weeks exploring the beach and caves. But on the third week, I couldn’t keep anything down. I felt sick and fatigue and tired all the time. Then I went to a clinic in Rio. The doctor there told me I was three weeks pregnant. I freaked out. I had no idea what to do, so I just tuned everything out and did the one thing I always wanted to do: travel.”
He dips his face lower and gazes into my watery eyes. “I’m so unbelievably sorry, Isabel. I would have never left if I knew.”
I swallow the pain, almost choking on it. “I get it. That’s okay. And I would’ve come back sooner if I knew how much of a mess you made for yourself. I saw a story about you and I in the airport when I was about to board a plane to Russia. I’m glad I didn’t go.”
“That makes the both of us.”
I wrap my arms around his back and bury my face in shirt, releasing a heavy sigh. “I let Falcon and Harmony and Vic know where I was. I didn’t think about telling you since…” I trail off at a loss for words.
“You’re here now, and that’s what counts.”
“We should get back to my party. It’s doesn’t look good if the honoree is absent from her own party.”
“Well, let’s get you back then.”
We hold hands and face the crowd together. We join Falcon and Harmony at a table on his deck. Hunter keeps me in his arms all night. He never leaves my side. But his body stills when Max and Lily make their way over to us. My belly is filled with butterflies, the beautiful kind of butterflies when I see Max and Lily together. They were destined to be together and you can never fight destiny. God knows I’ve tired and I still ended up tied to Hunter and pregnant with his child. I’ve learned to embrace destiny, because fighting it will only makes things so much worse.
When I attempt to stand, Hunter’s arm curves around my abdomen and keeps me anchored to him. “Hunter,” I whisper in a tone only he can hear, “don’t be rude. Let me speak to him.”
Hunter places his lips to the shell of my ear and I have no control over my body when I shiver in his arms. “You can talk to him all you like, but he doesn’t get to touch you anymore, Isabel. And you certainly do not get to touch him. This is nonnegotiable.”
I nod because they’re approaching and I don’t want to have any unnecessary drama with Hunter when this is supposed to be a celebration in my honor and we are making our grand debut as a couple.
“Max,” I start, “it’s so good to see you. You as well, Lily. You two look great together.”
Max’s lilac eyes shift to me with raw, unconcealed pain. He manages to smile through it. It’s a tight and composed smile, but at least it’s a smile and it seems genuine. “Isabel,” he greets. “I’ve missed you.”
I have to swallow past the thick lump in my throat. “I’ve missed you, too.”
His dark brows rise to his forehead. “You have?”
“I have,” I whisper.
“Good to know,” Max says softly.
“You’re glowing, Isabel. You look great,” Lily says, timidly smoothing the invisible wrinkles down her flowy pastel pink skirt and tucking her wavy hair behind her ears.
Lily is so cute and sweet.
She’s perfect for Max.
I love her already.
“Thanks. You look great, too. I’m so happy for the both of you and your son.”
“Maybe we can meet for coffee sometime soon and I’ll bring him so you can meet him,” Lily says, her expression bright and her voice optimistic.
“Sure,” I say. “I would love to meet little Max.”
I watch as Max’s expression softens and he wraps an arm around her Lily’s waist, holding her close to his side like I’ve seen him do many times before. “I’m sure he can’t wait to meet you.”
“Look who’s back!” Hero shouts joyously.
We all crane our necks to look at Hero who is dressed in a plain black T-shirt that shows of his athletic physique and dark snug jeans with black leather boots. He has a duffle bag tossed over his shoulder. Hero is absurdly handsome to the point that it’s gag worthy. He looks like an editorial model. His beauty is alien yet very familiar to me.
Groups of people automatically part for him as he makes his way to us. They all gawk at Hero, their jaws barely hitting the ground.
Hero’s sky-blue eyes land on me and I smile. Before I have time to blink, I’m tugged out of Hunter’s arms with effort and pulled into Hero’s. “Missed you, Isabel. Glad you’re home.”
Throwing my arms around his back, I hug him harder. “Missed you, too, Hero. You look amazing. You look healthy.”
“You look good, too,” he whispers into my ear, lifting me up until my feet are off the ground.
“Hero, let her go,” Hunter warns quietly.
Hero sets me gently on my feet, lifting a brow at his brother. “Chill, Hunter. I’m not going to steal Isabel from you.” Hero aims his radiant smile towards me and I lose what little breath I have. “Not that I would try again.”
“I’d like to see you try to pull that shit again, baby brother,” Hunter provokes. He’s smiling but Hunter’s smile isn’t a friendly one.
It’s a warning.
“Fuck off,” Hero says through a grin. “Is that how you welcome me home? I know you’ve missed me.”
They simultaneously embrace each other with quick and solid movements. My heart flutters with utter glee as I watch the affection pass between the two. It’s obvious how much they love each other.
Naya joins us when she arrives. Her and Lark make the perfect rock ‘n’ roll couple in the history of rock ‘n’ roll couples. They both have this aura of mystery and allure that’s intoxicating.
I close my eyes and lie back in the safety of Hunter’s arms. I take a deep breath, enjoying this sense of warmth and family. The only people who are missing are Rex and Taylor and my aunt Lily. Taylor sent me an email apologizing for their absence. Lily still doesn’t like big crowds. But I do get to meet my aunt.
I’m meeting up with them later tonight when everything is over and silent.