As I walked past the shells I noticed more letters on them. I looked back at the ones I’d already passed and read ‘This was’. I took a few more steps, ‘not my’ I took the last few steps, ‘idea’. I got to the top of the stairs and more seashells but no Hunter.

There were fourteen stairs; each held a letter that spelled out ‘I’m sorry’ twice. I got to the bottom and Hunter was standing in the kitchen, hands in his front pockets, hat backwards, leaning against the counter. His long sleeve T-shirt stretched tight across his broad chest, tattoo peeking out at the collar of his shirt.

“Hi,” he said with a sad smile.

I looked up into the blue eyes that I’d missed every damn day that we were apart. I was on the verge of crying, but I didn’t want to do it in front of him. “Hi.”

“I’m sorry.” He said bashfully. I know he is; I can see it in his eyes. We were dealt a shitty hand and Hunter thought he was doing his best to protect Ryder and me.

I huffed, “I read,” then looked back towards the steps.

He didn’t try to take a step closer and I was thankful for that because I wouldn’t be able to form a sentence, let alone think clearly.

“This wasn’t my idea. I was ambushed into it just like you. I’ll leave as soon as one of them gets back with a car.” Hunter explained.

My heart rate sped up. I didn’t want him to go.

I shrugged my shoulder. “It’s okay, it’s your house.”

I walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

She was so close, I just wanted to reach out and hold her. She grabbed a bottle of water then went to sit at the kitchen table.

“Where’d you get the shells?” She asked. Figures she’d catch on to that.

“You aren’t the only one that collects them, my grandma did too. There’s still a box of them downstairs in the storage closet.”

Damn she’s so beautiful. Long brown hair, clear blue eyes, it was like watching the ocean in her eyes. She was dressed in tight ass jeans and a cream color sweater that hung off her shoulder, showing the milky white skin that I just wanted to kiss. She had light colored makeup on and that gloss stuff that made her lips shimmer.

She shook her head, turned to look the other way and whispered, “I’m sorry too.” She looked so broken, so lost. I never wanted to put that look on her face again.

I went and sat across from her at the table; she turned and started playing with the label on her bottle. “You don’t have any reason to be sorry, CC. I should’ve told you from the beginning, I shouldn’t have kept something like this from you.”

I’d had plenty of time to think about it, every night I would lie awake and think how stupid it was that I hadn’t told her. I knew she’d understand; she’s the most understanding person I know.

“I’m sorry for the shitty things your father put your family through. No one deserves that.” She said as she looked me in the eyes.

I reached across the table and took one of her hands in mine and repeated the words that were tattooed on us, needing her to remember what it meant to us, “I can conquer the world with one hand…”

“As long as you are holding the other,” she finished for me.

I pushed my seat back and fell to my knees in front of her, “I love you, CC. Please forgive me.” The tears were falling down her cheeks; I reached up and wiped them away. “Please, CC. We can work through this. I want my family back.”

She cupped my face with both of her hands and kissed me. I hugged her to me, never wanting to let her go.

We were both breathless when she said, “You have us back Hunter. I can handle things, have faith in me. Don’t ever hide things from me again, ever.”

“Never.”

Shit! I needed to tell her about Lily in case she ever found out.

I sighed, “One thing. After I left you that night I went to the bar. I ran into Lily and she tried to kiss me, she missed and kissed my cheek instead. I got the hell out of there after that.”

“Whore.” CC grumbled.

I laughed. “I love you, CC.”

“I love you too.” She kissed me again then whispered in my ear. “Take me upstairs.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice, I threw her over my shoulder and took the stairs two at a time.

I knew we should go slowly and take time to revel in each other’s bodies, but this wasn’t one of those times. We both needed it this way.

After we’d completely exhausted each other, we lay there wrapped together, utterly spent. . While we were enjoying the sounds of our breathing, our heartbeats, CC asked, “Why do you love me?”

I gazed into her beautiful eyes and said the only thing that made sense, “Because it’s so easy to love you.”

Epilogue

Hunter and I decided to push our wedding out until May. We felt like the winter months were tainted. For the last two years running some kind of drama had gone down. First it was Hunter and I fighting to be together, and then Jason showing back up.

Ryder was getting so big and even crawling around and getting into everything. Hunter’s mom offered to watch him for us while I went back to college and Hunter was at work. Trying to juggle classes, homework, playing with Ryder, cooking dinner and everything else was hard but we were managing. Hunter and I declared every Friday night as a date night as long as we could find someone to watch Ryder for us. We needed this time to ourselves.

We hadn’t heard a word from Jason, Lynn or Brittany since Hunter confronted them. I hoped it stayed that way but I had a feeling it wouldn’t.

It was the weekend of my bachelorette party and I let Hailey talk me into pole dancing. We were at my house getting ready for our night out while the guys were over at Jackson’s. They were going to the batting cages and then going to the bar afterwards. Mason and Cooper were lucky enough to have this weekend free and we’d planned it so they could be included.

Jaylinn was doing my hair while Hailey and Chloe were getting dressed. “So do you have your letter for Hailey done already?” Jaylinn asked.

“Yup, it’s under my pillow.”

I’d decided to write Hailey a note listing the top ten reasons why she was my best friend. I’d never be able to thank her and Mason enough for that morning in the mountains.

“Can I read it?” Jaylinn asked.

“Yeah sure,” We finished up my hair then locked ourselves in the bathroom so Hailey couldn’t sneak up on us.