Luna leaned in and kissed Hunter in the back of the car, her heart swelling with joy. It meant so much to her that he had asked for her mother’s hand in marriage. Excitement bubbled inside her as she wondered if they could stop by the hotel to share the good news. Hunter smiled and instructed the driver to take them to where Luna’s mother and sister were staying. She could hardly wait to tell them that she was engaged.
“How do you think Adam will handle the news?” Luna asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
She wanted to ensure that Adam would be okay with Hunter remarrying. Hunter reassured her that he had already spoken to Adam about their plans. “For his age, he understands what it means,” he explained. “He’s actually happy to know that you’ll officially be his mother.”
Luna’s heart melted at his words. The thought of finally having the family she had long dreamed of filled her with overwhelming happiness.
Hunter and Luna watched as the city lights grew closer and closer. They held hands as they approached the hotel where her family was staying.
“Are they expecting us?” Luna asked Hunter. “I guess we should have called in advance.”
Hunter reassured her that they both knew that he was going to propose to her that night. They were sure to be up and awaiting the grand news of their engagement. The driver parked the car and got out to open the door. Upon getting out of the vehicle, the couple was bombarded with paparazzi.
“Hunter!” one man with a camera shouted. “Luna!” he yelled to get her attention.
“Congratulations on the new engagement, Hunter!” a woman with a camera yelled while pushing the camera into his personal space. “Luna, how does it feel to go from nanny to fiancé?” she asked Luna smugly.”
Hunter tried to move around the crowd of people. He finally found Luna’s hand and ran with her to the front entrance of the hotel. Two hotel security guards ushered them inside and created a barrier from the paparazzi. Hunter and Luna were safe inside the hotel, thank goodness. Hunter took a deep breath and looked back outside at the numerous people with photographs.It was then that he saw one man with a large camera walk over to his driver, Tony. He watched in bewilderment as Tony reached out his hand and retrieved a roll of cash from the unknown man with a camera. He heard Luna gasping. She was trying to catch her breath from all the fear and excitement. At least they were both safe in that moment.
“How did the paparazzi know already?” she asked Hunter in confusion. “You literally just proposed to me. How did they get the information so soon?”
“Tony,” Hunter said angrily. “Tony, our driver, sold us out.”
Hunter was so angry. He could not believe his trusted driver sold a story about him and Luna to the press. He felt betrayed. Tony had been his driver for the last four years. He was amazed at what greed did to people. Loyalty was hard to find. Luna looked up and stared at Hunter. She could tell by his facial expression that he was angry. She had never seen him so mad. She wanted to calm him down. It was their special night, and she did not want anything to ruin it.
“Hey,” Luna said, grabbing Hunter’s arm. “Hey, honey. It is okay. We are safe inside the hotel now. We dodged the cameras for now. Let’s not let them ruin our night, okay?”
Hunter’s face was still stern. He felt that Tony had put both his and Luna’s lives in danger. They were bombarded by the cameras, and it was complete madness out there. If he had not acted quickly and got both himself and Luna into the hotel, who knows what would have happened? What had just occurred was unacceptable, and Hunter was not going to tolerate it. He turned to Luna.
“Go upstairs to the penthouse suite and share the wonderful news with your mother and sister,” he said to her calmly. “I amgoing to take care of this. I am not going to let this happen ever again.”
Luna pushed the button to activate the elevator. When it opened, she slowly walked inside the elevator and turned around to watch Hunter approach the reception area of the hotel. The doors closed.
Hunter walked to the reception desk and asked the receptionist if he could use their phone. He told them that it was an emergency, which, in a way, it kind of was, given what had just occurred. Hunter dialed the number for the car service he had hired Tony from. When the manager answered, he let him have a piece of his mind.
“I don’t care if you had nothing to do with it,” Hunter said sharply to the manager. “You should have vetted the driver before sending him my way. I want a new driver before the night is over, and I want Tony fired. I just saw him taking money from the paparazzi, and that’s unacceptable. You deal with high-end clients regularly, and if you want to keep your business running, I suggest you handle this immediately.”
Hunter slammed the phone down and then looked up at the receptionist. She stared at him in horror.
“Sorry,” he said to her. “Rough night.”
Hunter walked over to the elevator and went up to meet Luna and her family. When he reached their room, all of his anger melted away. Lisa and Luna’s mother were embracing her. They were all so excited to hear about their engagement.
“Mom, I can’t believe that you knew Hunter was going to propose,” Luna exclaimed. “I can’t believe that you knew, and you did not say anything!”
Her mother laughed.
“Surprise!” she yelled in excitement. “I wanted it to be a wonderful surprise for you.”
At the end of the visit, Luna’s sister and mother promised to see them the next day. Hunter and Luna walked outside the hotel and saw their new driver waiting. They looked around them and breathed a sigh of relief that no cameras were in sight. They quickly got into the car and headed back to their apartment.
When they arrived at their apartment, Luna shared the news of her engagement to Hunter with Ella. Ella was ecstatic and overwhelmed with joy. She hugged Luna tightly.
“I knew that you two would end up together,” she said lovingly.
Hunter walked into the room and checked on Adam while the two women caught up with one another. Adam was fast asleep in his bedroom. He looked a little pale, but Hunter did not think anything of this. He walked back into the kitchen and thanked Ella for watching Adam. She assured them that Adam had a great day with her and that she would be available for the rest of the time that Luna’s family was in town. They thanked her for helping them.
“Also, good job bringing in the family,” Ella said to Hunter with a wink. “I wonder how you got that idea?”