Page 13 of Capitally Unexpected

I come to a dead stop when I catch sight of the tattooed, beautiful man who’s been haunting my dreams and changed my life so irrevocably without knowing it. He’s back lit by the sunset, but there’s still enough light for me to know he sees me too.

“Here,” Jax finishes, coming to a dead stop next to me. “Is that him? Your one-night stand?” she mutters out of the side of her mouth?

I swallow. “Yup.”

Clyde, real name Hunter, makes his way across the roof toward us, moving like I might be a mirage in danger of disappearing if he can’t get to me fast enough. I panic and yank Jax’s arm, moving us back toward the bathroom.

“You know, there are parties I spend all night in the bathroom for, but this is really different,” she jokes, staring at the door I lock behind us. I’m starting to have trouble catching mybreath, hearing myself wheeze. Jax jumps into action, grabbing one of the sanitary napkin bags next to the toilet. “Here, breathe into this. It’s going to be okay.”

I breathe in and out for a few beats until finally my breathing returns to normal. My eyes close and I slump against the wall.

“He’s a good guy, Mich. They all are.”

A tear trickles down my cheek as I roll my head to meet her gaze. “I’m not sure evengood guyprepares you for, ‘Hi, it’s Hunter, isn’t it? I’m Michelle, and by the way, I’m carrying our baby.’”

“It’s a lot. I won’t pretend it isn’t. But there’s a first time for everything. I think the Brandts could manage to surprise your mom.”

That gets a snort laugh out of me. “I don’t think that’s possible. And fuck, he’s younger than Preston, right? He is. Preston said there were already two sons when the twins were born. Preston’s younger than me, which means ...”

“One thing at a time. Keep breathing. The first thing is we have to open that door, and you have to say something to him. Why don’t you start with hi? Because with the look on his face when he saw you, he’s not going anywhere without talking to you.”

I groan. “Why isn’t there a window in this thing we can crawl out of?”

“Because you’re not Rachel Green. This is real life, and we’re hundreds of feet in the air.”

“You and your logic. Okay.” I walk to the sink and dab under my eyes with a paper towel and run my fingers through my hair. “Let’s do this.”

Deep breath in, deep breath out, and I open the door. Hunter’s there, leaning against the wall, one foot propped against the brick. My eyes go immediately to his arms, eyes tracking from his wrists where he’s stuck his hands into his pockets, up to the colored ink as it disappears underneath his shirt sleeve.

When I can’t put it off any longer, I look to his face and find his eyes waiting for mine. He pushes off the wall and moves to me.

“I’m ... going to go find Preston about some water,” Jax says, peeling off and leaving us alone. When she’s safely behind Hunter, she pauses to give me a wink and a double thumbs up before disappearing around the corner.

We stand in silence until I think I might scream.

“So, you’re a Brandt,” I say, at the same time his says, “I can’t believe you’re here.” Guess the quiet bothered him too.

“Wait, you know my last name? That’s a stupid question. You know my brother’s fiancée or ... well ...”

“Whatever they are now,” I finish, a soft smile breaking through despite my nerves. “So yes, I do. And your first name too. Hunter. Hi.”

“Hi. You know, this seems unfair. You don’t have to call me Bonnie anymore, but?—”

“Michelle. Lewis. I’m Michelle Lewis,” I say in a rush. It suddenly feels so wrong to live in a world where this man doesn’t know my real name.

“Michelle. It suits you.” He pulls a face. “I’m not sure why I said that. What the fuck does that even mean?” He laughs nervously.

“Well, what came first for you, the name or the fascination with deer?” I nod toward the solid black four-legged animals with horns standing in front of shaded trees blended into the designs on his left arm.

He looks down. “This was one of the first parts of this arm’s sleeve. A reminder to balance the instincts of the hunter with the innocence of the hunted.” He meets my eyes again, the glacial blue clear with honesty. So much for a joke to break the ice.

I take a step back, wondering how there can be so little air when we are standing in the open evening. The sky shifts into twilight. Hunter takes a step forward.

“How are you here right now?” he asks.

“Well, I’m here in DC because I got a job I couldn’t turn down I now hope I don’t grow to hate.” He shakes his head with a chuckle as he takes another step toward me and my back meets the bathroom door. At least he still finds me a little bit funny. “But I’m here tonight because my cousin Laurel works with Preston and Jax.”

He nods, stretching his hand out to brush his fingers through the hair above my shoulder. “Sorry, I should have asked if it’s okay if I touch you. But I ...” He takes a shuddery breath in. “I needed to know you were real.”

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