Page 54 of Hunter

“My love for you has never been up for debate, Bella. You read my letters. You know it has always been you. Do you doubt your love for me?” I ask the question before considering whether I want to hear the answer. She stares at me for a few moments then smiles.

“You look cute when you’re nervous,” she says with a giggle. “Almost normal.”

I laugh at that. In all my life, no one has ever called me normal. If anyone else did, I would be offended, but from her, I would take any description as long as it wasn’t hatred. Her love for me is my most cherished asset, one I am never willing to give up. I’ll fight until my last dying breath to make this work.

“Do you know what we’ve forgotten?” She cocks her head to one side, surveying me, as if trying to read what I’m thinking in my eyes. “It’s Christmas day.”

“I hadn’t forgotten. I just don’t normally celebrate because I’m on my own.”

“Me neither, but this year is different.” I scramble out of bed and walk over to my closet to retrieve her gift. The sensation of her focus on my skin never leaves. I collect the small pink bag, and return to the bed, placing it between us. “Merry Christmas.”

Her eyes light up with excitement as she finds the black box hidden beneath the pink tissue paper. There’s nothing obvious about either the bag or the box to hint at what is inside. For a moment, I am nervous about whether I’ve gone too far with this gift, but I wanted her to have no doubt as to my intentions.

Our agreement in the beginning was for a year, but it’s quickly become so much more. I couldn’t imagine letting her go after the short time we’ve spent together. Years yearning for her, and my dream has finally come true. It’s now up to me to ensure she never leaves.

The lid creaks a little as she opens it. Her eyes bug as she takes in the contents.

“Hunter,” she stammers. “This is…” Perfectly painted fingernails cover her mouth, but her eyes never leave the jewels my gift contains.

“Is what, Bella?”

“Too much,” she squeals. “It’s our first Christmas and you give me this.”

“No, we’ve had too many Christmases apart. This is me making up for lost time. Will you wear them?” The hope that was bubbling in my chest expands to full blown prayer she agrees. “I want you to wear them with pride, as you should have been for all these years.”

She plucks the engagement ring from its resting place. On either side are a matching wedding band and eternity ring. When worn together, they meld as one piece filled with diamonds. The large ten-carat, almond-cut diamond takes center stage in the engagement ring.

“They’re beautiful,” she says, a tear slipping down her cheek.

“As are you. May I put them on you, my wife?”

She nods, her emotion clearly caught in her throat. I take the box from her and remove the wedding ring first. She offers me her hand and I slide it into place, followed by the engagement ring, then the eternity to finish the set. They look perfect. She lifts her hand, and it sparkles under the morning winter light.

“Thank you,” she chokes out, leaning in to kiss me softly. “I only got you…”

I grab her fingers, pulling them to my chest. We face each other, then lay our foreheads against the other.

“Bella, you have given me everything I could ever want by being here. Your presence is the best gift I could ever ask for. You are a gift. I am forever grateful.”

“I love you,” she whispers.

“And I love you. This is it, Bella. We are us.”

Our day continues somewhere between heaven and perfection. We spend most of the morning in bed. Bella gave me some funny socks decorated with a cartoon mafia boss wielding his gun. It made me laugh out loud when I saw them. Her cheeks flushed as if embarrassed by the unique gift. I have every intention of wearing them.

It is not until we have sat down to our Christmas meal in the late afternoon that our day goes wrong. Having wanted to have Bella to myself, I gave all staff except the exterior security the day off to have with their families. It isn’t something I normally do, but my attitude has been changing when I look at the men under my command. I see now that there’s more to them than men who carry out tasks on my behalf. Most of them have a lot to lose if things were to go wrong.

My phone ringing had not been a good sign. It was even worse when my sister was screaming down the phone that her daughter had yet again stood against our family. My niece, Tilly, absconded from the family home with a group of friends. They had no idea where she was headed.

Bella watched my discussion with interest, clearly attempting to make sense of the one-sided conversation. The twisted smile on her lips told me she had heard enough to know who it was concerning and what was happening. Since our disagreement at the Level, we haven’t discussed her open hostility on hearing my plan. I fully expected her to bring it up, and when she didn’t, it felt like I had dodged a bullet. The look on her face tells me she’s just been waiting for the opportunity to discuss it.

“Who was that?” she says casually as I place my phone on the table.

“My sister.”

“Family issues?” The words are simple, but the depth of insincerity is mind-blowing. She’s enjoying this.

“My niece has taken leave without permission.”

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