Page 11 of Tempting Hunter
“When I left you that message, I was in a Charleston hospital because I couldn’t move. The doctor diagnosed me with an inflammatory muscle disease that eventually took away my ability to do anything for myself.”
He seemed serious, but…
“I know it’s hard to believe and sounds like I’m trying to run a game on you, but I’m telling you the truth.” He shifted her enough to dig his phone out of his pocket. He opened the photos and handed it to her.
She didn’t know what she expected to see, but she knew it wasn’t pictures of him lying in a hospital bed looking like he’d lost a good seventy or eighty pounds, videos of medical personnel helping him with simple tasks like washing his face or trying to walk. “Why didn’t you tell me, Hunter?”
“I had no idea how long I’d be confined to a hospital or if I would ever regain the ability to walk again. I had to have someone there twenty-four-seven to do everything for me, right down to wiping my ass. I couldn’t even lift my arms to brush my teeth or wash my own face. You have no idea how it feels to need someone to carry you to the bathroom and I didn’t want to put you through that kind of torture.”
Michaela handed him the phone and left his lap. She paced in front of him. “How could you make that decision for me?” She leaned down close to his face. “We were supposed to be a team, and this is something we should have decided together.”
Hunter stood and gave her a rueful smile. “Remember the conversation we had about your father?”
“That has nothing to do with this.”
“It has everything to do with my decision. You see, I loved you enough to let you go, to not make you choose. Never doubt my love for you, Michaela. It’s the only thing that kept me going when I wanted to give up.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “We can talk about the mural another day.” Without another word, and with slow steps he walked out.
She heard the door close seconds later and fell across the bed. His revelation stunned her, his choice infuriated her and his last statement confused her. The tears came again and she didn’t think they’d ever stop.
* * *
Monday, Hunter unlocked the door to his condo in Rosewood Heights and rolled his suitcase to his bedroom. He’d called his housekeeper to let her know he’d be coming in and she had been gracious enough to go the grocery store and pick up a couple of things for him until he could go himself tomorrow. He’d only be in town for a few days, but he’d gotten used to preparing his own food, rather than eating out, and wanted to continue that practice. By the fresh smell, he could tell she’d also cleaned the place and changed his sheets. He tossed his jacket onto a chair, kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the bed.I really need for this whole fatigue shit to go away.He used to fly across the country, sometimes twice in a day, with no problem. Now he’d be lucky not to be exhausted halfway through the first flight. But this time, something more had drained his energy. He’d replayed Michaela’s breakdown in his mind so many times, he could almost hear her screams and feel her small fists pounding his chest. His hand involuntarily went to the spot. He had planned to call her over the weekend, but they both needed time. Even if they didn’t talk before the meeting tomorrow, he knew she’d do fine. And he would be there to make sure of it. His eyes drifted closed.
The insistent buzzing in his pocket awakened Hunter. He dug it out and sighed. “Hey, Dom.”
“You make it in yet?”
“Yep.” He sat up. “I’m at my place.”
“We’ll be there in a minute.”
He didn’t even have to ask about the “we” in his brother’s statement. Running his hand over his head, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there a moment. He sent a text to Ava to let her know he’d made it and to schedule a time to visit sometime on Wednesday, then sent a message to his parents.
As soon as he set the phone down, it buzzed again. Hunter read the text from Dominic saying he had arrived. He punched in the gate code and went to open the door. His brothers filed in and spread out across the living room. “I’m surprised you all are still here.”
“I’m not going to be here much longer,” Dominic said. He’d made his home in Miami, but traveled extensively.
“I’m out soon, too.” Maverick, who lived in Las Vegas, tossed out as he came back from the kitchen grumbling about Hunter not having any food.
Hunter shook his head. “I just got here, Mav, so if you wanted food, then you should’ve stopped and brought your own.” His smart baby brother not only served as Chief Financial Officer for the family business, but also owned a night club. “Cooper?” Hunter said when his twin sat silently. “I figured you’d be back in Detroit running your construction company by now.”
“Yeah, me, too. But I might be here a little while longer and don’t y’all say shit.”
“Hmm, interesting.” Although he maintained a seat on the board, Cooper was the only brother not actively involved in the day-to-day operations of Prescott Holdings, something their father had never been happy about.
“What’s interesting is that bullshit explanation you gave at the house. I know there’s more to it and I’m not leaving until I get answers.”
Hunter should’ve known Dominic would see straight through the watered down version of his illness. At six-four, Dominic eclipsed Hunter’s height by two inches, and was built like an NFL linebacker, which made him perfect in his role of Chief Security Officer at Prescott Holdings. And he took his big brother role a little too serious at times. Like now. Instead of saying anything, he opened the photos, and just like he’d done with Michaela, passed him the phone.
Maverick scooted closer to look, as well.
He shared a look with Cooper, who had seen the pictures when he visited. Both Maverick and Dominic alternated between shakes of their heads and a softly muttered, “damn.”
“Does Michaela know?” Maverick asked as he passed the phone back. “I don’t even know how you walked away from her.”
“Yeah. I told her when she came to LA last week. And I didn’t walk away from her because I wanted to, smart ass.” He shared how she’d broken down and their conversation about why he’d made that particular choice.
Dominic shook his head. “That still doesn’t make sense, Hunter. She should’ve been with you.”
