Page 121 of The Confidant
I sighed. Would Hunter still want me after doing something like that?
Would he be okay being a stepfather to the Chosen One of a church he didn’t even believe in anymore?
Probably not.
And Xander probably wouldn’t be okay with something like that, either.
Why would God command me to be with Xander? Why did I have to be the chosen vessel?
I rubbed on the birthmark, wishing I could wipe it away. Because instead of being something special now, it just felt like a death sentence.
Sure, Xander was a good guy, and if Hunter wasn’t there, I might be interested in him.
But the fact was that Hunter was still here. I still wanted him, and if this stupid revelation didn’t exist, I was sure we would have eventually found a way to make things work.
If free agency was a real thing, why did it feel like I was having all of my choices taken away from me?
Why had I ever been allowed to believe that I’d have any sort of choice about my future in the first place?
I was on hour two of crying when my phone buzzed with a text from Hunter.
Is now a good time to talk about things?
It took me a moment to realize what he wanted to talk about since the events after church had taken me so far from the worries I’d had this morning.
Me:I’m actually not feeling very well. I think I caught the stomach bug or something and just need to rest.
I had certainly been on the verge of vomiting for the past couple of hours.
Hunter:I’m sorry to hear that. I’m guessing you’re probably not up to riding back to school tonight?
Me:Probably not…
I was pretty sure I’d be feeling sick for a while.
Hunter:Want me to see if my parents’ driver can take us tomorrow morning?
Me:That would be great.
I just lay there, looking at my phone screen for a few minutes as I waited for him to update me, not having the energy to do anything else.
Then another text came through.It’s all set. We can leave at 6:30 and just have breakfast in the car.
Me:Thank you.
I started to type out “I love you,” but just looking at those words on the screen made my eyes fill with tears and a sob stretch my throat.
Because if everything my dad said was true, I might never actually get to say those words to Hunter ever again.
The future I’d dreamed of and been fighting for with Hunter had never even had a chance at existing.
39
HUNTER
Scarlett wasmuch quieter than normal as we rode back to school together early Monday morning.
I’d brought her favorite coffee—a white chocolate mocha along with her favorite custard-filled donut. But instead of smiling from ear to ear when she saw me waiting outside the church gates with it like she usually did, she’d barely managed to even smile at all.
