Page 98 of Making New Plans

I filled him in on my moment of clarity. He listened and, by the end, was crushing me in a hug under a streetlamp. I hugged him back, the tiny shards of my heart piecing back together at the support he showed.

“You’re amazing,” he said, before brushing a kiss over my temple and leading us onward.

After passing Monty’s, we reached a small cul-de-sac shrouded by pine trees. Hunter’s strides lengthened and his hand gripped mine harder. His smile seemed incapable of leaving his face.

When we stopped in front of a brightly lit log cabin-style bungalow, he faced me, his eyes bright with anticipation.

He took a deep breath and held both my hands. “This is why I don’t need a room at the lodge.”

My mouth dropped open, and my head swiveled between him and the house. “You’re joking.”

“Nope. Sal knew someone who was looking to sell, and Sal being Sal got me a really good price.”

“But…but…” I spluttered.

He hurried to explain. “I quit my job, sold my apartment, and moved here.”

My head swam. “Okay, I need to sit.”

“Oh, sure.” He brought to the front steps. His front steps and sat us down.

I took in big gulps of cool, pine-scented air. “How could this be happening? You can’t… You quit your job? But you just started that new project! And your apartment. How did you move all your stuff? What are you going to do for money? I mean, you still own Pine Grove, so there’s that. And you live here now. In this house. Which means you’ll be coming by the lodge all the time. Which means I’ll see you. A lot. And—”

“Chloe, breathe,” he commanded gently.

I nodded, my chest heaving. A skittering sound came from behind us. Hunter stood and walked up the steps. I twisted around to see what he was doing as he opened the screen door for Arwen.

My heart squeezed when she bounded out to rub against Hunter’s legs then leapt down the stairs to shove her wriggling body against me and lick my face. A few tears leaked out as I threw my arms around her and buried my face into her soft fur. With great effort, she stood still to allow the embrace. Something crinkled against my cheek, and I pulled back to see a piece of rolled-up paper tied to her collar.

I glanced at Hunter, who was watching us with the strangest expression on his face. Blinking a few times, he cleared his throat. “Arwen is telling me it’s time for Step Three.”

“She’s not Step Three?” I said, gesturing to her.

“No, I already adopted her.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, Louis got the whole thing on video. I don’t know who was more emotional between the three of us. Good thing Carter didn’t witness it. I’d never hear the end of it.”

I shook my head in disbelief. So much change. All at once. And he was talking about Carter teasing him as if he really were planning on being around to be teased.

Hunter gripped the wooden rail by the steps, his eyes intense on mine. “You can add your name to the adoption papers if you’d like.”

I brightened. “Could I? Oh, I’d love to.”

“Done,” he said with a smile.

“What’s Step Three?” I asked.

He nodded to the scroll. “Take a look.”

While I unfastened the paper, he sat next to me and drummed his fingers on his knees. Arwen settled on our feet, her job done.

I unrolled the paper. My eyes snagged on the headline then zoomed down the document. Then again and again. My vision blurred. It couldn’t be. No way. Not possible.

“Chloe,” Hunter said softly. He put his arm around my shaking body.

“Y-you want me to have fifty-percent ownership of Pine Grove?” I gasped out.

“Yes. You’ve worked so hard to make that place what it is and what it will be one day. You deserve to have a say in its fate. As for my part, I’m hoping you don’t mind having me as a partner because there’s no one else I’d rather accomplish dreams with.”

I laughed out of pure shock. “Dreams? This is my dream. What about yours?”

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