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“What happened?” I let out a crazy laugh, and his eyebrows go up in surprise. “Nothing happened, Dad. I told Mom I was in love, for the first time in my life, mind you, and she told me that she doesn’t give a shit.”
“Hunter, that’s not what she meant,” Dad tries to diffuse the tension. I have always been able to talk to my parents about anything. Except not about this, apparently.
“She may not have said the words, Dad, but that was the message,” I throw my arm out, pointing toward the general direction of where the stairs are.
“She is worried about you, doesn’t want you to make a mistake.”
“And what about you?” I look Dad straight in the eyes. He never backs away from a challenge, and he doesn’t disappoint me now when he holds my eyes with his. “Do you think I’m making a mistake?”
“Are you quitting school?” he raises an eyebrow my way, and I respond in kind, which I think he appreciates when the corner of his mouth raises in a barely there smirk.
“I never said I was quitting school.”
“Your mother said you were thinking of doing your classes online.”
“I only have four classes left,” I sigh in annoyance. “They can all be done online. I will be done with school once I’m done with them. Graduating on time.”
“What about your internship in New York?”
My eyes drop to the carpet under my bare feet. I didn’t think about that. I got a paid internship at a big name PR firm in New York. It’s a huge opportunity. I could continue staying in the same apartment in New York, and Mattie would be there with me as well. She got a position within the same company, and up until a month ago, I was beyond excited to start on this journey with her. Now, not so much.
“They have an office in Chicago. I could transfer,” I mumble as I stab my toe into the soft carpeting.
“Would they allow that? If they hired you for the New York office, then you ask for a transfer to Chicago before you even started, how would that look?”
I hate that he is making sense in everything he tells me. It would not look good if I asked for a transfer, and I may even lose the job altogether if I attempt to do that.
“Maybe I could work for Ridge,” I try again. My brother started his own marketing firm, and he’s been doing very well for himself. I’m sure he’d find a spot for me if I asked him.
“Is that what you want to do? Where your heart is?”
Once again, my dad’s softly spoken questions have a much bigger impact on me than Mom’s angry comments from earlier. The problem is, I don’t know where my heart is anymore. My heart is with Zach right now. But what if he breaks up with me? What do I have then? I would have thrown away everything I ever wanted just to be with him, only for him to throw me away.
But what if he loves me back just as much, another voice whispers in my head. What if he is my greatest love? What if I’ll never find a love like this again?
There are just so many variables to my situation, and I just don’t know what the right decision is.
What do I do?
CHAPTER 11
Break my heart
Zach
Something is off with Hunter. I can feel it in my bones.
This coming weekend is our one-month anniversary. I plan on surprising her with a romantic evening, followed by a night full of wild sex. I also want to tell her that I love her.
Problem is, Hunter has been holding back for the last few days. It’s not anything she said, but the way she tenses every time I bring up our future doesn’t bode well. There is also the fact that I still haven’t met her family. She always has an excuse on why I can’t pick her up or drop her off at home. Grams called last weekend to invite us over for dinner. Hunter didn’t say yes or no, acted all skittish, and left me wondering.
I pull into my spot in the parking lot of my apartment complex and take a moment to regroup. Hunter is supposed to get here in fifteen minutes, and I can’t explain why, but I have a bad feeling about it. I always trust my gut feeling, and today, it’s telling me that something bad is about to happen.
I don’t know for how long I sit in the car, staring out the windshield, when there’s a knock on my window. I jump and turn my head only to see Hunter’s smiling face. I don’t know if I am looking for things that are not there, but I think her smile looks a bit strained.
“Hey, you’re here early,” I say while getting out of the Jeep. I lean down and place a hard kiss on her lips, then grab my briefcase from the passenger side.
“Yeah,” she hums in agreement. “I had some errands to run, then thought I’d come here and wait for you to get home.”
