AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Of course Hunter is nowhere to be found.
I climb out of the SUV and walk around the front through the annoying blinding lights. Still no sign of Hunter, which makes me uneasy. Not that Saxon would ever get into a vehicle with someone he doesn’t know, what if someone did pull up in a SUV and grab him off the porch?
Hunter finds new ways to piss me off on a weekly basis.
“Mom?” Saxon asks, squinting as he looks at me.
“The one and only,” I say. “Sorry about being late. I had-”
“Is that ours?” Saxon asks, his eye lighting up as he stands up with a smile.
“That?” I ask, thumbing back to the SUV. “No. That’s just, uh, a rental.”
“You rented that? It’s so cool looking. Can you take me to school in that tomorrow morning?”
I swallow hard. “Where’s your father?”
The door finally swings open.
Here comes Hunter.
He’s a big guy. Always was. Always will be. Far from being in football shape, that’s for sure. Sometimes I look at him and wish I could go back to slap the college version of myself. But again, can’t change the past. It was a different time back then. He was the big, mean, silly tight end. I was the super skinny, champion swimmer. He knew how to cheaply flirt with me - challenging me to a swimming contest. He didn’t let me win either. He really tried to beat me, and failed. Believe it or not, that kind of stuff worked on me back then.
But, hey, without Hunter, there would be no Saxon.
And Saxon is the light of my life.
“Go ahead, kid,” Hunter says in his deep voice.
Saxon doesn’t even look back. He races down the steps, runs toward me and almost tackles me. We’re at the point to where Saxon is almost as tall as me and jumping into my arms isn’t an option anymore.
He’s acting as though I haven’t seen him in days.
I stare at Hunter as I hug Saxon.
Hunter looks to the SUV and nods. “Where’d you get that? Get a raise or something?”
That’s another thing with Hunter, he doesn’t realize how lucky he is.
I never once asked him for a dime when it came to Saxon. I refused it. Whether I’m entitled to it or not, I did not want any relationship between Saxon and his father having to do with money. And I do not want some man - a freaking ex of mine - giving me a penny only to have it be thrown in my face at a later date.
“Don’t worry about what I’m driving,” I say to Hunter.
“You’re late picking him up,” Hunter says.
“Go wait in the car,” I whisper to Saxon.
He’s excited and races to Cutter’s SUV and climbs inside.
“Do you have to say things like that in front of him?” I ask Hunter. “Is it so wrong that you had to spend a few more minutes with your own son?”
“He didn’t want to be here, Piper,” Hunter says. “Kid paces the entire time and keeps looking at the clock. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“Did you ever think for a second it doesn’t have to be about you? Maybe find something to do with him? Connect with him?”
“Like how? Buy a piano for here?”
“There’s a thought,” I say. “I know it bothers you that our son isn’t some star athlete, but he does like music. And he is getting really good at piano.”
