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They pulled up to Vanessa’s apartment complex. Hunter ran inside and up to her door. He knocked and waited. When she opened the door, she exclaimed in surprise and jumped into his arms.
“How are you here?” she asked.
He kissed her and squeezed her tight. “Nicholas,” he said, turning to face the man.
Vanessa gave Nicholas a quick hug. “It worked? Thank you!”
Nicholas left shortly after to give them time alone. But they agreed, they owed him one for Hunter not only being able to post bail, but being the one to actually put up the money. They both seemed to have forgiven him of all prior wrongdoing.
When they sat down to dinner that night, just Vanessa, Opal, and him, it felt like every second was precious, borrowed time. He could be sitting in a mess hall with hundreds of criminals, fighting over nasty food, but instead he was here, eating the delicious meal Vanessa had prepared.
He slept fitfully that night, even with Vanessa by his side. His mind kept bringing back his arrest and Jeremy’s murder, and his dreams were full of lies. Jeremy killing Vanessa and Opal, Jeremy killing him first, and then him being locked up forever and Vanessa moving on. In one particularly cruel dream, Vanessa came to see him in jail to say she was pregnant, but was going to marry Nicholas and tell everyone it was his kid instead of Hunter’s. He woke up from each dream having to reassure himself of reality, and then hold Vanessa close as he drifted back to sleep.
In the morning, he made a decision. He still had money saved from his past jobs. He got up early thanks to his most recent nightmare, and got on the computer in Vanessa’s living room. He looked through site after site before he found just the right thing. He made a phone call, then waited for her to wake up.
“I want to take you somewhere today,” he said to her as she made coffee.
“Okay, sure.”
Once they had showered, eaten, and dressed, they got into the car and he drove to the location. They pulled up to an adorable house—white siding and a wooden fence, cute landscaping, and plenty of room to play in the backyard.
Vanessa looked at the “For Sale” sign, then over at him. “Who’s house is this?”
“Ours if you want it.”
Her mouth dropped open. “But, how…”
“Let’s go see it.”
He held her hand and Opal’s as they walked up the front steps to meet the realtor. They went room by room, and he loved the excited look in Vanessa’s eyes.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered to him at one point. “And so big.”
When she’d seen the whole place, he asked her privately, “Do you want it?”
“I can’t afford this place on my salary.”
“I know. That’s why I’m paying cash for it. There will be no mortgage, and your salary should cover the other bills just fine if I’m… not here to pay them.”
She squeezed his hand. “Don’t say that. You’ll be here.”
“Is that a yes, then?”
She closed her eyes and let out a small squeal. “I love it.”
“I love you.”
He explained to the realtor that they would pay full asking price in cash, and wanted to move in as soon as possible. The realtor would call after talking to the sellers, but Hunter wasn’t worried. Who wouldn’t take a full-price offer, and in cash with no hassle of mortgage companies to deal with?
Opal excitedly talked about how she would decorate her new bedroom in pink and kitty cats as they drove back to the apartment.
“Oh, can we have a real kitty?” she asked, her face twisted into a deep plea.
“I think so,” Vanessa said, looking at Hunter.
“Just one? I thought maybe we’d have a couple. Maybe a dog, too.”
“Really?” Opal squealed in delight and went on talking about the new house and her future dog. She had named them all many times over during the short ride. He hoped that “Lollipop” didn’t stick as a name.
