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"Anytime, Hunter. Take care of yourself and Becca," Natalie said, before hanging up.
I slid the phone into my pocket and leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. It was the money, that had to be it. Nothing else made sense and logically even the money didn't make too much sense, but there was nothing else. I couldn't think of any reason Becca would keep our baby hidden. Who else had she told instead of coming to me?
Limbo
Becca's POV
"Hunter, please, can we talk?" I asked a second time. Hunter was seated at the kitchen table, clicking through his phone. I felt certain he was doing nothing. Nothing except annoying me.
"Hunter, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the baby." I tried again. I moved from my chair and sat next to him, my hands itching across the table to his. He pulled his hand away and his jaw bunched. I wished he would scream instead of withdrawing into this stony silence.
Last night, he had come back to the cabin late. Almost ten and he hadn't said a word since then. Not a reply to my greeting and he had made his own breakfast, even though I had already prepared him breakfast. Which had just been a waste.
"Hunter, you're going to have to talk to me some time,” I said. I'd spent last night crying, the tears hot and soundless.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Hunter asked finally.
"I wanted the perfect moment, baby," I replied. It had been so good here at the cabin that I hadn't wanted to ruin our good memories here with news of the baby. Not that the baby was a bad thing. I ran my hands over my stomach, patting at the little bundle already growing in there. No. Never. My baby was not a bad thing.
"That's not a bit too cliché for you?" Hunter asked sarcastically.
"Stop!" I snapped at him, my hands hitting the table with a snap. "You stop that right now, I was going to tell you about the baby, of course, but it's not as easy as you seem to think it should be. It's a baby and now you know. Look, you're sulking like a child. Can we have a conversation or not?"
"You told Natalie,” Hunter barked back.
"She was there Hunter, she's my best friend, I trust her," I replied.
"Oh, so I'm the stranger who shouldn't be trusted?" He asked, his brow arched, his jaw bunching again.
"I never said that Hunter, you're twisting my words to fit the thoughts in your head," I replied.
"Well, isn't trust a thing that two people who profess to like each share? Shouldn't I have been the first person you should've spoken to Becca?" He asked. Then he turned his phone to his face and started clicking again.
"I trust you Hunter, I trust you more than you know, and I know you Hunter, you're an honorable man who would do the right thing, but is the right thing the best thing? That's why I couldn't tell you," I said, my voice pleading, the damned tears biting at my lids again. A snide smile covered his face, chuckled, and shook his head.
All he did was ignore me. Maybe he deserved to be mad, but being such an uncouth man wouldn't help us solve anything. I got off the chair and walked to the bedroom, got into the bed and pulled the duvet over my legs. So, it was going to be that way.
Silence and recriminations. Well, I could do that too. I could be silent and quiet and sullen too, but I wouldn't be. I couldn't be, we'd never resolve anything if I shut down the way he was doing right now. We'd keep bickering like two kids forced to share their favorite toys.
Hunter's POV
I can't stay here, not with her. Not after she kept something as big as this from me. I felt like she had been playing me for a fool all this time. And there went the fragile trust we had just spent our relationship nursing.
I headed upstairs to grab a coat, needing to be outside, away from her and the cabin. Maybe some fresh air would help me clear my head. I grab a thick jacket and pull it on, zipping it up to my chin. As I make my way back down, I hear Becca.
"Hunter, wait," she called from the bedroom. "We need to talk about this."
I paused in the doorway, clenching my fists. I didn't want to talk to her. I didn't want to look at her right then. But I knew I couldn’t just ignore her. I turned to face her; my jaw clenched.
"What is it, Becca?" I asked, my voice cold.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice small. "I didn't mean to keep it from you. I just didn't know how to tell you."
I shook my head, not wanting to hear it. "It's too late for apologies, Becca. You should have told me from the beginning. I can't even trust you now."
Her eyes widened, hurt evident on her face. "That's not fair, Hunter. You know I like you. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."
I scoffed, feeling anger rising in my chest. "You kept something this big from me. How can I trust you now?"
