Page 15 of Forbidden Bliss
I inhale a shallow breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Don’t you get it? I’m tired of being a single mom. I want a bigger life for us. Lana needs to go to school so she can have more opportunities in life. She needs her father.”
Hunter’s blue eyes pierce mine as his lips press together. “We can fly her to school every day. The helicopter pad is right outside.”
I shake my head, my neck straining. “That’s not practical, Hunter, and there are better things to do with that helicopter. Like your search and rescue operation, for example. The people of Blushing Creek need you.”
He scoffs. “I’m a billionaire, Willow. I can give Lana anything she needs without him. Why can’t you see that?”
“A billion dollars isn’t a father, Hunter. And I’m not like you. I can’t just hide out here in this high-tech log house for the rest of my existence.”
His muscles stiffen before he stares at the grooves of the wooden table.
My shoulders rise to my ears. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
He crosses his brawny arms. “You think I’m hiding here?”
The whole family believes Hunter secluded himself because of the death of his late fiancée a few years ago.
It destroyed him. There’s never a good time to discuss the topic, and that’s why I shouldn’t have brought it up. I decide to change the subject and focus on the facts. “Lana deserves to know her father. She deserves a chance at a normal life.”
Hunter grows quiet as he smoothes his fingertips over the corner of a napkin. “And you think he’s capable of giving her that?”
Planting my feet on the floorboards, I exhale. “Yes, I do. People can change. He’s already shown he wants to be part of her life.”
His eyes soften as he leans back, crossing his beefy arms over his wide expanse of chest. “And what about you? Can he make you happy?”
The question cuts deep, but I meet his gaze without wavering and tell him the truth. “I don’t know, but I have to find out. For Lana, and for myself.”
My brother’s anger finally gives way to something softer. He sighs. “I can’t force you to live like I do, but I also won’t stand by and let you get hurt again. You’ve been through so much already.”
The kitchen light casts a warm glow around us, softening the masculine lines of my brother’s face.
I reach across the table, placing my hand on his. “You’re trying to protect us, and you’ve done a damn good job at that. But you need to trust me on this. You need to understand that I know what’s best for Lana and me.”
He looks down at our hands, the tension slowly draining from his body. “I trust you, but it’s hard to let go. It’s hard to see you take a risk like this.”
I squeeze his hand gently, offering a reassuring smile. “This is a risk I’m willing to take. For all of us.”
He tilts his head as he weighs out the decision. “I’m sure it’ll make Mom happy to have you nearby again.”
My mother often asks about Hunter, and it pains her that both of us had moved so far away from the Vegas family estate. But now, she’ll get at least one of us back. As I arch a brow, my lips curve into a slight smile. “Mom will be ecstatic.”
Hunter sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “Alright. But if he hurts you again, I won’t stand by and watch. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you two.”
My chest expands. “I know you’re worried, and I love you for it, brother. But I need to do this for Lana, and for me.”
He nods, his eyes finally softening. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. That’s all I ask.”
Tears moisten my eyes as I squeeze his hand. “I promise.”
He stands up and walks over to the window to view the moonlit mountains with his strong back turned to me.
I join him, resting my hand on his broad shoulder. We stand there in silence, taking in the beauty of the evening sky.
Hunter turns to face me, his eyes full of love and acceptance. “Go after what you want, Willow. I’ll always be here for you and Lana.”
Chapter 8
Tristan