Page 77 of Hunter
“Well,” says Harper, “from my own personal experience, which was pretty freaking challenging, making a relationship work—especially in the beginning—is a lot about compromise.”
“Agree,” says McKenna. She turns to me, her eyebrows furrowed like she’s remembering something. “God, everything happened so fast last summer, Iz, I don’t know if I ever told youthis! Before Mimi fell, Tanner’s and my plan was to move her to a memory care center in Haines. I was going to rent a place in Haines to stay near her, while Tanner would stay in Skagway during the summer, then join me in Haines when the busy season was over. I’m not gonna lie—the relocation bit felt a little daunting, but it meant that Tanner and I would only be an hour-long ferry ride away from each other.”
I stare at her, my mouth open.
We tell each other everything; how did I not know this?
“You were going to move to Alaska, Ken? With Mimi?”
She nods. “I can’t believe I never told you. But, yeah. I was. I was definitely thinking about it.”
“I thought…I thought you only moved up here because she passed away.”
“Nope. There was a plan in the works before she passed. I loved him, you know? I knew I needed to be closer to him, and at that point, it didn’t really matter where Mimi was, as long as she was getting good care.” She blinks away the tears gathering in her eyes. “But then she fell…and passed away. And so I moved to Skagway instead.”
I take her hands in mine, tears filling my eyes, too—because she suffered when she lost her Mimi and because the thought of leaving my parents behind hurts.
“I can’t leave my parents and move up here,” I whisper. “I can’t do that to them.”
“Oh, Iz!” she says, pulling me into her arms. “I know that! We all know that! It’s a totally different situation.”
“Do you think Hunter will leave Skagway and move to Seattle?” asks Reeve, her voice soft and small.
I draw away from McKenna, looking at Hunter’s littlest sister.
“I don’t want that for him,” I tell her. “I’ve already told him so.”
Harper “hmms” again.
“For the love of God!” exclaims Reeve, shoving Harper so hard, she almost falls off the bed. “What’s the ‘hmm’ about this time?”
“Isabella’s compromising,” Harper points out, shoving Reeve back. “She’s coming back to Skagway for three months next summer.”
“Right,” says Reeve. “And…?”
Harper tilts her head to the side. “Is Hunter compromising, too?”
“Are you saying youwantour brother to move to Seattle?” Reeve demands.
“No,” says Harper. “But Hunter’s not just our brother, Reeve. He’s a man, and he loves this woman. And this woman loves her family, just as fiercely as you love yours, babycakes.” Harper turns to me, her expression thoughtful and gentle, and I’m so grateful for her mature, measured advice in this conversation. “Compromise is essential. Onbothsides. Fromboth peopleand frombothof their families.”
“That’s good advice right there,” says McKenna, nodding earnestly.
“Oh my god!” exclaims Reeve. “This is getting too deep!”
McKenna turns to Reeve. “Wanna pop some more popcorn?”
“Yes! Please!”
As Ken and Reeve hop off the bed and head to the kitchen to pop another bowl, Harper sits cross-legged across from me and narrows her eyes. They’re blue and piercing and slightly terrifying in their intensity, but I find I can’t look away.
“You love him?” she asks me.
“Completely,” I say without hesitation.
“Does he know that?”
“I think so,” I say. “But I haven’t said the words. Not exactly.”