Page 67 of Hogging the Hunk

Hiding her face into the sleeves of her sweatshirt, she sobbed with great, hiccuping breaths. Drawing her in, her shoulder shook as she released all the tension she’d been trying to bear alone.

“Hey,” I brushed her hair away. “It’s alright. We’re safe. The storm’s gone.”

“It’s not that.” Ellie released another round of wailing. “It’s because of her!”

She flung her arm at Beckett. The dread on her face was the same thing making my stomach flip like one of Trixie’s blueberry pancakes.

“I’m sorry,” Beckett stammered. “I didn’t realize I was—”

“No, it’s not you.” Wiping her snotty nose with her sleeve, Ellie made herself laugh. “I mean, I’m crying because of you, but it’s not your fault.”

Looking to me for clarification, I couldn’t figure Ellie out any better than Beckett. She cleared her throat and focused on Ellie, wanting to hear what she had to say. Beckett’s attentive listening was one of the many things I loved about her. She cared about people, no matter who they were, and wanted to hear what they had to say.

“Care to explain?” Beckett asked.

“I feel bad,” Ellie inhaled a shaky breath, “that I was so mean to you. I knew my dad liked you, and I did everything I could to keep you two away from each other. That wasn’t fair of me.”

Beckett waited, making sure Ellie was finished. “I appreciate you letting me know. You should also know that I get it. I’m not claiming I grew up in similar circumstances, but I understand that your father is a very special man.”

With that small compliment, what had been a warm ember of respect and appreciation for Beckett had grown into a cheerfully crackling fire of adoration for her. I could bask in the warm glow forever and never ask for anything more.

“He is.” Ellie choked on a sob. “But, I really miss my mom, too.”

“I’m sure you do, sweetie. You know, no matter what happens, I won’t replace her, right? She’ll always be special to you.”

“I know.” Scrubbing her arm across her puffy, red eyes, Ellie sniffled. “Asher and I talked about missing our mothers when I was babysitting him, too. He told me that having a stepmom was awesome. They choose to come into a family, knowing there are already kids involved. Plus, he reminded me that most stepmoms aren’t trying to feed their stepchildren poisoned apples.”

My laugh was nervous. Beckett had seen the pendulum swing of Ellie loathing her to talking about Beckett like she would accept her role as stepmother, no question. I hadn’t even said out loud that I loved Beckett.

I hadn’t even kissed her yet.

If I worked it right, both things could be remedied soon. Maybe tonight.

“I appreciate you sharing that with me, Ellie.” Beckett accepted a hug from Ellie. “I hope from now on, we can be more honest with each other. That’ll be better for the both of us, don’t you think?”

“Probably.” With her anxieties flushed out of her system, Ellie breathed deeply. “Dad? Can I walk Truffle over to Bonita’s house?”

“It would be a good idea to check on her,” I said.

With a pitiful look, Ellie chewed her lower lip. “I’m hungry, too.”

“You want to go over there because Bonita feeds you?”

“Bonita always has the good snacks.”

“You eat more than I do.” I shooed Ellie toward Bonita’s. There was minor damage even to the trees down her street. “Watch out for downed power lines and fallen tree limbs. If there are any, come straight back here. Maybe text when you get there, too.”

“Dad… it’s like, three blocks away. I’ll just shout to you that I made it if you’re really that worried.” Making a kissy noise to Truffle, who grunted her acknowledgement that she knew they were leaving, Ellie and Truffle took off at a brisk pace toward Bonita’s.

“She’s a good kid.” Beckett leaned against the bumper of her grandmother’s truck. It was as tough as the old lady—there wasn’t a scratch on it. “You two are lucky to have each other.”

“We are.”

Resting my foot on the bumper as I settled next to Beckett, our usual companionable silence seemed weightier. There was a lot we hadn’t unsnarled and spoken aloud yet, but for the first time, we both knew there was a path forward.

Beckett was the first to break the silence. “Greg and I are over with.”

“Finally. You were way too good for that guy.”