When I'm With You (Little Hollow Series, #2)(69)

He takes a look at Hunter. “There was-”

“No, dad. I have a life now somewhere else, people who care about me. I want nothing to do with you or the club.”

Hunter flinches and my dad flicks his eyes back to him. “Why are you still by her side, protecting her like a lovesick puppy? She’s built a life without you, Bear. You heard her, she’s better than the club, she doesn’t want anything to do with us, let’s go.”

My dad turns and walks to the door, opening it and I steel myself for Hunter to follow him, only he stays rooted to the spot beside me. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

There’s murmurs between the brothers who have obviously been listening in on our conversation, and Hunters dad steps forward. “Don’t be stupid, Bear.”

“Stupid?” Hunter shakes his head, his eyes flicking down to mine and then back up. “I’ll call when I’m discharged and we’ll have church, until then, I’d like to get some rest.”

He wheels me into his room and shuts the door behind us.

“What was that?” I ask.

“What was what?” He counters sarcastically.

“What just happened there?” I wave my arm in the direction of the door.

He shrugs. “I don’t want to be a part of that chapter anymore, Kee. You have no idea what it’s like there now. Everything has gone to shit and seeing you again… fuck.” He cups my face with his good hand. “When I said you were mine, I meant it. I’m going wherever you go and if you don’t like that, it’s fuckin’ tough, Steely, because I’m in love with you and I always fuckin’ have been, no doubt about it.”

There go the butterflies. The enormity of what he’s saying floors me. He’s giving up the club for me.

Tears spring to my eyes. “Hunter, you can’t do this. You love the club.”

He looks at me with emotion filled eyes, and my frozen heart thaws completely. “None of that matters anymore, I just want to keep you safe, have you in my life again like you were always meant to be. I have a chance to make things right and I sure as hell ain’t givin’ you up again.”

His lips crash down onto mine and I lose myself in his caresses, but he pulls away all too soon and walks over to the window.





It’s bittersweet watching my brother and pop ride away out of the window. Knowing what I’m going to do as soon as I get back to the clubhouse has me a little on edge, but as I turn to look into Keeley’s expecting eyes, that all fades away. I know I’ve made the right choice this time. I love the club that it used to be, but she’s my future. There’s no competition.

“Hunter… I…,” she stammers.

I take calculating steps toward her. “I should’ve listened to the voice in my head when I shut that car door on you three years ago. It told me to take you away from all the shit, to protect you, but I didn’t listen. I was too fuckin’ stubborn.”

I get within reaching distance of her wheelchair and she puts out her hand. “Hunter, we haven’t seen each other in three years. We’re different people, we-”

“Shut up, Steely.” My lips crash down onto hers again, taking every ounce of doubt and worry away from her. There’s still a lot that we need to figure out but right here, right now, it’s just about us.

She doesn’t kiss me back at first, fighting with herself, but I soon feel her tense body relax and her hand brushes my neck as she reaches for the back of my hair, which elicits a low moan from me.

I want to pick her up and take her against the wall but I throw water over the flame growing inside me, I need to remind myself that she’s hurt. I’d say fragile but that’s just not my Steely, she’s just a little damaged right now, that’s all.

“I’ve missed these lips,” I whisper.

“If I remember correctly, it’s been four years since our last kiss and that was just under the mistletoe for the sake of your mom.” She laughs, not realizing what she’s said. Mom didn’t get diagnosed until three months after Keeley had been gone. She gasps. “Hunter, you can’t leave your mom, it’ll break her heart.”

My eyes spring shut and I force back the tears. “Kee…” I clear my throat not able to get the words out.

“Hunter?” I open my eyes and she brings my face up to hers. “What’s happened?”

I sigh. “My mom passed away two years ago.”

She covers her mouth and shakes her head. I don’t even realize I’m crying like a fuckin’ girl in front of her until she wipes at my cheeks with her delicate hands. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”

“We did, damn near broke my heart when we found out she had the big C, but she was her happy self all the way until the end.” I smile at her memory. “I’m sorry about your mom, can’t have been easy findin’ out that way.”

She shrugs. “It’s hard, but I think I made peace a long time ago that I was never going to see her again. I’m just sad she went out the way she did, by that psychotic asshole.”

I nod in understanding and we both go silent, caught up in memories.

I turn my head away as I hear someone knock at the door and open it. “Sorry to interrupt, the nurse needs to see you, Kee. She’s going to your room now,” the redhead from earlier says.