Back Country (The Country Duet #2)(24)

I take a seat by the demolished cake, and observe the parents who trickle in and pick up their parents. Once all of Baker’s friends are gone, she waltzes over to me climbing in my lap. She lets out a long yawn, then rubs her sleepy eyes.

“Did you have a good day?” I whisper into the top of her head.

She nods. “It was perfect.”

She yawns a few more times, and I watch as her little eyes begin to flutter shut.

“Want to know what I wished for?” She relaxes back in my arms until I’m holding her like a brand new baby.

“If you want to tell me.” I stare down into her perfect blueberry colored pupils.

“I wished for a Daddy. My momma told me she loves you. Talked about you ever since I came to live with her. I want a Daddy, Hunter.”

I open my mouth, but there are no words at this moment. Not one single word would even be able to express the pressure building up in my chest. All I can do is lean down and kiss her forehead. It’s only a matter of seconds before Baker’s eyes fall closed and her breathing evens out.





13





Teale





The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.

-Dolly Parton





“You truly made Baker’s day.” I run lines down the cold mug in front of me.

“She made my day. You’ve raised an incredible daughter, Teale.”

“I’ve been honest with her since the day Jerico brought her to me. I told her about how I hurt you, and should’ve been honest, and how much I love you.”

“She told me.” He takes a long pull from his beer.

“She did?” I quirk up a brow.

“In a roundabout way, she did.” He leans in closer over the table. We are so close I can taste the beer floating off his lips. “She told me she wished for a Daddy today, and wants it to be me because her momma loves me.”

I cover my face in embarrassment. Have to love the honesty from babes. “I do love you, Hunter, but you need to hear the whole story. I should’ve told you from day one, but it was all too painful. It sounds dumb, but I figured if I didn’t talk about it then it would fade away.”

Hunter shocks me when he slides out of his side of the booth and then slides into my side. He pushes me until I’m up against the wall and there’s no room between our two bodies. Hunter seductively licks his lips, with hunger and desire simmering in his eyes.

“Let me kiss you first,” he whispers.

I don’t even have time to nod before his lips brush against mine. We both still relish in the contact. My eyes snap shut allowing me to take everything Hunter in. I’ve missed his taste, tender touch, and love. He’s my other half, and I knew this the day I met him. The timing was all wrong, but it didn’t stop me. I nearly lost my other half because of it.

His tongue swipes across my lips, and I open for him. He swipes into my mouth soaking up my taste. It takes me long moments before I move and taste him. We kiss like hell until we are forced to part and inhale oxygen.

“I’ve been dying to do that since you were cooking me waffles.” He smiles.

“Hunter.” I place my palms on his chest and squeeze my eyes shut, hoping not lose courage. “I have to get this out.”

He wraps an arm around my shoulder pulling me into his chest. His lips kiss the top of my head over and over. “Talk, baby.”

“My Sophomore year I thought I fell in love. Mr. Hawthorne, my English teacher, was the man who I thought I loved. He paid me particular attention and seduced me in with his looks and words. I’m not innocent here, Hunter. One thing led to the other, and we had a sexual relationship.”

I choke on my words, not wanting to finish the story even though the ugliest part has been divulged.

“I find myself sixteen and pregnant with my teacher’s child. My parents’ marriage was already falling apart, then this was the final straw that shredded everything. My mom was a monster on a war path. She sued the school and pressed charges against Mr. Hawthorne. Everything went public. She wasn’t doing it for me, but the paycheck.

Long story short, they took Baker from me when she was born. I only had special visitation with her, and I never missed a visit. Mr. Hawthorne’s brother, Jerico, was also on a mission to save his family’s name. He won primary custody after years of court battles. There was a stipulation about me getting a steady career, then the court would re-evaluate.

Jerico has a new fiancée, and the attention had worn off having Baker, so he brought her back to me. He wasn’t abusive to her, but also wasn’t a good man.”

“Why were you here in Idaho?” Hunter asks.

I squeeze my eyes tight. “I had to leave California to focus in on my nursing degree. There were too many distractions in California, between my mom and Jerico’s mind games. I did everything to get her back. The sacrifice killed me, then I met you.”

“And Mr. Hawthorne?” Is his next question.

“He’s in prison and has signed away all rights to Baker.”

“So, she’s yours now?”

“Yes, Hunter, she’s all mine. It’s been a battle since the day I fell pregnant.”

“And Jerico was bad to her?”