Can't Help Falling in Love - Samantha Chase Page 0,86

There’s a flight out this afternoon we can get you on that will have you to Nashville in three and a half hours. You give me the go-ahead and Scarlett’s standing by waiting to book it for you.”

Unsure of what to say, he paced.

“Stop overthinking this. That’s how you got into this mess. Take a chance, Hunter! Show Violet you’re willing to put in the work!” When he still didn’t answer, Dean huffed with annoyance. “C’mon, man! Say something!”

Ignoring his brother, Hunter walked to the living room and stood next to his son. “How would you like to stay with Aunt Scarlett and Uncle Mason for a few days?”

Eighteen

It was a beautiful afternoon and Violet knew she should be working, but it was too lovely out to stay inside. As she walked around the park, it occurred to her how she wished she had a dog to walk. All around her, people were walking dogs and–not for the first time–she wished she could just go to the local shelter and adopt one.

“No, dopey. You travel too much. How fair would that be to a dog?”

It didn’t stop her from wanting one, though.

Well, a dog, a husband, a couple of kids, a house with a white picket fence…yeah, damn Hunter Jones for opening her eyes to a life she never thought she’d have. Even after all her visits with Katie, she never felt the tug of longing to settle down like she did after spending time with Hunter and Eli.

Visions of Eli with a puppy came to mind, and her heart ached.

A few blocks from home, she considered stopping for some groceries so she could cook dinner rather than getting takeout, but immediately reconsidered.

“I will stop at the bakery though,” she murmured, already envisioning getting one of the monster fudge brownies or maybe some cupcakes.

And immediately her mind went to Hunter.

Not like it was hard to make that happen. It seemed like it didn’t take much these days to make her think of him.

Deciding she didn’t want to invite the memories, she opted to just go home and dive into her work. There was zero chance of that making her think of Hunter. After all, he had made it abundantly clear he no interest in traveling anywhere ever. So the faster she got home, the faster she could push her thoughts of him out of her mind for a little while.

She caught a faint whiff of sweetness from the bakery, so she thought of Hunter.

She walked by a pizza place and thought of Hunter.

Then she passed a fire hydrant. And thought of Hunter.

“Ugh…I seriously need to find a way to stop doing this. It’s not possible to walk around and see and think of Hunter everywhere I go.” Turning onto her block, she saw someone standing at her door and…yeah…he looked like Hunter.

Groaning, she mentally chided herself because he wasn’t the only man on the planet who was tall with sandy brown hair and built like a fantasy. Hell, she knew she could pick up any fireman calendar or look at any men’s magazine and see dozens of guys who looked exactly like Hunter.

Wracking her brain, Violet tried to think if she had ordered something and the guy at her door was delivering it.

The closer she got, she saw he did have something in his hands and her heart kicked hard in her chest when she saw it was a pink box.

Just like the ones from Henderson’s bakery.

Suddenly, she was frozen on the spot–afraid to get any closer. What if this was a mirage? What if all these crazy thoughts she’d been having for the last several minutes were making her think she was seeing Hunter when he wasn’t really there?

But what if it’s really him?

Tears stung her eyes as she realized if he was there…then he came to get her.

No one had ever come back for her.

Her entire life was spent with people leaving her, but if that was Hunter Jones in the flesh on her doorstep, then for once in her life, she meant enough to someone for them to come back for her.

It was a terrifying and exciting thought.

Up ahead, she saw him turn to look around and knew the instant he spotted her.

The practical, bad-ass side of her demanded she calmly walk the rest of the way and assume an air of confidence–like it was no big deal that he was here. But her heart had other plans, and before she knew it, Violet was running up