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I shook it off as I climbed into the shower. There was nothing for it—I was pregnant, and today

would probably suck. Best to get on with it.

A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, HUNTER PAUSED IN THE GARAGE, LOOKING BETWEEN HIS SPORTS CAR AND MY LAND

Rover. Finally he put his hand to the small of my back to lead me to the passenger side of my Land

Rover.

“I didn’t say you could drive my car,” I said as I climbed up into the seat.

“Can I drive?”

“What’s the magic word?”

He was smiling as he got into the driver’s seat. “I love you.”

“That is three words. And therefore, not correct. Try again, please.” I nodded toward him. “I just

gave you a hint.”

He pushed the button to open the garage. His smile grew. “I love that you’re the mother of my

child.”

“I’m not even going to count those words. Epic fail. Keep trying.”

He started the car. “Last night was the best sex of my life, and it was because it was so much more

than sex. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone, ever. You’ve helped me to experience the world

around me, and that has allowed me a larger capacity to care. You are everything to me, Olivia.”

I blinked away tears. I loved his sticky-sweet moments, when he took a look around him and

realized that he’d been living a half-life all this time. He then opened up his heart and put to words all the things he felt—rare for a man.

“Wrong again,” I said, putting my hand on his upper thigh.

“Please,” he said, pulling out of the driveway.

“That’s it! Kind of jumped the gun on the privilege, though. Next time, you might try using it

before
you drive away in my car.”

“Ah. Is that how it works.”

“It is indeed. Don’t worry. I’ll get you society-ready in no time. Next lesson, thank you.”

It didn’t take long to realize we were going to see my mom before the “other things” he’d

mentioned. A thought struck me. His mom was out this way, too. Maybe he finally planned to stop in

and confront one of his remaining fears. We’d get my mom’s blessing—hopefully—and he’d get his

mom’s. That would make this day much less sucky.

About a half-hour later we pulled to a stop outside of my mother’s house. My heart sank when I

saw her car in the driveway. I hadn’t called her to say we were coming. I should have, but I really

hoped she wouldn’t be home.

“She’s home.” I opened the door as Hunter did.

“These jeans are tight. I don’t think she can get her hand in my pocket.” Hunter came around the

car and took my hand.

“It won’t be long until you know for sure, huh?”

Standing in front of her door, I knocked. Then buckled down and ran the doorbell. Maybe she

wouldn’t answer…

The lock disengaged.

“Damn.”

The door swung open, revealing my mother, all done up and smiling. She had on a breezy,

expensive-looking dress and glittering jewelry. Her hair was swept back, showing impeccable

makeup on her beautiful face, looking ten years younger than her true age.

“Do you have company over?” I asked in confusion. She always did hair and makeup, but this was

overkill for a Saturday morning.

“Just you!” She stepped back and gestured us in. “Welcome, Hunter. May I call you Hunter?”

“Yes.” Hunter directed me in and then stepped in behind me. He was wearing his business mask,

making him somewhat curt and distant. It had the effect of simmering down my mother’s exuberance.

Strangely, it also calmed me. If anyone could handle my mom, Hunter could.

“Come in, come in. I was so excited to get your call. Can I get you a drink?” My mother bustled

ahead of us, leading us into the living room.

“You called her? That’s cheating,” I muttered.

“A glass of wine, maybe?” she asked, watching as we sat. “Brandy?”

“Coffee is fine for me,” Hunter said. He glanced at me.

“Water, Mom. Thanks.”

“Sure. Stay right there.” She glided out of the room.

“I’ve never been on this end of her people-pleasing side. It’s weird.” I leaned against Hunter as

he took my hand again, threading his fingers between mine.

“I didn’t plan on being here long. We can leave whenever you want.”

I made as if to get up. He smiled. “Let’s break the news first.”

My mom came back in with a tray. She set the tray on the coffee table and distributed drinks. She

offered a plate of crackers and cheese to Hunter.

He shook his head before looking at me.

“Olivia?” My mom said, moving a little closer.

“No, thanks.”

She set the plate down and situated herself in the chair across from me. Her legs crossed at the

ankles and her dress swished just right. She leaned against the arm of the chair in a way that said

relaxed
and
interested in your conversation
at the same time. The woman could entertain better than anyone I’d met. She was a pro.

“We can’t stay long, Mom,” I started. It needed to be said.

“I’m just so happy you stopped by. I’ve been trying to get you over for months!” She gave us a big

smile.

“Well…”

“You are really cute together, let me just say,” she said.

“Thanks, Mom. So, um…” I randomly gestured. No reason for it. Just movement to dispel some of

my nervousness. “We thought that you’d want to know that…I’m pregnant.”

Her face froze, as though she had to stop all reaction to keep that smile plastered on. A shadow

crossed her eyes as her gaze dropped to my stomach. Her facial muscles danced as a frown wrestled

her pencil-thin eyebrows. Before it could win, that smile was beaming again. “Congratulations!

That’s great!”

She stood, all graciousness, and held out her arms. “Give me a hug. That is just great.”

Her tone had changed. She had been overly exuberant before, but now it sounded like she was

struggling to be optimistic. As if depression were dragging her down.

I hugged her, confused. After sitting down, I noticed that her smile had become forced. She didn’t

initiate the next leg in the conversation.

“I’m four months along.” I took Hunter’s hand.

She nodded, her smile sputtering. She looked at Hunter, and then down at her hands. “That’s

great.”

“So…” I didn’t know what to say. I expected her to ask a few questions. Instead, she picked at her

dress, making sure it swirled around the chair just right, and then looked up at Hunter. Her forced

smile was back.

“How is business?” she asked him.

He squeezed my hand. “Just fine. I’m ahead of where I want to be.”

“Oh that’s good. I hear you have a real head for business.”

“I started a business,” I said. “Kinda. I’m a partner. The game we created has done really well.”

“Is that right?” My mom looked at me with blank, uninterested eyes. I knew this look well. I just

hadn’t expected to see it today.

“Yeah. I don’t work for Hunter anymore,” I continued. “We live together, though. I think I told you

that…”

“You didn’t, no. You just said you were dating him. I didn’t think it would last, in all honesty.”

Her smile was thin. She started, then laughed. “Just because you’re so fickle, honey, you know!” She laughed again, a high-pitched, uncomfortable sound. “She finally found someone who could meet her

high expectations,” she said to Hunter. “It’s so great.”

“I think we need to go, Olivia,” Hunter said quietly to me, squeezing my hand. “Your mother

probably has a lot to do.”

I expected my mom to resist. To engage us in conversation. Instead, she stood. “That’s too bad. It

was nice of you to visit, though, Hunter. Thank you guys for stopping by.”

“That’s it?” I asked in confusion. I had wanted to leave early, but we’d just arrived. The departure was a bit abrupt.

“What do you mean, honey? I’m so happy for you. It’s just great.” She didn’t mean those words. I

could hear it in her tone.

Taken aback, I let Hunter lead me toward the door. Once there, my mom opened it and smiled.

“Good to see you, Olivia. Nice to meet you again, Hunter. Congrats. That’s just great.”

How many times was she going to say
great
?

“Okay. Bye, Mom…” I let Hunter direct me, utterly confused. Once in the car, I just stared at the

house for a minute, in a fog. “What the heck just happened?”

Hunter started the car. “She’s jealous.”

“Huh?”

“She’s jealous. You landed the wealthy bachelor. Didn’t you say that that was her life’s plan?

You’ve done what she could not.”

“Usually parents are happy when their kids fulfill their dreams.”

“I don’t know your mother that well, but I think you just reminder her that her life’s been a failure.

She’s tried for how many years? You accomplished it in less than one. It probably galls. It did for my father as it concerned business. He didn’t try to hide his frustration like your mother did. That is a credit to her.”

“When you got the better job, you mean?”

“When I left my father’s company for a CEO position, yes.” Hunter sped up and got onto the

freeway, going in the opposite way to home. “He exploded in anger. Then threatened me. You’ve seen

the result.”

“So my parental situation is less messed up than yours, huh? You try to beat me at everything.”

Hunter took my hand. “I think she’ll come around. She tried to hide her disappointment. That

means she cares about you.”

“As much as she ever did, anyway.”

“That’s better than the alternative.”

I couldn’t argue there. His dad was terrible. I guess I now knew my mom wasn’t horrible. Just…

not great.

I looked out of the window for a while, but saw nothing. I had to admit that the meeting with my

mom wasn’t sitting well. I would rather have had her try to get money out of Hunter, in the open, than do this suffer-in-silence routine. Because she was suffering, I had no doubt. Hunter was right: she’d tried to land the rich guy all her life. All she’d had was disappointment. The one time she got close, she found out she was pregnant with a poor man’s child. I’d dashed what she’d probably thought was

her last hope. And now, here I was, getting it all. Getting her dream.

She probably felt like I’d robbed her.

“She’s never been great to me, and sometimes I’ve hated her, but this sucks.” I felt a rise of

emotion as we parked. “I don’t want her to be unhappy.”

I felt Hunter’s fingers run through my hair. When I turned to him, his eyes were full of love and

sympathy. “We’ll give her a chance to get over her disappointment, and then we’ll try again. It’ll work out, Livy. Okay?”

I closed my eyes, squeezing out a tear. I felt his thumb wipe across my cheek. “Your confidence is

soothing.”

“Are you ready for the next event of the day?”

I took a deep breath and looked around. We were at a cemetery. The cemetery where we’d buried

my father.

“Why…?”

Hunter was getting out of the car.

I followed suit, more emotion springing up. He wanted to symbolically tell my dad I was

pregnant. Tears came to my eyes for the second time.

“He’d really like you, you know,” I told Hunter as he took my hand.

“Why is that?”

“This—all the thoughtful stuff you do. He’d know that you were taking good care of me. And that

you made me happy. That was always his chief concern.”

Hunter walked me up the grassy berm. As we approached my dad’s tombstone, I sucked in a

breath.

Growing on his plot and around the stone were sunflowers. They pointed toward the sun,

welcoming me. Filling me with memories.

“Who…?”

“I hope you don’t mind—I hired a gardener to tend his plot. He was such an important man to you,

I felt you’d want him looked after.”

I stood in front, dumbfounded. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I hope I didn’t step out of bounds.”

I shook my head, my lip quivering. “How do you think of these things for me while still being the

rudest man alive to everyone else? It doesn’t make any sense.” I laughed through my tears. “No, I

don’t mind. You didn’t overstep anything. I wish I could come here more often.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask him a question.”

Hunter stepped in front of me. Confused, because this had just become weird, I moved to the side.

“Sir,” he said softly. He took a deep breath. “I wondered if I could ask your permission for

Olivia’s hand in marriage?”

Chapter Nine

My world bleached of color for a moment as I processed what he’d said. I looked at him with

incredulous eyes as my stomach flipped over.

He stood for a moment, just looking at the headstone, before turning to me with small worry lines

around his eyes. As soon as his gaze hit me, though, I could see the anxiety melting out of his

expression.

The idiot wasn’t sure I’d say yes! What woman on the planet would turn him down, especially

one as head-over-heels as I obviously was?

“Yes,” I said in a gush. Tears flooded my eyes.

A delighted smile lit up his face before his brow furrowed. “Eavesdropping is rude. I haven’t

asked you yet.”

He ran his fingers under my chin before bending slowly to run his lips across mine. “Shall we

go?”

He straightened up and placed his hand on the small of my back. When I didn’t move, I felt a little

pressure, urging me on.

“Are you serious?” I asked. I wasn’t budging. “You’re going to tease me with that but hold out on

the goods?”

His hand slid to my waist and pulled me into his hard body. “All good things to those who wait.”

I crinkled my nose at him and let him direct me back to the car. It took everything I had not to jump up and down in utter excitement. I had to call Kimberly! She would flip her lid!