He tucked the keys in his pocket. “In a minute.” He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her against him. “Don’t leave like this.”
“Like what?” Why did he have to smell so good?
He held her so tightly she couldn’t push him away. “Thinking this is wrong. Amy’s wrong.”
“Eli hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.” He sighed. “Look at me, please.”
She stared at his chest. It was hard, covered in the lightest dusting of hair, coarse beneath her fingers. She swallowed, staring at his neck instead. The strong, sun-kissed neck she’d enjoying kissing not too many hours ago.
“Amy is part of my life—she always will be. I can’t say I’m happy about that, but it’s the truth.” He paused. “But I want you in my life, Jo. To stay, here, with me and Eli.”
She stared up at him. “But Eli—”
“Is my son. It might take some time, but he’ll come ’round. He wants me to be happy.” He kissed her forehead. “And, damn, Jo, you make me happy. Always have.”
She felt the tears building then, hating the weakness they showed. This was bad. He was saying everything she wanted to hear, everything she’d dreamed he’d say. But it wasn’t enough.
She’d never completely gotten over the hurt her mother had caused, never forgotten how it felt to be passed over for her mom’s happiness. She’d resented all the men in her mother’s life and held them at arm’s length because she knew they weren’t there to stay. In time, she’d come to terms with the choices her mom had made, but she’d never forgotten how betrayed she’d felt. She, who was always there to love and support her mother, didn’t make her mother happy. The thought of Eli feeling that way about the father he adored was too much. “I can’t.”
The range of emotions that crossed his face was quick, but she soaked in every spellbinding expression. “Yes, you can.” His determination was clear. “And this time, I’m not gonna let you go without a fight. You hear me?”
She shook her head, forcing the pure joy his words stirred deep down inside her. She drew in a deep breath and spoke carefully. “There’s no fight. Last night was amazing, no denying that.” She cleared her throat, her heart rebelling against the next words she forced out. “But this isn’t where I want to be, Hunter. This isn’t my life.”
His hold lessened on her the slightest bit. “You keep telling yourself that, Jo. I’m happy to prove you wrong.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he released her, leaving her unsteady on her own two feet. He unlocked the car door, held it open for her and handed her the keys when she was sitting inside. She hadn’t realized how cold she was until she was out of the morning wind.
And there he stood, basically shirtless, smiling at her like that. She could see his breath on the air. He had to be freezing. “Get inside before you catch a cold,” she snapped.
He laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”
She shook her head, scowling at him until she was pulling down the driveway. Glancing back provided her with instantaneous relief. Amy and her big red truck weren’t parked in front of the house. Not that she had any right to feel one way or the other about Amy being there. Hunter had told her the truth, as far as he was concerned. And what he’d said... All sorts of ridiculous and conflicting emotions warred inside her. Tears were streaming down her face, some happy, some not so happy.
Chapter Twelve
Josie made sure each loaf of sweet bread was wrapped in waxed paper, then tin foil, before packing them into the plastic travel container. “Are you ready?” she called out to her father.
“In a minute,” he answered. “Still can’t believe your car broke down last night. You need to let the rental car people know. Maybe you can get your money back.”
“Sure, Dad. I’ll do that,” she said quickly, hating lying to her dad. Sprinkles, who’d been watching her from the doorway, yapped at her. “What?” she asked. Sprinkles cocked her head to one side, making a strange little growl. Of disapproval? Did the dog know she was lying? She put her hands on her hips and frowned at the dog. “Give me a break, Sprinkles,” she whispered. The dog yapped again. “I am not going to tell him I had a...sleepover at Hunter’s place. And I’m not going to let something that eats my face cream make me feel guilt.” She turned her back on the dog and straightened up the kitchen.
Why did staying with her father make her feel as if she needed to sneak around? He’d made no secret that he wanted her to give it another chance with Hunter. Heck, her dad would probably throw them a party. Maybe that was why she didn’t say anything. In the twelve hours since her night with Hunter, she’d felt more at odds than ever.
“Everything packed up?” Her father peeked into the kitchen. “Can you feed Sprinkles for me?”
“If you’ll hurry up.” She shot a pointed look at the shaving cream on his face. “Lola will be here any second.”
“We’re picking her up,” her father said, returning to the bathroom. “Awfully eager to get there, aren’t we?”
She didn’t answer. She was eager. She wanted to see Hunter and Eli. Tonight was an opportunity to pretend she was part of that family. She hung up her apron and flipped off the kitchen lights. The dog wa
s still sitting in the doorway. “Is that what this stare-down is about? Are you hungry, Sprinkles? Sorry, I’m still not fluent in dog speak yet.”
Sprinkles did her little growl-yip thing. Josie chuckled.
It took an hour to get ready. Her father had changed shirts six times and nicked himself while shaving. She’d picked out a new shirt, located a Band-Aid and fielded several phone calls concerning the Gingerbread Festival while trying to lure the stubborn little terrier into the kitchen for dinner.
“She likes to eat in the dining room, like me,” her father explained after Josie had circled the kitchen table for the fifth time.