It had been a shock to walk in and see the girls dressed in next to nothing, dancing like they were at a hot nightclub in Boston. I’d helped Bella off the table and brought her over to a chair. The way she looked at me that night nearly broke my heart in two. Then she’d placed her hand on the side of my face and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Hunter.”
I was positive if I had moved in closer, she would have kissed me. But before anything else could happen, Abby, Bella’s best friend—who was married to Bishop—had rushed over and grabbed Bella’s hand. They’d practically run out of the room to go change. After they’d all gone back downstairs, Kyle had lectured them on how reckless they’d acted, and we’d left them to continue their girls’ night.
I’d had to take a few cold showers that night to get the image of Bella in that damn sexy outfit out of my head.
Now she walked back into the living room with her coat and purse. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
She practically skipped past me to the door, and I smelled the familiar fragrance that was Bella. Lavender.
I knew why she always smelled like lavender in the summer. The hives were placed between rows and rows of lavender plants that her family had planted. Lavender was one of Bella’s favorite plants. But now the scent was so strong that I wondered if she wore some kind of lotion with the fragrance in it. I drew in a deep breath as we walked out, and she headed for the steps.
“Bella, aren’t you going to lock your door?”
Stopping, she turned and looked back at me. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I forgot! Must be the excitement!”
I smiled. “You don’t make it a habit of forgetting to lock your door, do you, sweetheart?” I paused. “Um, sorry. It’s a habit.”
She tilted her head. “What’s a habit? Telling people to lock their doors?”
The last time I’d called her sweetheart, she’d gotten upset and brought up the fact that I’d slept with Brighton, a mutual friend of ours, and my sister Willa’s best friend. It hadn’t been anything serious at all. When Bella didn’t pick up on the endearment this time, I decided to let it go.
“Yeah, sorry. It’s just, Boggy Creek isn’t as safe as it once was. I’d feel better knowing you locked your door.”
With a nod, she walked back up to the porch and pulled out her keys. After she locked it, she turned and flashed me a grin. “All locked up and no, I don’t normally ever forget to lock it. Now, let’s get to the hospital before Willa has the baby.”
For most of the drive to the hospital, Bella kept quiet. As we got closer, I decided to try for some small talk. If there was one thing I knew about Bella, she loved to talk about her bees.
“Have you checked on the bees?”
She grinned as she looked at me. “No, I try not to bother them in the winter. They’re all clustered to keep warm, so me messing around with the hives only causes them to lose heat.”
“Did you lose very many bees last winter?”
The chance to talk about her beloved bees had her nearly bouncing in her seat. “Not like the year before. This past year, we didn’t harvest as much honey to be sure they had enough through the winter. I’m hoping we can decrease the number of lost bees by half. I hate losing even one, but I know it happens.”
I smiled. No one had a heart as sweet and genuine as the woman sitting beside me. “What do you think Willa and Aiden will have? A boy or a girl?”
She giggled. “I think it’s a girl.”
I glanced her way quickly before looking back at the road. “Really? What makes you say that?”
“Willa was really sick with morning sickness this time around, she said. Plus, she said the baby was super active. More so than Ben. My mom said that means she’s carrying a girl.”
“I’m pretty sure Aiden is hoping for a girl. He won’t come out and say it, but I can tell.”
“Really?” Bella asked as she turned her body more to face me. “You think he wants a girl?”
I nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I do.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw her staring at me. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking.
“What day works for you this week for coffee?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light and carefree. When in truth, I was nearly going mad having her so close to me. I wanted desperately to reach out and take her hand, if only to see if she’d let me.
“Oh, um…Thursday? The store won’t be open, so I’ll be free the whole day, and you’re off, right?”