Page 17

T he next morning, Hunter woke up early and headed to the training rink. It felt great to get back into the rhythm of things. He had missed spending time with the team and was excited to finish the season alongside them. They had maintained their position at the top of the National Hockey League, and Hunter was eager to contribute to their continued success.

When Hunter arrived at the rink, he walked in and saw his team members catching up before practice officially started.

“Hey!” Henry said happily to the team. “Hey, Hunter is back!”

Hunter had to admit it felt nice to have Henry as a friend again instead of an enemy. It made the whole thing much easier and less dramatic.

“Hunter!” another team member yelled. “We heard that you were going to play the last game of the season with us. Are you ready?”

“I will be by the time the game starts,” Hunter laughed. “I’m just happy to be back and train, man. I missed all of you.”

They continued to catch up with one another. The team inquired about Adam’s health, overall well-being, and Luna. They all seemed to care genuinely. Hunter thanked them for their genuine concern, and he also thanked them again for all showing up to the hospital that horrible time Adam had relapsed and was back in the hospital.

“Of course, man,” one team member said to Hunter genuinely.

“We are not just a team, Hunter,” another team member said sincerely to him. “We are a family. You know that. I am sure that you would do the same for any one of us if we were ever in similar situations.”

Henry nodded. He knew in his heart that he would. They were all brothers. Even though they fought at times when push came to shove, they were always there for one another, and nothing was going to change that. Hunter smiled as he walked back to the locker room to change. It felt good to be back. Training that day went beyond expectations. It was as if Hunter had never missed a beat. It all came back so naturally to him. He was born to be a hockey player.

When practice was over, Hunter went into the locker room and showered. It was almost time to meet Luna for dinner. He was so excited about his surprise for Luna, and he could not wait until he saw the look on her face at dinner. Once he was done showering, he quickly got dressed, brushed his hair, and sprayed some cologne on his body. He looked at himself in the mirror. This was the first step, a necessary action to propose to Luna.

While Hunter was across the city, Luna was putting the finishing touches on her look. She slipped into a dark green dress that fell to her shins, its thin straps elegantly highlighting her collarbones. After applying a bold coat of red lipstick, she spritzed on some expensive perfume Hunter had gifted her.

Once she finished with her makeup, Luna slipped on a pair of gold heels and admired her reflection in the mirror. However, she felt her outfit was missing something. She decided to search for a pair of pearl earrings in her jewelry box. After fastening them in place, she stepped back to take another look. She felt elegant and poised, excited for the surprise Hunter had planned.

Part of her instinctively thought that he might propose. In contrast, another part wondered if he was taking her to visit her family in Guatemala. Regardless of what the surprise was, she knew she would love it. Hunter always had a way of making her feel special, and as long as she was with him, happiness followed.

Luna walked out of the bedroom and saw Ella playing with Adam in the living room.

“Whoa,” Ella said to Luna when she saw her walk into the room. “You are a knockout!”

Luna felt a warm blush spread across her cheeks, thrilled with how good she looked. She thanked Ella for taking care of Adam that evening, embracing and kissing them both goodbye before stepping out of the apartment. As she approached the front door of the complex, she spotted their usual driver waiting beside a sleek black car with tinted windows. He greeted her with a friendly smile and opened the back door for her.

Climbing into the car, Luna settled into the plush seat, her mind racing with curiosity about where the driver would take her.

“Where are we headed?” she asked the driver.

“Sorry, Luna,” the driver said with a smile. “Hunter made me promise not to tell you. You will just have to wait and see once we get there.”

Once the driver pulled up to the restaurant, Luna noticed where she was. She got out of the car and thanked the driver. She was standing in front of a Central American restaurant. She had been telling Hunter for weeks that she wanted to eat there. She smiled to herself. She was so lucky to have him. Luna walked inside the restaurant and went straight to the hostess’ table.

“You must be Luna,” the hostess said to her immediately. “Hunter is in the back, waiting for you. If you will, please follow me.”

Luna followed the hostess to the back of the restaurant. There was a party room at the back of the building, and Luna wondered why Hunter had rented such a large room for dinner. However, when she walked into the room, she understood why. Luna’s face was filled with shock. Her chin dropped to the floor.

Hunter, Lisa, and her mom stood in the room. Hunter had brought her family in from her native country. Luna ran over to her family and embraced them. Tears started to stream down her eyes. Even though it had only been a few months since she had seen her sister and mother, having them both there in America was joyfully overwhelming. She embraced her family again. Hunter came over, and Luna looked up at him. She mouthed the words thank you to him. He nodded and smiled at her in response. She was happy, and that was all that he cared about. Her happiness was everything to him.

“Hunter was so kind to bring us in,” Lisa said. “We have been getting to know him while we were waiting for you to arrive. He is just lovely, Luna, and Mom agrees, too.”

Luna asked her mother what she thought of Hunter. Her mother responded that Hunter was a handsome and generous young man.

“You did well to find him,” her mother said.

Hunter overheard her comment and smiled before stepping into the conversation.

“Actually, I did well to find her,” Hunter said with love. “She has saved me in more ways than you both know.”

Everyone was in good spirits. The three sat down around the table and ordered wine and appetizers. Luna was so excited to eat food that was similar to what she was used to eating in her native country, and her family members agreed.

“You did well in picking this restaurant,” Lisa said to Hunter. “You get an A plus, Hunter.”

The family continued to get to know one another. They all seemed to fit together easily. It was as if it was all how it was supposed to be. Hunter watched Luna during the dinner. There was an easiness about her. It was nice to see her reunited with her family, and he was happy that he was able to meet both her sister and mother. If he was going to propose to Luna, he wanted her mother’s permission. When the dinner was over, Luna asked her family where they were staying.

“Hunter put us in the nicest hotel, Luna,” Lisa told her sister. “It is just beautiful. We are staying at The Freemont on 5 th . Hunter was nice enough to get us the penthouse. Can you imagine? Mom and I have never stayed in a place so nice! We will be here for three days. So, maybe tomorrow we can meet Adam? I hear he is already calling you, his mother. So, I guess it is time for him to meet his aunt and grandmother!”

“I would love that,” Luna responded to her sister, Lisa. “I will call the hotel in the morning, and we will make plans. I am sure you both want to sleep in. It is a long journey from home to here.”

As the dinner ended, Hunter got up from the table and went to say goodbye to Luna’s sister and her mother. Luna continued to talk to her sister, and Hunter approached her mother. He thanked her for traveling to America and for spending time with them.

“I know it means a lot to her,” Hunter said to her. “Thank you both so much for coming all the way here.”

Luna’s mother smiled. Then, she leaned in slowly and whispered in Hunter’s ear. He listened intently to what she had to say to him.

“You have my permission,” she said to him. “You have my permission to marry my Luna. I can see how happy you two are together and how much you two love each other. Just treat her well, Hunter.”

“I will,” he responded to her happily. “I will love her with all my heart for the rest of our lives.”

Luna bid farewell to her family, watching as they made their way out the door and headed to their hotel. Turning to Hunter, she wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug, filled with gratitude for their wonderful night together.

“This was amazing,” she said to him lovingly. “Thank you so much for my surprise, darling. I loved it so much.”

“Well,” Hunter said to Luna with amusement. “Well, the night isn’t over. Perhaps there are more surprises on the way.”

He looked down at his watch. It was only half past eight. Everything was right on schedule. He looked back at her and smiled.

“It is still early,” he said to her. “Let’s go out. I know a great place. Ella will be fine with Adam. I told her that we would be home late.”

Luna smiled at Hunter and grabbed his hand.

“Let’s go,” she replied to him enthusiastically. “I want to see what else you have in store for us tonight.”

They walked up to the register and paid the bill before walking outside. The car was waiting for them and Hunter opened the door for Luna. The driver immediately drove off without direction. It appeared that he already knew where they wanted to go. Luna noticed this and thought to herself that Hunter had put some planning into the night. Her heart began to race. Perhaps this was the night. Perhaps this was the night that Hunter proposed to her. For a moment, she thought her heart would beat out of her chest. She tried to live in the moment. She did not want to get her hopes up in case he did not propose.

The driver stopped in front of the same bar where Hunter and Luna first met. When the car stopped, Luna got out of the car slowly and looked up at the bar sign hanging in neon lights. It was just as she remembered it. Memories came back, flooding her mind, of how Hunter had saved her from that horrible date.

Hunter and Luna walked into the bar hand in hand. They walked up to the bar together and sat down on bar stools. Hunter ordered drinks for both of them. He ordered a glass of wine and a whiskey on the rocks.

“I still can’t believe how lucky I got that night,” Hunter said.

There was obvious love in his eyes as he spoke to her. Luna thanked the bartender for the drinks and let her eyes meet his. She felt butterflies again, just like the night they first met. Everything was so perfect. The night, her reunion with her family, Hunter, all of it felt exactly like out of a storybook. She hoped that it was not too good to be true. For a moment, she felt herself hold her breath.

“I love you, Luna,” Hunter said, relaxing his stance.

Luna slowly exhaled and looked back up at him.

“Why are you doing all this?” she asked Hunter lovingly. “I am so appreciative of everything. But are you doing all of this tonight? Is there some sort of special occasion?”

Hunter smiled. He gently laughed and took a sip of his whiskey. When he placed the glass on the bar, he placed his hand in his pocket and gently felt the ring inside.

“You always have so many questions,” he said to her with a smile. “It is one of the reasons why I love you, but for tonight, just enjoy each moment, darling. Does that sound okay?”

Luna nodded her head, and they finished their drinks. They sat and talked about the future. What they both wanted out of life as individuals and what they both wanted out of life together. It felt good to talk about their future. It all felt like life was falling into place as it should be. Hunter ordered them another round of drinks. When they were finished, Hunter grabbed Luna by the hand.

“Come on,” he said to her softly. “I have another surprise for you.”

Luna followed him outside and saw the car waiting for them again. She quickly got inside the vehicle. She was eager to see what the next surprise was. Hunter sat beside her and held her hand. He looked down at her feet.

“We are going to have to get you different shoes for this surprise,” he said to her excitedly.

Luna looked down and questioned his last statement. Why would she need new shoes?

“You will see when we get there,” Hunter chuckled. “Don’t worry, darling, I have everything all figured out.”

Luna watched as they ventured out of the heart of the city. The city lights grew smaller and smaller. As they continued to drive away, Luna could feel something brewing. She looked over at Hunter and noticed how handsome he looked. She could feel it. Tonight was the night. Tonight was the night that she was going to get engaged to Hunter, the man of her dreams.