Page 4 of Waiting for You (Balsam Cliffs #3)

Staring at my phone, I delete another letter from Hunter’s name in his contact. He’s down to Hun, which kind of pisses me off. It's like a term of endearment every time I look now.

I started deleting a letter from his name a few years ago.

Every time he pisses me off or does something shitty, I delete a letter.

When the last letter is gone, so is his contact.

Honestly, I should just delete his number, but out of all the times I’ve deleted a letter from his name, they’ve all been from an in person run in.

So deleting his name off my phone would do nothing to help me.

I don’t even know if I’m deleting a number he still has.

But it makes me feel better about the situation. A placebo effect, if you will.

Today’s deletion comes from me tossing and turning over his inquisition about Neil a few days ago. And while he’s not wrong, it’s not fair that he, of all people, gets to point out how wrong we are for each other and be right.

I should delete the N strictly for the fact I’m still thinking about him. Then the U and H too for the fact that even after what he did to me, I still love him.

“I can’t believe you’re finally home.” I straddle Hunter’s lap on the beach. “And that I had to wait all day to do this.” I lean down, taking his lips with mine.

His hands grip tight at my waist. “It’s been too fucking long since you got to do that.”

We continue our makeout session, until it gets too close to something else.

I unzip Hunter’s pants, ready for everything. I’m almost a senior and I’m tired of holding back with him. But instead his hands cover mine, stopping me.

“I can’t Eve. Not yet. Not until I can tell Rome tomorrow. Then I’m one hundred percent yours.”

“I can’t wait.” I kiss him once more and lay between his legs, resting my head back on his stomach.

“I love you, Eve. I just want to do things right. And I need Rome’s blessing.” I freeze. This is the first time Hunter’s told me he loves me.

“You love me?” I hop up on my knees facing him.

“Of course I do. Did ya think I didn’t?”

I launch myself at him, knocking him down onto his back. My face hovers over his. “I love you too, Hunter Keaton.”

I roll my eyes at the memory before pocketing my phone and heading out to walk over to my brother’s brewery, Rebels, to get dinner. Memories don’t do me any good.

Luckily, Liam nor Violet are at the desk so I sneak out fairly quickly.

The night air is chilly in the fall weather.

I pull my sweater tighter around my body, but suck in a deep breath of fresh air.

It’s so nice to not smell exhaust or trash when I take a deep breath.

I get a full breath of nothing but fresh salty air.

I don’t want to leave Balsam Cliffs to go back to Portland. I’m not ready yet. But the inn is full, so I’ll have to suck it up and move in with Roman and Emma or find somewhere to rent longer term. Something that, last I checked, isn’t easy to come by here.

Wyatt sits at the bar talking to Roman, so I join them taking the stool next to Wy. I sit with a sigh. Both men look at me.

“What ails you, baby sister?” Roman asks, laughing at my dramatics.

“I have to leave tomorrow. I don’t want to.”

“Why do you have to leave?” Wyatt asks before shoving a fork full of food into his mouth.

“The inn is totally booked. So I have to check out tomorrow.”

Roman puts a pumpkin beer on the counter in front of me. “Why not stay with me and Ems? You know you’re welcome any time.”

“Oh, so I can cramp your newlywed style?” I scrunch my nose. “No, thanks.”

“I have a cabin for rent.” Wyatt offers simply. “Got approved yesterday.”

Both Rome and I look at him, blinking slowly. “You have a cabin?” I repeat after him, waiting for some clarification.

“Yeah. I mean it was a shed, but Hunt just converted it into one of those tiny homes, studio-type places. Looks fucking great. It’s on my property but not so close you’d get sick of me. Unless of course, you wanted to spend some time, maybe at night, when it’s dark, and you’re scared of the bears…”

“Dude. That’s my sister.” Rome says wiping down the counter but it lacks any conviction.

“Um, last I checked you’re married to my sister and we found you with your dick out with her on your desk. So. The sister card is kind of off the table at this point.”

I laugh at Wyatt. “He’s got you there, big brother.”

“Whatever. I’m going to order your food.” He walks off leaving me with Wyatt.

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t know that I can commit to a year. I’d love to, but I do have a life in Portland that I will eventually have to get back to.” I lean back in the bar stool, bringing my glass rimmed with cinnamon and sugar to my lips.

“I’d do month to month for you if you want. I haven’t listed it yet, and you know you’ll always get first dibs.” He pushes his now empty plate back on the bar for one of the barbacks to grab.

“Can I see it? Not that I don’t trust you. I’m just curious what a tiny cabin on Wyatt Keaton’s property looks like.”

“Sure, finish your beer and we can go over before you eat dinner.”

“You’re ready to leave?” I raise a brow at him, usually he stays late into the night and leaves with the newest tourist on his arm.

“I just stopped by for dinner. I gotta be on shift at seven tonight. Working late. Again.” He sighs heavily, clearly unhappy with the overnight shift at the police department.

I down my beer, placing the glass back on the bar. Wyatt is staring at me with his mouth agape. “What?”

“Damn girl. Didn’t mean you had to chug it.”

I shrug in response. We both flag Rome down to let him know that we’re going to look at Wyatt’s place, he salutes us before going back to serving one of the tables. I follow Wyatt out to the parking lot, since I walked here, I’m going to have to hitch a ride with him.

“All buckled?” he asks.

“Yes, Dad. I’m buckled.” I chuckle at him.

As we leave we pass Hunter’s truck in the parking lot. He rolls his window down to talk to Wyatt.

“Hey, where you going so early? I thought I had time to meet you before shift.” He looks past Wyatt to see me in the front seat. “Eve.”

“Hi, Hunter.” I squeak out.

“I’m taking Eve to see the studio cabin. We’ll be back in a few.”

Hunter nods, and then we pull out onto the road.

Wyatt chuckles. “I’m definitely going to be in fucking trouble for this.”

“What the hell for?”

“See, I have this theory that Hunt loves you. That maybe he has for awhile, but Roman always threatened guys and then he and Hunt made this dumbass pact about protecting you and Ems and so he never got the chance. Now he’s watching Roman get everything he wants with Ems and it’s not sitting so well.

But me being in the car with you, that’s definitely going to piss him off. ”

I look at Wyatt, trying to search his face for any traces of the truth he might know. “He doesn’t love me Wyatt. Never has.”

“I don’t know, Eve. I’d be willing to bet differently.”

The rest of the short drive over to Wyatt’s property passes in silence. There’s too much truth and too many memories to be able to have this conversation with one of Hunter’s brothers.

We turn down a driveway and Wyatt points out the window. “That’s my house. It’s not too far from the place I’ll show you, but far enough you don’t have to worry about me seeing anythin’ through the windows.”

He stops the truck in front of a small cabin with large french doors on the porch. Hopping out, he walks up to the doors, pushing them open and turning on a porch light.

The space doesn’t look that small from here, aside from Wyatt’s massive frame filling the doorway.

He flips on another light that fills the whole space with a warm glow and I join him.

“This is about it. It’s five hundred or so square feet. This is the largest space with the kitchen, living room and dining area. At the back you’ll find the bathroom with a stackable washer and dryer, and the stairs are built in by the bathroom leading to the lofted bedroom.”

“Wyatt. This space is absolutely stunning. It doesn’t even feel like it’s a studio space.” I walk back toward the bathroom, checking out the rooms down here before I walk up to the bedroom.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I came up here, but the large space wasn’t it. It has a king mattress between the A-frame ceiling, and a dresser at the front of the room where it’s open to the space below.

I lean over the railing, yelling down. “I’ll take it, Wy!”

“You don’t even know how much I want for rent,” he states blankly.

“Don’t care, it’s not in Portland and I can get it for at least a month. Sign my name on the dotted line.” I hop down the stairs pulling out the pen from my purse and clicking it open.

“Whoa now, slow your roll, pretty lady. I know you’re eager to live with,” — he gestures down his body— “all this, but the contract is on my kitchen table.”

“Let’s go sign it then!”

Within minutes the lease is signed, and I’m dropped back off at Rebels for dinner with my brother, and Hunter.

Lucky me. Let’s see if he can lose that N tonight in his contact.

I’ve been up since sunrise. I’ve had two breakfasts, and I’m anxious as hell to get moved into Wyatt’s…

my cabin. Although, the anxiety is probably more attributed to having to call Neil and tell him that I won’t be back today.

That’s not going to go over well at all with the gala being this weekend, as in tomorrow.

The same gala that I planned and have been in charge of for months. Daddy is also going to kill me.

Violet and Emma both pop into the room.

“Hey! You ready to go over Wyatt’s? I can help you move over there. And I’m headed to Portland this afternoon to go to the restaurant supply store for Vi if you need anything,” Emma offers.

“I think I’m good with all my stuff. But I would take some coffee and muffins to go?”

“I got you.” Vi runs back down to pack me up with goodies.

Emma grabs one of my suitcases. “You don’t have much with you. Won’t you need clothes?”