A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) (16 page)

"I can't say that I promise, but I will do my best to be better about it. You're right, I can't make up for the past. I even said that in the beginning, but here I am, kicking myself over every little thing. Thank you." He brushed a gentle kiss on her cheek. The spot still tingled from his lips even after he'd already moved away.

*****

Though he didn't say anything to him, Vince gave Hunter the evil eye as he said goodbye to Becca and handed over her key and the letter. The man did not seem to like the idea of leaving Becca behind with him. Too bad. He needed to get over himself. If she didn't care for him that way, then he should stop pushing her.

"Are you planning to stop by your apartment before you go with Hunter?" Vince asked, his eyes darkening.

Becca turned to Hunter. He nodded. Of course she'd have to pick up some things and probably make some arrangements.

"Just for a few things," she responded.

"When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure. I know I have to be home a few weeks before school starts for students, but we haven't figured out when I'll be back yet."

Vince wanted to say something more, but must have decided against it. He definitely wasn't happy. Hunter almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"Well I guess ... have a good time." He stepped forward and hugged Becca. She hugged him back awkwardly before stepping away from him.

"I will. Have a safe flight home." The unspoken words hung in the air. He really never needed to come here in the first place, but no one wanted to add to that tension anymore.

Without another word, Vince dragged his rolling bag and walked away. He looked back once and then continued out the door.

Becca sighed in relief after he'd disappeared from their view. "That went down a lot easier than I thought. I expect a call from my grandparents any time now."

Hunter took her hand and squeezed it. "You'll never make them happy," he said softly. He wanted to shake some sense into those people.

"Honestly, it's not even about that. I just wish I could make them understand. That's all I ask for now. I wanted to do everything I could to make them happy when I was younger, until I realized they didn't have my best interest at heart. I don't know why they never wanted me to walk or succeed. Maybe they did and I just don't understand their ways of thinking. I suppose it doesn't matter now. I know I'll never earn their approval. Even if I did want to marry Vince, it wouldn't be enough. I can't live that way, trying to earn someone's love and approval. It's not right."

"That's my girl." Hunter pumped a fist in the air.

Becca's sweet laugh followed and she tugged on his hand. "Come on, let's go get that adrenaline rush you keep bragging about."

The sun was shining today, with very few clouds in the sky. Maybe the continuous stormy streak had finally ended and they would see some beautiful clear skies for a while. Hunter and Becca walked down the pier hand in hand, watching the water with interest. Hunter spotted a boat with a couple ready to lift off. "Look. Someone's already got our idea. Just watch." They stopped. Hunter stole a glance at Becca as she kept her gaze fixed on the boat and the couple. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He couldn't wait to get out on that water and up in the air. He just hoped Becca would be okay. He didn't want to do any of this without her and he sure as hell didn't want to push her. To his surprise, when he looked back at her again, she had a smile on her face.

She faced him, bubbling with excitement. "That looks really fun! They aren't that high up and I bet the view below is fabulous! I think I can do this!"

"Well of course you can. I already knew you could. You just needed the right mindset." Hunter gently tugged on a stray lock of her hair. "Let's go get set up then."

She threw her arms around him. "Thank you for believing," she whispered against his chest. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, loving the way she felt in his arms.

"You make it easy." He took her hand again and they headed over to sign up for a parasailing time slot. They were next. Hunter pulled out his wallet and paid, then led Becca to a bench near the water where the boat would pull up to wait for their turn. "Nervous?" he asked as he perched beside her.

"A little," she admitted. "My stomach is kind of in knots, but I want to do this."

Her smile was contagious. He couldn't help but grin back at her giddiness. Their hands touched as he moved closer to her and he went to hold it again. He couldn't get enough of being close to her.

He'd have to call Shara later, check in on the status with Eva and Sienna, and then let her know Becca was coming home with him. He wanted a few things done, like getting a whole art room set up for her and a swing that replicated the one here. Becca would be surprised. She'd probably tell him he didn't need to do it. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he showed her everything.

It would be nice to have an ally on his side while fighting for custody of Sienna. He could sort of understand Shara's point about Eva just going after more, but when it came down to his little girl, he didn't want any more game playing. He was a single man on the go with work. He knew he didn't stand the best chances, so he would have to really rethink things. As a private pilot, his work required travel. He flew many people around the world, including some famous actors and a few pop singers. He loved it, getting to visit some places as they did what they wanted to do and then taking them home. He'd have to think of a whole new career, wouldn't he? He'd have to focus on Sienna.

There were so many things to decide. He'd thought of them, but hadn't really thought about them. Damn. His heart sank. He hadn't realized all the things that would have to change.

For Sienna, he would do it.

"Hunter?"

Becca's quiet voice pulled him back to reality. He squinted from the sunlight and turned to face her.

"You got really quiet."

"I'm going to have to rethink my work," he blurted, without realizing at first how much sense he didn't make. Becca had no idea the train of thoughts in his head.

Her brows raised in question.

"Sorry, train of thought in my mind and I should have started from the beginning. Bec, if I get custody of Sienna, I can't be traveling all the time. I'm a private pilot. That's what I do. So, what next? I don't know what else I want to do, you know? I'll have to start over and find steady work that doesn't require me to fly around the world. I don't know why I didn't think long and hard about all of this before. Not that I wouldn't do it, but I haven't prepared myself for a lifestyle change. It wouldn't be just me anymore. I'm going to be caring for a little girl and I just realized how much I don't know what I'm doing." Boy that was a mouthful. Granted, he still had to win custody, but in order to even stand a chance, he needed to show that he'd be able to provide not just financially for Sienna, but be a good father as well. He imagined the courts wouldn't look kindly to a man who had his child with nannies all the time while he traveled. They would favor Eva easily, even with her lack of motherly skills. Damn it!

"Oh Hunter." Becca rested her hand on his shoulder. "I wish I knew what I could say to make this easier for you. Just know that I'm here. I'll help you figure things out as best I can. It's going to be a big change, but I know you want to have Sienna home with you, so I know you'll do what's best. You'll still be able to fly sometimes. It just can't be full time."

"It's very overwhelming. Flying is all I've known my adult life. To have to walk away from years of the same life is a little scary. I know I need to do it and give my daughter the life she deserves, but it feels like starting over."

"That's because it is. And of course it's scary, but if anyone can do it, you can."

He loved her strength and the way she believed in him. Hunter was about to say something when their names were called.

"Well, I guess it's our time to get out on that water." He grinned. "Ready?" Climbing to his feet, he held out his hand to Becca. They spoke to the driver of the boat and they ran through the instructions of how things were going to go. Hunter pretty much knew all of it, but he knew they had to go through the motions anyway. That was part of their job. After their life jackets were put on, the boat roared to life and pulled away from the dock.

After they were far enough away from the shore, one of the three men on the boat instructed them on strapping in. As Hunter sat next to Becca and they worked their way to being safely secured, he shot a glance her way. She hung on every word the man told her, nodding every so often at his instructions.

"Okay, you guys will be up in a few minutes," the man said with a nod, checking one last time on their harnesses. "First time?"

"For her, yes. Me, I've done this many times," Hunter responded. Becca's bare feet dangled over the seat. Their shoes and her purse were under one of the seats for safe keeping. Excitement raced through his veins.

"Okay. Just hold on and have fun."

After a few more instructions and steps, Hunter and Becca were in the air. They were low at first, then they went higher and higher.

"What do you think?" he yelled over the wind.

"It's beautiful! A little scary, but not as bad as I thought!" she shouted back.

"I can't wait to see what kind of painting you come up with for this view!"

The water seemed to sparkle in the sunlight below them. Hunter tipped his head back and let the wind blow through his hair. He closed his eyes and let the head rush begin.

Out of nowhere, the flashback hit. The same scene. The plane. The crash. A fire. Eight year old Becca crying as he held her. Hunter tensed. He was no longer in control of his thoughts.

*****

He couldn't fall asleep. He was cold, in pain and time was running out. How many days had passed already? They were running out of options. There were only so many fruits they could eat from the trees before it wasn't enough. Becca's injuries needed to be looked at. She couldn't walk and he wasn't sure if he should have pulled that damn thing out of her leg or not. He had no idea what was right or wrong here. He just knew they needed to be found. Poor kid cried for her family at night, shouting and thrashing until Hunter crawled over to her and woke her up. They needed real shelter, food, blankets and dry clothes. There was nothing here on this little spot of land. They'd found a place to hide out from the weather in a small rock formation that had an opening, but it wasn't enough. A few hours ago, as Hunter was cleaning off in the ocean, the body of the pilot came ashore. At least, that's who it looked like. Didn't bodies sink? He'd turned around, puking up all of his lunch before staggering away to get back to Becca.

What would happen to her after they were found? She told him she had no other family. Neither did he, but he could handle it. He'd be a man. Becca was a little girl who would need her mom, long for the affection from her dad, and need to be able to laugh and have fun with her sister.

That plane crash tore all that away from her. Maybe he could convince whoever would be finding them new families to let them stay together. She knew him, so it might be easier if she had someone.

If they were found.

Damn it! He had to stop thinking of if and get back to thinking when. Eventually little Becca would fear that they wouldn't be found. He needed to give her hope. She needed something to gasp on to.

She'd been having a hard time talking. She would stutter or sometimes not be able to say anything at all. If they were to stand a chance, they both would need to be found.

He wasn't sure where it came from, but water splashed all around him. Hunter sputtered, reaching for Becca. "No! Stay above the water!" he shouted. This made no sense. They were on land. There shouldn't be this much water. All he knew was that he had to get to Becca and keep her safe.

"No!"

*****

Something was wrong with Hunter. He'd spaced out again on the ride and then when they came in for the landing and hit the water, he freaked, splashing and yelling. He sounded fearful. She understood nightmares, but this was during the day and he was awake! What happened?

The instructors pulled them in quick, obviously noticing Hunter's flailing and yelling. Becca had unstrapped herself the moment their feet touched the boat and she reached for Hunter. He trembled. His eyes were open and he had a hollow look. The guys beside her asked a ton of questions, but Becca told them to back off. She unhooked all the straps keeping Hunter in, then reached to pull him into her arms. Her heart raced as she tried to calm him. "Hunter! Snap out of it. It's okay. I'm here." She ran her fingers through his wet hair, hoping he'd talk to her soon. What was that all about? She wanted to understand. She ignored the worried and strange stares from the other passengers as she focused on Hunter. He'd stopped trembling and after a few seconds he pulled away, his face red and sweaty. His eyes were full of terror. He breathed heavily as if he'd just come back from a run.

"I- I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," he said quietly, looking from Becca to the others. Hunter blinked and shook his head.

"You okay there, man?" the one who'd given them instructions earlier asked, his eyes narrowed as he kept watching Hunter.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good." Hunter brushed it off, then faced Becca again. "How did you feel?"

He was avoiding questions, but she was not about to let this go easily. She would find out later just what in the world happened, when they were alone and he hopefully would feel more comfortable talking.

"It was fantastic! I did exactly what you said. I closed my eyes, kicked my legs and let myself believe I was on a swing. It took away the fear right away. Then I checked out the view and it stole my breath."

He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "See, I knew you'd be okay." He shot her a smile, but his eyes were still troubled.

As they headed for the dock, Hunter went quiet. He avoided looking at anyone and just stared out at the water. Becca squeezed his hand, but he didn't respond. Her heart sank. What happened to him? He'd spaced out, then freaked. That wasn't like him.