A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) (21 page)

Becca flew into his arms. "I've gotten used to sharing a space with you. I love the idea of laying down next to you at night."

"Hey, did you notice?" He asked, pointing at something by the bed.

When she turned around, she let out a gasp. Hunter had taken the photo she'd packed, the one of her and her family, and had placed it on the nightstand by the side of the bed she'd slept on. "No! I didn't see that!" She fought back a wave of emotion. "Thank you. That means the world to me."

"I want you to have all your comforts," he said softly before landing another kiss on her lips. "Come on, there's a few other surprises in store along the grand tour." He winked at her and took her hand, leading her away from the bedroom.

Oh? More surprises? Much as she knew he wouldn't admit it, Hunter was spoiling her big time.

"We're going to start from the beginning."

Her first impression was right. Hunter had a spacious house. Nothing over the top, but it had plenty of room and beautiful features. She gasped when she first noticed a row of paintings she'd given him. He hadn't been kidding.

His eyes danced with happiness as he turned to her. Before he said anything, he winked. "Told you. I meant it. I have your work proudly displayed. I'm glad you finally got to see it. Though I guess I could have taken pictures and sent them to you, but you're here now. By the way, I need a new piece to hang up." He nudged her. "Hint, hint."

Becca laughed as her stomach fluttered. "Hint taken, but I didn't bring that many of my supplies. I only have what I brought along to the island."

His smile widened. "Come here." She didn't have time to process what he was up to before Hunter led her back upstairs. "The tour continues." He opened a door on the far end of the hall and gestured for her to go in.

"Hunter! When did you do this?"

The beautiful room was filled with supplies. A simple, elegant room with a chaise lounge on one side, an Oriental rug covering the hardwood and everything she could ever want to work with. There was a window seat overlooking the spacious backyard.

"Do you like it?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Like it? I'm in awe!" Becca spun around, taking in the sights. This was really for her? "I'm stunned."

"The day before we left, I called Shara and had her order as much as she could. I set it up this morning. This is all yours. I hope to see a few masterpieces created in here." Hunter crossed the room to the middle where she stood and pulled her in his arms.

"I love you. You amaze me. I never imagined-." Her voice broke, full of emotion and surprise. God, she loved this man. He went totally out of his way to surprise her and at the same time, show her how much he believed in her dreams. "What was this room before?"

Hunter shrugged. "Just a spare room. I never had much else to put in here. This is one of the rooms with a door leading out on the balcony, too. Want to see the view?"

"Yes!" She was all too eager.

A cool wind greeted them as they stepped onto the balcony. He had a beautifully landscaped backyard. Simple, yet magical. A large tree grew tall in the middle of the yard. That's when she noticed something on it. She squinted in the bright sunlight, realizing what she had her eyes set on.

A wooden swing hung from the tree, just like the one on the island.

"You are too much, Hunter Beckman," she whispered, threading her fingers through his.

"I don't want to be too much. I want to be just right. I don't know how I'm going to be able to let you go home at the end of the summer."

Becca leaned against him, staring down at the yard below. She didn't want to think about summer's end. It wouldn't be easy at all this time, to walk away from Hunter. This year had changed everything, but she had her contract with the school and it wouldn't be right to break it now. Hunter had so much going on here, and this house ... how would they manage? Do long distance for a year until school ended? They weren't that far from each other, but he couldn't just take off all the time with a child in tow.

"Bec? What's wrong?" Hunter tipped her chin upward. His eyes shone with concern and love.

"You mentioned end of the summer and it makes me wonder what we'll do," she admitted.

"I know one thing I'll do. Miss you like crazy. But you know what? If we want us to work, we'll make it. I'll make you a deal. How about we don't bring up the summer's end and enjoy our time now? We'll talk more about it closer to that time. I don't want our parting to overshadow the time we have now. Sound fair?" he asked softly, brushing her hair away from her face.

"It's a deal," Becca replied. She kissed him. "And to seal the deal, there's a kiss."

"Hmm. Might have to strike deals more often." Hunter slid a sexy grin her way. "Come on, I'll show you Sienna's room."

Sienna's room was fit for a little princess. Becca fell in love with it right away. Just by the general set up, she had the perfect idea of what her mural would be about. "If this is barely done up, I'd never know it. Hunter, her room is beautiful. I bet she loves to play in here." Becca touched a soft purple blanket that lay across the toddler bed.

"She doesn't like to sleep in here alone," he commented. "When she's home with me, I end up crashing on the floor right next to her. I know it's not a good idea, but I don't get enough time with her anymore, so I do what I can."

Becca's heart went out to him. An image of Hunter curled up on the floor next to his baby girl melted her heart. She hadn't seen him in action with his little girl yet, but she knew Hunter was the best and most loving father.

"So now that you've seen most of the house, I'll show you the rest and then we can decide how we want to spend our first day here together." Hunter's grin spread and he tugged on her hand. He leaned in for a kiss. Just as he went to deepen it, his phone rang. He pulled back and frowned. "And so it starts. I could ignore it. We could-"

Becca gestured at his phone. "Go on, answer. I'm sure there's plenty of things that need to be done now that you're back." She sent him a reassuring smile.

"You really are an angel." Hunter pulled the phone from his pocket to answer.

*****

All he wanted to do was have some peace before the calls started to come in. Hunter didn't recognize the number. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hunter Beckman? Sienna's father?" A female's voice on the other end asked tentatively.

"This is he." His heart skipped a beat. Who would be calling, asking if he was Sienna's dad?

"My name is Marrilee Burgess. I'm Sienna's regular sitter. I'm not sure if I should be calling you, considering what Eva has told me about you, but..."

"What Eva has told you about me? What is that supposed to mean?" Hunter cut her off. He should have just let her finish talking, but her words ticked him off.

"Look, never mind. I just- Eva left Sienna with me last night. She was supposed to come back just a few hours later and she hasn't. I've called her phone and no answer. Sienna has what I think is an ear infection and she's pretty upset. I decided to look up your information. You're her father. You need to come and take action for your child."

"I don't know what the hell my ex-wife has told you, but I am very much involved in my daughter's life and welfare. How dare you implicate otherwise. There's two sides to every story. I'd like your address and I'll come pick up my daughter," Hunter snapped. Eva had gone too far this time. What had she told others? That he was nonexistent in his child's life? What the hell was her game? He grabbed a crayon and a piece of construction paper and wrote the woman's information down. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes." He hung up quickly. "I'm so sick of her games!" He frowned, staring at Becca. "I've got to go get her. I had this whole day thought out..."

Becca hugged him. "Shh. Don't say another word. Go get Sienna, sweetie. Don't worry about our plans. Your daughter needs you."

Hunter breathed deeply into her hair, holding her close. "I love you so much. Will you come with me? This sitter is insinuating a lot of things and I need to control my anger."

"Of course I'll go with you," she said softly, cupping his face.

"I've said this more than once, but I'm going to say it again. I'm really glad you're here. This is just the start of the hell I'm going through with my ex. I just- I don't want you to-"

Becca pressed her lips to his, silencing him. "Not another apology. I knew everything when I said yes. I'm here with you and for you."

Hunter barely said a word on the drive, and Becca never pushed him. In his mind he played over how this conversation would go with this Marrilee person. Damn Eva and her lies. To say he wasn't a part of Sienna's life? Okay, well, he didn't know if that's what she'd said, but the way the woman passed judgment at him, it sure as hell seemed like it.

The house he pulled up in front of was small and nice. He'd already climbed out of the car and started for the door when it opened. The woman standing on the porch watched him with a hard stare. Becca hurried to catch up with him.

"Marrilee?" he asked, looking her over. She had green eyes that wouldn't stop staring at him as if he were the worst person in the world. Her auburn hair was pulled in a ponytail. She stood with a firm stance, feet spaced apart and her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm Hunter, and this is Becca."

"That's me." She held the same standoffish tone she had with him on the phone, never really acknowledging their introduction. "Come on in. Sienna's laying down in the playpen, but she's pretty fussy. She's been rubbing her ear and she's running a bit of a fever." She stepped inside.

Hunter took Becca's hand and they walked in together. "Where did Eva go, do you know? Why would she leave Sienna with you and then not come back when she said she would?" The woman's living room had a warm vibe. Soft colors on the walls. Photos of people set in patterns. A decent sized TV on one wall.

"This isn't the first time she's done it, honestly," Marrilee admitted. "I've been more worried about Sienna's wellbeing for a couple months."

"So what made you decide to contact me now and not before?" Hunter's voice rose. Months? Was this woman kidding? How long would she have let this shit go on? What more did he need to do to be kept in the loop? The damn courts granted Eva main custody during their divorce. He'd been crushed and concerned. He had to do what he could to win this battle. Eva was not suitable to take care of Sienna on her own apparently.

"Look, I admit that I probably should have called you before. Eva's behavior has been a downward spiral. I'm not proud of not hearing both sides of the story. There is a young child here who needs to be better taken care of, so I'm hoping that by calling you I've put the ball in the right court."

"Damn right you did. It should have been sooner." His words were louder and harsher than they should have been.

"Hunter," Becca pleaded softly. "Remember what you said."

Right. Keep his anger under control. Thank God for his voice of reason. He squeezed her hand and mouthed a thank you to her. Her beautiful eyes were filled with concern. "I guess what matters is you called me today. You need to know, Sienna is my baby girl and I'm not fond of being left out of the loop."

Marrilee nodded, her eyes on Becca. "Fair enough. I'll bring her to you." Without another word, the woman pivoted and headed up the stairs.

Hunter touched Becca's shoulders affectionately. "Thank you," he said quietly, pressing his forehead against hers. What else would she have to witness while she was here? He was about to say something else when the sound of footsteps interrupted them. Marrilee carefully came down the stairs, holding a very tired and unhappy looking Sienna. Immediately, her eyes widened and she raised her head from the woman's shoulder.

"Daddy!" she squealed, holding out her chubby little arms.

"Hey Princess!" He forgot all about Eva and her problems as he pulled his daughter into his arms. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Hunter felt her forehead. Yep, definitely feverish. Poor baby. Hunter patted her back, loving that he finally held her in his arms after a few weeks of not seeing her. "You don't feel well, sweetie?"

Sienna pointed to her ear. "Ow."

"Okay Princess, we're going to work on getting you all better." Looking over at Marrilee, he inhaled sharply. "I need to know all of Eva's behavior. When Sienna's welfare is at stake, I want to know it all. Leave nothing out."

"I'm going to call her doctor. If I can't get Sienna in, I'll take her to urgent care," Hunter announced after Marrilee filled him in on what she knew about Eva. Hunter's jaw ticked and a muscle strained in his neck. Becca knew he was holding back his anger. What would possess a mother to act so careless when it came to her child? Hunter should have no problem getting full custody of Sienna.

"Do you want me to hold her while you call?" Marrilee asked, already reaching out for Sienna.

"No, I've got her," Hunter said defensively.

Becca knew he wasn't about to let go of his daughter right now. With one hand, he reached in his pants pocket for his phone and walked off toward the front door to make the call.

Awkward. Becca had no idea what to say to this woman. Good thing she apparently didn't have to. Marrilee turned to her.

"How do you know Hunter?" she asked.

"I've known him for twenty years." Becca avoided giving away too much about their history. She didn't need to know about the accident and how their friendship came about.

"Oh." That must have thrown her for a loop. Becca would be willing to bet money that the woman thought she was Hunter's girlfriend of the week or something. His ex had made him out to be the bad guy. "I see."

"Hunter is a good man. He loves his daughter," Becca stated firmly.

"I can see that now. Look, I know I came across as a bitch, but when a little girl isn't getting what she needs ... I know I should have looked into it further and contacted Hunter with my suspicions before. I've had similar issues with kids I've watched where the father really was an ass. The few minutes I've seen between Hunter and Sienna, I know Eva lied. Do you know her? Eva, I mean?"