California's Calling (Hunt Family Book 3) (10 page)

BOOK: California's Calling (Hunt Family Book 3)
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Chapter 16

 

 

I'll skip ahead to the part where I got to see Cub again. It was on a computer screen, but I was missing him so badly that I'd take what I could get. I had access to photos from the wedding and from the trip in general, but there was something to be said for seeing the way his mouth moved when he spoke.

It had been over two weeks since we got back from our trip, and I hadn't heard from him at all. I had composed and sent two emails since I'd been back, but he hadn't responded. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal when I put it simply like that, but believe me, waiting to hear back from him and having it not happen was torture—especially when I completely poured my heart out in the first email.

What's even worse was that I did some of my best writing on it. I had time to sit and compose my thoughts. I chose my words carefully. I prayed and really put some thought into what I wrote. I was completely confident with it. I even had myself believing that God had helped me convey the right things.

Basically, I told Cub that I wanted him to come to California—wanted him to come for me. I said that I regretted ever writing the letter that I left in his drawer. I told him that I had asked forgiveness and forgiven myself for the affair with my professor, and that I knew it shouldn't keep us apart.

The sad part was that I honestly thought it would work. I had myself believing one hundred percent that he'd read it and come for me. In my head, there was music playing in the background and everything.

That had not happened.

In fact, the total opposite had happened. I had written the first email three days after we got home, and a second one three days after that. There had now been more than ten days of terrible, hideous silence.

I tried to tell myself that he wasn't able to respond or hadn't gotten my message, but I knew he had access to his email on a fairly regular basis, and the fact that he wasn't responding made me sick. I literally felt sick from it. I went on with my life, but I carried around this heaviness. It was worse, even, than Lance.

I was in the middle of laughing at one of Nico's stories, thinking about how much I didn't want to laugh, but had to since everyone was expecting me to be normal.

Nico had just been forced to shave his head as a result of some silly bet he had with my brother, and he was telling about all the different haircuts he gave himself while he was in the processing of shaving it all the way. One of them was called "The Mulletor." That one got like a million comments when my brother put a picture of it on his Instagram account.

So, Nico was telling us this story while we were all on the patio at my brother's house. I was there along with Logan, Rachel, (who now lived here) Nico, and Phillip. It was a random Thursday night, and Rachel had called to ask if I wanted to come over for dinner since she and my brother had just gotten back from their honeymoon.

It was a beautiful evening, and we were all sitting by the swimming pool on Logan's posh outdoor furniture telling stories and having fun—I was doing my best to have fun, at least. Being around Rachel did nothing to help me forget about Cub. I'd been over here for an hour already, and I hadn't asked about him once. We had talked about Tess and how she was settling in, but the conversation never went back to Cub. I almost hoped she
wouldn't
bring him up, because I already felt on the verge of crying just thinking about him.

"Oh shoot, I forgot," Rachel said once Nico finished his story. She turned and regarded me with a worried expression.

"What?" I asked, since she was staring straight at me.

"Could you do me a huge favor?"

"Yeah," I said before I even know what it was.

"Will you go inside and listen for a call coming in from my mom?"

I glanced at her phone that was sitting on the ottoman, suspecting that she could hear it just as well as I could.

"I'm talking about Skype," she said. She gestured with a flick of the head to the house. "It's all set up on that computer in the kitchen. I thought if you were going in for something to drink, then you could listen out for a minute." She glanced at my iced tea glass that had been empty for a long time.

"Sure," I said. "Do you want me to just come get you when it's ringing?"

"You might have to pick it, up, but you can just tell my mom to hang on while you come get me."

I hadn't known Rachel my whole life or anything, but I'd known her long enough to know that she wasn't really the type to ask for favors. It struck me as funny that she'd ask me to go in and listen for a call, but Rachel had been sitting cuddled up on by brother's lap, and I couldn't blame her for not wanting to get up. I was honestly glad for the excuse to go inside for a little while. And she was right, anyway; I was thirsty.

Tess and Sampson both followed me inside. They went into the living room while I went into the kitchen. I decided to stare at my phone while I was waiting. I was still looking down at it about five minutes later when a call came in on the computer. I stood in front of the screen and pressed the button to connect. I was already going over what I was going to say to Rachel's mom when the screen changed, and I could suddenly see someone else on the other end.

It's amazing how quickly your brain works. I saw Cub's face on the screen, and instantly I started wondering if Rachel had sent me in here on purpose. I can't lie, the thought had crossed my mind that it could be him when she asked me to come listen out, but I never would have thought that daydream would actually come true. I must have been consumed by these thoughts for a few seconds, because when I focused on him again, he was smiling and waving a hand in front of the screen as if to ask if I could see him.

"Hellooo?" he said.

How could he smile at a time like this? I'd been torturing myself about sending those emails, and he just smiled like he didn't have a care in the world.

"What are you doing?" I asked, not even caring that I put no effort into what I looked like when I left the house.

"I'm calling you. What are you doing?" he asked.

He was still smiling for Pete's sake.

I wanted so badly to ask if he had gotten my email, but I thought that might come across as desperate at a time when he seemed so casual and unaffected.

"I'm transferring to USC," I said instead. It was one of the many things I had on my list to share with him, so I just blurted it out. "I haven't started yet, but I'm registered for classes.

"I heard," he said. "I'm proud of you for doing that." His deep voice was muffled by the speakers, but it still sounded like music to my ears.

"How'd you hear?" I asked.

"I talked to Rachel. She told me."

"You talked to Rachel?" I asked, trying not to seem annoyed.

He smiled and nodded. "She told me Tess is doing great, too. I knew she'd be happy with you."

It made my heart drop to learn that he was getting updates about Tess from his sister instead of me.

"You're switching back to creative writing, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yep," I said.

"You need to step back," Cub said.

"What's that mean?" I asked, feeling offended.

"From the screen," he said, laughing. "You need to take a step back. I can't see you."

I hadn't noticed myself moving, but he was right, I was too close to the computer screen. Seeing him on the other end made me feel like I wanted to jump through the screen. I pulled back so that he could see my entire face again instead of just the top part of my forehead.

"My bed still smells like you," he said.

He was wearing a gorgeous half smile that made me scoot closer to the screen again. "What'd you say?" I asked, leaning closer.

He laughed as he said, "My bed. It smells like you still."

The words sounded loving and familiar—like he thought his bed smelling like me was a good thing.

"It does?" I asked.

"Scoot back, Ladybug," he said. "I can't see you at all."

I moved back a foot or so, never taking my eyes off of him. "I have an 'Africa' shirt," I said.

"Oh yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah, you know, one that still smells like your house."

"Oh, like my
house
?" he said, looking amused.

I knew by his smirk that he wanted me to say it smelled like him specifically, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction—especially after he ignored my emails.

"So, your sister already told you Tess was doing great?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, she said you're both really happy."

"She said that?" I asked, wondering what would make her label me as
happy
?

"Yeah, aren't you?" he asked.

I smiled. "Oh, I'm thrilled to have Tess," I said, skirting the question.

"Are you happy?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, even though I sounded uncertain.

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he had read the email, but I was just too embarrassed.

"Why do you look sad?" he asked while I was in deep thought.

"I'm not," I said, with my best imitation of a smile. "I just expected your mom to be on the other end. You surprised me, that's all."

The glass door that led to the patio opened, and Nico came into the house whistling. He headed in my direction with an empty glass that apparently he intended to refill. I looked at him and waved, so that Cub would know there was someone else in the room.

"Hey Nico," I said, spelling it out for Cub.

"You got Africa on the line?" Nico asked, coming to stand over my shoulder so he could see what I was looking at.

Cub smiled and gave Nico a loose salute.

"Heyyyy!" Nico said. "It's Cub!"

"Hey Nico, how's it going, brother?"

Nico shrugged confidently. "You know, killin' it with the ladies with my new haircut." He reached up and scratched his head showing Cub how it looked shaved.

"I see that," Cub said. "It looks good."

Nico shrugged. "I lost a bet. But it's a good weapon."

I cringed and leaned back the second he said that. He had been trying to rub it against me like sand paper all afternoon; he'd been chasing me around with it like a twelve-year-old. I had managed to evade him all afternoon, but this time I couldn't. He was standing right over my shoulder when he said the word 'weapon', and my cringing didn't put enough distance in between us for me to get away. He held my head still and dug the top of his head into my cheek wiggling it around against the sensitive skin on my face.

"Mulletorrrrr!" he growled as I screamed.

He only got me a little bit before I reared back to punch him. I did it pretty hard, and he laughed and stood up, holding his shoulder where my fist had landed. This type of behavior was not at all odd for Nico and me. He was constantly irritating me. It was part of the brother-sister thing we had going on.

He leaned in slightly, but not far enough for me to take another shot at him. "Bye Cub," he said, waving at the screen. "Good to see you."

I glanced at Cub whose expression was unreadable for a second before he shifted his attention to Nico with a cautious smile.

"Bye Nico, good to see you, too."

I watched Nico walk into the kitchen and stick his head in the fridge before turning to face the computer screen again. Cub and I just stared at each other for a second.

"Mulletor?" Cub asked.

I rolled my eyes. "It was this haircut he gave himself before he shaved his head."

"And he rubs it on your face?"

I shook my head, but couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Cub seemed slightly jealous. "He's just being an idiot," I said, making sure I said the last word loudly enough for Nico to hear.

"Did he hurt you?" Cub asked.

"No, I'm fine," I said, shaking my head. I touched my cheek, which was hot in the place where he'd rubbed it.

"It's red," Cub said. "Seriously, did he hurt you?"

"She can take it," Nico said, passing behind me on his way back outside. He ruffled my hair and waved at Cub again, but otherwise didn't stop.

"I'm not gonna let him do stuff like that," Cub said, shaking his head as if he were just stating a fact.

I smiled. "Tess probably would have taken up for me, but she and Sampson ran out when Nico came in."

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." I giggled a little, but it was mostly because I was delighted that Cub seemed to care. I was actually grateful that Nico had come in and harassed me so that I could see Cub get annoyed by it. "Are
you
okay?" I asked.

The hint of a smile touched his lips. "I'm better now that he's left you alone."

 

Chapter 17

 

 

I was staring at Cub on the computer screen unable to come to terms with the wave of emotion that had overtaken me. The one question I really wanted to ask was whether or not he got my email, but I couldn’t make myself do it. If he wanted to talk about it, he would bring it up. The proverbial ball was in his court.

"What time is it over there?" I asked.

He glanced down at his watch. "Five-forty," he said.

"In the morning?" I asked. He smiled and nodded. "I'm just getting ready to go to the center."

"You've got something in your hair," I said. "Do you style your hair for work now?"

He smiled and ran his hand through it. I saw the muscle on the back of is arm when he made the motion, and I breathed a shaky breath that he, thankfully, didn't catch. "I just got out of the shower," he said.

I heard a noise from outside, and it made me scared that I was about to be interrupted. "Did you get my email?" I asked before I could think better of it.

He tilted his head to the side. "What email?" he asked.

A feeling of relief fell over me like a cozy blanket.
Of course he hadn't gotten the email! It had obviously gone to his spam folder
.

I slumped and let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm just kidding," he said. "I got it. Them, I should say. I got both of them."

The feeling of relief screeched to a halt as I realized that he not only got the emails, but that he was making light of them. I smiled stiffly as I stared at the screen.

"Maybe I should go get Rachel," I said as I continued trying to smile. "She was expecting your call."

"No she wasn't," Cub said.

I nodded. "She knew you were calling. She's the one who asked me to come in here and listen for it."

He smiled. "Charlotte, she sent you in because she knew I was calling for
you
."

I took a deep breath in and then out. My emotions were all over the map. "I don't understand," I said in a defeated tone.

"You sent me an email saying you wanted to be with me," he said.

I nodded. "That was like two weeks ago," I said.

"Have you changed your mind?"

I narrowed my eyes at him playfully, feeling too shy to talk about it. "You didn't write me back," I said.

He could see the pain his delay had caused me—I could tell he could see it by the way he looked at me remorsefully. "I've been really busy," he said. "I've got a ton of things going on around here."

I searched his eyes. "You could have at least told me
nice try
, or
thanks but no thanks
, or something. I've just been sitting here thinking you didn't get it, or you didn't care."

"Look at me, Ladybug," he said.

I had glanced to the side as I was speaking, but I looked back at the screen when he told me to.

"I care," he said. "I got your letters, and I care very much."

I was just about to ask,
"So why didn't you write me back?"
when Rachel came through the door wearing a huge grin. She was hunched over in a pose that said she was excited and she also didn’t want to interrupt, but couldn’t stand it. She tiptoed in my direction, shrugging and dancing excitedly as she crossed the living room heading toward me.

I smiled at her, but I felt annoyed that we were being interrupted at this crucial moment.

"That's not Mulletor, is it?" Cub asked, seeing me turn to the side as I watched her approach.

"It's your sister," I said, glancing at him for a second before regarding Rachel again.

She looked so excited to talk to him that I knew our private conversation had just come to an end. I continued to smile even though I was thoroughly disappointed.

Rachel came to stand behind me in much the same way Nico had. I thought she was going to address her brother, so I shifted my attention to the screen to let her speak. I felt her mouth come down on my cheek in a big, wet kiss. She made a huge smooching sound that almost made my ear ring.

"I don't know if I've ever loved someone as much as you right now, Charlotte Richie! I love you almost as much as I love your brother."

I pulled back and turned to look at her. "Thanks," I said, in a hesitant tone. "I love you, too."

"I've been trying to get him here for eight years," she said. "I feel like I owe you the world for making it happen."

Cub cleared his throat loudly, and we both looked at the computer screen. "We hadn't actually gotten to that part yet," he said, somewhat awkwardly.

Rachel gave him a confused expression. "Nico said you were talking when he came in here a few minutes ago."

"We were," Cub said.

Her expression grew even more confused.

"I still hadn't told her."

Rachel's head whipped around to look at me. "He hasn't told you?"

My heart was pounding out of control as I stared blankly at Rachel. "Told me what?" I asked.

She was quiet as she shifted her attention to Cub with a regretful expression. "Seriously? She's been in here forever. What were you guys talking about?"

"We were
getting to it
," he said, smiling.

"Getting to what?" I asked, feeling desperate for more.

"Rachel said she owes you for life," I heard from the other side of the room. I turned to see my brother coming in wearing a huge smile that faded when he saw Rachel.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing, she just doesn't know yet," Rachel said.

"Doesn't know whaaaat?" I begged.

"She knows now," I heard Cub say.

I turned to stare at the screen. He and I looked at each other as if there was no one else in the room.

"Knows what, Cub?" I asked.

He gave me a tiny smile.

"Knows what?"

Rachel was so amped that I could feel her wiggling and jiggling behind me. I just stared at the screen, not caring what was going on back there.

"What do I know?" I asked.

"Ladybug." He stopped after he said it, and I just sat there with my heart ready to beat out of my chest, waiting for him to continue. "You don't think I could leave you hanging, do you?"

Bam, bam, bam,
went my heart as I stared at his perfect face.

"What are you saying?" I asked, feeling a bit like I was standing outside of my own body.

"I'm saying you asked me to come to California and I'm not going to leave you hanging."

"William James Stephenson," I said, putting my face about six inches in front of the monitor to stare at him. "Are you telling me right now that you're coming here?"

He smiled, shaking his head at the fact that he could no longer see me since I had gotten so close.

"Are you coming to California?" I asked again before he had the chance to answer.

I felt Rachel's hand on my shoulder, squeezing over and over again like she just couldn't contain her self. "Can you believe it?" she blurted out before Cub spoke.

I turned to look at her. "Is he coming here?" I whispered hopefully.

She smiled and nodded.

"For vacation or to live? When's he coming?" I turned to Cub "Are you seriously coming here?"

He nodded. "How long are you staying?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I guess however long you're staying," he said.

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. I actually felt something leave my chest and get thrown out into the air in front of me. Maybe it was just the heaviness disappearing, leaving me all in one fell swoop. I reached out and grabbed the sides of the computer monitor as if Cub was standing in front of me and I was taking him by the shoulders.

"When is this happening?" I asked. "When are you coming?"

"I've been working on tying things up around here since I got your letter," he said. "I had a lot of things to do before I could take off."

"When are you coming?" I asked.

It was like I could already feel his arms around me. I had never looked forward to something so much in my life.

"My flight leaves tonight," he said. "I'll be there tomorrow."

Rachel squeezed my shoulder. "We wanted him to surprise you, but he said we needed to tell you so he could make sure you still wanted him to come."

I turned instantly to stare at Cub. "If I still
wanted you to
?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"We told him you'd been moping around for the last two weeks," Logan said from over my other shoulder.

I glanced up at him with narrowed eyes. "You've been on your honeymoon," I said. "How would you know what moping I've been doing?"

"Mom told us," he said. "
She
even told Cub not to worry about warning you he was coming."

"You talked to my mom?" I asked, looking at the screen again.

"And your dad," he said, smiling.

I wanted to reach through the computer screen to touch him. "Am I really gonna see you tomorrow night?" I asked.

He nodded.

I pulled back and put my fingers on my own neck to show him my heart was racing, and he smiled. "Me too," he said.

"I can't wait," I added.

"I can't wait either!" Rachel squealed from behind me. She leaned down to put another smacking kiss directly on my cheek. "I seriously love you for this," she whispered.

"I have to go, Ladybug," I heard Cub say. "I'm gonna see you soon, okay?"

I nodded. I wanted to say, "I love you," and all sorts of other things, but all I said was, "Okay."

He leaned forward with the posture of someone who was getting ready to switch off the computer. "I'm signing off. I love you guys and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Love you Cubbers!" Rachel yelled.

At the same time, Logan said, "See you tomorrow!"

There was so much noise with them yelling out that my mumbled, "Love you, too," wasn't heard at all. He smiled and kissed his own hand in a manly version of blowing a kiss before pressing the button to disconnect. Our screen went blank, and I got to my feet stiffly, turning to face Logan and Rachel.

"Did that really happen just now?" I asked, pointing at the computer.

Rachel nodded excitedly, holding both fists in front of her mouth as if she didn't believe it either.

"Is your brother coming to California?" I asked.

She continued to nod.

"How's he gonna leave Africa?" I asked.

"On a plane," she said as if that was obvious.

"I mean how's he gonna leave when all those people at the center need him."

"I asked him the same thing, and he said someone else needs him more."

I put my hand on my chest, feeling like I wanted to burst into tears. "Me?" I asked.

She nodded.

I could no longer stop the tears from falling. They were tears of joy this time, but they were coming out whether I wanted them to or not. My eyes stung so badly that I had no other choice but to cry. Rather than bust out crying right there in front of Rachel and my brother, I let out a delighted squeal and did what anyone else would do in my situation. I ran out of the house, through the back door, and across the patio to the swimming pool.

Without hesitating, I did a cannonball into the deep end. The cool, heavy water enveloped me as I sank to the bottom of the pool. I opened my eyes, letting myself get lost in the silence of the deep water. My heart was still pounding, but I was overflowing with joy at the news that Cub was on his way. Everything was so surreal that the cool, crisp water was just what I needed to shock my senses. I hovered at the bottom of the pool until I needed air, at which point I swam to the surface.

"Oh, thank you, Lord Jesus!" I heard Rachel say when I came out of the water.

I opened my eyes to find her and Logan at the side of the pool. He had his hand out as if holding her back from jumping in. I lifted myself out of the water, and hopped up onto my feet, wringing the water out of my hair and clothes.

"I told her you cannonball when you're happy," Logan said to me.

"What, did you think I was drowning myself or something?" I asked, tugging at my shorts as I smiled at her.

She just stared at me like I was nuts. "I wasn't sure," she said, shrugging. "I've never seen anybody stay down at the bottom like that."

I laughed. The cool water was just what my burning eyes needed. I no longer felt like I needed to cry. "I was just spacing out down there," I said. "I'm happy your brother's coming," I said. "I jumped in because I was happy."

"She's crazy like that," Logan said.

I scrunched up my face at him like I always did when he was teasing me. "You're crazy, too," I said.

He made a wild-eyed face at me like I was in big trouble for saying that, which made me start backing away cautiously. I had no time to react before Logan grabbed me and jumped into the pool with me in his arms. We went in with a huge splash, and before I knew it, Phillip, Nico, and Rachel jumped in with us.

BOOK: California's Calling (Hunt Family Book 3)
9.44Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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