California's Calling (Hunt Family Book 3) (12 page)

Chapter 20

It was a few months later when my past came back to haunt me in the form of a visit from Lance. I had started classes at USC and was still living with my parents—at least until I graduated.

I planned to get my own place sooner or later, but now that Cub was in my life, I was thinking maybe I should hold out on moving out until we got married. We had no specific wedding plans just yet. We were both fully committed and made it clear that we loved each other, but he hadn't officially asked me to marry him.

I knew a lot of people dated for a long time before getting married, but I loved him so much that it was difficult to ignore the fact that I really wanted to do it. I was trying to wait a little while longer before bringing it up, but it was difficult.

Cub was living with Logan and Rachel, and I was living with my parents. Our houses were close, and even though we each had our own things going on, we made plenty of time to see each other.

There was no doubt in my mind that Cub was the one God had chosen for me, which was why I was thrown for a complete loop when Lance showed up on my parents' doorstep one afternoon. My mom and dad were in the kitchen, and Cub and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie when the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that could be," my mom said as I got up to answer the door. I could tell by the way she said it that she really wasn't all that curious and wouldn't be following me to the door.

I was glad no one had followed me when I opened it to find Lance standing there. He had his hands tucked in his back pockets and was staring downward as he waited for someone to answer. He looked up when he heard me open the door, and our eyes met. There was still a glass door between us, so I didn't say anything right away. I just made a
what are you doing here
expression as I leaned forward to open the glass door. Lance smiled sincerely as if he were truly relieved to see me.

"Charlotte, it's so good to see you," he said.

"It's for me!" I yelled over my shoulder as I stepped outside. "I'll be right here on the porch for just a minute."

Lance held out his hand like he was expecting me to reach out and take it—like he wanted to escort me somewhere. "I'm good right here," I said, refusing his hand. I gave him a little smile afterward because I didn't have it in me to be all-the-way rude even after everything.

"Why'd you transfer?" he asked.

I shrugged and stared at him with my arms crossed in front of my chest. Part of me wanted to make him run to his car and leave, and the other part wanted to sit him down and tell him just how great my life was now, no thanks to him.

"I left her, Charlotte," he said.

He let out a defeated sigh and stared at my feet for a second before looking at me again. He smiled.

"I wanted to talk about us."

I tilted my head at him. "There
is
no us."

Lance smiled and took a small step closer. "There could be," he said.

I could tell he was totally confident that he would show up here and I would drop everything for the chance to be with him. His confidence was over the top, and I stared at him wondering what I
ever
saw in him. Cub was infinitely better.

"Don't say that," he said, referring to my
there is no us
comment.

"You should probably go," I said. I smiled. "It was nice seeing you and everything, but I need to get inside."

"Seriously?" he asked, smiling and holding out his hands like he couldn’t believe it.

"Seriously," I answered.

"Charlotte, don't tell me you don't remember everything we had." He was still smiling like he knew he had this in the bag once he said a few more things.

I felt annoyed and offended by his confidence. "Lance, I'm thankful for what you did to me," I said. "I wasn't thankful then, but I'm thankful now. I'm glad I was allowed to experience the heartache you caused me so that I would know the truth when I found it," I hesitated. "And I found it."

"What do you mean you were
allowed
?"

"I mean God let me feel the pain you caused so that I'd know what I didn't want in life—what I didn't want in a marriage. It took
you
happening to me to help me to realize how much I appreciate what I have now."

"You met someone else?" he asked, frowning for the first time since he arrived.

"Yes," I said. "I did."

At that very moment, I saw Lance look over my shoulder, and I turned to find Cub standing in the doorway. I smiled instantly at the sight of him. We had just gotten back from the gym, and he had on some fitted sweatpants that I picked up for him the other day. He was fun to dress since everything looked good on him.

I caught myself feeling proud of the way he looked as he stood there. He stared at Lance with a cautious but curious expression. He glanced at me and could tell by my smile that I didn't mind if he came outside. He opened the door and took a step outside, looking at Lance and accessing the situation. I knew his wheels were turning.

"You good?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"Cub Stephens," he said, extending his hand to Lance to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Lance Moss," Lance said, shaking Cub's hand.

"Lance, huh?" Cub asked. He tilted his chin at Lance in a gesture that said he was familiar with the name.

"I guess you already know Charlotte and I have a history together," Lance said.

Cub shook his head casually like he had no idea what Lance was talking about. "She said she had a teacher named Lance once who was a real jerk." He paused and tilted his head at Lance. "You wouldn’t happen to be that same guy who was a jerk, would you?"

Lance hesitated, not knowing what to say.

Cub gestured to his own face and glanced at me with a sincerely confused expression. "He must not be the same one because I pictured that guy bigger and with a better face."

My eyes widened as I watched Lance bow up to Cub. He had obviously lost his mind as a result of the insults. Otherwise, he would have never done that.

"Say that again, punk," Lance said, getting all up in Cub's face.

Cub regarded him calmly. "I thought you would have been bigger, and with a better face," he said, dryly. "You know, better looking."

"Charlotte must have thought I was pretty good looking when she—"

Cub put his hand on Lance's chest, causing Lance to cut off his sentence, taking a step back in the process. "Charlotte has no thoughts about you," Cub said. He glanced at me. "Do you?"

"No," I said instantly. "No," I repeated just because it was worth saying twice in this instance.

"She doesn’t," Cub said. "Take care, now."

"
Take care
?" Lance asked, frowning at Cub and looking down his nose at him.

"Yeah, take care. We'll see you later."

"Charlotte didn't ask me to leave," Lance said. He was still puffing up his chest like he could actually do something to Cub.

I was sort of embarrassed for him.

"I definitely think you should leave," I said.

Lance stared directly at me with a beseeching look on his face. "Can we talk about this?" he asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

"You heard the lady," Cub said.

"We were fine out here before you came, chief," Lance said. He flinched at Cub like he might hit him, but Cub just stared at him calmly.

Cub pointed toward the driveway. "If you're not headed in that direction within the next few seconds, I'm gonna be forced to let my fist come into contact with your face."

Lance squinted at him. "This isn't
your
house," he said angrily.

Cub looked at me and said, "Can you please tell him that I'm serious, and that I'm looking forward to hitting him if he doesn't leave."

I focused on Lance, whose face was completely flushed. "He's serious, Lance. You need to leave."

"I'm not scared of him," Lance said. He reached out and pushed Cub hard enough to knock him over. Cub was expecting it and he stepped to the side, mostly missing the blow. Because of the way Lance was moving forward, and how Cub stepped to the side, Cub was in an ideal location to deliver a punch to Lance's side via a hook to the body. I heard a grunt and a whoosh of air leave Lance as Cub landed the hit. Lance stumbled backward, holding his side and looking at Cub with a fearful wide-eyed expression.

"It's time to head that way," Cub said, pointing at the driveway again. "Or you could just stay, but next time, I'm aiming for your jaw."

I watched in awe as Cub then pounded his chest and said a phrase in Swahili as he pointed at me and then at Lance. The language sounded almost barbaric, and the chest pounding was a really intimidating touch. I would have been totally scared of him if I were Lance.

As for me, if I were a cartoon, I'd bat my eyes, clutch my hands under my chin, and release floating hearts out of the top of my head.

Lance looked at me, and I made a regretful expression as I used one finger to gesture to the side of my head in a few circles, signifying that Cub was a little crazy. "He's from Africa," I said, cautiously. I shrugged and shook my head like I wasn't really sure what he was capable of. Lance stared at Cub nervously as he began slowly backing away.

We stood on the porch together, watching as Lance ran to his car and sped off. "That was unbelievable," I said, still staring at the back of his car.

Cub came to stand right next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. I let my head fall onto the front of his chest and took a deep breath.

"You okay?" he asked.

I smiled even though he couldn’t see my face. "I'm amazing," I said. "At first I was really nervous, and thought that might end badly, but I'm actually glad he came here."

"Why's that?" Cub asked.

"Because it makes me even more thankful that things ended up the way they did." I paused, but continued before he said anything. "Plus I got to see you run him off in Swahili. That was pretty dang hot."

"I hit him pretty hard, too," Cub said. "I was a little surprised he didn't cry on that one. He'll be hating me for the next few days."

"I knew you were gonna snap when he got in your face like that," I said.

I felt his chest shake with laughter. "He was spitting in my face when he talked," Cub said. "That's what put me over the top."

We were quiet for a few seconds before I said, "I can't believe there was a time when I thought I would marry him." It was a true statement. It was something I couldn't believe, but I was mostly just saying it just to throw out the word marriage in case I could get Cub to bite.

He pulled back and glanced at me with a smirk. "Why in the world would you want to go making me jealous after you just watched me go ape on that poor man?"

I laughed. "I wasn't trying to make you jealous," I said. "I was just thinking how crazy it was that my idea of perfect was so off. I thought I knew what I wanted, but now I have something a hundred times better."

He sighed. "Because it made me wish I had hit him in the face when I heard you say you wanted to marry him just now."

I giggled, and pulled back to look at him. "That's because you want me to marry you," I said.

A wave of nerves hit me the instant the M word left my lips. I used the nervous energy to pop up and place a kiss on his cheek. He caught my face in his hands and forced me to look at him. "You're right," he said.

"I am?"

"Yes." He stared at me with the hint of a grin.

I knew he was about to kiss me by the way he looked at my mouth.

"Do it," I whispered.

"Do what?" he asked wearing a face that said he had no clue what I was talking about.

"You know," I said shyly.

"What?"

"What you're thinking about doing," I said.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Because you're looking at my mouth."

"I was just watching you talk," he said, innocently.

I couldn’t take it any longer. I had been staring at the curves of his mouth, dying to place my lips on them. I took matters into my own hands. I reached up, took his face into my hands, and stretched up till my mouth landed on his.

"You taste like a ladybug," he said in between kisses with his mouth right next to mine.

"I am a ladybug," I said.

"My ladybug."

Epilogue

Rachel had a trip planned to Kenya for the following February. Her intention was to go twice a year to take X-rays, and fill cavities, and help everyone at the center with dental care.

Cub decided he'd go with her on her trips. His parents worked it out where they made a list of things to do the whole time he was gone, and he'd chip away at it when he came to visit. It was a subject we had talked about quite a bit since Rachel and Cub's bi-yearly trips weren't really an optional thing. They would go to Kenya twice a year come rain or shine. Personally, I loved that they were working it out where Cub could still help his parents and the children, and still be a part of their lives. It made me feel better about asking him to move.

In the future, Logan and I would try to go with them. This year, however, we couldn't make it. I was really busy with my last semester of school, and Logan had just started filming a movie that was set in New Orleans. I lost a few credits when I transferred, so I was taking extra classes to make up for it. I hated to miss Kenya, but I promised Cub I'd go when they went again that summer. Rachel and Cub were coming home today. They had flown as far as Charlotte together, but when they got there, Rachel hopped a plane to New Orleans to be with Logan, and Cub came home to California.

He had been gone for almost two weeks, and today was the day he would return. I absolutely could not wait to see him, but I had a project to hand in for one of my classes, and I couldn't get away until 2PM that day.

I went straight to Logan's when I got out of class. I had a text from Cub saying he was home (which meant at my brother's) and that he had a good trip.

I text him back saying I was on my way. I cranked up the stereo and probably drove a little too fast on the way over there. Thank goodness there was no traffic. He had been gone for two weeks, and I had a permagrin the whole way to Logan's at the thought of seeing him.

I didn't know what to expect when I got there. We could be alone, or Nico or Phillip could be there with us. I checked my face and teeth more than once on the way there. I put on some powder and fluffed my hair and all the other last-minute things girls do when they're trying to look good.

I took a deep, calming breath as I pulled into the driveway and put the car in park. I could see the side entrance from the place where I parked, and was looking at the door when I turned off the engine.

I saw the door open, and watched as Cub came to stand in the doorway. I smiled and shook my head as I looked at him, wondering how he still had the power to send chaos shooting around inside my body.

"I missed that smile," he said as we closed the distance between us.

I basically ran to him.

I dropped my bag somewhere along the way, and moved as quickly as I could across the driveway toward the house. I threw myself into his arms, and he caught me by the waist, lifting me off the ground and holding me tightly. I stared at him for what seemed like a full minute.

"You have a shaggy beard," I said, moving my fingertips over his cheeks.

He was smiling at me, and I let my eye roam all over his gorgeous face. His smiled broadened at the way I drank him in. "I missed you too," he said, as he set me on my feet gently.

"I missed your jokes, and your music, and the way you can make something out of nothing," I said.

"I missed your laugh, and your smell, and your sweetness. And of course I missed your gorgeous face."

I kept my arms around his neck, feeling like I never wanted to let him out of my sight again. He was wearing a pair of cargo shorts and a nice, button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up haphazardly. His shirt was baby blue, which only brightened the color of his eyes. I wanted to smooch his whole, handsome face.

"What's that?" I asked when I caught sight of something around his neck. It wasn't uncommon for Cub to wear a necklace or two. He liked leather, and hemp, and other things that looked beachy, and he normally had something tied around his neck. Usually, it was something one of the kids had made and given to him.

This was different, though. There was some sort of pendant hanging from one of the strands. I pulled back far enough to focus on it. It rested at the very top of his chest near that little indention at the base of his neck. He had gotten some sun in Kenya and I smiled at how good he looked with a suntan.

"I missed you so much," I whispered, staring at that little indention absentmindedly.

"I missed you, too," he said.

"What is this?" I asked when I remembered to focus on the mystery object hanging around his neck.

"Oh this?" he asked, casually glancing down at it. "It's nothing. It's just my grandmother's wedding ring."

I took it into my hand and pulled back even further so I could try to get a good look at it. It was indeed a woman's ring. It was vintage and beautiful.

"It's lovely," I said.

"You know why I have this, right?" he asked.

My stomach flipped the instant he said that. I had been looking at the ring, but my eyes met his.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's yours," he said. "If you want it."

I was silent for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond to that. "Of course I want it," I said before he could think I didn't want it or was answering 'no' to whatever it was that he was asking.

"You can have it, but there's a catch," he said. "I sort of come with it." He shrugged. "You might already be assuming that."

"Wait, what, what am I assuming here?" I asked, never letting go of the ring even thought it was still attached to his neck.

"The ring comes with me. It's a package deal. You can only have it if you marry me."

I made a disappointed face and let out a defeated sigh. "That's no deal," I said, shaking my head. "I thought this was a free ring, no strings attached. I didn't think you were gonna try to throw a commitment in with it."

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head, and not smiling at all. "I'm sorry, but I can't just let you have it. It was sort of a big deal for my mom to give it to me, and she said I had to marry the girl I gave it to. She was unwavering on that."

"Hmm," I said, shaking my head and making a
that's unfortunate
face. "That's a shame," I said. "Because I really like that ring."

"Why don't you just go ahead and marry me then?" he asked, shrugging.

"I, uh…" I hesitated. "I really don't know. I have a dog. I'm not sure what she'd say about me bringing a guy home, saying,
hey, I'm getting married just so I can get this free ring
."

Cub had to stifle a smile on that one. He looked away for a second while he regained his seriousness.

He shrugged. "All right, well I love dogs, but I see you're not really willing to make it work, so never mind, I guess."

"I don't know," I said reluctantly. "I mean maybe, if you like dogs…"

"I
love
dogs," he said.

"Can you sing, and play piano, and build things, and cook, and tell jokes?"

"I could try my hand at any of that, I guess."

I smiled and shrugged. "I guess we can do it, then."

"You sure?" he asked. "Because I don't want this to be just about the ring."

My expression was still serious as I shook my head at him. "Na," I said. "I think it's gonna be pretty good marrying you."

"Oh so you
want
to marry me?" he asked.

"I think I might," I said.

"Let's do it," he said.

"Really?" I asked, smiling and breaking character for the first time by speaking to him in a different tone.

"Yes really. I've already talked to our families. It seems we have their blessing."

"Is this really my wedding ring?" I asked. I turned it over in my hand.

"You don't have to wear this one if you had something else in mind," he said.

"Are you kidding?" I asked. "This is ten times more special than anything you could buy me." My eyes started to burn when it sank in that I was staring at
my
ring, and that Cub was officially asking me to marry him. I blinked several times at it before focusing on Cub. "I love you," I said.

He smiled, I love you, too, Ladybug."

The end

(till book 4)