Page 16 of Now and Then

I’m running soap over my body when I hear him yell from the kitchen, “Twelve minutes. Get your ass in gear, woman.”

It takes me less than three. Wrapped in a plush white towel, I pad across the hall to his bedroom and rummage through his dresser for a pair of leggings I shoved in there a while ago, just in case, and one of his hoodies.

“I’ll meet you outside. Better hurry!”

“Goddamn it, Hunter! I’m hurrying. I can’t find any socks.”

“You try looking in your drawer?”

The front door slams closed and the garage door opening sounds through the wall.

My drawer? I don’t have a drawer. I open several, but they’re full of his shirts, briefs, and sweats. My breath catches when I open the bottom right.

“What in the world?”

Tucked inside are several pairs of socks, underwear, leggings, and even a few bralettes I like. Most still have the tags on.

My heart flutters. This is what Hunter does. He builds spaces for us like they already exist. Yet I’m still standing in doorways pretending they don’t.

I glance out the window and see he’s already pulled the ATV out, and it’s idling at the end of the drive. I pull on a pair of new leggings, a bralette, and one of my favorite hoodies. I grab my sneakers and a pair of fluffy white socks and run down the hallway and out the door.

I’ve got plenty of time to overthink this new drawer later.

“I’m here!” I shout. “I just gotta put my shoes on.”

His only response is a grunt and nod. I plop onto the front stairs and hastily slip my shoes and socks on, smiling as he gets out to open the ATV door for me. Chivalry isn’t dead when it comes to him. I’m still trying to buckle my seat belt as he’s pulling down the driveway.

Hunter’s house sits on five acres outside of town. None of the roads are paved, so we’ve kicked up a pretty good dust trail as he turns off the main road onto a forest road we know well.

Maybe it was my subconscious or maybe it was fate, but the property I found for him is only a short drive to our spot. Growing up, it’s where he, Luke, and I would fish or hang out, but, as it often happens, some of us outgrow these places and some hang on to them forever. Hunter and I have grown into this one.

“Here.” He shoves a tumbler of coffee into my hands.

Looking at him from the corner of my eye, I stifle a giggle because he’s sitting ramrod straight with both hands on the steering wheel. I don’t think I’ve seen him this stiff even when he’s on shift.

“Everything okay?” I sip my perfectly sweetened coffee.

“Yup. Why?”

“You look like a man who’s about to go on trial. Why are you so tense?”

His chest heaves on a massive inhale. “Don’t think you’ll like my answer.”

“Hunter,” I demand, never taking my eyes from his profile.

His semi-long locks are tucked under a worn-out navy ball cap. He’s left his sunglasses at home, so there’s nothing for him to hide behind. His warm, chocolate-brown eyes find mine, and I widen mine in a silent command to talk.

He rubs one hand down his face and mumbles, “I like you in my clothes.”

Heat floods my body. I’m used to his teasing and flirting, but he’s never been this direct with his thoughts. I normally deflect with a joke. But this time, I don’t.

“Yeah, well . . .” I hesitate only a breath. “I like wearing your clothes.”

I quickly turn away from him, but based on his grunt in reply, I know I’ve shocked him just as much with my own directness.

The forest road narrows as we near the woods at the back of his property. I relax into my seat, feet on the dash, and enjoy the solitude of our drive, allowing the last twenty-four hours to replay in my mind.

“You know that design job I bid for a few months ago?” I say ten minutes later. “The one for the police station?”