Chapter Thirty-Two
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Eden
As I roll onto my back, I raise my hand in the air, gazing at my sunshine diamond and tilt it slowly back and forth. Mesmerized, I watch it glint and sparkle as the early morning light cuts through the gap of my balcony curtains.
I’m getting married. To Hunter King.
To say I’m still in shock would be a massive understatement.
Three days on and I still can’t stop smiling.
Ella knew all along; all I had to do was open my heart to possibility. I ticked number thirty-one off my bucket list. Fall in love. That’s the only item I care about.
Hunter and I celebrated our engagement surrounded by our family and friends. It’s an evening I will never forget. It really was magical, and the fog that’s surrounded me for months disappeared in a flash. All I needed was Hunter to make it dissipate.
“What are you doing, Cupcake?” a groggy, half-asleep Hunter asks.
“Making sure it’s still real.”
“It’s real alright and so is this.” He thrusts his morning glory into the side of my hip.
This man is always ready to go.
The day after our engagement, I called the doctor to make sure it was fine for me to have sex.
I hadn’t even considered asking before. It’s not like I planned on having sex while I was pregnant or anything. According to the doctor, I’m to have total pelvic rest, which totally sucks as my horny hormone levels are through the roof, but it’s a big fat no.
It’s been complete torture for me these last few days.
Turning on my side to face him, he reaches out and starts pinching my nipples.
“Would you like me to help you with that?” I palm his cock over his boxers.
“Nope,” he groans. “If you can’t, I can’t. It’s not fair. Although fuck knows how I will last the next few months. You’re way too sexy and your tits turn me on so bad.” He bows his head and sucks one over the fabric of my vest top.
“Ah, you really have to stop, Hunter.” I roll my eyes into my head. “The risks are too high. One orgasm can trigger a contraction.” I breathe. “I want you so bad, but we can’t risk it.”
My medical history is just too big a risk, so we have to abstain altogether. Well, I have to.
“I’m sorry, but these are just so big. You have actual melons. So crude, but it’s the only word for them.” He laughs as he lifts his head and gives my boobs a good squeeze.
“I don’t like melons.”
“Nope? Okay then, juggernauts?”
I flick his ear. “No, not that either.”
“Milk monsters?”
“Ew, that's worse, but they will be soon. Or rather we’ll have three milk monsters.”
“Don’t keep reminding me. Every time you say the word triplets, babies, plural and kids, again plural, and having them all at the same time, I think I age another year. We need nannies. A squad of nannies.” He groans.
“They will have aunties and grannies, not nannies. Ah, and I did wonder why I spotted some gray hairs coming through yesterday. It’s the worry.”
“I do not have gray hairs coming through.” He leaps out of bed.
I stifle a giggle as I watch Hunter inspecting his hair in my dressing-table mirror.
Skimming his beautifully sculpted bronzed body with my eyes, I appreciate his mighty fine backside encased in snug black boxer shorts.
Hot damn, he’s all mine now.
“There is no fucking gray here, you little minx. You will pay for that after these babies are born.” He leans back over me on my bed. “We have to get up. Lots to do today before we head to Florida. But first I have something I want to show you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a surprise.” He bows his head and kisses my swollen belly. “Good morning, monkeys. Be good for Mummy again today. Stay in there; we only have a few months to go. Hang tight.”
It’s not just my belly that’s swollen; it’s my heart too. The love I feel for this man bowls me over.
He’s been the biggest surprise of my life.
“Another surprise?” I ask.
“Yes, now come on, beautiful girl. Up.” He holds his hands out to help me.
“You shower. I’ll go make your favorite, boiled eggs on toast.”
“That would be lovely. I keep craving eggs. Who knew I would go off cupcakes?”
“I know, shocker. I’ll be surprised if Cupcakes & Castles sustains a business without you. C’mon, beautiful. Time to get in the shower.” He points.
Once we’re fed, watered, and ready to go, we jump into Hunter’s new shiny black Range Rover Autobiography. I have no idea how I’m going to drive this thing once we have the babies, but apparently he’s getting me one too. It’s so bloody high. Mine is going to have rose gold trimmings though; I am so bloody excited about that.
Luckily, Hunter has his fitted with automatic electric side steps for me so I can hop in and out easily. I’m getting those too; that’s a must.
“Where are we going?” I ask, smoothing out my figure-hugging pink maternity midi dress. Since the other night, I’ve ordered so many dresses. They are so comfy, complete lifesavers while preggers. They also go great with my giant trainer collection. Thank the heavens above for next day delivery.
“Patience, Cupcake, patience.” Hunter drives us, twisting through the countryside roads.
“Here we are.” Hunter pulls into an opening and drives into a development site.
It’s only a few miles from the retreat. Someone’s been building a house here for the last few months. I’ve driven past this almost every day, admiring the fast progress they’ve been making.
I gaze in wonder out the window. It’s dazzling. It looks like an enormous glass box overlooking the entire landscape of Castleview Cove.
The views they have must be breathtaking.
“Whoever is building this house has really gone all out. It’s so striking. You’d better not hang about here; they won’t let you turn in the construction site.”
“Eden. This is our new home.”
“Sorry, what?” I gape.
Hunter motions his eyes to the car door. “C’mon, they're expecting us.”
He jumps out and runs around the front of the car to my side to help me.
I grab on to his shoulder as he helps me down the step.
As Hunter and I walk hand in hand toward the captivating home, my jaw drops at its size.
“Holy shit, Hunter.”
He laughs. “This is our new beginning, baby.”
“But how, why, when?” I scratch my head.
“I never stopped the sale going through or the build. I was always going to need a place to live when I was toing and froing between here, golf tours, and Florida. So I just kept building. The difference now is, this is going to be my permanent place to live, and we have three kids' bedrooms to consider. That’s where you come in. You get to decide what you want to do with the layout. As well as loads of other stuff. You have way better taste than me.”
“But what about my house?” I ask, walking through the giant charcoal and glass front door.
Hunter grabs a couple of hard hats from the floor. “We need to put these on. Your house, well, that’s up to you. You look cute in this.” He pats my work hat. “You can sell it. Keep it. Rent it out. Or you can convert it into a bigger dance studio. That, my beautiful girl, is up to you. But with only three bedrooms, it’s not big enough for us, especially when my family comes to visit.”
“How many do we have in here then?” I ask, looking around at the crisp white walls.
“Seven. But we can change the upper level.”
Holy shamoly. Seven bedrooms.
“Everything is up to you. This will be your project until our three monkeys arrive, Cupcake. All you have to do is pick what you want, colors, finishings, soft furnishings, kitchen, bathrooms, everything. Um, and a wedding. No pressure,” he says sheepishly.
I hold on to Hunter’s hand tight as he shows me around the incredibly bright space, squeezing it to make sure this is all real. “Can I have a walk-in wardrobe again, please?”
“Already done. So is that a deal breaker for you moving in?”
“Yeah, I think it is.” I smile as I take it all in wide-eyed.
Hunter moves us through the giant open-plan living space.
With wall-to-wall windows, the Cove comes into view as we move closer.
My heart skips a beat.
Sunlight beams through the seamless windows, making the dust in the air glitter.
“Wow. Hunter, this is stunning. Is this really yours?”
“Ours, Eden, this is ours.”
I stare out the window, watching the waves crash along the shoreline.
“Hey, look, you can see the old McGregor’s fruit field from here too.” I move over to the side window. “That’s where I crashed.” I point. “Where you found me.”
I turn around. Hunter is standing directly behind me.
“Correction, it’s where I hunted you down, remember?” He pulls me into his arms.
“I remember now.” I bounce on to my tiptoes and press my lips to his. “So that’s where we started. And here is where it all ends, huh?” I ask.
“No, baby, this is where it starts. This is where we take a new junction and begin our new journey together.”
No matter where I am, I know Hunter will be with me, right by my side, holding on tight, navigating the way with me, and I am never letting go, no matter how rough the ride may get.
I will never be lost again.
He never hunted me.
I willed to be found.
The End