14. Levi

Greedy leaves the room, and I'm left alone for the first time today.

My nerves are shot. My leg is throbbing. My arms hurt from my wrists to my shoulders—muscle atrophy, I'm sure, plus some soreness from the use of the crutches.

It all hurts.

But being here? At Greedy's house? Among friends, without having to depend on my mother? It's a balm I didn't know I needed.

This is how I'll heal.

This is how I'll survive what I thought would be the most stressful, insufferable months of my life.

Here, I don't have to hide.

Here, I can be myself. I don't have to put concerted effort and energy into playing a part.

I'm so fucking grateful to be here, and it's all thanks to the pretty girl flitting around the bathroom.

"He's gone," I call out to Hunter with a low chuckle.

She appears in the doorway, scans the room, and then visibly relaxes her shoulders.

"So you and Greedy are roomies, huh?"

Her attention snaps to me. The grimace on her face makes it clear I've hit a nerve.

Instead of clapping back with that bratty sass I secretly love, Hunter deflates, and her face falls. Shoulders slumped, she makes her way over to the bed and plops down on the mattress beside me.

"I didn't expect it to be like this," she confesses quietly, turning to meet my gaze. "This is just a stopover for me."

I nod but remain silent. There has to be more. It's up to her if she wants to share it.

She picks at the pink polish on her thumbnail for a few breaths before she continues.

"Last summer, my dad gave me an ultimatum. He said if I didn't start using my college fund by this year, I'd lose it. I didn't even know that was a thing, but I guess it has something to do with taxes."

She shrugs, defeated.

"His new wife was ready to try and roll it over into a college savings plan for their new rugrats."

"Your dad got remarried?" I ask, shifting to ease the ache in my leg.

Hunter nods. "To a woman he met in France. They have two little kids. A boy and a girl."

"And you didn't want to stay abroad for school?"

Green eyes the color of sea glass lock with mine, shining with emotion.

"I never expected to be gone that long, Duke."

Nodding, I bite back all the questions populating in my mind. There are so many details I'm desperate to know.

When she left North Carolina, I didn't think that we were saying goodbye forever. I never expected to not hear from her again. I thought she needed time; space.

It hurt when she never reached out. When she never tried to reconnect once she was settled.

It took a while, but eventually, I came to accept that I was collateral damage.

I got left behind, but I wasn't the most significant person left here wondering about her. I missed her like crazy, but there was another person out there, missing her even more. The guilt and shame I felt for picking sides and not being there for Greedy forced me to cut ties with him, too.

Nothing went as planned after that summer. And yet, here we are all, under the same roof once again.

"After that conversation with my dad, I called Dr. Ferguson to ask for his advice. He was still paying my credit card bill each month. I honestly didn't know who else to ask."

"Where's your mom?"

Hunter snorts and shakes her head. "Not sure. I could check Instagram and figure it out, though."

My heart sinks at the defeat in her tone and her expression. "Your mom doesn't live here?"

"I haven't seen my mom since the engagement dinner at the country club."

My brain is working overtime to piece together the information. "You didn't go to the wedding?"

Hunter averts her gaze and picks at the comforter beneath us.

Frowning, I regard her for a heartbeat. "Weren't they going to Europe for a honeymoon?"

This time, she shrugs. "That was the plan. I tried to meet up with her a few times when I was in London. Then once when I was in Italy. After that, I gave up."

"Daisy…" I take her hand and give it a squeeze, but I drop it quickly when I notice she isn't even looking at me.

Instead, she talks to the comforter, tracing a little bit of stitching with her finger.

"Dr. Ferguson encouraged me to come home. He made a lot of valid points about getting my undergrad studies out of the way. I don't want to be the oldest student in my law program, ya know? He offered to pay my tuition, which I did not want him to do, but he said it was ultimately my choice. I think he hoped it would entice my mom to come home, too."

"Did it work?" I ask.

Hunter snorts. "It hasn't yet." With a sigh, she pulls her feet up under her. "He offered to put in a good word at SCU and suggested I move in here. Then he replaced my car. I know it's selfish…" Her voice cracks on the last word. "It was just nice to have a parent care. I don't plan to stick around here long, but I figured this was my best shot at a fresh start."

She clears her throat and straightens, signaling that her story is complete.

Except it's not. I can't even begin to imagine her and Greedy sharing space, sharing a home, and pretending like they're stepsiblings. Or worse, pretending they're casual acquaintances.

"So you and G live together and act like you weren't madly in love once upon a time?"

Her answering scowl sends a shiver from my skull to my tailbone.

"Don't," she snaps. Then, softer, "Please don't go there. It was a long time ago—"

I scoff. "It was three years ago, Daisy. You can't really expect me to believe—"

"I expect you to believe that I'm doing my best," she says, cutting me off. "That I'm trying to figure this out. That I'm desperate to get a place of my own, to put more distance between Greedy and me. I'm taking twenty-one credit hours, playing catch-up the best I can, and this is all I can manage at the moment."

Eyes closed, she blows out a breath and shakes her head. When she looks at me again, she's more determined than before.

"I'm not trying to hurt him any more than I already have. Most days, we're so busy we don't even see each other. I can go a full week without running into him. Hell, I've spent more time with him visiting you this past week than I have in the months since I came back. This is a stopover for me. I'll be out of his way soon enough."

"Do I even need to ask how Greedy feels about all of this?"

Hunter's mouth tilts up in the saddest smile I've ever seen her muster. "The kindest thing I can do for him is keep my distance and get out of here as soon as possible. Like I said, I'm working on it."

The mood is somber and heavy as I contemplate her words. The dejection in her voice makes my chest ache. I hate that she thinks her presence is the problem.

"I feel like I should have been made aware of this situation before I agreed to take the room between you two," I joke in an attempt to lighten the mood.

She catches on quickly, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes as she stands and stretches her arms overhead.

Her shirt rises up a few inches, showing off an expanse of smooth skin just below her navel.

She tugs at the hem of her shirt and meets my gaze. With a devilish smirk, she asks, "Want me to call your mom and ask her to come pick you up, then?"

"Ah, come on!" Laughing, I hold out my arms. "I'm just teasing you, Daisy. Come here."

She makes her way back to the bed and bends to meet me.

I wrap her up in a hug and hold on extra tight. "Thank you," I whisper into her hair. "You and I both know the gravity of what you did today. You have to know what you saved me from. I appreciate you so damn much, Hunter."

She melts in my arms and lets me take her weight for a few seconds, then gives me a final squeeze and releases. "Will you be okay up here for a while?"

I nod against her shoulder. "I'm going to take a nap. Greedy mentioned he'd bring me some clothes later. What else could a guy need?"

She backs away, smiling. "I've got to study. Text me if you need anything."

I return the expression. Honestly, I can't imagine her doing or giving me anything more than she already has.