Surrender to Me (Boggy Creek Valley Book 4) Read online

  I parked and made my way up the porch steps. I knocked on the door and heard Bella call out for me to come in.

  When I stepped inside the cabin, I couldn’t help but fight all the memories that came rushing back in an instant.

  Ten years.

  Ten fucking years since I’d stood in this small living room. Bella had moved out to the cabin after she’d graduated high school so that when we came home from college, she’d have more privacy. Of course, we took full advantage of that. Her folks never said anything when my truck was here all night long for days on end. Even James and Sharon had expected us to get married once we got out of college.

  Bella walked into the living room—and it felt like the air was sucked straight from my lungs. She was so damn beautiful. Her blonde hair was in a braid that looped around the side and over her right shoulder. She wore jeans that showed off her incredible body, which had certainly gained more womanly curves over the years. And her light blue sweater made her eyes pop even more. There was a lightness to her step, something I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

  “Hey,” she said with smile.

  “Hey, you look beautiful.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink and I nearly let out a moan. I loved it when she blushed.

  “Thank you. You look…”

  Her eyes moved slowly over my body, and I couldn’t help but notice how she took her time with her perusal. I had left my coat at home, since I knew I wasn’t going to be outside for long. I had on jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and a Boggy Creek Police Department baseball cap. I raised a single brow when she made no secret of the fact that she was checking me out.

  “Um,” she said as she cleared her throat. “Handsome. I mean, good. You’ve been working out.”

  That made me raise both brows.

  She quickly shook her head. “No. I mean, obviously you have to work out because of your job. Your chest looks good—no, I mean…” She sighed. “I always did like it when you wore baseball caps.”

  I winked. “I didn’t know that. I’ll have to wear them more often, then.”

  She chuckled and graced me with an even bigger smile. I loved that it reached her eyes. After staring at each other for a few more moments, Bella cleared her throat again. “We should probably go. Let me grab my coat and purse.”

  “Okay.”

  Watching her walk out of the room, I tried not to smile like a goddamn fool. This was the first time Arabella had given me any real indication that she was still attracted to me. Well, except for a few months ago, when she was over at Greer and her fiancé Hudson’s house, and the girls all got smashed, dressed in sexy outfits, and ended up dancing on the dining room table. Kyle—who was Greer’s brother, and also a Boggy Creek police officer—and I both got calls for the noise complaint.

  It had been a shock to walk in and see the girls dressed in next to nothing, dancing like they were at a hot nightclub in Boston. I’d helped Bella off the table and brought her over to a chair. The way she looked at me that night nearly broke my heart in two. Then she’d placed her hand on the side of my face and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Hunter.”

  I was positive if I had moved in closer, she would have kissed me. But before anything else could happen, Abby, Bella’s best friend—who was married to Bishop—had rushed over and grabbed Bella’s hand. They’d practically run out of the room to go change. After they’d all gone back downstairs, Kyle had lectured them on how reckless they’d acted, and we’d left them to continue their girls’ night.

  I’d had to take a few cold showers that night to get the image of Bella in that damn sexy outfit out of my head.

  Now she walked back into the living room with her coat and purse. “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  She practically skipped past me to the door, and I smelled the familiar fragrance that was Bella. Lavender.

  I knew why she always smelled like lavender in the summer. The hives were placed between rows and rows of lavender plants that her family had planted. Lavender was one of Bella’s favorite plants. But now the scent was so strong that I wondered if she wore some kind of lotion with the fragrance in it. I drew in a deep breath as we walked out, and she headed for the steps.

  “Bella, aren’t you going to lock your door?”

  Stopping, she turned and looked back at me. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I forgot! Must be the excitement!”

  I smiled. “You don’t make it a habit of forgetting to lock your door, do you, sweetheart?” I paused. “Um, sorry. It’s a habit.”

  She tilted her head. “What’s a habit? Telling people to lock their doors?”

  The last time I’d called her sweetheart, she’d gotten upset and brought up the fact that I’d slept with Brighton, a mutual friend of ours, and my sister Willa’s best friend. It hadn’t been anything serious at all. When Bella didn’t pick up on the endearment this time, I decided to let it go.

  “Yeah, sorry. It’s just, Boggy Creek isn’t as safe as it once was. I’d feel better knowing you locked your door.”

  With a nod, she walked back up to the porch and pulled out her keys. After she locked it, she turned and flashed me a grin. “All locked up and no, I don’t normally ever forget to lock it. Now, let’s get to the hospital before Willa has the baby.”

  For most of the drive to the hospital, Bella kept quiet. As we got closer, I decided to try for some small talk. If there was one thing I knew about Bella, she loved to talk about her bees.

  “Have you checked on the bees?”

  She grinned as she looked at me. “No, I try not to bother them in the winter. They’re all clustered to keep warm, so me messing around with the hives only causes them to lose heat.”

  “Did you lose very many bees last winter?”

  The chance to talk about her beloved bees had her nearly bouncing in her seat. “Not like the year before. This past year, we didn’t harvest as much honey to be sure they had enough through the winter. I’m hoping we can decrease the number of lost bees by half. I hate losing even one, but I know it happens.”

  I smiled. No one had a heart as sweet and genuine as the woman sitting beside me. “What do you think Willa and Aiden will have? A boy or a girl?”

  She giggled. “I think it’s a girl.”

  I glanced her way quickly before looking back at the road. “Really? What makes you say that?”

  “Willa was really sick with morning sickness this time around, she said. Plus, she said the baby was super active. More so than Ben. My mom said that means she’s carrying a girl.”

  “I’m pretty sure Aiden is hoping for a girl. He won’t come out and say it, but I can tell.”

  “Really?” Bella asked as she turned her body more to face me. “You think he wants a girl?”

  I nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I do.”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw her staring at me. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking.

  “What day works for you this week for coffee?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light and carefree. When in truth, I was nearly going mad having her so close to me. I wanted desperately to reach out and take her hand, if only to see if she’d let me.

  “Oh, um…Thursday? The store won’t be open, so I’ll be free the whole day, and you’re off, right?”

  How in the hell did she know I was off unless she’d been paying attention to my work schedule? I worked a compressed shift, and clearly Bella knew that. Christ, my heart was racing so fast it felt like I had just run a freaking marathon. A woman didn’t memorize a guy’s work schedule for no reason, right?

  “Yeah, I’m off. Thursday works for me.”

  “Okay. Do you want to meet at The Coffee Pot for lunch?”

  So, our coffee date was being changed to a lunch date. I’d take it. “That works for me. Does 11:30 sound okay?”

  “It sounds perfect.”

  I turned and pulled into the hospital parking lot.

  Once I par
ked and turned off the truck, I jumped out and met Bella on her side. We walked into the hospital together, and it took everything I had not to reach for her hand. I just wanted to touch her. Hold her in my arms. Beg her to tell me why in the hell she’d left me. But I wouldn’t do any of it, because the fact that she was finally letting me get closer to her had to be good enough. For now.

  The waiting room was full. Nearly everyone was there. The only people I didn’t see were Abby and Bishop. And Brighton. She was Willa’s best friend from high school and a lawyer in Boston now. She had been coming back to Boggy Creek more and more after representing Willa in her divorce. The fling that she and I had last year was nothing but another poor attempt on my part to try and get over Bella—which hadn’t worked in the least, even though I’d tried to like Brighton, whom my sister and the girls called Bree for short, more than I did. It was nothing more than a physical attraction for both of us and hadn’t lasted long.

  Candace jumped up, made her way over to Bella, and engulfed her in a hug. “I had the best idea for expanding on the lavender cookies.”

  Bella glanced back over her shoulder at me and offered a sympathetic smile. I grinned and winked to let her know it was okay.

  Greer and Hudson both walked over, each giving me a smile that said they wanted to know the details about me and Bella showing up together. Greer spoke first in a hushed voice. “So, you picked up Arabella, huh?”

  I nodded. “I did.”

  “And?” she asked.

  “And what?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me, Hunter Turner. What did you guys talk about?”

  I shrugged. “Bees. Our lunch plans for Thursday.”

  Greer gasped, and Hudson sighed as he said, “Oh Lord, you’ve gone and done it now, Hunter.”

  “Lunch plans?” she asked in a whisper. “You have a date with her?”

  “No, we’re meeting for lunch,” I replied.

  Greer silently clapped her hands, clearly trying not to jump around. “OH my GAWD…you have a date with her!”

  I turned to Hudson and gave him a confused look. He held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. I’ve yet to figure out the workings of a woman’s mind.”

  The elevator dinged, and Bishop and Abby got off and headed toward us. A loud commotion happened down another hallway, and Brighton suddenly came flying around the corner.

  “Did I miss it?” she asked as she bent over, holding her stomach and trying to catch her breath.

  Laughing, I said, “Jesus, Brighton, how fast did you drive to get here? You nearly beat Bishop and Abby.”

  Standing up, Brighton hugged me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Bella watching us. Bishop had told me—via Abby—that Brighton and Bella had become good friends and talked things out regarding our little fling. Whatever the hell that meant. I was positive they hadn’t compared notes.

  “I was already on my way home for the weekend. She hasn’t had the baby yet?” Brighton asked.

  After she stepped away from me and continued to hug and say hi to everyone else, I stole a glance over at Bella. She was looking down at the floor. Her shoulders seemed to hang lower, and I fucking hated that it hurt her to see me with Brighton…but at the same time, she was the one who’d pushed me away.

  There were so many times I’d wondered if she’d hooked up with anyone. If she had, she’d never made it known. I’d been with Brighton longer than I had any other woman since Arabella. I’d dated other women, don’t get me wrong. But it usually ended rather quickly, since I tended to compare everyone to Bella. Brighton and I had had a good time together. She’d made me laugh. She’d also made it clear she wanted nothing more than sex. It hadn’t taken us long to realize we were better off as friends. I still couldn’t help but feel guilty, for some reason. Every time I went on a date, it felt like I was doing something wrong.

  After the fling with Brighton last year, I hadn’t been with anyone. Mostly because Bella seemed to finally be coming out of her shell, and that little spark of hope inside of me was starting to catch fire once again.

  Greer’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “Nope, no baby yet.”

  Everyone started to sit. There was a chair next to Brighton open, and one next to Bella. I made my way over to Bella. “Mind if I sit next to you?”

  Her blue eyes lifted, and I could see them sparkle as she replied, “I don’t mind at all.”

  I took the seat and started bouncing my leg. Bella reached over and placed her hand on my knee, causing me to instantly stop. The feel of her hand on my body sent a rush of heat through every inch of me, and I tried like hell not to think about how my dick jumped in my pants.

  “She’s going to be fine. Take a few deep breaths.”

  Of course, I was worried about my sister, but that wasn’t why I was nervous. I didn’t want to do anything to push Bella away from me again, and it drove me fucking mad that I still didn’t know the reason why it happened the first time. I glanced over at Bishop. I knew he was the only person who knew exactly what I was going through. A few years ago, Abby had lost their baby, and she’d ended up leaving Bishop—with no real explanation at all. They’d gotten divorced, but last fall Abby had moved back to Boggy Creek, and they were now married once again. I was truly happy for them…and a bit jealous, truth be told.

  Bella reached for my hand and laced it with hers. I jerked my head to the side and looked at her.

  She squeezed my hand and gave me that sweet smile of hers. “Stop worrying, Hunter.”

  I nodded. “I’m not worrying about Willa.”

  She grinned. “Of course not.” As if just realizing we were touching, she looked down at our joined hands and suddenly pulled hers away. She rubbed her hands down her jeans, looking anywhere but at me.

  “How long does it take to have a baby?” Kyle asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

  Brighton gave him a smug grin. “Aren’t cops supposed to know things like that?”

  He shot her a dirty look. “No. Maybe a medic, but not a cop.”

  The way those two argued, you’d think they were an old married couple on each other’s last nerve.

  “It just depends,” Greer said, clearly attempting to stop the fight that was brewing between Brighton and her brother. “Since this is Willa’s second baby, I’d think it would go pretty fast.”

  As if on cue, Aiden walked into the waiting room and everyone stood. He simply stared at us, not saying a word.

  “Should someone slap him or something?” Candace asked in loud whisper.

  Aiden shook his head and laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He met my gaze, then looked over at my folks. “Willa did…she did amazing.” Wiping tears from his face, Aiden took a deep breath and said, “We have a seven-pound, four-ounce baby girl.”

  Kyle shouted, “I knew it!” while the rest of us broke into cheers.

  I stood back while my folks walked up to Aiden first, followed by all of our friends. I was the last to walk over to him, frowning as I approached. “Dude, are you okay?”

  Aiden slowly shook his head and looked at me. “No. I think I’m about to pass out.”

  It was a damn good thing I was standing where I was because Aiden’s eyes fluttered and, true to his word, he fainted dead away.

  Arabella

  I slowly rocked my body back and forth, holding Ciara Megan O’Hara in my arms as I sat in Willa and Aiden’s living room. Tears pricked the back of my eyes as I tried not to think about how much I wanted a child of my own. At nearly thirty-three years old, I wasn’t sure this was a dream that would ever come true for me.

  “Arabella, are you all right?”

  Willa’s voice pulled me from my somber thoughts.

  “She’s just so beautiful,” I said, my voice cracking. “It makes me emotional.”

  I glanced up to see Willa smiling as she looked at her daughter in my arms.

  “She is beautiful. I love how babies smell.” Greer leaned in and drew in a deep br
eath of Ciara’s hair.

  Giggling, I did the same thing and nodded. “I agree. If you could bottle this up, you’d probably make a fortune.”

  “How are you feeling, Willa?” Greer walked over and sat next to Willa on the sofa. “I can’t believe you left the hospital so soon.”

  Willa adjusted her body some and looked at Greer. “As long as everything is okay with the mom and the baby, you don’t have to stay nearly as long anymore.”

  “How’s Aiden?” I asked as I continued to sway back and forth with the sleeping princess in my arms.

  Willa rolled her eyes. “He’s fine. Thank God Hunter was there to catch him.”

  “I still can’t believe he fainted.” Greer chuckled and covered her mouth. “You’d think the man was tougher than that with all he’s seen as a Navy SEAL.”

  Tring to hide my own laugh, I looked back down at Ciara. She was in a milk coma for sure. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly in a little smile. My heart melted once again, and I tried to ignore that maternal longing.

  “You guys should have seen him during the delivery, though. He was amazing. He was so worried about both of us, but he never left my side. And when the baby was born, he kissed me like he’s never kissed me before. If I hadn’t just pushed a baby out of me, I would have wanted him right then and there.”

  We all laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Aiden asked as he walked into the living room.

  The three of us exchanged quick glances. “Nothing,” we replied in unison.

  Aiden raised a brow. “You’re talking about me fainting again, aren’t you?”

  Willa covered her mouth to hide her smile. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. We were.”

  “Go ahead and laugh, I can take it,” Aiden stated, waving his hand in the air.

  Greer snorted. “Have Kyle and Hunter started in on you yet?”