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That earned me a cute grin, “My family screwed me over once again, I don’t know how I’m going to get back up financially with the trick up their sleeve they pulled today.” He shook his head and rambled on about his brother. “The asshole had the audacity to steal my idea right in the middle of my speech. Like how in the fuck can my father be so blind. He let this all happen. I invested in building this new app where consumers can compare insurance plans based on their personal information. All of my other money-saving apps were thriving but I didn't have the funds to do it alone. Insurance companies would be forced into a bidding war to keep their clients, plus they had the option to pay us to advertise their plans. Our profits would have skyrocketed.Somehow my brother got wind of it and got to the investors first with a similar idea. Now he took the credit for the cheap insurance app and my investors were handing their money over to Blake, just like all the poor bastards before them. Blake was the biggest cock blocker. Now I have to start over. I had no damn clue where to begin. Luckily, I still had my loyal shareholders, and my stocks are holding steady, but it pisses me off that I had the whole thing mapped out, now it was all gone in one hour.”
Not knowing what to say, I hugged him, and he allowed me to hold him. It was unlike Hunt to be held willingly and for a second, I was sure he was about to cry. I had never seen this sensitive side of him. It was calming to let my guard down around him.
After a few moments, he lifted his head. We locked our gazes. He gently brushed his lips against mine in a tease. He seemed to wait to see if I was willing. His teeth gently bite down on his bottom lip, making the tension unbearable. I wanted this man, there was no hiding the temptation.
Without wasting any more time, he pressed his lips to mine hungrily, grasping my neck to deepen the kiss. I was sure my lips would bruise, but I didn’t care. I gave in. I wanted us to be... My mind wandered off to recent memories from this past weekend when we were inseparable. I wanted us to be one. I want us to be more than just sex.
Hunt broke the kiss, I whimpered aching for more. He cleared his throat, “I don’t think,” he looked around, “we should do this here.” He chuckled.
I smiled and pulled my hair to the side, fixing it from Hunter’s hands grasping them earlier. “You’re right,” I answered.
I could tell from his face he really needed the conversation changed and from the tenting that formed in his jeans, he was struggling. In order to take his mind off his day, I decided to talk about mine, “So, I’ve had a full day too”.
His eyes twinkled. He looked happy, “Oh yeah, tell me about it?”
“Well, I was working at Pap’s food truck, and I didn’t realize how much work that was. I don’t know how Paps does it.” I couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. I had to force myself to look around to keep my thoughts on what I wanted to say.
“Why were you working there? Where was Paps?” He asked curiously.
I feared I didn't think this through when I brought up working for Pap today. I answered quickly, “Oh, … I shouldn’t have said anything. Paps asked me to cover for him for personal reasons.”
Worry filled his eyes, “What’s going on Ginny? You can tell me. What’s wrong with Pap?” He stared attentively watching my every movement all while keeping his hands on mine. He cocooned them safely like it was the only way for him to protect me in that moment.
The door behind us swung open. Mary stared at us in horror. She stood there, phone in hand, and didn't utter a single word. Tears began streaming down her face and her knees went weak. Hunt rushed to her side as she collapsed on her front porch. Hunt hushed her tears as he held her head and rocked the grief-stricken woman, who had clearly received some devastating news.It seemed like an eternity had passed but truly it was only a few minutes when she said, “The doctor said he didn’t make it.”
HUNT
Mary sobbed a blood-curdling sound that would make even the most heartless fool grieve with the undreamable cry coming from her. Her sobs broke and for a moment, it appeared like she had stopped breathing. Her eyes were empty as the breath held inside of her kept her captive. She finally gasped loudly causing my heart to drop to my stomach. She grasped me closely in an attempt to hold me tighter, as her body surrendered to the pain and her mind lost reality during this devastating time, except for the small whimper coming from her throat that allowed more tears to run down her cheeks.
I carried her to the couch, “Did you know, Hunt? Did you know where he went today?”
I shook my head trying to prevent the tears from falling. I knew Pap’s was gone, but I didn’t know why or how. I feared that Ginny may have known this whole time. Is this why she came back? Did she come back to help Pap? Was he sick? I tried to hold myself back because I knew that Mary had lost her son years ago and now her husband. Mary had lost her entire world in one moment and I was over here minutes ago whining over a deal gone wrong when she had real problems. “What happened, Mary?” I asked, no longer able to hold back.
She took a few deep breaths and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She reached over and patted my face, “I’m sorry bub, I know you loved him like a father.” She paused, calming her sobs. “The doctor said he went in for complaints of dizziness and while on the table he became unresponsive. They started CPR and rushed him to the hospital. He didn’t make it to the emergency room. He said Pap had an aortic aneurysm and it had ruptured. They have been following the progress for years, but this time Pap had contacted the doctor with new symptoms.” She paused for a moment before finishing. “What I would like to know is why he didn't tell me?”
Another cry left the back of her throat, and her shoulders shook in my hands. The sadness overwhelmed me, but anger boiled in my stomach. Why didn’t he tell us? At least me. He was practically my dad. We spoke every day and he couldn’t mention,oh hey my artery may explode any day so cherish every moment we have together. He didn’t tell Mary. He didn’t tell me. Then who did he trust with this information?
Ginny…he trusted her. She almost confessed what was going on before Mary interrupted us. Did she know he was sick and didn’t tell me? I thought that we bonded this past weekend. I thought we had a connection. Why would Pap trust her with this more than me?
I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned to find Ginny appearing shocked and grief-stricken. Well maybe she didn’t know after all, but what was she going to confess before Mary interrupted.
“What did he say to you? What excuse did he give to you?” She jolted back like I had accused her of murder. Her eyes were sullen, and her arms wrapped around herself like she was protecting her own heart.
“He acted like it was something routine. He didn’t mention that he was sick. He asked me not to say anything because he didn’t want Mary to worry. I swear that’s all he said.” She shook as she spoke the words with Mary and me gawking at her like she had the secret passage to the treasure. She looked uncomfortable and began swaying her hips back and forth which normally would entice me to watch however I was too devastated to worry about that right now.
Mary reached for her and caressed her arm, “Now child I wouldn’t expect that he would tell you anything. When Malcolm wanted to keep something private, he did.”
Ginny’s body relaxed some and she wrapped her arms around Mary embracing each other’s grief and sorrows.
I couldn’t sit around here and watch this anymore. I stood. I turned toward the door and ran out of there as fast as my feet would let me. Today has been one of the worst days of my life.I stomped the cemented sidewalk as I jogged my emotional pain away with a pain I knew how to handle. It started to rain but I didn’t care, all I wanted was to not feel this way. The raindrops coated my hair, making me swing my head back a few times to push my hair aside. Tears ran down my face, but it wasn't noticeable, just the way I wanted it. With past experience, I was raised to hide any weaknesses. Crying was for babies.
Fuck you, Dad.
Fuck you Pap for leaving me behind.
“Fuck you,” I yelled but the sound was drowned out by the pouring rain.
I kept running, I kept crying, I kept wanting…Ginny.
