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“A treehouse would indicate there’s a roof, this is more of an open-air experience. Would you like to come up?”
“Only if I can take your mom up on her offer to look through your baby pictures,” I tease.
He chuckles. “You have my full support. I was a cute baby.”
“Of course, you were.” I smirk, but he doesn’t see it because he’s already moving up the ladder.
When we reach the top of the ladder, Hunter helps me climb out onto the platform. It’s everything I expect a half-finished ‘tree fort’ that’s over twenty years old to be. Splintered wood, wobbly railings, covered in debris and bird poop. But when I turn to look out, the view—a star-filled sky reflecting off the lake—is breathtaking. We don’t appear to be that high off the ground, but the location of the tree, sitting on top of an incline, gives it a height advantage over the downslope trees.
Hunter does his best to clear a spot on the platform for us to sit. He lowers himself, then pulls me down to sit between his legs. Once seated, our feet dangle over the hole for the ladder, and I lean back into Hunter to look up at the sky.
“Other than being out on the water, this is my favorite spot here,” he says.
“I can see why. It’s beautiful.” Now that I’m used to the constant sounds of the city, I strain to hear anything but the brief, fuzzy notes of katydids. “And so quiet.”
“That’s why my parents wanted a house here. They wanted to give their city kids the experience of calm and space to run.”
Hunter mentioning his parents reminds me of how much fun I had with them tonight.
“Your parents are great.”
“Yeah, they are.”
I smile because there’s no ‘but’ following his statement. Hunter has a great relationship with his parents, and it’s easy to see even after just spending a few hours with them.
“Your dad is pretty chill. For some reason, I imagined him being an uptight guy who would be grilling you about work and the company.”
“A year ago, he was far more involved, but I think he’s really settled into his retirement. And he trusts me.”
“That’s great. Your dad mentioned Premier was started as a family business. Did Hannah ever have interest in working there?”
“My dad had the vision, and together, my parents built Premier with the idea that it would continue with Hannah and me, but Hannah wasn’t interested. I think she went to business school hoping it would spark a desire to get involved, but then she ended up starting her jewelry line. That’s where her passion lies.”
“She’s super talented.”
“She is. I’m happy that she trusted her gut and is doing something she loves, but I’m also secretly hoping she and James have children that will be interested in carrying on the family business.”
“Because you won’t?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen that for myself. I’ve prioritized work and never thought I could get to that place with someone.”
It reminds me of our earlier conversation. Hunter thinks he’s not husband material, that he’s not capable of prioritizing a partner and family, but I think he’s selling himself short and it’s hard to hear him talk about himself that way. I can tell it’s a vulnerable subject for him. A soft spot in an otherwise confident man.
“I think if a wife and family is something you want, you can have it. Don’t let your past or what other people think about it affect your future, you know? You don’t need anyone else’s permission to change your priorities.”
His arms tighten around me. “Thank you for saying that.”
“Well, I mean it. I don’t doubt that you would be an amazing husband and dad. You’re thoughtful and sweet, caring and nurturing. Just think of the effort you’ve put in with me the last few weeks, and we’re not even dating.”
I meant to use us as an example of Hunter’s ability to put time into a relationship, which he has doubted he could, but when I hear the words out loud, I realize he may think I’m reading more into the situation.
“I mean, not that this is that, that you and I are headed in that direction, but I’m sure when it happens for you, you’ll know.”
He lowers his lips to my ear. “And what about you?”
A shiver runs through me at the warmth of his breath against the shell of my ear.
“What do you mean?” My heart stutters, not sure where he’s going with this.
