The servers were discreet, appearing only when needed and disappearing before the silence could turn awkward. Except nothing felt awkward. It felt tender and careful. For the first time in weeks, I could breathe around him. We talked about Billie’s ranch, about Taylor pretending she was not enjoying being in the middle of everything, about Wren knowing about the towel closet and choosing not to report us.
Hunter looked pained. “I’m never recovering from that.”
“Wren is very discreet,” I assured him.
“She said ‘shoulder ache or heartache’ to me at the arena. I hadn’t understood what she meant, but now it all makes sense,” he said with a snicker.
I choked on a laugh.
“She scares me,” he pouted.
“She terrifies everyone. That’s part of her charm.”
Hunter looked at me across the table, his eyes soft in the candlelight.
“I missed this,” he said. “You. Laughing. Talking to me like I haven’t ruined everything.”
My smile faded a little. “You didn’t ruin everything.”
“I almost did.” He reached across the table, palm up. I placed my hand in his without thinking.
“I talked to Tatum,” he said. “We set boundaries. Your evaluations go through Dr. Patel and Wren, my treatment has nothing to do with you, and our relationship stays out of team spaces until your internship is over.”
I stared down at our joined hands. We had made a simple, clear plan that was good for both of us.
“That sounds perfect,” I said quietly.
“I should’ve understood what you needed from me sooner,” he said.
I looked into the depths of his eyes. They were so expressive. I could read how much he cared for me. “You understand now.”
“I do,” he agreed.
“And my dad?” I asked.
“Still wants to punch me,” he said with a wince. “But I’m working on him too.”
My eyes burned, and I blinked quickly because I had already cried too much in the last week.
“So, we have everything figured out. My internship, us…”
Suddenly, soft music began to play. Hunter raised his brows and grinned, telling me it was all part of the plan for tonight.
“May I have this dance, Catherine?” he asked, extending a hand to me as he stood.
I nodded, stood, and placed my hand in his. We danced beside the table under a starlit sky, the candles glowing in the darkness. It felt more like a fairy tale than a dream now.
“I love you,” he said. “It feels so good to say it out loud.”
“It does. I love you too,” I replied. I opened my mouth to say something and stopped myself.
“Oh no, out with it. We aren’t holding anything back anymore. We need to be open and share everything with each other,” he said.
I pinched my lips.
“What were you going to say?” he asked, his voice deep and commanding.
“This all happened so fast. It feels like a whirlwind.”