Hunter had fallen asleep on the couch, his arms still tightly wrapped around Arabella. The music playing on repeat from the movie menu on the TV was the only sound except for the quiet jingling of the dogs' collars' as they trotted around the house. Hunter woke up with a slight yawn and blinked his eyes open to see hair and not much else. She had fallen asleep on him last night and Hunter's back wouldn't have really liked it very much if he had carried her up the stairs. He reached over and shut off the TV and sat up a little bit, holding Arabella in his arms still. He didn't care to do anything today. He knew they had to, but if it meant he had to let her go and leave the couch he really could have gone without. He felt Arabella adjust a little, snuggle into his chest a little bit, letting out a soft moan. She was waking up, but she was far from being awake. Hunter kissed her head and buried his face in her hair, basking in the smell of roses and strawberries and vanilla. Her smell. "Good morning, honey bunch." Hunter breathed as he rubbed her back ever so lightly.
She could hear his voice. His warm, strong, steady voice. It was the voice that made her feel safe and loved and beautiful. It was the voice that made her the happiest. Hunter's voice. Hearing his voice and feeling his hands on her back was the best way to wake up in the morning. It was special and wonderful and just so perfect. Arabella pressed her fingers into his side softly and she moaned again, starting to wake up a little bit more. "Morning, stud muffin" She whispered in a slightly raspy voice.
Hunter smiled and put his fingers on her chin pulling her face up to look at him. Her hair fell in a curtain, shielding her face and Hunter smiled a little. "Where'd you go?" He teased a little as he brushed some hair out of her face and kissing her cheek. He did the same on the other side of her face before kissing her nose. "Hello, beautiful." Hunter said quietly, as he ran his fingers up and down her side. "How'd you sleep?"
Arabella wiggled her nose a little bit, squeezing her eyes shut. She yawned a little before laying her head back down on his chest. "I had the best sleep ever" She finally told him after a moment. Arabella took a small breath and she cuddled a bit closer to him. "How did you sleep?" She asked in a soft voice and she closed her eyes again, not really wanting to move from where she was in that moment. "How is your back?"
Hunter thought for a second. "It feels fine, but we'll find out when I stand up." Hunter said, dancing his fingers a long her arm. "I slept wonderfully though. Even with you on top of me." Hunter kissed her lightly on the lips and looked over at Ajax as he trotted over and looked at him. "Hey, buddy." Hunter said quietly, as he scratched under his chin. Ajax licked his hand and then walked back off, jingling away just as Jolie cam around. She saw Ajax disappear around the corner of the couch and barked once before chasing after him. Hunter rolled his eyes and laid back on the couch, pulling Arabela on top of him. "Our dogs are crazy." Hunter said with a smile as he kissed her several times, gently on the lips.
Arabella laughed a little bit and she closed her eyes, leaning into Hunter an running her hands down his arms. "Jolie is such a love sick puppy" She giggled and she brushed her lips along his jaw and down his neck. Arabella placed a gentle kiss on his neck. "Mmmm....I don't want to get up" Arabella said softly and she buried her face in his neck, closing her eyes. "Let's just stay here for the rest of our lives and never leave this couch"
Hunter smiled and moved his hands to her hips. "I don't know, babe. That would make some things a little more difficult." He said with a smile as he kissed her on the lips. "Like..." He kissed her neck as he thought. "Eating. Sleeping wouldn't be an issue. Decorating the house. Me proposing to you. Making sure the dogs get exercise." He said, wondering if she caught it. "You know. Typical things." He said as he brushed her hair away to give him access to her shoulder.
"Bah..the dogs can get exercise on their own. We can get a doggy door put it or something" Arabella said, waving it off. After a moment though, she perked up and she lifted her head so that she could look at him. Proposing. She tried to seem calm and cool about it but she was failing miserably. There was no way that Hunter didn't see the way her cheeks turned pink or feel the way her heart started to hammer. "Well, you know, you could do that from the couch, too"
Hunter looked at her and nodded. "I could." Hunter said with a nod. He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her. "I could do it right now. On this very couch." He said with a smile, twisting her hair in his fingers. He could feel her heart beating out of her chest and he could feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks. "But where's the romance in that?" He said with a smile before laughing as she sat up and straddled him slapping his chest.
"That was so mean" Arabella said with a huff. She was waiting for Hunter to propose to her and waiting got more and more difficult as the days went on. She didn't really know why he was holding back and it almost made her worry that he was second guessing the whole thing. Arabella folded hre arms across her chest. "I guess I'm just going to have to get up and put on something really sexy before I start decorating. Then I won't let you do anything at all"
Hunter put his hands on her thighs and looked up at her. "I guess I'll wear my sleeveless shirt then. Maybe do some exercise first." He smiled and placed a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her down for a kiss. He kissed to her ear. "Ti amo più di ogni altra cosa su questa terra. Sei così bella oggi come sarai per sempre." He said in Italian, letting his lips graze her skin with each breath.
Arabella shivered a little bit and she took a breath, trying to calm herself down. She bit her lip, not too gently and she leaned closer to him, pressing her body against his. Her lips brushed against his ear and she pressed her fingers into his arms. "It's on" she breathed before rolling off of him and standing up, fixing her shirt. She grinned down at him then gave him a wink before walking to the kitchen, making sure to wiggle her hips.
Hunter smiled and sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the couch. With a small groan he stood, bending backward and popping the vertebrae in his back. "Much better." He muttered as he stepped over the couch and looked at Arabella in the kitchen once before hurrying upstairs. He grabbed his sleeveless shirt and changed into it before walking downstairs and into the kitchen. "What would you like for breakfast?" He asked, walking up behind her and slipping his arms around her waist, kissing her lightly on the lips, tasting coffee on her breath. "I can make bacon and eggs, if you'd like." He said quietly, placing gentle kisses on the side of her neck.
"Mmm..that sounds wonerful" Arabella said softly and she leaned back into him, closing her eyes for a moment. She turned around so that she was facing him and she put her hands on his arms, pressing her fingers into his muscles. "You do that..I'll be right back" she said softly and she kissed him tightly, teasingly before she pulled away and headed up the stairs towards their bedroom.
Hunter raised an eyebrow and watched her walk away, a happy smile on his face. He loved it when they played this game. It was fun and he hoped that they would keep playing it even when they were married. He turned and opened the fridge, sticking his head in and looking for eggs, bacon, butter, and milk for their breakfast. He couldn't find it for some reason. "Ellie, do you know where the bacon is?" He asked as he grabbed the milk and everything else.
Arabella slipped into a pair of very short shorts and a loose fitting shirt. She slipped into a pair of cozy slippers and she ran her fingers through her golden curls, letting them bounce around her shoulders. Arabella smirked and she walked down the stairs. Jolie was laying at the bottom of the stairs and when she saw Arabella, she turned over onto her back. Arabella giggled a little bit and she scratched her stomach with her foot before walking into the kitchen. "Hmm? The bacon?" Arabella said as she walked up behind him and slipped her arms around his middle, burying her face into his back. "It should be in there somewhere"
Hunter smiled and ran his fingers along her arms a bit before pulling away and turning back to the fridge. He opened one of the drawers and found it. "Oh, here it is." He said before feeling a hand on his butt and being surprised when he felt it squeeze. He jumped a little and hit his head on the top of the fridge. With a groan he stood up and turned around to see Arabella with a devious smile on her face. Hunter gasped as he looked her up and down, his cheeks turning bright red. "I'm never going to get to breakfast when you dress like that, babe." Hunter said, kissing her forehead and putting some pans on heat on the stove. He mixed some milk in with some eggs and added some salt and pepper and cheese and then opened the bacon in preparation putting a small square of butter in both pans.
Arabella giggled and she stood beside him, placing kisses on his arm, slowly brushing her lips up to his shoulder and she pressed herself close to him. She placed a gentle kiss on his jaw before pulling away. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She said and she walked out of the kitchen. She came back with a bag from their shopping yesterday and she pulled out a book. "I bought a book with Chirstmas songs in it for the piano" she told him with a proud smile.
Hunter looked over and smiled at her, kissing her on the forehead. "That sounds perfect. You can play when we have guests over." He said with a laugh as he took the book from her and placed it on the counter, hoping she didn't remember what seeing her play the piano did to him. He put the bacon in with a sizzle and poured the eggs in, stirring them as they began to cook. "So, after breakfast do you need help setting the tree up before I go out and do the lights?" He asked, slipping an arm around her waist and kissing her on the temple.
"Mmm..I don't think so" Arabella said softly and she leaned into him, placing more kisses on his jaw, leading up to his ear. "I don't want you to hurt your back anymore. My winning this little compitition won't be any fun if you have a sore back" She teased in his ear then giggled and pulled away from him, walking over to the fridge and opening it up.
Hunter raised an eyebrow and looked over at her. He walked over and grabbed her by the hips, pulling her backward against him. "Don't count on it, Mia Bella." Hunter breathed gently against her neck as he placed soft kisses on her neck up to her ear, nibbling on her earlobe gently. He kissed her cheek until he felt her lean into him and then he let go and walked over to the stove. "Breakfast is almost ready."
Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. She took a deep breath before turning to him with a smile on her face. "Fantastic, I am starving" She said and she walked over to him, leaning on the counter beside him. She looked at him with a small smirk on her face and she leaned into him, pressing her lips against the side of his mouth.
Hunter slid an arm around her waist and kissed her gently on the lips. He turned the eggs and then divided them onto 2 plates and divided the bacon as well. "Breakfast." He breathed as he leaned into her a little. He closed his eyes a moment and slid his arms around her, kissing across her cheek and down her neck. "Tu es si belle." He breathed against her skin. He couldn't help himself. He ran his hands down her sides to her hips and pulled her closer before smelling the bacon and shaking himself. "Here's your plate." He said, handing her a plate.
Arabella took the plate from him and she chewed on a piece of bacon before kissing him tightly. "Mmmm..perfect" She said softly and she sat down on the counter. As she ate, she slowly slipped one of her legs around his waist and she tugged him closer gently. "This is such an incredible breakfast" Arabella said with a happy moan.
Hunter carefully shuffled out and sat down on the counter next to her. "Thanks." He said quietly, trying to focus on eating. He tried to ignore her rubbing her leg against his and he tried to ignore the occasional teasing kisses she left on his neck, but it was becoming more and more painful. He took a deep breath and finished eating quickly before standing and putting his plate in the sink. "I'm going to go put on a jacket and do the lights." Hunter said quickly not really giving her a chance to respond before walking out of the kitchen and hurrying upstairs.
Arabella giggled as he ran up the stairs and she picked up her cup of coffee finishing the last drop. She put her dishes in the sink and walked over to the dog's food dishes. Arabella carefully filled each one before she walked to the living room, looking at the tree. It wouldn't be too hard to get it into the stand and maybe once she had that done, she would go practice on the piano a little bit. With a smirk, she walked off to find the stand. Arabella quickly found the stand and she held onto it as she walked back to the living room. As she walked, she saw Hunter pulling on a jacket and she walked over to him, pressing her body against his tightly. "Don't take too long with those lights" She breathed and gave him a wink.
Hunter sighed a little and looked at Arabella. "I won't." He said, quietly before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her tightly on the lips, putting all of the love he had for her in that one kiss. That was sure to knock her off her feet. "Find me if you need help with the lights." He breathed, his lips gently grazing hers. He finally broke away and walked outside and grabbed the first spool of lights off the porch.
Arabella took a breath, swaying a little from his kiss. She almost didn't know what to do with herself. That kiss and totally blown her away. She closed her eyes for a moment and bit her lip. Arabella was tempted to follow him, to go after him and kiss him but she stopped herself and she turned back into the house and she walked towards the tree, wondering how she was going to lift it. She put the stand down and she looked over at Ajax, who was sitting on the couch and looking at her with a slightly confused look on his face. She huffed and bent down, grabbing the tree and slowly starting to lift it up with a groan.
After an hour of untangling cord, several broken bulbs, and a string of multilingual swear words, Hunter finally got the lights up. He was sweaty in his jacket which was sticking to his skin and his arms ached a little. He put the ladder away in the garage and stepped inside, peeling off his jacket and hanging it over the banister on the stairs. "Lights are done." Hunter said as he looked into the living room to see Arabella putting ornaments on the tree. It looked great. Hunter walked up behind her and with slightly heavy breaths, wrapped his arms around her middle and put his chin on her head. "The tree looks amazing, Ellie." He said quietly as he rubbed her stomach a little.
Arabella smiled and she leaned back into him for a moment, looking at the tree with a proud smile. It was their tree. Their first Christmas tree. She picked up a silver bauble and palced it on the tree. "There. Done. Well...almost" She said and she picked up a delicate star. Arabella turned to look at Hunter with a wide smile. "You should be the star on the top, since it's your first Christmas and all" She said happily and held the star out for him.
Hunter looked down at the star and gingerly took it from her, his eyes not leaving it like if he did he would drop it and it would break and everything would be ruined. He didn't realize it, but his mouth was open a little in awe. He finally looked up at Arabella and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her. "I love you so much." He said, a small tear falling from his eye. He was just so happy. He was tired and he was achy, but he was just so blissful. This was just so perfect. He could imagine them a few years from now, Hunter holding up their daughter as she placed the star on the tree. He swayed lightly and held onto her just as tightly as he held onto the star. "So much, Ellie."
Arabella leaned into him, squeezing her eyes shut and taking a deep breath. Hunter was very close to making her cry at that moment and she was trying to hold back as much as she could. She wanted to stay in his arms like that forever. She smiled softly and she looked up at Hunter with big, happy eyes and she placed her hands on his cheeks. "I love you too, Hunter. I've never loved anyone half as much as I love you" She told him softly and she pulled him down to her so that she could kiss him tightly.
Hunter smiled and picked her up a little, swinging her back and forth as he hugged her. He was just so glad. He finally broke away, setting her down gently and turning to the tree. He put an arm around her and reached up, carefully placing the star on the top of the tree. He stared at it. his first Christmas Tree. Hunter felt tiny paws on his leg and looked down to see Jolie barking up at him. With the light from the tree and the snow outside. The smell of food. It was really starting to feel like Christmas. Hunter bent down and picked Jolie up, scratching her behind the ear. He finally looked at Arabella who was staring at him and biting her lip. Hunter walked over and hugged her again. "Thank you, Ellie. For all of this. For being here." He said, kissing her head.
"I'm always going to be here. I'm never leaving" Arabella told him softly and she turned her eyes to look up at him with a tiny smile. "I couldn't stand to be away from you" she added in a whispered and she stretched up a little so that she would be able to kiss him. They were going to spend every Christmas together for the rest of their lives and they were going to have kids together and they were going to grow old together and this was just the start of it all. Arabella scratched behind Jolie's ear and she quickly wiped a happy tear off of her cheek before she turned back to the tree. "It's going to be a wonderful Christmas" She whispered.
Hunter handed Jolie to Arabella and then put her face in his hands as another tear fell. He kissed it and then smiled at her. "It's going to be a perfect Christmas." He said, leaning in and putting his forehead against hers. "I promise." He said with a smile before kissing her lightly on the lips and slipping his arm around her. "One to remember." He said as he pulled her down onto the couch. They sat and looked at the tree, happy smiles on their faces. "I'm going to build a fire." He said as Ajax jumped up next to Arabella. Hunter stepped over to the fireplace and tossed a log in and then reached up, opening the flue. He turned on the gas and then lit it, a warm fire crackling away as he took his spot on the couch again. "What do we do now?" He asked quietly as he kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Hmm..." Arabella said softly and she curled up to his side, resting ehr head on his shoulder. "I don't know if there is anything that we could do to make this moment more perfect" She said with a small shrug and she giggled a little bit. "You could..show me how to make cookies or I could make us some hot apple cider or we could sit here on the couch and look at your amazing fire or we could lay down on this couch and do bad things to each other" She said and she looked up at him, giving him a wink. She giggled at the look on his face and back to the fire.
Hunter blushed and cleared his throat. "How about we bake cookies?" He said quietly, looking into the fire. He took a deep breath before looking over at Arabella. She bit her lip and tugged on the hem of her shirt a moment, looking up at him with big eyes. "You look really beautiful when you're all hot and bothered." He said with a grin before kissing her on the lips. He leaned into her and he felt her react, kissing him back and running her hands down his arms. Hunter put his hand on her leg and pushed her backward as he kissed her, causing the dogs to jump off the couch and run into the kitchen. "Now, we have some privacy." He said against her lips before sitting up and pulling off his shirt.
Arabella's heart raced and she slipped her arms around him, pressing her fingers into his back. "Oh, Hunter...." she breathed and she lifted her knee a little bit so that Hunter was laying between her legs and she kissed him deeply. She was happy there. She was happy with him and how her life was. Everything felt so perfect and wonderful. Arabella nibbled on his bottom lip a little before kissing him and brushing her tongue across his lips.
Hunter smiled and moved his lips across her cheek and down her neck as he ran his hands down her sides to her legs. "Je ne peux pas exprimer à quel point tu es belle, mon amour." he whispered as he squeezed her thighs and pulled her closer, kissing the contour of her collar bone. He danced his fingers up her thighs and past her butt to her sides. There was a knock on the door and Hunter pulled away from Arabella, breathing heavy. He looked at the time and cursed under his breath. "Hey." He leaned back over and pressed himself against her. "Go upstairs and put on one of those things from Victoria's Secret. I'll be up there to take it off in 30 minutes or less." he whispered into her ear before biting her earlobe softly. She froze for a second before standing off the couch and scrambling up the stairs.
Arabella looked around the room, her heart racing and her breathing heavy. She closed her eyes for a moment before she started walking around the room, fixing the blankets on the bed and turning on the smaller, dimmer lights. She turned off the large overhead light and she slowly tugged off her clothes. With a small smirk on her face, she grabbed the bag from Victoria's Secret and she pulled on the black satin piece with the bow. When she was all dressed, Arabella walked over to the bed, running her fingers through her hair and she sat down, stretching a little bit. As she sat there, she wondered what Hunter was doing. He had clearly been expecting someone since he said that he might be 30 minutes. Arabella looked around the room nervously, hoping that he would come back soon.
15 minutes later and one crappy job of rigging lights to a roof, Hunter hurriedly said goodbye to the neighbor across the street and sprinted back to his house. He swung open the door and stepped inside, tearing off his jacket and pulling off his shirt, leaving them in a pile on the ground by the door. He locked it and bounded up the stairs taking multiple steps at a time. He took a deep breath before opening their bedroom door and letting his eyes rest on her. His jaw dropped when he saw her. "Doesn't someone look absolutely smoking hot?" He said, walking over trying to not look too eager. He took off his jeans and walked over to the bed sitting down at her feet and putting them in his lap. He rubbed them and occasionally lifted them placing small kisses on her leg as he ran his hands up and down her smooth skin.
Arabella bit her lips and she smiled down at him. Her heart started racing the moment she saw him and she pulled herself up, moving closer to him. All she wanted was to be close to him, to feel all of his muscles and his skin. Arabella pulled herself closer to him and she slipped her arms around his neck, brushing her lips along his jaw. "Mmm..what was that about?" She whispered and placed her hands on his arms.
Hunter took a breath and pulled her onto his lap, running his hands along her legs. "The neighbor." Hunter said, motioning toward the door as he kissed her lips. He ran his hand up her leg and to her hip where he pulled her closer, kissing across her cheek to her neck. "He asked for help putting up his lights." He whispered, breathing heavily as he put his hand on her back and rubbed it as he brushed the strap of the lingerie away with his lips. "I said yes and then forgot, but we got it taken care of." He said quickly before pulling her back as he laid down. He kissed her shoulder and her arm, lightly nibbling on her skin as he ran his hands down her back.
Arabella shifted a little bit so that she was straddling him and she leaned into him, closing her eyes as he pressed his lips against her arm. She smiled a little, pressing her fingers into his biceps. Hunter had a way of making every inch of her skin tingle with just a little touch. Her heart sped up when she was with him and her cheeks flushed. She looked at him, locking eyes with him and a spark flew between them. She honestly didn't think that she could be any happier. Arabella kissed him tightly, pressing her body closer to his.
Hunter smiled and wrapped his arms around her kissing her tightly in a kiss that lasted for several moments. He loved her more than any man has ever loved a woman and he never want to be away from her. That's when there was a crash and a series of barks. Hunter sighed and put his forehead on her shoulder. "This is just...unnatural." he said with a groan.
Arabella let out a sigh an she closed her eyes. "I am never getting laid" She groaned unhappily and she rolled over so that she was laying beside Hunter on the bed, her face buried in the mattress. It wasn't fair. They were having a perfect, wonderful moment and something had to happen to ruin it. "Maybe we should go check..." She said softly, turning her head to look at Hunter.
Hunter leaned over and kissed he on the lips. "I'll check. You just...stay beautiful." he said with a smile. He sat up and patted her butt once before standing and slipping his jeans back on. He walked downstairs and to the kitchen where he found Ajax with a towel in his mouth and a broken coffee mug around him. "Aj..." Hunter said as he crouched down and picked up the mug. He threw it away and took the towel from Ajax using it to soak up the coffee as he picked up Ajax. "Wait a minute..." he said looking at Ajax. "Why do you not have any coffee on you?" Hunter said quietly as he stood up and started toward Jolie's cage.
Arabella moaned softly and she rolled over so that she was on her back and she looked up at the ceiling. With a small sigh, she tugged on the hem of the outfit she was wearing, wishing that Hunter was with her. Without him, she felt cold. She shivered a little bit and when she hear footsteps coming up the stairs, she sat up, looking at the door. She really hoped that it was just Hunter and he was going to tell her that nothing was wrong and they coul continue with what they were doing. Instead, she saw him walk into the room with a dog under each arm, Jolie soaked in what was clearly coffee because her white fur was stained brown. "What the world..." She muttered and looked up at Hunter.
Hunter looked over and sighed wishing he didn't have a coffeesoaked dog. "Your guess is as good as mine." he said as he pushed the bathroom door open with his foot. He set them down in the bathtub and turned on the water. "I think Jolie spilled the coffee and broke the mug and then Ajax tried to take the blame for it." Hunter said peeking out to Arabella. "I had to track down Jolie from under the couch."
"Well...that is a very adorable story" Arabella said and she rolled off of the bed, grabbing a robe and slipping it around her shoulders. She followed Hunter into the bathroom and looked down at Jolie in the tub. Jolie looked up at her with big eyes that just screamed 'guilty'. "There is no way that she didn't do it" Arabella said and she sat down on the edge of the bathtub, looking over to Hunter. She smiled a little at him. "Silly dogs..."
Hunter looked at Arabella and put his hand on her leg leaning over and kissing her gently on the lips. He heard a splash and looked back as Ajax put his paws on the edge of the tub and looked at Arabella with a look that said, 'let me out. Please.' Hunter looked at Arabella and scoffed before grabbing Ajax and putting him under the water. He stood up and walked to the closet, finding some baby shampoo. "After this," Hunter said sitting on the edge of tub behind Arabella an kissing her neck. "I cannot wait to get back to what we were doing."
Arabella giggled a little bit and she place her hands on his legs, pressing her fingers into his skin lightly. She closed her eyes, focusing on the way Hunter felt behind her. But then she felt something wet hit her leg and she looked down to see Jolie looking up at her with a mingled look of guilt and sadness. Arabella looked down at her and her lips stuck out in a little pout. "Ohhh, Hunter...she's so cute"
Hunter looked over at Jolie and smiled a little. "Don't give in, Ellie." Hunter said as he rolled up his pant legs. "She smells like coffee and she broke one of our coffee mugs." He said with a little chuckle as he gave up on his pants and walked into the bedroom, taking them off and changing into a pair of swim trunks. He walked back in and got into the bathtub with them, grabbing Jolie and squirting a little bit of baby shampoo on her and rubbing it in.
Arabella giggled a little as Jolie squirmed in Hunter's hands. She stood up and slipped her robe off before walking back into the bedroom. She pulled of what little she had on then tugged on a black bikini and she headed back to the bathroom. Once she got there, she slid into the bathtub so that she was facing Hunter and she pulled Ajax closer to her, holding him close and scratching behind his ear. "Our dogs are adorable" She said with a little giggle.
Hunter looked over at Ajax as he wrangled Jolie back and washed behind her ears. "Pretty much." He said with a chuckle as he finally let go of Jolie, letting her run over to Arabella all sudsy and look up at her with sad eyes. "So is one of the owners though too." He said with a wink over at Arabella, reaching across and grabbing Ajax's tail. Ajax whipped around and snapped at Hunter, but he moved his hand away. He grabbed Ajax and pulled him between his legs where he tapped his nose, causing him to snap and bark at Hunter. Hunter just laughed and then sprayed a little bit of shampoo on him and scrubbed it in, scooping water on as well.
Arabella laughed and rolled her eyes a little bit at Ajax before turning to Jolie. She gently washed all of the shampoo out of her fur, brushing her fingers against her softly. When all of the soap was out of her fur, Arabella scooped her into her arms and held her close to her chest. She giggled a little when Jolie licked her face and she looked over at Hunter with Ajax. "How's it going?" She asked in a teasing sort of tone.
Hunter looked down at Ajax as he scrubbed the suds into his fur. Ajax had a sort of 'I am ashamed. This does not bring me honor.' kind of look on his face. "Well. Better than the time I tried to give Orion a bath." Hunter said holding up his forearm and showing the distinct teeth marks from the wolf's bite. He remembered it well. Orion had found some stinky mushrooms in the forest and rolled around in them and Chiron told him to give Orion a bath. He found a hose and brought out a tub, but as soon as soap hit Orion, he whipped around and bit Hunter right on the arm. The next day in the infirmary he would leave his side and he had an apologetic look on his face. That was when it seemed first that Orion was more than just a wolf. Hunter reached over the side and grabbed a towel handing it to Arabella. "She looks cold. Go ahead and dry her off." He said as he stood and reached to the sink, grabbing her brush off the counter and handing it to Arabella.
Arabella took the brush from him and she stood up, holding Jolie close to her. She walked over to the counter and she set Jolie down. For once in her life, she didn't move around. She just sat down and looked up at Arabella with big eyes, like she was trying to prove that she wasn't a horrible dog and she was sorry about breaking the mug. Arabella wrapped the towel around her and rubbed gently, drying her off. "I don't think she had ever sat so still" She laughed.
Hunter ran water over Ajax and grabbed a towel. He wrapped it around the dog and stood up with him in Ajax in his arms. "She probably feels bad. She got in trouble AND now she owes Ajax for trying to take the blame." Hunter said with a nod. He rubbed Ajax down with the towel until he was fluffy and then Hunter grabbed a brush as well and quickly ran it through his fur, smoothing it out a little. "Alright. He's good to go." Hunter said, putting Ajax down on the ground. He knelt down and looked at Ajax. "He looks like I just tortured him." He said with a small smile as he scratched behind his ear. Hunter scratched under his jaw then his neck and in a few moments, Ajax was on his back with his tongue out kicking his leg as Hunter scratched his belly. "That's a good dog!" Hunter said with a laugh.
Arabella started brushing her fur gently with a small smile on her face. When she finished, she kissed the top of Jolie's head and put her down on the ground. Jolie timidly walked up to Ajax with a sorry look on her face and she nudged his side with her head a little. Arabella grinned and walked over to Hunter, slipping her arms around his neck. "Mmm...now that the dogs are clean and have made up..." She breathed and placed a kiss on his collarbone before brushing her lips up his neck and placing a kiss on his chin.
Hunter smiled and put his hands on her hips. "I don't know..." Hunter said quietly as he kissed her gently on the lips. "I kind of want to just sit around now." He said with a laugh when he saw the look on her face. She looked mortified. "I know! 2 days! It's been SO long." He said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm serious. Come on. We ate breakfast at 11:30. It's now 4. We'll have an early dinner or late lunch like a....lunner or a linner or a...dunch." He thought for a second before looking back. "I'll make you your favorite. That pasta pesto and I'll make the pizza too. With pepper hearts. We'll curl up on the couch and watch a movie and we'll sit with the dogs and then we'll go to bed instead of fall asleep on the couch. It'll be relaxing." He said, shaking her a little. "What do you think?"
"I think that 2 days is an awfully long time" Arabella said with a fake pout and she kissed him lightly. "You're just lucky that I love you so much" She said and she patted his chest as she walked out of the bathroom. She had to admit it, the mood was gone. Once they had finally gotten the dogs clean, it was just..not the same. Arabella wanted it to be spontaneous and filled with passion. It just wouldn't be the same. She walked over to her closet, out of Hunter's eye sight, and she tugged off the bikini. Arabella got dressed, putting on a basic white tee shirt and a pair of blue plaid boxer shorts that she stole from Hunter. She stepped out of the closet, pulling her hair up and she smiled at Hunter. "I can't wait to have your pesto...best stuff in the world" She said with a happy sigh.
Hunter smiled as he changed back into his jeans in the bathroom. He walked back out and grabbed a plaid shirt, slipping it on and buttoning a couple of buttons just to close it. He looked at Arabella and blushed a little when she complimented his food. "You know..." He said, walking over and putting a hand on her hip. "How am I supposed to have clothes when you take all of my clothes?" He asked, sliding a finger inside her 'shorts' and snapping the elastic. He kissed her gently on the lips and took her hand as he turned to the door. "You pick out a movie, I'll start the pizza and then you come in here and WE'LL make the pasta pesto." He said with a smile before giving her a small hug and separating.
"If WE make it, it'll be terrible. If YOU make it, it'll be the best thing in the world" Arabella called to him as she sat down infront of her DVDs and started searching through them. She smiled a little bit to herself and picked out Scrooged. She put it ontop of the TV and she grabbed a couple extra blankets and pillow, putting them on the couch. Humming to herself, she walked into the kitchen. "How's the pizza?"
"In the oven." Hunter said grabbing her by the shirt and pulling her in for a tender kiss. "Now we start the pesto. Okay. Grab the garlic, 2 bags of pine nuts, the fresh basil from the fridge, the garlic salt, black pepper, and...the coriander." he said as he pointed to several places on the kitchen. "I'll grab the food processor, pasta, and the heavy stuff. Do you want to chop or cook the pasta?" he said, putting a hand lightly on her hip.
"Well, if I chop stuff then I might cut my fingers off but if I cook the pasta, I might burn the house down" Arabella said with a little giggle and she looked around. "Hmm..I'll cook the pasta" She finally decided and she picked up the pot. She took it over to the sink and filled it with water before placing it on the burner and turning it on. As she waited for the water to boil, she put her chin on Hunter's shoulder, placing a kiss against his jaw.
Hunter looked over and smiled, placing a small kiss on her forehead. "Come here." He said, lifting on of his arms. He moved her to stand in front of him and he put his arms over hers, placing his hands on hers. "Just pick up the knife." He said quietly as he lead her to pick up the knife. "This is really easy. We're going to chop the basil so it distributes better in the food processor." He whispered, placing a small kiss behind her ear. Slowly he started moving her hand with the knife, carefully going through the basil, chopping it into smaller pieces. He slowly picked up the pace with the knife hand and the feeding hand until it was all cut. "See? Perfect. And we both still have all of our fingers." He said with a smile, craning his head to look at her.
With a small smile, Arabella turned her head to look at him and place an innocent on the tip of his nose. "You're my hero" She said with a giggle. Arabella turned around in his arms and she slipped her hands up, placing them on either side of his neck. "I adore you, Hunter, you know that?" She said softly, looking up at him with a sparkle and a happiness in her eyes that she had lost for a while, after she had left camp with Brian. Being with Hunter brought the joy and the happiness and the sparkle back into her life the moment he stepped foot into her office building.
Hunter smiled and put his hands on her sides. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He said before placing a small kiss on her nose. There was the sound of sizzling to his left and Hunter looked over. "It looks like your water is boiling, sweetie." He said, walking over and opening the top to let some steam out. He quickly tossed in some salt and the pasta before looking back at Arabella. "Why did you stop chopping? I thought you were a pro now. I showed you." He said with a laugh as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Come on. Let's move on to garlic." He said, standing behind her again. "This one's fun. Watch." He peeled the garlic and then placed the small clove down and set the flat of the knife on top of it. "Now, hit the knife. It'll smash it and break the peel and then we can start chopping it. So go a head and give it a whack." He said with a smile as he held the knife with one hand and placed his other hand on her stomach, pulling himself closer to her.
Arabella looked up at him with wide eyes before turning her gaze down to the knife in his hands. She took a breath an held up her hand, shaking a little. Quickly and with a little squeak, Arabella whacked the knife with the heel of her hand. She looked at it for a moment, taking a few breaths. After a second, she gasped and grinned up at Hunter. "That was so cool!" She said excitedly and she leaned into him.
Hunter laughed at her reaction. "Kills a crocotta with his bare hands? Gets yelled at. Shows you how to smash garlic? That was so cool!" He said in a mocking voice as he placed a kiss on her head and lead her hands to chop the rest of the garlic. He finished chopping and then grabbed everything and put it in the food processor. "Okay. Now, we're going to toast the pine nuts." He said with a smile. He stepped away from her and grabbed a pan, pouring some oil in it and placing it on a hot burner. "Oh, and pasta is done." He said quietly as he removed the pasta from the heat and quickly drained it, putting the pasta into a bowl. "Alright. We pour a bag of pine nuts into the pan." He said quietly before stepping away and putting his hands on her hips. "See, toasting the pine nuts helps bring out the flavor." He said with a wink as he placed a small kiss on her forehead.
"Very interesting" Arabella said with a nod and she smiled up at him. She watched him as he pulled away from her a little bit to put the pine nuts in the pan. She pulled him back to her and she kissed his lips tightly. "I never really thanked you for killing that crocotta" She said softly and she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "That must have been the..20th time you saved my life? Something like that" She said with a little smile.
Hunter smiled a little and pulled her closer. "Don't sweat it. I will never let anything hurt you." He kissed her lightly on the lips and wrapped his arms around her. "I promise." he said, putting his lips on her head lightly and hugging her. He felt her bury her face in his chest and he smiled, swaying slightly and burying his face in her hair. "I love you, you know that?"
"I think you might have told me before" Arabella said with a giggle and she placed a kiss against his chest. "I love you too, Hunter" She said softly and took a deep breath. Arabella kissed his chest one more time before pulling away a little bit and opening up the cupboards. "We need a drink of some kind.." She said and she looked around until she found the bags of tea and she pulled them out. She turned on the kettle and grinned up at Hunter. "At least I know how to turn on a kettle"
"20 years in learning." he teased with a laugh as he pulled the pizza out of the oven and put the pine nuts in the food processor. He turned it on high and cut the pizza into squares. He added some oil into it and after a few moments he stopped it and poured the majority into the bowl. The rest he spread on some of the pizza. "Dinner," he started as he snatched the front of her shirt and pulled her into his arms. "is served."
Arabella giggled a little and she slipped her arms around his neck. She placed a few kisses along his jaw before burying ehr face into his neck. Arabella took a deep breath, inhaling the smell that could make her feel better no matter what. Clean cotton and pine trees. It was his scent. It was her favourite smell in the world, mostly because it was his own. Arabella slipped her arms around his middle and she held herself close to him. That was all she wanted, to be close to him and feel his arms around her.
Hunter smiled and placed a small kiss on her head before pulling away and grabbing two plates and divvying out the food. He put the plates on a tray along with their tea and a carton of Peanut Butter Panic ice cream before walking to the couch, setting the tray down on the table. "So, what movie did you pick out, dearest?" He said as he sat down and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her a moment, placing a small kiss on her shoulder before letting go and moving her next to him. "I hope it's a good one."
"Scrooged" Arabella told him and she folded her legs under her. She pressed play on the DV remote before pulling her plate onto her lap. She took a bite of the pizza and let out a happy moan. "Ohh, Hunter..this is the best pizza ever" She told him and placed a kiss against his cheek. When she looked at him, she bit back a giggle because there was a lip print on his cheek from pizza sauce that was on her lips.
Hunter sighed and tried licking it off with his tongue, but it was too far. "Eh. I'll save it for later." He said with a chuckle as he wrestled his arm out from where it was comfortably laying and wiped his cheek off. He went back to the movie and watched idly as he ate. "How about we actually fall asleep in our bed tonight?" He said with a chuckle as he took another bite of pizza.
"Oh, come on, falling asleep in odd spots around the house is fun. Let's fall asleep in the kitchen, tonight" Arabella teased an she nudged him playfully with her elbow a little bit. She yawned a little bit before taking a bite of her pasta. She sighed happily to herself then giggled at a joke from the movie. "Thanks for making supper and everything else" She said softly, looking up at him. "Thanks for being here"
Hunter looked at her and finished eating, setting his plate on the table. Putting his arm around her, he held her closer and pressed his lips tightly to her temple. "I will always be here." He whispered into her ear before kissing her cheek and putting his head on hers, watching the movie. "I promise." He said as he rubbed her arm gently and then grabbed the ice cream off the tray. He took a bite and then passed it to Arabella for her to eat when she finished her pasta.
Arabella smiled up at him for a moment before delicately taking the ice cream from him. She put her empty plate down and took a small bite of her ice cream. She let it melt in her mouth before she turned to look up at him with a small smile. "I'll always be here too, Hunter. Always" She told him gently and she stretched up a little to place a kiss on his cheek.
Hunter took another bite of ice cream and sighed happily. There were people in the world that were in relationships, but none of them could be as satisfying as the one he was in, at that moment. He put an arm around her and leaned his head on hers, keeping his eyes on the movie and placing a hand on her stomach, rubbing it gently. He knew that they would be married soon and kids would be next and he just absolutely couldn't wait. He kissed her temple and brushed his lips down to her cheek where he placed several soft kisses. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Chapter 132 - Arabella and Hunter
The air in the room was cold but Arabella was warm. She was snuggled into Hunter and she had the blanket over her head, covering her completely. Last night had been one of the best sleeps that Arabella had ever gotten. It was so relaxing and wonderful to be back in her own home and her own bed. Not to mention the fact that she had fallen asleep with Hunter. Arabella slowly opened her eyes but she didn't move or take the blanket off of her head. She could tell that it was a sunny day and Arabella knew that it was probably perfect for decorating and make snowmen.
Hunter slept so well last night. He was so glad that she was with him and he couldn't be happier. He felt his hands on her back and his eyes slowly opened as he inhaled through his nose, immediately catching her smell, Roses filling up his sensory. He shifted softly as sat up enough to look at her closely. Hunter placed a kiss on her forehead and ran his hands down her back. "Good morning." He whispered.
"Morning" Arabella whispered, her voice a little raspy. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in everything about that moment before opening her eyes again and looking up at Hunter. She smiled a little bit and placed a kiss against his chest. "How did you sleep?"
"I slept beautifully." Hunter said with a groggy smile, brushing the hair out of her face. He cradled her face in his hand and kissed her tightly on the lips for a moment. "It feels nice to be home." He said quietly, placing kisses on her cheek. He was so glad to just be able to hold her and kiss her. He tightened his arms around her and sat up, putting his back against the wall, exposing his bare torso to the cold air in the room. He didn't care though. He was warm with the heat he was sharing with Arabella and he loved it and he loved her. "How'd you sleep?" He asked, moving her so that she was straddling him and kissing her shoulder.
Arabella nuzzled into him, wanting to be as close as possible to him. His skin was warm, even though the air was cold and it was comforting to be so close to him. Arabella closed her eyes and she took a small breath. "I had the best sleep ever" She whispered and slipped her arms around his middle. "Can you see out the window? Did we get a lot of snow?" She asked him before burying her face in his neck.
Hunter tried to peek out the window, but couldn't really see. "It looks like a lot. It fell for a long time last night. Even after you went to sleep." Hunter ran his hands up and down her side and looked at her with a smile on his face. They locked eyes and in that moment, Hunter had never been happier. He was so happy being able to look at her. To smile at her and for her to smile back. He kissed her on the forehead and ran his hands down her legs. "Did you know...that I'm in bed with the most beautiful girl in the world, right now?" He asked with a smile as he looked at his hands on her legs.
"Really? Where is she?" Arabella asked, looking around the room. She turned back to Hunter with a small smile on her face and she kissed him tightly. She loved the feeling on his hands on his legs. It sent sparks through her whole body and made her light up. "I happen to be in bed with the most wonderful, handsome man in the world" She said softly and she pressed a kiss against his jaw.
Hunter ran his hands up her legs to her hips and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips. "So, we need to pick up the dogs today." He said with, placing a kiss on her nose. "We are also supposed to do some Christmas stuff." He kissed her on the cheek and took her hands, running his thumbs across the backs. "Speaking of Christmas....What are you getting me for Christmas?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I can't tell you!" Arabella said and smacked his chest lightly. "If I told you, that would totally ruin the surprise!" She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. "I don't want to know what you're getting me. I'm not even going to Charmspeak you into telling me. Cause I want it to be a surprise!" She said and she kissed him. "Oh!" she gasped before rolling off of him and walking over to her bags. She dug around in them for a moment before pulling out a bundle of fabric. She walked back over to the bed and sat down beside Hunter, placing the fabric on his lap. "I made stockings for you, me and the dogs" She said proudly.
Hunter looked at the stockings and sighed. He touched them gingerly, running his fingers along the knitted 'H' in his stocking. His first stocking. "And what do we do with the large sock?" He asked, feeling incredibly stupid. He hated it. He couldn't stand when he ask what things meant. He missed out on so much culture, he didn't think he'd ever feel normal. He sighed and handed Arabella the stocking back and putting an arm around her and pulling the blanket up over their legs.
Arabella looked at Hunter for a moment, biting her lip. She felt a little bad for Hunter, not growing up with things that most children grew up with. But it didn't bother her. It didn't bother her that he didn't know what stockings were for. It didn't bother her that he didn't know what E.T was. It didn't bother her that he didn't know these sorts of things. It was something that she found very endearing and it was something that she was kind of excited about. Arabella could show him all of her traditions and all of her favorite things and it would be the first time for him. She took a deep breath and picked up a stocking that had the knitted 'H' on it. "Well, we hang them up on the fireplace and when Santa comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve with all of the presents, he puts little gifts into the stockings" She explained to him patiently with a small smile.
"Ah...Santa." Hunter said with a nod. "Sorry. He just never really visited camp. No matter how many letters I tried to send." Hunter muttered, letting his voice trail off. "So, I'm assuming we buy the tiny gifts. So I actually have to buy you something then? You're expecting a gift? Oh, well then I have many errands to run." Hunter said with a smile as she rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding. You're not getting anything." He laughed and kissed her on the temple. He was really trying to divert how upset he was with humor. He had gotten to a point where he hadn't had a problem with culture knowledge for a while. He had put his guard down only for Arabella to sneak the stockings in. "I take that back. You can have my body to used for whatever purpose you wish."
"Pffft...I already have that" Arabella said with a wave of her hand and she gave him a small wink. She folded up the stockings gently, smiling a little at them. Arabella was excited to wake up on Christmas morning and sit with Hunter and the dogs. She looked up at him though and let out a sigh. Arabella could tell that something was bothering him, she could see it in his eyes. She wondered if it was the same thing that was bothering him when they were in Washington and he said that he didn't want to talk about it. "Hunter...are you ever going to tell me what's wrong or are you just going to leave me hanging and worrying?"
Hunter looked at her and kissed her on the forehead. "I did promise, didn't I?" He said quietly, rubbing her arm. "It's really nothing big. I'm just...." He sighed and rubbed his face a moment, clenching his eyes shut, almost as if he were resetting his brain. "I hate not knowing what stuff is." Hunter said bluntly, shrugging a little. "I missed out on almost 20 years of my life because of camp and now it's biting me in the ass. And that is really bothering me." He nodded and then shrugged again. "I'm a little worried that at some point you might get tired of explaining things to me like I'm some kind of idiot shut-in." He said quietly.
"You are not an idiot shut-in, Hunter.." Arabella said softly and she chewed on her lip. She wanted to make him feel better but she didn't know how. She didn't want to say some generic speech that had no meaning behind it. The truth was that she really didn't care about having to explain things to him. She enjoyed it. but she didn't want him to think that she was just saying that to make him feel better. "Hunter..you had a different up-bringing than most kids. You've seen far too much and you've had to deal with more than any person should. You shouldn't let all of that bother you. You would probably be a totally different person if you had a 'regular' upbringing" Arabella said softly and she placed a kiss on his nose. "I won't get tired of explaining things if you don't get tired of making dinner for me"
"But wouldn't you like it if I knew about...Christmas traditions and Stockings and movies and books? Maybe if I had a regular upbringing and I weren't so dysfunctional then things would be better." He looked at her for a second and sighed. "I love the way things are now and I'm blessed that you've decided to be with me, but I feel like you deserve someone that you can talk about this stuff with. Obviously I can't do that." He said, looking out the window again. "I just want you to be the happiest possible." He muttered, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall.
"I am happy. I don't think that it's possible for me to be happier" Arabella said softly and she took his hand, holding it tightly in both of hers. "I don't want to be with anyone else, Hunter. I don't need to talk about movies and books" She bit her lip than leaned closer to him a little bit, placing a small kiss on his cheek. "And I don't know what you mean by 'dysfunctional'. You seem pretty perfect to me"
Hunter sighed and shook his head a little. "Instead of having a mom and dad and going to school and playing football and graduating and learning and watching TV and going to see movies and doing all of that normal stuff, I was trained by an immortal centaur and a virgin goddess to be a warrior and to fight monsters and Titans and obey an Ancient race of gods, so they don't kill me where I stand. If that's not dysfunctional, I don't know what is." Hunter said, looking at her again. "Ellie, you deserve someone normal."
"Do you really think that my upbringing was normal? My mother is a goddess, for one. I was bullied out of a normal school and lived in the same camp that you did. When I wasn't there, I was looking after my little brother because my dad was either away on business or my stepmother was having a meltdown. Speaking of my father, I grew up with waiters and butlers and living in hotel suites" Arabella said and she let out a soft sigh. "Everyone has a dysfuctional past, Hunter. And if anything, I'd say that I don't deserve someone as wonderful and funny and perfect as you"
"But you at least had a family to go back to!" Hunter blurted out. "I had nothing. I watched as people came to camp and then left camp and came back. They went home to houses and families and they went on vacations. They celebrated Christmas and Birthdays and Thanksgiving. They got gifts and had parties. For my birthdays I got books or a bow or a knife or archery lessons and after I got my 'gift' I was told to climb the wall or work on my spear skills. People went home to their families while I took Orion out to the woods where no one could find me. For a long time, I would cry and pray and plead that my parents still cared, but they just couldn't come and get me yet." Hunter took a deep breath and cleared his throat as a lump started to form in his throat. "I feel that my time at camp has made me the person I am today, but after that I just wanted a normal life. I hoped I would have that being with you and starting a family, but now I feel more alien than ever." Hunter said, his voice shaking slightly.
Arabella looked at him with sad eyes. The last thing that she wanted was for him to feel like an alien in his own home. She didn't want to see him upset and all she wanted was to make it better but she didn't know how. She didn't know how to tell him that everything was going to be okay. Arabella chewed on her lip and she looked down at her lap for a moment. "Tell me what you need, Hunter. Tell me what I can do to make this easier for you. I'll do anything to make you happy and comfortable"
Hunter sighed and put his hands on his face a moment. "I don't know, Ellie. I don't think I can do anything and I don't think you can do anything. I just...I don't know." Hunter said quietly. "This is part of why I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't know how to fix it. I still don't and I'm not sure if I'll ever feel comfortable." He said with a shrug. He looked at her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her lightly on the lips and smiled a little. "This is a good start though." He whispered.
Arabella leaned into him and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She wanted him to be happy and she wanted to do anything to make that happen for him. But she didn't know how. She didn't know how to make it better for him or easier. "I'm really sorry, Hunter. I'll do anything make it easier for you. I just want to see you happy" She told him softly and she opened her eyes to look at him.
"Don't be sorry, Ellie. It's not your fault." This was why Hunter didn't want to talk about it. "I know you will, Ellie." Hunter said quietly, placing a small kiss on her cheek. Hunter rubbed her back a little and kissed her neck. "It'll just take time. And watching a lot of movies." Hunter said with a smile. Hunter placed his chin on her shoulder and kissed her neck. "I love you and I love being in bed with you, but I think that we should get out of bed and I can make you breakfast and we can get our canine children back. That sound okay?" He asked with a smile
"I miss our canine children" Arabella said with a nod and she stretched out her legs. She yawned a little bit and turned her head to kiss Hunter's lips. She wanted to make this work. She needed to make this work. She would find something, anything that would make this easier for Hunter. Arabella would find a way to work around it. She would do whatever it took. Arabella brushed her lips along his jaw then pulled away and she rolled out of bed. "We should do some grocery shopping while we're out"
"I think that's a good idea." Hunter said, rolling out of bed and placing his hands on her hips and his lips on hers. Hunter walked forward and pushed her against the wall. "Did I tell you how very attractive you are?" He said with a smile, placing a kiss on her forehead and running his fingers up and down her sides. He kissed her again and leaned into her.
Arabella smiled against his lips and she kissed him lightly before whispering. "You might have mentioned it" her cheeks were pink from the compliment and she loved the way that Hunter felt when he was holding her like that. She leaned into him, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him down a bit closer to her. "You know..we're never going to leave if you keep doing stuff like this to me" She breathed.
Hunter smiled and laughed a little bit as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and lifting her up a little. "Well, if you weren't so pretty all the time. Actually, we would probably get a lot more done in a given day." He said against her skin, brushing his lips across her cheek to her neck. He trailed kisses down her neck to her shoulder, gently nibbling on her skin. He moved his hands to her thighs and he picked her up, pressing her against the wall and kissing her lips again.
Arabella shivered a little and she wrapped her legs around him, holding herself closer to him. She wondered how he could do all of this to her. He drove her crazy and he made her unmeasurably happy. He made her head spin and her heart skip. Her stomach knotted up and filled with butterflies whenever he touched her. Hunter was perfect for her and there was no way around it. Arabella held onto him tightly and she leaned into the kiss. "Oh, Hunter..what are you doing to me?" she breathed, running her kisses along his jaw.
Hunter smiled and closed his eyes, blushing with her kisses. "I believe this is called making out." He whispered, poking her softly in the side. She broke away and squirmed a little. Hunter poked her in the side again, causing her to let out a little squeak and pull away from him. Hunter jabbed and poked her side as he held her up against the wall, trapped in an embrace as she squirmed and struggled to be free. "And this is called tickling."
Over her giggles, Arabella squeaked. "Hunter!" And she squirmed around in his arms. She held onto him tightly though, not really wanting to fall. Arabella buried her face in his neck and took deep breaths, trying to calm down and stop the giggles. "You are so horrible to me, Hunter" She gasped. When Hunter stopped tickling her, she pulled away a little and gave him a fake glare. "That is just...teasing and horrible" she said and huffed.
Hunter smiled and kissed her on the nose. He loved being able to hold her and kiss her and though they were in a serious relationship and they were planning for the future, they could still stop and have moments like this. Fun moments. Hunter grinned and poked her again before turning around and leaning over, putting her on the bed, crawling on top of her slightly. He kissed her tightly on the lips, leaning into her. "I love you, Ellie."
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes for a moment with a peaceful smile on her face. She was happy where she was and Hunter's body was keeping her warm. She slipped her arms around him, pressing her fingers into his back. She brushed her lips across his cheek, over his nose and across his other cheek before placing innocent kisses on his jaw.
Hunter smiled and stood up before grabbing one of her feet and placing a small kiss on the bottom of her big toe. "Alright, beautiful. Meet me downstairs in 10 minutes. I'm going to be making breakfast." He said before stepping away and pulling off his shirt. "And I will be making it without a shirt. Just for you." He said with a wink before leaning over her and kissing her on the cheek. He smiled and stood up again before heading downstairs.
"You tease!" Arabella called after him. She grinned a little to herself before rolling over and standing up. She stretched and yawned for a moment before walking over to her bags and opening them up. Arabella took out a few things, humming softly to herself. She pulled off her clothes and she tugged on a pair of skinny jeans and one of Hunter's shirts. It was big on her and it fell loosely around her shoulders but she liked the way that it looked. Arabella ran her fingers through her hair as she walked down the stairs. "So..what is my sexy man making for breakfast?"
Hunter turned away from the pan and wrapped an arm around her, placing a kiss on her temple. "Well, my miele grappolo, here we have french toast and there is bacon and there's coffee brewing and there's a bowl of Froot Loops there and a very beautiful girl who looks very sexy in my shirt here." He said, placing a small kiss on her head. "After breakfast, I'll put a shirt on and we'll go pick up the dogs. That okay?" He said, flipping the bacon.
"I like the picking up the dogs part. I don't know how I feel about you putting on a shirt, though" Arabella said and she gave him a wink. She slipped her arms around him from behind and she placed her chin on his shoulder, looking down at the bacon that he was cooking. She turned away from the food and started placing little kisses on the nape of his neck. She gave him a small squeeze and smiled against his skin.
Hunter closed his eyes and leaned into her a little, wanting to be closer to her. He placed his hand on hers and turned his head, placing a small kiss on her lips. This moment was so perfect and so picturesque. He loved it. He could imagine her watching him cook as their children ran around their feet, waiting impatiently for whatever it was he was cooking. He knew that his proposal was going to be perfect and he had everything planned out, but it was times like these where he couldn't wait to be Mr. Arabella Foster. Hunter flipped the french toast and slid the bacon onto a plate, grabbing a piece and offering half to her. "If I didn't wear a shirt, Daniel might not let me leave his apartment."
"Oh gods...put a big sweater on." Arabella teased and she took the bacon from him, taking a bite. It was perfect, as usual. She sighed happily and she grabbed another piece of bacon off of the plate before taking a bite. "Our kids are going to be so spoiled because of you. They're going to grow up with bacon and eggs and french toast and what not and they will never just settle for a bowl of Froot Loops" She giggled and pulled away from him to sit down ontop of the counter.
Hunter smiled and laughed a little bit. "We'll alternate cooking then." Hunter said as he flipped the french toast over. He sipped a glass of orange juice and walked over to her, standing between her legs and lightly placing his hands on her thighs. "We'll keep them on their feet, so they don't know what they're getting. And on some days we'll just sleep in and let them fend for themselves." He said with a grin as he kissed her gently on the lips. "I don't actually mean sleep in, by the way." He said with a wink.
"I never thought you did, babe" Arabela giggled and she slipped her arms around his neck. She pulled him in a little bit and gave him a small kiss. "Mmm...I'm sure that the kids will be fine to fend for themselves. Just as long as they don't turn on the stove or play with knives or anything like that" she teased with a shrug and then she smiled and leaned into him, kissing him again. "I can't wait to meet our kids" she added softly, in a serious voice now.
Hunter smiled and kissed her lightly on the forehead, placing a hand on her stomach. "I'm very excited to meet our kids." Hunter said, brushing his lips across her cheek to her ear. "You're going to be the best mom ever." He whispered with a smile, running his hands down her sides to her thighs, squeezing them gently. "Have you thought about the names at all?" He asked, looking down at his hands a moment before turning back to the french toast, sliding it off the pan onto a plate.
"A little bit" Arabella said with a nod, still blushing from what he said about her being a good mother. She had thought about names a lot, honestly. But she couldn't really decide on any names. "What about you? Have you thought of anything? Any names?" She asked him softly, turning to watch him as he put the french toast on a plate and set it all up for them. Arabella wanted the names to be perfect but she was also a little nervous about them. A name is something that would be with them for the rest of their lives. She didn't want it to be something that they would get teased for.
Hunter grabbed Arabella's plate and poured on some strawberries and maple syrup before sprinkling powdered sugar on top. He handed her the plate and a fork before doing the same to his own and sitting next to her on the counter. "You don't want my input." Hunter said, shaking his head. "I'll probably come up with kinds of trees or Greek heroes or something. I'll leave it up to you and I'll tell you if I have a problem or not." Hunter leaned into her a little and took a bite of bacon. "Why do you think I named Ajax Ajax? He's a Greek hero." Hunter said with a laugh.
Arabella shrugged and she took a bite of the french toast, chewing happily. "Hmmm.." Arabella thought of some of the names that she had come up with when she was thinking up names for their kids. She smiled a little bit and she cleared her throat. There was a moment of silence between then before she took a breath. "Autumn. Autumn Reed" she told him softly, looking down at her plate as she cut a piece off of her toast.
Hunter took a deep breath and ate a little bit of French toast. "I like Autumn. I really like Autumn." Hunter said with a smile, kissing her lightly on the cheek leaving a little syrup behind. "I think since Autumn Aphrodite is a little cumbersome do you mind if we name her after my mom? Elizabeth. Autumn Elizabeth Reed?" Hunter said with a little smile at the end. "What do you t hink, baby?" He asked with a smile.
"Autumn Elizabeth" Arabella said under her breath, smiling a little to herself. She turned to Hunter and gave him a big smile. "It's a wonderful, fantastic name" Arabella agreed softly and she leaned into him a little, giving him a kiss. Arabella was looking forward ot having a daughter. She was looking forward to getting her dressed up and doing her hair. She was looking forward to helping her daughter grow up. "Now we just need a name for a boy"
"Well," Hunter said, finishing her french toast. "There's your dad." Hunter offered. "My dad was...Not....a good person. So I'd not like to memorialize him in our children." Hunter said with a small smile, taking a drink of orange juice. "So, Matthew. Or Tyler. We could name him after Tyler." Hunter said quietly as he ate a piece of bacon. "Unless you had any other ideas."
"Hmm...I wonder if we could find a Greek name that didn't sound too obvious, you know? And then his middle name could be Tyler" Arabella said with a shrug and she poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and let out a happy sigh, loving the feel of the hot liquid. "Can you think of any names?" She asked him, taking another sip of her coffee. "You can't honestly expect me to come up with everything, do you?" She giggled.
Hunter sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, assuming we don't name him after Ajax or Orion." Hunter said with a quiet laugh as he wrapped an arm around Arabella's waist. "Well, we can name him Jason. It's Greek. It's heroic. It's better than Hesiod." Hunter suggested, placing a small kiss on her temple. He gently placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it lightly. "Jason Tyler Reed. Hunter, Arabella Marie, Autumn Elizabeth, and Jason Tyler Reed." He said a huge grin spreading across his face. "And Ajax and Jolie." He added with a laugh.
Arabella smiled and she placed her hand ontop of his on her stomach. She could imagine herself sitting with Hunter on the couch, 6 months pregnant. Arabella was excited for it all to happen. She kissed him lightly before taking a sip of coffee. "Speaking of Ajax and Jolie..we should probably go get them soon" Arabella said with a nod and she grinned at him. "We also need to go grocery shopping to get some stuff for Christmas dinner"
Hunter stood and put their dishes on the sink before standing between her legs and kissing her lightly on the forehead and putting his hands on her legs. "What am I making for Christmas Dinner? Maybe we should have a big thing for Christmas Dinner. Your dad and Tyler. Daniel and Tom. We can call Will and Penny and see if they want to come. I think Kyle and Marina are spending Christmas with Marina's parents." Hunter said with a nod as he ran his fingers up and down her thighs. "It's up to you though." Hunter said, gently kissing her neck.
"Will and Penny should totally come over!" Arabella gasped, a huge smile spreading across her face. She smiled and she leaned into his kisses, closing her eyes. Arabella slipped her arms around him and she closed her eyes. "Mmm...I was thinking that we could have turkey and all of the fixings" She told him softly and she hooked her legs around his waist.
Hunter moved his hands to her butt and squeezed it gently as he leaned into her, kissing down to her shoulder. "Looks like we're going to have to learn how to make all the fixings then, huh?" Hunter said with a smile as he pulled away and looked at her. He was excited for Christmas even though he was incredibly nervous. He kissed her tightly for a moment before sighing. "We should probably go. As much as I would love to kiss you all day we should probably go. Let me put on a shirt and we'll go." He said quietly, brushing some hair out of her face.
Arabella pouted at him and she put her hands on his chest. "Fine. If you must. But when it's finally just us again...I think that you should take the shirt off" She said then giggled before kissing him again. She loved it when he brushed hair out of her face. It was such a simple, sweet thing and it made her feel like gold. Arabella placed a kiss on his nose and grinned. "I can't wait to see that dogs again" She admitted.
"Good. Because we'll see them very soon." Hunter said with a smile, placing a small kiss on her cheek and turning toward the stairs. He walked up and grabbed a flannel shirt and changed into a pair of jeans before grabbing a jacket and slipping it on. "Alright." Hunter said as he walked back down to find her at the door. "Let's go." He sai, taking her hand and leading her out to the car. He opened her door and kissed her had before helping her in and getting in on the other side. Hunter started the car and backed out of the driveway, toward Daniel's apartment.
Arabella sat in the car, holding her jacket around her. She was bouncing a little bit, pretty excited. She was holding a little bag with some dog treats for Jolie and Ajax. Arabella grinned and looked over at Hunter. "Have I told you how sexy you look in that shirt?" She said, reaching an arm over to him and touching the collar lightly. She smiled and slid over to him, placing a gentle kiss on his jaw.
Hunter grinned at her and kissed her forehead. "Well, I was going to where that shirt you have on, but you put it on and I just couldn't bring myself to make you take it off." He said with a smile as he put an arm around her. He thought for a second. "I'll just have to do it later." Hunter said with a wink as he parked outside of Daniel's building. He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "Alright. Let's go." He said, slipping out of the car.
Arabella slpped out of the car with a big grin on her face. She had missed their dogs. She missed waking up in the morning and having Jolie and Ajax licking her face. She missed brushing Jolie's fur and watching as Jolie tried to flirt with Ajax. Arabella knew that taking them back would really be what made her feel like she was home again. Arabella took Hunter's hand and she walked into the building. Together, they walked up the stairs and once they got to Daniel's floor, Arabella dropped Hunter's hand and she ran to Daniel's door, knocking happily. From the other side of the door, she could hear Ajax howling and Jolie barking. She heard Daniel walking toward the door and he opened it a little. Arabella saw his dark eyes looking at her before he yanked the door open.
"You're back!" Daniel said excitedly and he hugged Arabella tightly.
Hunter smiled and hugged Daniel after and looked down to see Jolie peeking around Daniel's legs. Arabella squeaked and picked up Jolie, holding her tightly. Hunter stepped inside and looked down at Ajax who looked up at him quizzically for a moment. Hunter knelt down in front of him and scratched under his chin. It was something that he did before and after every run they went on. Ajax howled happily and stepped forward putting his paws on Hunter's knee. "Hey, buddy! I missed you!" He said, scratching behind his ear.
Arabella held her small dog close to her chest, a smile from ear to ear. She placed a kiss on the top of Jolie's head and she stepped into the apartment with Daniel. "How did everything go?" She asked Daniel, turning to look at him with a curious and slightly worried face.
"Everything was fantastic. The dogs were amazing" Daniel said, waving off her worry. He picked up a couple bags that had all of the dog supplies in them and he placed them by the door. "Jolie is still playing hard to get everyday"
"She's definitely my dog, then" Arabella giggled and she smiled down at Jolie, who looked up at Arabella with her wide, dark eyes and her tongue hanging out.
Hunter picked Ajax up and smiled a little as he licked Hunter's chin. He walked over to Arabella and Daniel with. "Ajax wasn't too much trouble, was he? Other than Jolie torturing him there weren't too many problems?" Daniel smiled and waved him off.
"He was wonderful. And whenever there was a problem I just called Tom. He has a way with that dog that I cannot explain." Daniel said with a sigh. "And Tom coming over was a win-win for me." Daniel said with a giggle, nudging Arabella a little. Hunter rolled his eyes and looked down at Ajax in his arms. Ajax was looking over at Jolie in Arabella's arms. Hunter smiled and looked over at Arabella, taking a deep breath. She always made his heart skip a beat no matter what she was doing.
Arabella looked over at Hunter and their eyes locked. She smiled a little bit at him, just so peaceful and happy with where she was at that moment. Everything was going back to normal. She turned to Daniel and gave him a little smile. "Speaking of Tom..what are you too doing for Christmas? You should come over to our place for Christmas dinner" She told him before he could answer her question.
"Sure, I don't think we're doing anything. Thanks so much for caring about my answer" Daniel said with sarcasm and Arabella smacked his arm.
"We should probably head out, though. We have a lot of decorating and things to do" Arabella said with a nod and she turned to smile at Hunter.
Hunter nodded softly and put Ajax into a carrier before picking it up and the bags of stuff. He placed a hand on the small of Arabella's back and smiled down at Jolie before turning to Daniel. "Thanks again, Danny. We really owe you one." Hunter said with a shrug.
"That makes two, Hunter." Daniel said with a wink at him. "That's two you owe me and Ellie? We will be discussing my payment on Christmas." He said, swatting Hunter's butt as he walked out the door. "Bye, you two."
Arabella laughed at Daniel and walked with Hunter out of the building, towards the car. She didn't put Jolie in her carrier, mostly because she wanted to hold her so desperately. Arabella slid into the car and she sat down in the seat, placing Jolie on her lap. Jolie curled up there and looked up at Arabella with big eyes. "Oh...I've missed our canine children" Arabella said softly, scratching behind Jolie's ear.
Hunter smiled and looked down at Jolie with a small smile on his face. "I did too." He looked at the carrier next to his feet and he opened the door, letting Ajax out. Ajax looked around for a moment before putting his feet up on Arabella's knee and looking up at her with his tongue out. He barked once and jumped a little before getting down and running to the seat and climbing up on to the seat. He walked over to Hunter and laid down putting his head on Hunter's leg as he drove. "Hey, Ajax." Hunter said quietly as he scratched his head.
Arabella cleared her throat and she looked over at Hunter. "I don't know what to get for Danny this year for Christmas. He doesn't really need anything but I want to get him a good present since he looked after the dogs and all that..." Arabella said and she chewed on her lip. She wanted to make sure that this Christmas was perfect and she wanted to get the best presents for everyone she knew. Arabella already had most of Hunter's presents together but she still needed something for her family and friends.
Hunter nodded and looked over at her. "I probably have another car that I could give away. If that works. It can be from us. I already know what I'm getting Tom and your brother. I don't know what to get your dad though. No clue." Hunter shrugged as he drove. "I also know what I'm getting you." Hunter said with a teasing grin.
"I swear, you are like..the biggest tease in the world" Arabella said and she huffed a little bit. She smiled at him then leaned over the dogs, placing a kiss on his jaw, brushing her lips against his skin. "Mmm..I think that you are going to really like your Christmas present" She told him softly and gave his arm a squeeze before sliding back over to her spot with a smile on her face.
"Why do I have a feeling that you bought me clothes, but they're not for me to wear?" Hunter said with a grin as he turned onto their street. There was snow on the ground and the entire street looked beautiful. Hunter was so glad that he lived there now and he was even happier that he could share it with Arabella. "I'm very excited to wake up on Christmas Morning. Especially when the first thing I see when I wake up is you, Ellie."
Arabella smiled over at him and she grazed her fingers across his cheek lightly. "Waking up with you is going to be the best present ever" She said softly. When he parked the car, Arabella leaned over to give him a kiss but was stopped when Jolie jumped up on Hunter, in front of Arabella and licked his cheek. "Looks like someone has a new girlfriend" Arabella giggled, pulling her hair into a messy bun.
Hunter pulled away from Jolie as she barked at him. He sighed and grabbed the dogs, handing them to Arabella. "You take these." He said with a smile. "I'll take everything else." Arabella took the dogs and slipped out of the car. Hunter moved to the back of the car and grabbed everything, closing and locking the car. "It feels good to have the whole family together again." Hunter said with a laugh as he set everything down. "So, when do you want to go get Christmas stuff?" He asked, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her close, the dogs between them.
"Soon" Arabella said with a small smile and she placed a kiss on his lips briefly before she felt a wet nose on her cheek and she looked over to see Ajax looking at her with a doggy smile on his face. Arabella smiled a little and she placed the dogs down on the floor. Jolie sniffed Ajax and ran around him for a moment before running off to the living room, towards the couch. Arabella giggled and she slipped her arms around his neck. "Mmm...now that the canine children are gone.." She said softly and kissed him tightly.
Hunter smiled against her lips and put his hands around to her back, pulling her closer. "We could do anything, couldn't we?" He said in a low tone, kissing her cheek and moving his lips down her cheek to her neck. He pushed her toward the window that looked into the kitchen. He ran his fingers down to her thighs, lifting her up and setting her down on the counter. "Mmmm....You're pretty." He said, kissing her lips again.
Arabella smiled a little, hooking her legs around his hips. She giggled softly against his lips and she slipped her arms around his neck. "You are a sexy beast" She whispered and gave him a little wink before pulling him closer an placing a few kisses along his jaw. "We're never going to get anywhere if you keep doing stuff like this to me, Hunter" She whispered and nibbled on his ear lobe lightly.
Hunter leaned into her, running his fingers up and down her thighs, shivering a little as she whispered into his ear. "ME do stuff like this to YOU?" Hunter said, pulling away a little. He laughed a second and kissed her tightly on the lips. "Vous m'avez embrassée d'abord, ma belle fille belle." He said quietly, wrapping his arms around her and placing a long kiss on her forehead.
Arabella smiled and she closed her eyes. Hearing Hunter talk to her in other languages did more for her than get her revved up. It made her heart melt. And then he would call her beautiful like he just did and she would feel beyond amazing. Arabella looked up at him with big eyes and she kissed him tightly. "You, Hunter, are the best man that anyone could ever dream of" She said softly and looked up at him through her eyelashes.
Hunter smiled and pressed his lips to hers a moment before sighing. They needed to go, but he just loved holding her. He placed one more kiss on her forehead before pulling away a little and taking a deep breath. "Come on. Let's go." He said, placing his hands under her arms and lifting her down to the ground. "I'll buy you something." He said with a smile as he pulled his keys out and took her hand.
Arabella grinned and she followed him out of the house, towards the car. Shopping with Hunter was always fun for her and she was looking forward to doing it again. "You spoil me so much" Arabella giggled, winking at him. She blushed when he opened the car door for her and she slid in, adjusting her jacket."Where do you want to go first?" She asked him when he sat down and she raised an eyebrow in a questioning way.
Hunter shrugged as he started the car. He leaned back against the head rest and turned his head toward her. She did the same and smiled at him. Hunter couldn't help but smile back. "Well, Walmart should have most of the stuff we need, right? And they have enough stuff that we might get an idea for something to get Daniel." He shrugged. "Is this a copacetic idea?" Hunter said with a grin
"It's a wonderful idea" Arabella said and she smiled over at him. "I knew that there was a reason why I was keeping you around" She giggled and she slid over in her seat. She just wanted to be beside him and feel his warmth. Arabella folded her legs on the seat and she placed her hands on her lap. "Daniel would probably be pretty excited about like..a spa weekend or something" She said with a smile and a roll of her eyes.
"Well, we could probably do that." Hunter said, starting the car and backing out toward Walmart. Hunter put an arm around her and kissed her hair. "We can do anything, remember? We're millionaires." He said with a laugh as he pulled her closer. He often forgot that he had that much money. Every time he remembered, he just couldn't help, but smile. He was going to do so much with that money, but right now he kind of wanted to splurge. "After we go here, then we can go to the mall and see if there's a spa there." He said as he drove.
"Sounds perfect" Arabella said softly and she placed her hand on his leg lightly. She turned on the music and as they drove, she sung along to Rihanna quietly. Everything was perfect and she was feeling pretty comfortable in that moment. After a little while, Hunter pulled up in the Walmart parking lot and he stopped the car. Arabella grinned and picked up her purse, getting ready to go into Walmart.
Hunter slipped out of the car. He hurried around and opened her door, taking her hand as she stepped out. "Alright. So when we go in, I'm going to order a pretzel from the snack bar and you're going to go do your thing. Then once you're done, you'll wait for me to finish my pretzel and we'll be good to go. That's how you do." Hunter said with a smile before kissing her lightly on the temple. "You do the shopping I do the cooking. It's our divine powers!" He said in a dramatized voice.
Arabella laughed. "Oh..whatever. You so know that's true" She said and smacked his arm as they walked into the big building. Arabella grabbed a cart and she put her purse in it. She gave Hunter a kiss on cheek. "I'll be back in a few" She said and she walked off, into the store. She was lucky that it was such a huge store and they hadn't sold out of their Christmas things yet. She was able to grab all kind of decorations and lights and supplies. Arabella continued walking around, tossing a few dogs things into the cart as she walked.
Hunter watched her walk off, making sure to check her out a little and winking at her when she checked to see if he was checking her out. He was just so happy to be buying Christmas stuff. He walked over to the snack bar and got in line. "I'll have a soft pretzel with cheese and a...white cherry ICEE, please." Hunter said with a grin. He paid and Hunter sat down near the counter as he waited for his food, slowly sipping his ICEE.
Arabella grabbed a few more things for the dogs, stuff that she wanted to give to them as presents and she walked towards the snack bar. She saw Hunter sitting down and she smiled, hurrying over ot him. "Look at what I found for Jolie!" She said happily, holding up a pink doggy sweater with a huge grin on her face. "I got her matching shoes too so that I can take her out in the snow!" She added with a giggle, holding up the pink shoes.
Hunter looked at the shoes and rolled his eyes. "Because Jolie needs more things that will make her a diva. Like shoes and matching sweaters." Hunter said with a smile as he stood up and kissed her cheek. His pretzel came up and he grabbed it before holding the ICEE out to Arabella. "Go ahead and have some. I'm done." He said, tearing off some of the pretzel and dipping it in the cheese. "So, did you see anything for Ajax? A live chicken or maybe a baby lamb?" Hunter said with a chuckle as he ate part of the pretzel.
"Oh ha ha. You are so funny" Arabella said with sarcasm and she rolled her eyes. She smiled at him an finished off the ICEE. "I found a few toys for him that I throught he would like and a new leash and a new collar. I got both of them a new bed too" She told him and she put the ICEE container down on the table. "I found so much Christmas decorations!" She said happily and pulled out a package with red and silver baubles in it. "I thought that we could do red and silver in our place"
Hunter smiled and broke off a piece of the pretzel, dipping it into the cheese and offering it to her. "That's perfect, sweetie." Hunter said as he threw the ICEE cup away. Hunter peeked into the cart and nodded. "Alright. Let's pay and then we can go to the mall and get everything else. We still need a tree, right? And a gift for Danny. And then whatever else it is that we need." He gave her the rest of the pretzel and took the cart, pushing it toward checkout.
Arabella followed him, chewing on the pretzel happily. She looked around as Hunter paid for all of the stuff. She felt a little bit guilty about using his money like that but she tried to push that out of her mind. Arabella waited for him and once he paid, she followed him out of the store, brushing her hands off on her jeans. "We should get a big tree. Like..huge" She said with a grin.
Hunter laughed and wrapped an arm around her as they exited the store into the cold winter air. "It's supposed to fit in the house though, right? I mean, what's the point of selecting a tree when you're just leaving it outside?" He kissed her temple and opened the back of the car, loading the groceries in. He helped her into the car and got in himself. "Actually, what's the point of bringing a tree inside at all? Seems contradictory to me."
Hunter shrugged. "I don't really care. It's whichever one you prefer." He nodded and kissed her lightly on the temple as they drove. "And I don't know what the advantages and disadvantages are. It's really up to you though." They stopped at a stoplight and Hunter slipped an arm around her middle pulling her in and kissing her on the lips. "I'm really excited." He said with a smile.
Arabella smiled and she leaned into him, kissing him tightly. There was a honk from behind them and she pulled away so that Hunter could drive through the green light. "I'm really excited too" She said softly and she cleared her throat. "I was thinking that maybe we could send a Christmas card to Chiron...I'm sure that he would like to know how you're doing" She said softly.
Hunter sighed a little. He hadn't really thought about it, but he loved the idea. He didn't have to face Chiron again and he could give Chiron his side of the story. His side of the past two years. How he left camp and how he came to live with the love of his life in a house that he owned. "I love that idea." Hunter said quietly, parking in the mall parking lot and looking over at her. "That's a fantastic idea." He said before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her lightly on the lips. "I love you." He said with a smile.
"I love you too" Arabella said softly and she kissed him back lightly. It felt good to kiss him. It felt right and natural. Kissing him was special and she knew that kissing him would always make her heart race and her hands shake with excitment. She pulled away a little and she picked up her purse. "I just..I know that Chiron was like a father figure for you and Christmas is about family, so...I thought that sending him a card would be a good idea" She said with a small shrug and a tiny smile.
"It is." Hunter said with a nod. "It is a great idea." Hunter smiled and leaned into her kissing her softly. "Thank you." He said with a smile before sliding out of the car and toward the mall. He opened her door and took her hand, holding it tightly. "So, what are we going to hit up first? What do we need?" He said as they entered the large shopping mall, bustling with last minutes shoppers.
Arabella leaned into him, resting her chin on his shoulder for a moment. "Hmm...well, we could go to the spa to get a gift card for Danny. Or we could go to Victoria's Secret to get something for us. Or we could walk around until we think of something" She said with a little giggle and turned to look at him. "You choose"
"You're making me choose?" Hunter said with a smile as he kissed her lightly on the cheek. "How about we do all of that?" He laughed and started walking toward Victoria's Secret. "At some point you are going to show me something you really want and I'm going to get it for you. I promise. I'd buy you the world, Ellie." He said with a smile as he slipped his arm around her middle and kissed her temple
Arabella blushed a little and with a peaceful smile, she leaned into him. All she wanted was to be with him and the fact that she was going to be spending Christmas with him was more than she could ever dream of. Last year, she had been hard at work. For Christmas, she phoned her father and sent a card to her mother. She ate Chinese take out and watched It's a Wonderful Life while she worked on some designs for her summer collection. This year seemed like a dream. Arabella walked with Hunter into Victoria's Secret and she looked around with a little smirk on her face. "Well..this is going to be fun" she laughed and nudged Hunter a little.
Hunter smiled softly as they walked in. He did feel nervous, but he just tried to not show it. This was for Christmas. He needed to be focused. "I don't think some of this is even legal." Hunter said, glancing around at several sets of underwear that didn't look like they were actually articles of clothing. They were more suggestions. "So, what are you getting, Ellie?" He asked, holding her hand and smiling as she perused through the shelves of different choices. "Feel free to try them on." He suggested with a wink.
Arabella giggled and she smaked his arm before walking over to a display with pink lace. She picked up a few things and held them up for Hunter to see. Arabella looked at him and giggled at the expression on his face. She loved that he was nervous and trying to hide it from her. She thought that it was pretty funny an rather endearing. Arabella didn't have plans to bring it up or anything but she was certainly going to milk it.
Hunter nodded and looked around a little bit, trying not to touch anything. "Okay, this isn't even clothing." He said, pointing to a little tiny shirt that was completely see-through. He followed Arabella around the store and looked around with his hands in his pockets. "Ellie, question." He said as he looked at a pair of sweatpants. She walked over and gave him a curious look. He smiled and kissed her on the nose. "Why is it that girls have this interest in wearing clothes that say words on their chest or butt? It's pretty much welcoming guys to leer at them." He said with a shrug.
Arabella grinned up at him and laughed a little bit. "I don't really know..." She said and she looked down at the sweatpants. "But these are soft" She said, brushing her fingers along the material. She moved away from the sweatpants and she picked up a black satin bustier with a little bow on it. "Ohhh....I like this" She said softly, running her fingers over the soft material with a mischievious smirk on her face.
Hunter raised an eyebrow at the article of 'clothing' Arabella picked up. "Wow...that's...uh..." It was very revealing where it wanted to be very supportive in others and practically missing where it probably should be. He nervously cleared his throat and looked at Arabella's face trying not to look at the bustier or her as she seemed to model it by holding it in front of her. "It's very nice, Ellie." He said plainly.
Arabella looked up at him and she giggled. "It's nice?" She said, raising an eyebrow and she leaned into him, brushing her lips against his softly. "Not sexy?" She breathed and she gave him a wink. With a little laugh, she put it over her arm and turned back to the display, seeing if there was anything that matched it. The mischievious smirk was still on her face and she tried to focus on the display in front of her.
Hunter looked at her and took a deep breath. "I'm just thinking..." He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. "The girl under it is a lot sexier. Compared to you this thing is like a rag." He added, placing a small kiss on the side of her neck. He looked around for a moment before putting his head on hers. "Whenever you have everything, I'll pay and we can go to the spa." He said quietly tightening his arms around her.
Arabella smiled and she grabbed a few more little things before walking over to the cash with Hunter. She stepped away a little bit as he paid and she tried to avoid the eye of the woman who was working because she was smiking quite a bit as she rang things through. Once everything was paid for, Arabella took the bag and she walked out of the store with Hunter and slightly pink cheeks. She stretched up and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for all of this, Hunter"
Hunter smiled and looked at her with a grin. He took her hand and stopped as she kept walking, pulling her back to face him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the lips for a long moment. He finally pulled away and licked his lips a moment. "Anything you could ever want, Ellie. Anything for the most beautiful girl in the world. He said, tightening his arms around her. He loved the way his arms felt around her. He loved the way she would blush when he complimented her. He loved the way she would always look at him through he eyelashes. He loved everything about her and he just wanted to make her happy.
Arabella smiled a little bit and she stretched up to kiss his lips tightly. She couldn't believe that she had gotten as lucky as she did. Hunter was in her life and he was the best thing that she could ever hope for. She knew that her cheeks were still pink from his compliment. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?" She said softly and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, loving the feel of his arms around her. "Mmm..we should go find that spa" She said with a nod and she grinned up at him.
Hunter held onto her and kissed her again, loving how small she felt in his arms. "Ehh...few more minutes." He said quietly, kissing her lightly on the nose. He didn't care if people looked at them. He really just wanted to hold her. "Why would I want to let go of you?" Hunter asked with a unbreakable smile before kissing on the lips again.
Arabella giggled a little bit and she shrugged. "Oh, I don't know...your arms might get a little tired after awhile" She teased with a small roll of her eyes. She yawned a little bit a shivered as people walked past them, causing a small breeze. Arabella leaned into Hunter more and took a deep breath. "Maybe we should get ourselves something from the spa" She teased, looking up at him and winking.
"Sounds like fun." Hunter said with a smile. "What did you have in mind? I'm not really sure what they have." He added, looking into her eyes. He couldn't help it anymore. He needed to kiss her. The taste of her lips was starting to leave his lips. He kissed her again, refreshing his memory and leaning into her. He dragged his hands around to her hips and ran his fingers up and down her sides as he spoke.
Arabella leaned into him, smiling a little to herself. She took a moment before she said anything to him. She just wanted to be close to him and capture that moment in her memory forever. Arabella kissed him briefly before shrugging and looking around a little bit. "Well, I'm sure that they'll have a few packages for couples or something like that. That would be fun." She said "As for Danny? I have no idea.." She said with a giggle.
"Well, he's with Tom, now, apparently." Hunter said finally letting her go and sliding an arm around her waist. "We could get them a couples' thing from the spa and then get Danny an additional gift card." He nodded and kissed her temple as they walked around the mall, looking for the spa. "I still need to figure out something to get your dad. Does he like cigars or something? What are you getting him?" Hunter asked, kissing her temple again.
"I don't even know what to get him. He's so hard to buy for.." Arabella said with a huff and she looked around as they walked. "Buying anything for him is so impossible because he always says that he doesn't want anything or he doesn't need anything. And everything that he actually does need, he just buys it for himself" She said and chewed on her lip. "I don't know..maybe I'll get him an espresso machine or something like that"
"Well, whatever you get him, I'll just go in with you on. I don't know what to get him." He said with a shrug. They walked around a little bit longer until they finally tracked down the spa. "Here it is." He said as he lead her inside. He looked down at the prices and his jaw dropped a little. "You know, I can give you a massage as good as this one for the price of massage oil." Hunter whispered into Arabella's ear. He unintentionally inhaled the smell of her hair and Hunter couldn't help it. "I'll even show you tonight if you want." He said with a smile before nibbling gently on her earlobe.
Arabella shivered a little and she leaned into him, taking a breath to try and calm herself down. She pulled away from him and walked over to the counter, quickly buying the gift for Daniel. In less than two minutes, she had walked back to Hunter, grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the spa. "We are getting the rest of our stuff and then we are going home" She said in an urgent voice and she stopped walking to pull Hunter down to her and kiss him.
Hunter put a hand on her back and pulled her in close for a moment, kissing her deeply. He loved the feeling of her body close to his and he really wanted to get out of that mall. He finally pulled away, sliding an arm around her waist. "Now, where is the big tree like huge store? We need to find a tree." He said, bouncing on his toes slightly. He shrugged and chose a direction, hoping that they could find it quickly. "I think we have ornaments and lights back at the house, so we should be good with just a tree. A live one would be nice." He said with a smile, kissing her lightly on the cheek and running his fingers up and down her side.
Arabella smiled and she nodded, leaning into him and his touch. "A live tree would be amazing" Arabella said softly and she closed her eyes for a second. She could pictures the tree in their living room with all of the decorations and lights and presents. She could picture herself sitting with Hunter on Christmas morning with hot apple cider, watching a movie or something. It was all going to be so perfect. Arabella looked up at him with a smile as they walked. "You are going to love your present so much" She giggled with a wink.
Hunter smiled and raised an eyebrow. "You are going to absolutely adore yours." He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek again as they walked. "Oh. There's some." He said, pointing to a forest of trees next to a RadioShack. He grabbed her hand and with an excited laugh started to run toward them, dragging Arabella behind him. "What one do we get?" Hunter asked, looking up at all the trees like a kid in a candy store.
Arabella grinned up at him. It was so amazing to see him picking out a tree like he was. Arabella love seeing him as happy as he was. It was his first real Christmas and Arabella was going to make it amazing. She shrugged and looked at the trees. "Which one is the biggest?" She said with a little laugh and she walked a bit closer to the trees. All of them were nice, really. "You pick. It's your first Christmas tree, you need to pick it" Arabella said and she picked up a piece of a tree that had fallen on the ground, just a twig with a few pine needles on it.
Hunter looked around the trees, keeping a firm grasp on Arabella's hand. "I don't know what to look for. And out ceilings are high, but not really high. What if I get one that's too tall? Or if I pick one that's too wide to fit through the door? Ellie, you need to--" Hunter stopped in front of a beautiful pine tree. It was bright green and had a thick trunk. It was familiar. It looked like Thalia's Pine. "We have to get this one." Hunter said with a nod, placing a hand gently on the tree. "This one's perfect."
Arabella looked up at the tree, smiling a little bit. It looked like Thalia's Pine and it was fantasstic. Arabella was happy that their first tree was going to look like something was represented so much for them. She looked up at the tree with a smile on her face and she nodded. "I agree. It's perfect" She said and turned to look at Hunter. "I can't wait to get it home and decorated" She giggled and she looked around for the man that was selling them. "I'll go get the car" She said and she took the keys out of Hunter's pocket with a little smile. "You get the tree" She said and she kissed Hunter lightly before walking away.
Hunter grabbed her wrist a moment and pulled her back for a tight kiss on the lips. "Make me do all the hard work." He whispered against her lips before letting her go to get the car. He turned to the tree and looked at the guy who was walking over. Hunter paid and they bound the tree and lifted it on its side. With the help of another guy they brought it out, strapping it to the top of the car. "Thank you, gentleman." Hunter said with a smile before getting into the passenger's seat and looking over at Arabella. "Alright. Are we good to go?" He said, catching his breath a little, his arms aching slightly from carrying the tree.
Arabella looked over at Hunter and she smiled. She leaned across the seat and she kissed him tightly. "Mmhmm..I think we're good" She said softly and kissed him again before sliding back into the driver's seat and pulling away from the mall and starting to drive towards their house. "Our house is going to look so bomb once we get it all decorated" She said with a wide grin.
Hunter looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Bomb?" he said quiet, feeling like he was missing something. "Is that good? I thought bombs were a bad thing." he said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "You're probably right though. You're going to make it perfect."
Arabella giggled a little bit and she drove down their street with a small smile on her face. "Bomb is a slang word...it means...good, awesome, excellent" She explained patiently to him as she turned into their driveway. In the window, she could see Jolie and Ajax waiting for them. She turned and slid over in her seat, slipping her arms around his neck. "Mmm...you're sexy" She said with a wink and she kissed him.
Hunter blushed and his stomach clenched and his heart raced. He was a little surprised by her sudden advances but he quickly stopped caring. "You are too, babe." he said wrapping an arm around her and kissing her back. "And as much as I would love to do this, we have to get the tree inside before it caves my car in." he said with a sigh. She looked at him and poured a little. "How about this? We'll bring the tree in. Then I'll make dinner and we'll watch a movie with the dogs then I'll take you upstairs and--well, you know the rest." he said giving her a wink. He kissedher tightly and smiled. "How's that sound, beautiful?"
"That sounds wonderful!" Arabella said and she kissed him tightly, teasingly before she pulled away and she slipped out of the car. Arabella walked around, trying to find the best spot to get the tree off of the top. "I don't know how much help I'll be with this whole...getting the tree off of the car. I am such a weakling" She said with a laugh and she reached up, touching the tree lightly.
Hunter smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Ellie, come on. You might be able to just open doors. We'll see if I can lift this thing on my own." Hunter sighed and untied the tree from the roof. He pulled it off the side and carried it a little, adjusting enough to manage to lift it on his own. "Door. Door. Door. Ellie, get the door." He said quickly. Ellie frantically ran to the door and opened just in time for Hunter to rush through the door and drop it in the middle of the living room. He collapsed on the couch and clutched his back. "Ugh...I'm dead." He groaned as he felt an ache in his back similar to the time he had actually fallen out of a tree.
Arabella looked at him with a concerned face and she walked over to him, delicately sitting down on the edge beside him. "You doing okay?" she said and she raised her eyebrow a little. Arabella leaned down and she placed a kiss on his forhead. She gave him a little smile. "That was very, very impressive" She said in a low voice and she gave him a wink.
Hunter smiled weakly with his eyes clenched closed. "Well, it's good because I'm going to die now. My back is killing me." He groaned and put a hand on her leg. "Tell my Ajax that I love him." He said with a chuckle before laying back and groaning again. She giggled and put a hand on his stomach. Hunter perked up and put his hand on top of hers. "Come here." He said quickly before pulling her in for a tight kiss on the lips. "I'll get up and make dinner in a second." He whispered against her lips.
"Mmm...how about I order some pizza for us tonight? You can sit and relax and everything will be perfect" Arabella whispered and she brushed her lips across his jaw. "Then we can do that whole..movie with the dogs then you take me upstairs thing" She giggled then pulled away, putting a serious look on her face. "That is..if you're still up to it" She teased in a serious voice.
Hunter laughed a little and sat up, putting his hand on the back of her neck. "I'm feeling better already." He said quietly, a grin on his face as he pulled her down for a tight kiss on the lips. He winced a little and gasped slightly. "We might just have to stay down here though." He said, winking a little and pulling her down on top of him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. He danced his fingers down her back and to her butt, squeezing gently and kissing her more passionately. That's when he heard barking and felt a cold nose against his ear. He jumped a little, causing his back ache and Hunter looked over at Ajax with his tongue out, looking at Hunter.
Arabella giggled and she patted Ajax a little before sitting up and rolling off of Hunter. "I'll go order the pizza or something" She said with a shrug and she leaned down, kissing Hunter tightly before winking and walking away from him, into the kitchen. She made sure to wiggle her hips a little bit just to tease Hunter as she walked away. Arabella walked over to the fridge and she opened it, looking around. She didn't really want pizza but she couldn't cook anything and she didn't want Hunter to have to cook when his back was hurt. Maybe she would order some Thai food or something.
Hunter looked over and picked up Ajax, placing him on the couch next to him. Soon, Jolie trotted over and barked at him. Hunter sighed and scooted over a little, placing Jolie next to Ajax on the couch. "These dogs are such troublemakers." Hunter said before sitting up a little, cringing softly from the pain in his back, and looking into the kitchen. He saw Arabella at the fridge. "Sweetie, if you don't want pizza I can cook something. I'm fine. Really." Hunter said with a smile, as he tried to get up a little.
"If you get up from that couch, I swear to the gods, I will charmspeak you" Arabella called back to him and she turned to look into the living room with a grin on her face. She turned back to the fridge and she let out a low sigh. Finally, she closed the fridge and looked through the cupboards. Arabella pulled out her phone at this point and she looked through the numbers that she had saved on her phone until she found the one that she was looking for. It was a Korean place in the city that Arabella liked to order from once in a while. It was good food, not like regular take out but it was a little expensive and she prefered to only have it a few times a year. She called them up and quickly ordered the dinner for two. She hung up and starting looking around for a drink. "I hope you like spicy food" She said to Hunter with a little smile on her face.
Hunter sighed and reached out for her to join him on the couch. "Spicy food sounds great." He said as he swung his legs off the side with a groan. "I really am fine. I promise." He said as he picked up the dogs and placed them on his lap, letting Arabella sit next to him. "Well, I will be after one of your world class massages." Hunter said, giving her a wink as he handed Jolie to her. He placed Ajax on the couch next to him and looked put his feet up on the table. "So, what movie are we watching?" He asked with a smile, slipping an arm around Arabella.
"It's A Wonderful Life?" Arabella suggested and she cuddled into Hunter's side, holding Jolie close to her. Jolie nuzzled into her and Arabella let out a happy sigh. "I don't think that my life could get anymore perfect right now" She said happily and she closed her eyes for a moment. It felt so good and so comforting to be sitting with Hunter on the couch, Jolie in her arms, waiting for their food to get there.
Hunter nodded softly. "I've never seen either of those." He said with a raised eyebrow. She looked at him oddly and Hunter thought for a second before realizing his mistake. "Oh...It's A Wonderful Life is a...and then you...Right. Sorry about that. Movie choice is good. I feel the same way." Hunter said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. Jolie yipped at him and Hunter took her from Arabella. "What is your problem, princess?" He said as he held the dog up to his face, looking her in the eye. "You got a problem with me, dog? Hmm?" He said with a smile before Jolie wiggled a little and licked his face. Hunter scrunched his nose and handed Jolie back to Arabella. "That's gross." He said with a smile before leaning back again. He put his chin on Arabella's shoulder, placing a kiss on her neck. "I'm getting a drink. Do you want one?" He asked, starting to stand again.
Arabella put Jolie down on the ground and she stood up before he could. "What id I tell you about getting up?" She giggled and she walked into the kitchen. She looked around for a little bit before picking out the hot chocolate mix. As she was mixing it up, she heard the doorbell ring, followed by the barks of the dogs. With a grin, she ran to the door and opened it up a little bit, holding the dogs back. Quickly, Arabella paid for their food before Hunter had a chance to protest about her paying and she closed the door. She walked back to the kitchen and started putting everything on plates, humming to herself.
Hunter smiled and waited for Arabella to be busy sorting out food before grabbing the dogs and standing up, letting out a little groan. His back felt better, but it still wasn't perfect. "Let's get dinner, my canine children." He said with a weak chuckle as he shuffled into the kitchen and set them down not-so-gracefully by their food bowls, filling each with food. He turned to Arabella who was looking at him sternly. "I told you I was fine." Hunter said, stepping toward her and placing his hands on her hips. "You look very attractive in a kitchen." He said with a smile as he kissed her lightly on the lips. "Very sexy. It suits you, you know? You'll be a master chef in no time." He laughed a little and kissed her again.
Arabella scoffed and she kissed him lightly. "I'll be burning down the house in no time" She said with a roll of her eyes and she picked up a plate, holding it out for Hunter. "Here. I made this all by myself. I slaved in the kitchen for hours to make this" She teased and kissed him again. Arabella put the plate back down and she mixed up the hot chocolate. "Okay...I think that everything is good to go" She said and she took a bite of her kimchi.
Hunter held his plate and took her hand walking her back to the couch and sitting down clumsily, pulling her down with him. They snuggled together, fitting together like two halves of one whole and then started to eat. "Oh, let me put the movie in." He said, setting his plate on the coffee table and starting to stand, but finding the pain in his back a little too much. He cringed and sat back down. "Wait. I remember. I don't remember where that is. Can you take care of it?" He asked quietly, feeling bad for making her get up "I'm sorry." He said quietly, running his finger around the lip of his mug.
Arabella leaned into him, placing a kiss on his jaw. "It's not a problem" She said softly and she put her plate down, standing up and walking over to her DVDs. Arabella looked through them until she found the right one and she placed it in the player. Arabella walked over to the couch again and she sat down, curling up to his side. She pressed play and yawned a little as the movie started. "This is one of the best Christmas movies, ever"
"Well, it's a good thing it's my first one." he said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around her and kisses her cheek. "I'm also really glad I'm watching it with you." he added running a few fingers through her hair. He turned to the movie and smiled as he felt her head rest on his shoulder. Hunter kissed her hair and then put his head on hers before picking Jolie off the couch and handing her to Arabella. He put Ajax by his leg and Ajax put his head on Hunter's leg.
Arabella put Jolie in her lap and she patted her gently, running her fingers through her soft fur. She smiled a little bit as the movie started to play. Every Christmas since she was a little kid, Arabella made sure that she watchedd this movie at some point and she loved the fact that she was now watching it with Hunter. She took a bite of her food and she stretched her legs a little bit. "We'll have to put the tree up tomorrow. I think I have a stand in a box somewhere"
Hunter nodded and watched the movie. His back still hurt, but it wasn't bothering him now that he had all of these wonderful things distracting him. "And in one of the boxes in one of the spare rooms is some lights and some ornaments. Tomorrow, I'll put up the lights and you can work on the tree. That sound okay?" Hunter said, finally turning away from the movie to look at her. "I have no idea what I'd be doing with the lights, but I'll give it a shot." He said, resting his head on hers again, taking a bite of food.
"I can help. I am awesome at the lights. Not to toot my horn or anything" Arabella giggled and she shivered a little bit. She tugged on her sleeves, pulling them down over her hands. It was a little cold in the house and it was starting to snow again. Arabella picked up her phone and she looked at the weather. Just then, she felt a blanket fall around her and she turned a little bit to see Hunter wrapping the blanket around her. Arabella smiled and she kissed him tightly. "You are such an amazing gentleman"
"Nonsense. Just making sure you're treated as you deserve to be treated." Hunter said with a dismissive wave before placing his empty plate down on the table and then wrapping his arms around her, kissing her tightly on the head. "Anything you could ever want, baby. I promise." He said, rubbing her arms a little. He was kind of cold, but he had worse. He didn't need a blanket. He had all he could ever want in his arms at that moment. He turned back at the movie and let his body relax a little, feeling Arabella lean into him and curl up to him, fitting together like two puzzle pieces. Today was perfect. And Hunter was going to make sure it stayed that way. Just for her.
Arabella smiled and she closed her eyes, burying her face in Hunter's side. She felt so protected and so taken care of. Hunter was going to be with her for the rest of her life and knowing that was the best feeling in the world. Arabella felt Jolie jump off of the couch and walk away, probably to go to her bed. With a small smile, Arabella could feel herself drifting off to sleep. She was warm an happy an everything was pretty perfect. "I love you, Hunter" She breathed and with that, she fell asleep.
Hunter slept so well last night. He was so glad that she was with him and he couldn't be happier. He felt his hands on her back and his eyes slowly opened as he inhaled through his nose, immediately catching her smell, Roses filling up his sensory. He shifted softly as sat up enough to look at her closely. Hunter placed a kiss on her forehead and ran his hands down her back. "Good morning." He whispered.
"Morning" Arabella whispered, her voice a little raspy. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in everything about that moment before opening her eyes again and looking up at Hunter. She smiled a little bit and placed a kiss against his chest. "How did you sleep?"
"I slept beautifully." Hunter said with a groggy smile, brushing the hair out of her face. He cradled her face in his hand and kissed her tightly on the lips for a moment. "It feels nice to be home." He said quietly, placing kisses on her cheek. He was so glad to just be able to hold her and kiss her. He tightened his arms around her and sat up, putting his back against the wall, exposing his bare torso to the cold air in the room. He didn't care though. He was warm with the heat he was sharing with Arabella and he loved it and he loved her. "How'd you sleep?" He asked, moving her so that she was straddling him and kissing her shoulder.
Arabella nuzzled into him, wanting to be as close as possible to him. His skin was warm, even though the air was cold and it was comforting to be so close to him. Arabella closed her eyes and she took a small breath. "I had the best sleep ever" She whispered and slipped her arms around his middle. "Can you see out the window? Did we get a lot of snow?" She asked him before burying her face in his neck.
Hunter tried to peek out the window, but couldn't really see. "It looks like a lot. It fell for a long time last night. Even after you went to sleep." Hunter ran his hands up and down her side and looked at her with a smile on his face. They locked eyes and in that moment, Hunter had never been happier. He was so happy being able to look at her. To smile at her and for her to smile back. He kissed her on the forehead and ran his hands down her legs. "Did you know...that I'm in bed with the most beautiful girl in the world, right now?" He asked with a smile as he looked at his hands on her legs.
"Really? Where is she?" Arabella asked, looking around the room. She turned back to Hunter with a small smile on her face and she kissed him tightly. She loved the feeling on his hands on his legs. It sent sparks through her whole body and made her light up. "I happen to be in bed with the most wonderful, handsome man in the world" She said softly and she pressed a kiss against his jaw.
Hunter ran his hands up her legs to her hips and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips. "So, we need to pick up the dogs today." He said with, placing a kiss on her nose. "We are also supposed to do some Christmas stuff." He kissed her on the cheek and took her hands, running his thumbs across the backs. "Speaking of Christmas....What are you getting me for Christmas?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I can't tell you!" Arabella said and smacked his chest lightly. "If I told you, that would totally ruin the surprise!" She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. "I don't want to know what you're getting me. I'm not even going to Charmspeak you into telling me. Cause I want it to be a surprise!" She said and she kissed him. "Oh!" she gasped before rolling off of him and walking over to her bags. She dug around in them for a moment before pulling out a bundle of fabric. She walked back over to the bed and sat down beside Hunter, placing the fabric on his lap. "I made stockings for you, me and the dogs" She said proudly.
Hunter looked at the stockings and sighed. He touched them gingerly, running his fingers along the knitted 'H' in his stocking. His first stocking. "And what do we do with the large sock?" He asked, feeling incredibly stupid. He hated it. He couldn't stand when he ask what things meant. He missed out on so much culture, he didn't think he'd ever feel normal. He sighed and handed Arabella the stocking back and putting an arm around her and pulling the blanket up over their legs.
Arabella looked at Hunter for a moment, biting her lip. She felt a little bad for Hunter, not growing up with things that most children grew up with. But it didn't bother her. It didn't bother her that he didn't know what stockings were for. It didn't bother her that he didn't know what E.T was. It didn't bother her that he didn't know these sorts of things. It was something that she found very endearing and it was something that she was kind of excited about. Arabella could show him all of her traditions and all of her favorite things and it would be the first time for him. She took a deep breath and picked up a stocking that had the knitted 'H' on it. "Well, we hang them up on the fireplace and when Santa comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve with all of the presents, he puts little gifts into the stockings" She explained to him patiently with a small smile.
"Ah...Santa." Hunter said with a nod. "Sorry. He just never really visited camp. No matter how many letters I tried to send." Hunter muttered, letting his voice trail off. "So, I'm assuming we buy the tiny gifts. So I actually have to buy you something then? You're expecting a gift? Oh, well then I have many errands to run." Hunter said with a smile as she rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding. You're not getting anything." He laughed and kissed her on the temple. He was really trying to divert how upset he was with humor. He had gotten to a point where he hadn't had a problem with culture knowledge for a while. He had put his guard down only for Arabella to sneak the stockings in. "I take that back. You can have my body to used for whatever purpose you wish."
"Pffft...I already have that" Arabella said with a wave of her hand and she gave him a small wink. She folded up the stockings gently, smiling a little at them. Arabella was excited to wake up on Christmas morning and sit with Hunter and the dogs. She looked up at him though and let out a sigh. Arabella could tell that something was bothering him, she could see it in his eyes. She wondered if it was the same thing that was bothering him when they were in Washington and he said that he didn't want to talk about it. "Hunter...are you ever going to tell me what's wrong or are you just going to leave me hanging and worrying?"
Hunter looked at her and kissed her on the forehead. "I did promise, didn't I?" He said quietly, rubbing her arm. "It's really nothing big. I'm just...." He sighed and rubbed his face a moment, clenching his eyes shut, almost as if he were resetting his brain. "I hate not knowing what stuff is." Hunter said bluntly, shrugging a little. "I missed out on almost 20 years of my life because of camp and now it's biting me in the ass. And that is really bothering me." He nodded and then shrugged again. "I'm a little worried that at some point you might get tired of explaining things to me like I'm some kind of idiot shut-in." He said quietly.
"You are not an idiot shut-in, Hunter.." Arabella said softly and she chewed on her lip. She wanted to make him feel better but she didn't know how. She didn't want to say some generic speech that had no meaning behind it. The truth was that she really didn't care about having to explain things to him. She enjoyed it. but she didn't want him to think that she was just saying that to make him feel better. "Hunter..you had a different up-bringing than most kids. You've seen far too much and you've had to deal with more than any person should. You shouldn't let all of that bother you. You would probably be a totally different person if you had a 'regular' upbringing" Arabella said softly and she placed a kiss on his nose. "I won't get tired of explaining things if you don't get tired of making dinner for me"
"But wouldn't you like it if I knew about...Christmas traditions and Stockings and movies and books? Maybe if I had a regular upbringing and I weren't so dysfunctional then things would be better." He looked at her for a second and sighed. "I love the way things are now and I'm blessed that you've decided to be with me, but I feel like you deserve someone that you can talk about this stuff with. Obviously I can't do that." He said, looking out the window again. "I just want you to be the happiest possible." He muttered, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall.
"I am happy. I don't think that it's possible for me to be happier" Arabella said softly and she took his hand, holding it tightly in both of hers. "I don't want to be with anyone else, Hunter. I don't need to talk about movies and books" She bit her lip than leaned closer to him a little bit, placing a small kiss on his cheek. "And I don't know what you mean by 'dysfunctional'. You seem pretty perfect to me"
Hunter sighed and shook his head a little. "Instead of having a mom and dad and going to school and playing football and graduating and learning and watching TV and going to see movies and doing all of that normal stuff, I was trained by an immortal centaur and a virgin goddess to be a warrior and to fight monsters and Titans and obey an Ancient race of gods, so they don't kill me where I stand. If that's not dysfunctional, I don't know what is." Hunter said, looking at her again. "Ellie, you deserve someone normal."
"Do you really think that my upbringing was normal? My mother is a goddess, for one. I was bullied out of a normal school and lived in the same camp that you did. When I wasn't there, I was looking after my little brother because my dad was either away on business or my stepmother was having a meltdown. Speaking of my father, I grew up with waiters and butlers and living in hotel suites" Arabella said and she let out a soft sigh. "Everyone has a dysfuctional past, Hunter. And if anything, I'd say that I don't deserve someone as wonderful and funny and perfect as you"
"But you at least had a family to go back to!" Hunter blurted out. "I had nothing. I watched as people came to camp and then left camp and came back. They went home to houses and families and they went on vacations. They celebrated Christmas and Birthdays and Thanksgiving. They got gifts and had parties. For my birthdays I got books or a bow or a knife or archery lessons and after I got my 'gift' I was told to climb the wall or work on my spear skills. People went home to their families while I took Orion out to the woods where no one could find me. For a long time, I would cry and pray and plead that my parents still cared, but they just couldn't come and get me yet." Hunter took a deep breath and cleared his throat as a lump started to form in his throat. "I feel that my time at camp has made me the person I am today, but after that I just wanted a normal life. I hoped I would have that being with you and starting a family, but now I feel more alien than ever." Hunter said, his voice shaking slightly.
Arabella looked at him with sad eyes. The last thing that she wanted was for him to feel like an alien in his own home. She didn't want to see him upset and all she wanted was to make it better but she didn't know how. She didn't know how to tell him that everything was going to be okay. Arabella chewed on her lip and she looked down at her lap for a moment. "Tell me what you need, Hunter. Tell me what I can do to make this easier for you. I'll do anything to make you happy and comfortable"
Hunter sighed and put his hands on his face a moment. "I don't know, Ellie. I don't think I can do anything and I don't think you can do anything. I just...I don't know." Hunter said quietly. "This is part of why I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't know how to fix it. I still don't and I'm not sure if I'll ever feel comfortable." He said with a shrug. He looked at her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her lightly on the lips and smiled a little. "This is a good start though." He whispered.
Arabella leaned into him and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She wanted him to be happy and she wanted to do anything to make that happen for him. But she didn't know how. She didn't know how to make it better for him or easier. "I'm really sorry, Hunter. I'll do anything make it easier for you. I just want to see you happy" She told him softly and she opened her eyes to look at him.
"Don't be sorry, Ellie. It's not your fault." This was why Hunter didn't want to talk about it. "I know you will, Ellie." Hunter said quietly, placing a small kiss on her cheek. Hunter rubbed her back a little and kissed her neck. "It'll just take time. And watching a lot of movies." Hunter said with a smile. Hunter placed his chin on her shoulder and kissed her neck. "I love you and I love being in bed with you, but I think that we should get out of bed and I can make you breakfast and we can get our canine children back. That sound okay?" He asked with a smile
"I miss our canine children" Arabella said with a nod and she stretched out her legs. She yawned a little bit and turned her head to kiss Hunter's lips. She wanted to make this work. She needed to make this work. She would find something, anything that would make this easier for Hunter. Arabella would find a way to work around it. She would do whatever it took. Arabella brushed her lips along his jaw then pulled away and she rolled out of bed. "We should do some grocery shopping while we're out"
"I think that's a good idea." Hunter said, rolling out of bed and placing his hands on her hips and his lips on hers. Hunter walked forward and pushed her against the wall. "Did I tell you how very attractive you are?" He said with a smile, placing a kiss on her forehead and running his fingers up and down her sides. He kissed her again and leaned into her.
Arabella smiled against his lips and she kissed him lightly before whispering. "You might have mentioned it" her cheeks were pink from the compliment and she loved the way that Hunter felt when he was holding her like that. She leaned into him, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him down a bit closer to her. "You know..we're never going to leave if you keep doing stuff like this to me" She breathed.
Hunter smiled and laughed a little bit as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and lifting her up a little. "Well, if you weren't so pretty all the time. Actually, we would probably get a lot more done in a given day." He said against her skin, brushing his lips across her cheek to her neck. He trailed kisses down her neck to her shoulder, gently nibbling on her skin. He moved his hands to her thighs and he picked her up, pressing her against the wall and kissing her lips again.
Arabella shivered a little and she wrapped her legs around him, holding herself closer to him. She wondered how he could do all of this to her. He drove her crazy and he made her unmeasurably happy. He made her head spin and her heart skip. Her stomach knotted up and filled with butterflies whenever he touched her. Hunter was perfect for her and there was no way around it. Arabella held onto him tightly and she leaned into the kiss. "Oh, Hunter..what are you doing to me?" she breathed, running her kisses along his jaw.
Hunter smiled and closed his eyes, blushing with her kisses. "I believe this is called making out." He whispered, poking her softly in the side. She broke away and squirmed a little. Hunter poked her in the side again, causing her to let out a little squeak and pull away from him. Hunter jabbed and poked her side as he held her up against the wall, trapped in an embrace as she squirmed and struggled to be free. "And this is called tickling."
Over her giggles, Arabella squeaked. "Hunter!" And she squirmed around in his arms. She held onto him tightly though, not really wanting to fall. Arabella buried her face in his neck and took deep breaths, trying to calm down and stop the giggles. "You are so horrible to me, Hunter" She gasped. When Hunter stopped tickling her, she pulled away a little and gave him a fake glare. "That is just...teasing and horrible" she said and huffed.
Hunter smiled and kissed her on the nose. He loved being able to hold her and kiss her and though they were in a serious relationship and they were planning for the future, they could still stop and have moments like this. Fun moments. Hunter grinned and poked her again before turning around and leaning over, putting her on the bed, crawling on top of her slightly. He kissed her tightly on the lips, leaning into her. "I love you, Ellie."
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes for a moment with a peaceful smile on her face. She was happy where she was and Hunter's body was keeping her warm. She slipped her arms around him, pressing her fingers into his back. She brushed her lips across his cheek, over his nose and across his other cheek before placing innocent kisses on his jaw.
Hunter smiled and stood up before grabbing one of her feet and placing a small kiss on the bottom of her big toe. "Alright, beautiful. Meet me downstairs in 10 minutes. I'm going to be making breakfast." He said before stepping away and pulling off his shirt. "And I will be making it without a shirt. Just for you." He said with a wink before leaning over her and kissing her on the cheek. He smiled and stood up again before heading downstairs.
"You tease!" Arabella called after him. She grinned a little to herself before rolling over and standing up. She stretched and yawned for a moment before walking over to her bags and opening them up. Arabella took out a few things, humming softly to herself. She pulled off her clothes and she tugged on a pair of skinny jeans and one of Hunter's shirts. It was big on her and it fell loosely around her shoulders but she liked the way that it looked. Arabella ran her fingers through her hair as she walked down the stairs. "So..what is my sexy man making for breakfast?"
Hunter turned away from the pan and wrapped an arm around her, placing a kiss on her temple. "Well, my miele grappolo, here we have french toast and there is bacon and there's coffee brewing and there's a bowl of Froot Loops there and a very beautiful girl who looks very sexy in my shirt here." He said, placing a small kiss on her head. "After breakfast, I'll put a shirt on and we'll go pick up the dogs. That okay?" He said, flipping the bacon.
"I like the picking up the dogs part. I don't know how I feel about you putting on a shirt, though" Arabella said and she gave him a wink. She slipped her arms around him from behind and she placed her chin on his shoulder, looking down at the bacon that he was cooking. She turned away from the food and started placing little kisses on the nape of his neck. She gave him a small squeeze and smiled against his skin.
Hunter closed his eyes and leaned into her a little, wanting to be closer to her. He placed his hand on hers and turned his head, placing a small kiss on her lips. This moment was so perfect and so picturesque. He loved it. He could imagine her watching him cook as their children ran around their feet, waiting impatiently for whatever it was he was cooking. He knew that his proposal was going to be perfect and he had everything planned out, but it was times like these where he couldn't wait to be Mr. Arabella Foster. Hunter flipped the french toast and slid the bacon onto a plate, grabbing a piece and offering half to her. "If I didn't wear a shirt, Daniel might not let me leave his apartment."
"Oh gods...put a big sweater on." Arabella teased and she took the bacon from him, taking a bite. It was perfect, as usual. She sighed happily and she grabbed another piece of bacon off of the plate before taking a bite. "Our kids are going to be so spoiled because of you. They're going to grow up with bacon and eggs and french toast and what not and they will never just settle for a bowl of Froot Loops" She giggled and pulled away from him to sit down ontop of the counter.
Hunter smiled and laughed a little bit. "We'll alternate cooking then." Hunter said as he flipped the french toast over. He sipped a glass of orange juice and walked over to her, standing between her legs and lightly placing his hands on her thighs. "We'll keep them on their feet, so they don't know what they're getting. And on some days we'll just sleep in and let them fend for themselves." He said with a grin as he kissed her gently on the lips. "I don't actually mean sleep in, by the way." He said with a wink.
"I never thought you did, babe" Arabela giggled and she slipped her arms around his neck. She pulled him in a little bit and gave him a small kiss. "Mmm...I'm sure that the kids will be fine to fend for themselves. Just as long as they don't turn on the stove or play with knives or anything like that" she teased with a shrug and then she smiled and leaned into him, kissing him again. "I can't wait to meet our kids" she added softly, in a serious voice now.
Hunter smiled and kissed her lightly on the forehead, placing a hand on her stomach. "I'm very excited to meet our kids." Hunter said, brushing his lips across her cheek to her ear. "You're going to be the best mom ever." He whispered with a smile, running his hands down her sides to her thighs, squeezing them gently. "Have you thought about the names at all?" He asked, looking down at his hands a moment before turning back to the french toast, sliding it off the pan onto a plate.
"A little bit" Arabella said with a nod, still blushing from what he said about her being a good mother. She had thought about names a lot, honestly. But she couldn't really decide on any names. "What about you? Have you thought of anything? Any names?" She asked him softly, turning to watch him as he put the french toast on a plate and set it all up for them. Arabella wanted the names to be perfect but she was also a little nervous about them. A name is something that would be with them for the rest of their lives. She didn't want it to be something that they would get teased for.
Hunter grabbed Arabella's plate and poured on some strawberries and maple syrup before sprinkling powdered sugar on top. He handed her the plate and a fork before doing the same to his own and sitting next to her on the counter. "You don't want my input." Hunter said, shaking his head. "I'll probably come up with kinds of trees or Greek heroes or something. I'll leave it up to you and I'll tell you if I have a problem or not." Hunter leaned into her a little and took a bite of bacon. "Why do you think I named Ajax Ajax? He's a Greek hero." Hunter said with a laugh.
Arabella shrugged and she took a bite of the french toast, chewing happily. "Hmmm.." Arabella thought of some of the names that she had come up with when she was thinking up names for their kids. She smiled a little bit and she cleared her throat. There was a moment of silence between then before she took a breath. "Autumn. Autumn Reed" she told him softly, looking down at her plate as she cut a piece off of her toast.
Hunter took a deep breath and ate a little bit of French toast. "I like Autumn. I really like Autumn." Hunter said with a smile, kissing her lightly on the cheek leaving a little syrup behind. "I think since Autumn Aphrodite is a little cumbersome do you mind if we name her after my mom? Elizabeth. Autumn Elizabeth Reed?" Hunter said with a little smile at the end. "What do you t hink, baby?" He asked with a smile.
"Autumn Elizabeth" Arabella said under her breath, smiling a little to herself. She turned to Hunter and gave him a big smile. "It's a wonderful, fantastic name" Arabella agreed softly and she leaned into him a little, giving him a kiss. Arabella was looking forward ot having a daughter. She was looking forward to getting her dressed up and doing her hair. She was looking forward to helping her daughter grow up. "Now we just need a name for a boy"
"Well," Hunter said, finishing her french toast. "There's your dad." Hunter offered. "My dad was...Not....a good person. So I'd not like to memorialize him in our children." Hunter said with a small smile, taking a drink of orange juice. "So, Matthew. Or Tyler. We could name him after Tyler." Hunter said quietly as he ate a piece of bacon. "Unless you had any other ideas."
"Hmm...I wonder if we could find a Greek name that didn't sound too obvious, you know? And then his middle name could be Tyler" Arabella said with a shrug and she poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and let out a happy sigh, loving the feel of the hot liquid. "Can you think of any names?" She asked him, taking another sip of her coffee. "You can't honestly expect me to come up with everything, do you?" She giggled.
Hunter sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, assuming we don't name him after Ajax or Orion." Hunter said with a quiet laugh as he wrapped an arm around Arabella's waist. "Well, we can name him Jason. It's Greek. It's heroic. It's better than Hesiod." Hunter suggested, placing a small kiss on her temple. He gently placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it lightly. "Jason Tyler Reed. Hunter, Arabella Marie, Autumn Elizabeth, and Jason Tyler Reed." He said a huge grin spreading across his face. "And Ajax and Jolie." He added with a laugh.
Arabella smiled and she placed her hand ontop of his on her stomach. She could imagine herself sitting with Hunter on the couch, 6 months pregnant. Arabella was excited for it all to happen. She kissed him lightly before taking a sip of coffee. "Speaking of Ajax and Jolie..we should probably go get them soon" Arabella said with a nod and she grinned at him. "We also need to go grocery shopping to get some stuff for Christmas dinner"
Hunter stood and put their dishes on the sink before standing between her legs and kissing her lightly on the forehead and putting his hands on her legs. "What am I making for Christmas Dinner? Maybe we should have a big thing for Christmas Dinner. Your dad and Tyler. Daniel and Tom. We can call Will and Penny and see if they want to come. I think Kyle and Marina are spending Christmas with Marina's parents." Hunter said with a nod as he ran his fingers up and down her thighs. "It's up to you though." Hunter said, gently kissing her neck.
"Will and Penny should totally come over!" Arabella gasped, a huge smile spreading across her face. She smiled and she leaned into his kisses, closing her eyes. Arabella slipped her arms around him and she closed her eyes. "Mmm...I was thinking that we could have turkey and all of the fixings" She told him softly and she hooked her legs around his waist.
Hunter moved his hands to her butt and squeezed it gently as he leaned into her, kissing down to her shoulder. "Looks like we're going to have to learn how to make all the fixings then, huh?" Hunter said with a smile as he pulled away and looked at her. He was excited for Christmas even though he was incredibly nervous. He kissed her tightly for a moment before sighing. "We should probably go. As much as I would love to kiss you all day we should probably go. Let me put on a shirt and we'll go." He said quietly, brushing some hair out of her face.
Arabella pouted at him and she put her hands on his chest. "Fine. If you must. But when it's finally just us again...I think that you should take the shirt off" She said then giggled before kissing him again. She loved it when he brushed hair out of her face. It was such a simple, sweet thing and it made her feel like gold. Arabella placed a kiss on his nose and grinned. "I can't wait to see that dogs again" She admitted.
"Good. Because we'll see them very soon." Hunter said with a smile, placing a small kiss on her cheek and turning toward the stairs. He walked up and grabbed a flannel shirt and changed into a pair of jeans before grabbing a jacket and slipping it on. "Alright." Hunter said as he walked back down to find her at the door. "Let's go." He sai, taking her hand and leading her out to the car. He opened her door and kissed her had before helping her in and getting in on the other side. Hunter started the car and backed out of the driveway, toward Daniel's apartment.
Arabella sat in the car, holding her jacket around her. She was bouncing a little bit, pretty excited. She was holding a little bag with some dog treats for Jolie and Ajax. Arabella grinned and looked over at Hunter. "Have I told you how sexy you look in that shirt?" She said, reaching an arm over to him and touching the collar lightly. She smiled and slid over to him, placing a gentle kiss on his jaw.
Hunter grinned at her and kissed her forehead. "Well, I was going to where that shirt you have on, but you put it on and I just couldn't bring myself to make you take it off." He said with a smile as he put an arm around her. He thought for a second. "I'll just have to do it later." Hunter said with a wink as he parked outside of Daniel's building. He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "Alright. Let's go." He said, slipping out of the car.
Arabella slpped out of the car with a big grin on her face. She had missed their dogs. She missed waking up in the morning and having Jolie and Ajax licking her face. She missed brushing Jolie's fur and watching as Jolie tried to flirt with Ajax. Arabella knew that taking them back would really be what made her feel like she was home again. Arabella took Hunter's hand and she walked into the building. Together, they walked up the stairs and once they got to Daniel's floor, Arabella dropped Hunter's hand and she ran to Daniel's door, knocking happily. From the other side of the door, she could hear Ajax howling and Jolie barking. She heard Daniel walking toward the door and he opened it a little. Arabella saw his dark eyes looking at her before he yanked the door open.
"You're back!" Daniel said excitedly and he hugged Arabella tightly.
Hunter smiled and hugged Daniel after and looked down to see Jolie peeking around Daniel's legs. Arabella squeaked and picked up Jolie, holding her tightly. Hunter stepped inside and looked down at Ajax who looked up at him quizzically for a moment. Hunter knelt down in front of him and scratched under his chin. It was something that he did before and after every run they went on. Ajax howled happily and stepped forward putting his paws on Hunter's knee. "Hey, buddy! I missed you!" He said, scratching behind his ear.
Arabella held her small dog close to her chest, a smile from ear to ear. She placed a kiss on the top of Jolie's head and she stepped into the apartment with Daniel. "How did everything go?" She asked Daniel, turning to look at him with a curious and slightly worried face.
"Everything was fantastic. The dogs were amazing" Daniel said, waving off her worry. He picked up a couple bags that had all of the dog supplies in them and he placed them by the door. "Jolie is still playing hard to get everyday"
"She's definitely my dog, then" Arabella giggled and she smiled down at Jolie, who looked up at Arabella with her wide, dark eyes and her tongue hanging out.
Hunter picked Ajax up and smiled a little as he licked Hunter's chin. He walked over to Arabella and Daniel with. "Ajax wasn't too much trouble, was he? Other than Jolie torturing him there weren't too many problems?" Daniel smiled and waved him off.
"He was wonderful. And whenever there was a problem I just called Tom. He has a way with that dog that I cannot explain." Daniel said with a sigh. "And Tom coming over was a win-win for me." Daniel said with a giggle, nudging Arabella a little. Hunter rolled his eyes and looked down at Ajax in his arms. Ajax was looking over at Jolie in Arabella's arms. Hunter smiled and looked over at Arabella, taking a deep breath. She always made his heart skip a beat no matter what she was doing.
Arabella looked over at Hunter and their eyes locked. She smiled a little bit at him, just so peaceful and happy with where she was at that moment. Everything was going back to normal. She turned to Daniel and gave him a little smile. "Speaking of Tom..what are you too doing for Christmas? You should come over to our place for Christmas dinner" She told him before he could answer her question.
"Sure, I don't think we're doing anything. Thanks so much for caring about my answer" Daniel said with sarcasm and Arabella smacked his arm.
"We should probably head out, though. We have a lot of decorating and things to do" Arabella said with a nod and she turned to smile at Hunter.
Hunter nodded softly and put Ajax into a carrier before picking it up and the bags of stuff. He placed a hand on the small of Arabella's back and smiled down at Jolie before turning to Daniel. "Thanks again, Danny. We really owe you one." Hunter said with a shrug.
"That makes two, Hunter." Daniel said with a wink at him. "That's two you owe me and Ellie? We will be discussing my payment on Christmas." He said, swatting Hunter's butt as he walked out the door. "Bye, you two."
Arabella laughed at Daniel and walked with Hunter out of the building, towards the car. She didn't put Jolie in her carrier, mostly because she wanted to hold her so desperately. Arabella slid into the car and she sat down in the seat, placing Jolie on her lap. Jolie curled up there and looked up at Arabella with big eyes. "Oh...I've missed our canine children" Arabella said softly, scratching behind Jolie's ear.
Hunter smiled and looked down at Jolie with a small smile on his face. "I did too." He looked at the carrier next to his feet and he opened the door, letting Ajax out. Ajax looked around for a moment before putting his feet up on Arabella's knee and looking up at her with his tongue out. He barked once and jumped a little before getting down and running to the seat and climbing up on to the seat. He walked over to Hunter and laid down putting his head on Hunter's leg as he drove. "Hey, Ajax." Hunter said quietly as he scratched his head.
Arabella cleared her throat and she looked over at Hunter. "I don't know what to get for Danny this year for Christmas. He doesn't really need anything but I want to get him a good present since he looked after the dogs and all that..." Arabella said and she chewed on her lip. She wanted to make sure that this Christmas was perfect and she wanted to get the best presents for everyone she knew. Arabella already had most of Hunter's presents together but she still needed something for her family and friends.
Hunter nodded and looked over at her. "I probably have another car that I could give away. If that works. It can be from us. I already know what I'm getting Tom and your brother. I don't know what to get your dad though. No clue." Hunter shrugged as he drove. "I also know what I'm getting you." Hunter said with a teasing grin.
"I swear, you are like..the biggest tease in the world" Arabella said and she huffed a little bit. She smiled at him then leaned over the dogs, placing a kiss on his jaw, brushing her lips against his skin. "Mmm..I think that you are going to really like your Christmas present" She told him softly and gave his arm a squeeze before sliding back over to her spot with a smile on her face.
"Why do I have a feeling that you bought me clothes, but they're not for me to wear?" Hunter said with a grin as he turned onto their street. There was snow on the ground and the entire street looked beautiful. Hunter was so glad that he lived there now and he was even happier that he could share it with Arabella. "I'm very excited to wake up on Christmas Morning. Especially when the first thing I see when I wake up is you, Ellie."
Arabella smiled over at him and she grazed her fingers across his cheek lightly. "Waking up with you is going to be the best present ever" She said softly. When he parked the car, Arabella leaned over to give him a kiss but was stopped when Jolie jumped up on Hunter, in front of Arabella and licked his cheek. "Looks like someone has a new girlfriend" Arabella giggled, pulling her hair into a messy bun.
Hunter pulled away from Jolie as she barked at him. He sighed and grabbed the dogs, handing them to Arabella. "You take these." He said with a smile. "I'll take everything else." Arabella took the dogs and slipped out of the car. Hunter moved to the back of the car and grabbed everything, closing and locking the car. "It feels good to have the whole family together again." Hunter said with a laugh as he set everything down. "So, when do you want to go get Christmas stuff?" He asked, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her close, the dogs between them.
"Soon" Arabella said with a small smile and she placed a kiss on his lips briefly before she felt a wet nose on her cheek and she looked over to see Ajax looking at her with a doggy smile on his face. Arabella smiled a little and she placed the dogs down on the floor. Jolie sniffed Ajax and ran around him for a moment before running off to the living room, towards the couch. Arabella giggled and she slipped her arms around his neck. "Mmm...now that the canine children are gone.." She said softly and kissed him tightly.
Hunter smiled against her lips and put his hands around to her back, pulling her closer. "We could do anything, couldn't we?" He said in a low tone, kissing her cheek and moving his lips down her cheek to her neck. He pushed her toward the window that looked into the kitchen. He ran his fingers down to her thighs, lifting her up and setting her down on the counter. "Mmmm....You're pretty." He said, kissing her lips again.
Arabella smiled a little, hooking her legs around his hips. She giggled softly against his lips and she slipped her arms around his neck. "You are a sexy beast" She whispered and gave him a little wink before pulling him closer an placing a few kisses along his jaw. "We're never going to get anywhere if you keep doing stuff like this to me, Hunter" She whispered and nibbled on his ear lobe lightly.
Hunter leaned into her, running his fingers up and down her thighs, shivering a little as she whispered into his ear. "ME do stuff like this to YOU?" Hunter said, pulling away a little. He laughed a second and kissed her tightly on the lips. "Vous m'avez embrassée d'abord, ma belle fille belle." He said quietly, wrapping his arms around her and placing a long kiss on her forehead.
Arabella smiled and she closed her eyes. Hearing Hunter talk to her in other languages did more for her than get her revved up. It made her heart melt. And then he would call her beautiful like he just did and she would feel beyond amazing. Arabella looked up at him with big eyes and she kissed him tightly. "You, Hunter, are the best man that anyone could ever dream of" She said softly and looked up at him through her eyelashes.
Hunter smiled and pressed his lips to hers a moment before sighing. They needed to go, but he just loved holding her. He placed one more kiss on her forehead before pulling away a little and taking a deep breath. "Come on. Let's go." He said, placing his hands under her arms and lifting her down to the ground. "I'll buy you something." He said with a smile as he pulled his keys out and took her hand.
Arabella grinned and she followed him out of the house, towards the car. Shopping with Hunter was always fun for her and she was looking forward to doing it again. "You spoil me so much" Arabella giggled, winking at him. She blushed when he opened the car door for her and she slid in, adjusting her jacket."Where do you want to go first?" She asked him when he sat down and she raised an eyebrow in a questioning way.
Hunter shrugged as he started the car. He leaned back against the head rest and turned his head toward her. She did the same and smiled at him. Hunter couldn't help but smile back. "Well, Walmart should have most of the stuff we need, right? And they have enough stuff that we might get an idea for something to get Daniel." He shrugged. "Is this a copacetic idea?" Hunter said with a grin
"It's a wonderful idea" Arabella said and she smiled over at him. "I knew that there was a reason why I was keeping you around" She giggled and she slid over in her seat. She just wanted to be beside him and feel his warmth. Arabella folded her legs on the seat and she placed her hands on her lap. "Daniel would probably be pretty excited about like..a spa weekend or something" She said with a smile and a roll of her eyes.
"Well, we could probably do that." Hunter said, starting the car and backing out toward Walmart. Hunter put an arm around her and kissed her hair. "We can do anything, remember? We're millionaires." He said with a laugh as he pulled her closer. He often forgot that he had that much money. Every time he remembered, he just couldn't help, but smile. He was going to do so much with that money, but right now he kind of wanted to splurge. "After we go here, then we can go to the mall and see if there's a spa there." He said as he drove.
"Sounds perfect" Arabella said softly and she placed her hand on his leg lightly. She turned on the music and as they drove, she sung along to Rihanna quietly. Everything was perfect and she was feeling pretty comfortable in that moment. After a little while, Hunter pulled up in the Walmart parking lot and he stopped the car. Arabella grinned and picked up her purse, getting ready to go into Walmart.
Hunter slipped out of the car. He hurried around and opened her door, taking her hand as she stepped out. "Alright. So when we go in, I'm going to order a pretzel from the snack bar and you're going to go do your thing. Then once you're done, you'll wait for me to finish my pretzel and we'll be good to go. That's how you do." Hunter said with a smile before kissing her lightly on the temple. "You do the shopping I do the cooking. It's our divine powers!" He said in a dramatized voice.
Arabella laughed. "Oh..whatever. You so know that's true" She said and smacked his arm as they walked into the big building. Arabella grabbed a cart and she put her purse in it. She gave Hunter a kiss on cheek. "I'll be back in a few" She said and she walked off, into the store. She was lucky that it was such a huge store and they hadn't sold out of their Christmas things yet. She was able to grab all kind of decorations and lights and supplies. Arabella continued walking around, tossing a few dogs things into the cart as she walked.
Hunter watched her walk off, making sure to check her out a little and winking at her when she checked to see if he was checking her out. He was just so happy to be buying Christmas stuff. He walked over to the snack bar and got in line. "I'll have a soft pretzel with cheese and a...white cherry ICEE, please." Hunter said with a grin. He paid and Hunter sat down near the counter as he waited for his food, slowly sipping his ICEE.
Arabella grabbed a few more things for the dogs, stuff that she wanted to give to them as presents and she walked towards the snack bar. She saw Hunter sitting down and she smiled, hurrying over ot him. "Look at what I found for Jolie!" She said happily, holding up a pink doggy sweater with a huge grin on her face. "I got her matching shoes too so that I can take her out in the snow!" She added with a giggle, holding up the pink shoes.
Hunter looked at the shoes and rolled his eyes. "Because Jolie needs more things that will make her a diva. Like shoes and matching sweaters." Hunter said with a smile as he stood up and kissed her cheek. His pretzel came up and he grabbed it before holding the ICEE out to Arabella. "Go ahead and have some. I'm done." He said, tearing off some of the pretzel and dipping it in the cheese. "So, did you see anything for Ajax? A live chicken or maybe a baby lamb?" Hunter said with a chuckle as he ate part of the pretzel.
"Oh ha ha. You are so funny" Arabella said with sarcasm and she rolled her eyes. She smiled at him an finished off the ICEE. "I found a few toys for him that I throught he would like and a new leash and a new collar. I got both of them a new bed too" She told him and she put the ICEE container down on the table. "I found so much Christmas decorations!" She said happily and pulled out a package with red and silver baubles in it. "I thought that we could do red and silver in our place"
Hunter smiled and broke off a piece of the pretzel, dipping it into the cheese and offering it to her. "That's perfect, sweetie." Hunter said as he threw the ICEE cup away. Hunter peeked into the cart and nodded. "Alright. Let's pay and then we can go to the mall and get everything else. We still need a tree, right? And a gift for Danny. And then whatever else it is that we need." He gave her the rest of the pretzel and took the cart, pushing it toward checkout.
Arabella followed him, chewing on the pretzel happily. She looked around as Hunter paid for all of the stuff. She felt a little bit guilty about using his money like that but she tried to push that out of her mind. Arabella waited for him and once he paid, she followed him out of the store, brushing her hands off on her jeans. "We should get a big tree. Like..huge" She said with a grin.
Hunter laughed and wrapped an arm around her as they exited the store into the cold winter air. "It's supposed to fit in the house though, right? I mean, what's the point of selecting a tree when you're just leaving it outside?" He kissed her temple and opened the back of the car, loading the groceries in. He helped her into the car and got in himself. "Actually, what's the point of bringing a tree inside at all? Seems contradictory to me."
Hunter shrugged. "I don't really care. It's whichever one you prefer." He nodded and kissed her lightly on the temple as they drove. "And I don't know what the advantages and disadvantages are. It's really up to you though." They stopped at a stoplight and Hunter slipped an arm around her middle pulling her in and kissing her on the lips. "I'm really excited." He said with a smile.
Arabella smiled and she leaned into him, kissing him tightly. There was a honk from behind them and she pulled away so that Hunter could drive through the green light. "I'm really excited too" She said softly and she cleared her throat. "I was thinking that maybe we could send a Christmas card to Chiron...I'm sure that he would like to know how you're doing" She said softly.
Hunter sighed a little. He hadn't really thought about it, but he loved the idea. He didn't have to face Chiron again and he could give Chiron his side of the story. His side of the past two years. How he left camp and how he came to live with the love of his life in a house that he owned. "I love that idea." Hunter said quietly, parking in the mall parking lot and looking over at her. "That's a fantastic idea." He said before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her lightly on the lips. "I love you." He said with a smile.
"I love you too" Arabella said softly and she kissed him back lightly. It felt good to kiss him. It felt right and natural. Kissing him was special and she knew that kissing him would always make her heart race and her hands shake with excitment. She pulled away a little and she picked up her purse. "I just..I know that Chiron was like a father figure for you and Christmas is about family, so...I thought that sending him a card would be a good idea" She said with a small shrug and a tiny smile.
"It is." Hunter said with a nod. "It is a great idea." Hunter smiled and leaned into her kissing her softly. "Thank you." He said with a smile before sliding out of the car and toward the mall. He opened her door and took her hand, holding it tightly. "So, what are we going to hit up first? What do we need?" He said as they entered the large shopping mall, bustling with last minutes shoppers.
Arabella leaned into him, resting her chin on his shoulder for a moment. "Hmm...well, we could go to the spa to get a gift card for Danny. Or we could go to Victoria's Secret to get something for us. Or we could walk around until we think of something" She said with a little giggle and turned to look at him. "You choose"
"You're making me choose?" Hunter said with a smile as he kissed her lightly on the cheek. "How about we do all of that?" He laughed and started walking toward Victoria's Secret. "At some point you are going to show me something you really want and I'm going to get it for you. I promise. I'd buy you the world, Ellie." He said with a smile as he slipped his arm around her middle and kissed her temple
Arabella blushed a little and with a peaceful smile, she leaned into him. All she wanted was to be with him and the fact that she was going to be spending Christmas with him was more than she could ever dream of. Last year, she had been hard at work. For Christmas, she phoned her father and sent a card to her mother. She ate Chinese take out and watched It's a Wonderful Life while she worked on some designs for her summer collection. This year seemed like a dream. Arabella walked with Hunter into Victoria's Secret and she looked around with a little smirk on her face. "Well..this is going to be fun" she laughed and nudged Hunter a little.
Hunter smiled softly as they walked in. He did feel nervous, but he just tried to not show it. This was for Christmas. He needed to be focused. "I don't think some of this is even legal." Hunter said, glancing around at several sets of underwear that didn't look like they were actually articles of clothing. They were more suggestions. "So, what are you getting, Ellie?" He asked, holding her hand and smiling as she perused through the shelves of different choices. "Feel free to try them on." He suggested with a wink.
Arabella giggled and she smaked his arm before walking over to a display with pink lace. She picked up a few things and held them up for Hunter to see. Arabella looked at him and giggled at the expression on his face. She loved that he was nervous and trying to hide it from her. She thought that it was pretty funny an rather endearing. Arabella didn't have plans to bring it up or anything but she was certainly going to milk it.
Hunter nodded and looked around a little bit, trying not to touch anything. "Okay, this isn't even clothing." He said, pointing to a little tiny shirt that was completely see-through. He followed Arabella around the store and looked around with his hands in his pockets. "Ellie, question." He said as he looked at a pair of sweatpants. She walked over and gave him a curious look. He smiled and kissed her on the nose. "Why is it that girls have this interest in wearing clothes that say words on their chest or butt? It's pretty much welcoming guys to leer at them." He said with a shrug.
Arabella grinned up at him and laughed a little bit. "I don't really know..." She said and she looked down at the sweatpants. "But these are soft" She said, brushing her fingers along the material. She moved away from the sweatpants and she picked up a black satin bustier with a little bow on it. "Ohhh....I like this" She said softly, running her fingers over the soft material with a mischievious smirk on her face.
Hunter raised an eyebrow at the article of 'clothing' Arabella picked up. "Wow...that's...uh..." It was very revealing where it wanted to be very supportive in others and practically missing where it probably should be. He nervously cleared his throat and looked at Arabella's face trying not to look at the bustier or her as she seemed to model it by holding it in front of her. "It's very nice, Ellie." He said plainly.
Arabella looked up at him and she giggled. "It's nice?" She said, raising an eyebrow and she leaned into him, brushing her lips against his softly. "Not sexy?" She breathed and she gave him a wink. With a little laugh, she put it over her arm and turned back to the display, seeing if there was anything that matched it. The mischievious smirk was still on her face and she tried to focus on the display in front of her.
Hunter looked at her and took a deep breath. "I'm just thinking..." He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. "The girl under it is a lot sexier. Compared to you this thing is like a rag." He added, placing a small kiss on the side of her neck. He looked around for a moment before putting his head on hers. "Whenever you have everything, I'll pay and we can go to the spa." He said quietly tightening his arms around her.
Arabella smiled and she grabbed a few more little things before walking over to the cash with Hunter. She stepped away a little bit as he paid and she tried to avoid the eye of the woman who was working because she was smiking quite a bit as she rang things through. Once everything was paid for, Arabella took the bag and she walked out of the store with Hunter and slightly pink cheeks. She stretched up and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for all of this, Hunter"
Hunter smiled and looked at her with a grin. He took her hand and stopped as she kept walking, pulling her back to face him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the lips for a long moment. He finally pulled away and licked his lips a moment. "Anything you could ever want, Ellie. Anything for the most beautiful girl in the world. He said, tightening his arms around her. He loved the way his arms felt around her. He loved the way she would blush when he complimented her. He loved the way she would always look at him through he eyelashes. He loved everything about her and he just wanted to make her happy.
Arabella smiled a little bit and she stretched up to kiss his lips tightly. She couldn't believe that she had gotten as lucky as she did. Hunter was in her life and he was the best thing that she could ever hope for. She knew that her cheeks were still pink from his compliment. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?" She said softly and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, loving the feel of his arms around her. "Mmm..we should go find that spa" She said with a nod and she grinned up at him.
Hunter held onto her and kissed her again, loving how small she felt in his arms. "Ehh...few more minutes." He said quietly, kissing her lightly on the nose. He didn't care if people looked at them. He really just wanted to hold her. "Why would I want to let go of you?" Hunter asked with a unbreakable smile before kissing on the lips again.
Arabella giggled a little bit and she shrugged. "Oh, I don't know...your arms might get a little tired after awhile" She teased with a small roll of her eyes. She yawned a little bit a shivered as people walked past them, causing a small breeze. Arabella leaned into Hunter more and took a deep breath. "Maybe we should get ourselves something from the spa" She teased, looking up at him and winking.
"Sounds like fun." Hunter said with a smile. "What did you have in mind? I'm not really sure what they have." He added, looking into her eyes. He couldn't help it anymore. He needed to kiss her. The taste of her lips was starting to leave his lips. He kissed her again, refreshing his memory and leaning into her. He dragged his hands around to her hips and ran his fingers up and down her sides as he spoke.
Arabella leaned into him, smiling a little to herself. She took a moment before she said anything to him. She just wanted to be close to him and capture that moment in her memory forever. Arabella kissed him briefly before shrugging and looking around a little bit. "Well, I'm sure that they'll have a few packages for couples or something like that. That would be fun." She said "As for Danny? I have no idea.." She said with a giggle.
"Well, he's with Tom, now, apparently." Hunter said finally letting her go and sliding an arm around her waist. "We could get them a couples' thing from the spa and then get Danny an additional gift card." He nodded and kissed her temple as they walked around the mall, looking for the spa. "I still need to figure out something to get your dad. Does he like cigars or something? What are you getting him?" Hunter asked, kissing her temple again.
"I don't even know what to get him. He's so hard to buy for.." Arabella said with a huff and she looked around as they walked. "Buying anything for him is so impossible because he always says that he doesn't want anything or he doesn't need anything. And everything that he actually does need, he just buys it for himself" She said and chewed on her lip. "I don't know..maybe I'll get him an espresso machine or something like that"
"Well, whatever you get him, I'll just go in with you on. I don't know what to get him." He said with a shrug. They walked around a little bit longer until they finally tracked down the spa. "Here it is." He said as he lead her inside. He looked down at the prices and his jaw dropped a little. "You know, I can give you a massage as good as this one for the price of massage oil." Hunter whispered into Arabella's ear. He unintentionally inhaled the smell of her hair and Hunter couldn't help it. "I'll even show you tonight if you want." He said with a smile before nibbling gently on her earlobe.
Arabella shivered a little and she leaned into him, taking a breath to try and calm herself down. She pulled away from him and walked over to the counter, quickly buying the gift for Daniel. In less than two minutes, she had walked back to Hunter, grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the spa. "We are getting the rest of our stuff and then we are going home" She said in an urgent voice and she stopped walking to pull Hunter down to her and kiss him.
Hunter put a hand on her back and pulled her in close for a moment, kissing her deeply. He loved the feeling of her body close to his and he really wanted to get out of that mall. He finally pulled away, sliding an arm around her waist. "Now, where is the big tree like huge store? We need to find a tree." He said, bouncing on his toes slightly. He shrugged and chose a direction, hoping that they could find it quickly. "I think we have ornaments and lights back at the house, so we should be good with just a tree. A live one would be nice." He said with a smile, kissing her lightly on the cheek and running his fingers up and down her side.
Arabella smiled and she nodded, leaning into him and his touch. "A live tree would be amazing" Arabella said softly and she closed her eyes for a second. She could pictures the tree in their living room with all of the decorations and lights and presents. She could picture herself sitting with Hunter on Christmas morning with hot apple cider, watching a movie or something. It was all going to be so perfect. Arabella looked up at him with a smile as they walked. "You are going to love your present so much" She giggled with a wink.
Hunter smiled and raised an eyebrow. "You are going to absolutely adore yours." He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek again as they walked. "Oh. There's some." He said, pointing to a forest of trees next to a RadioShack. He grabbed her hand and with an excited laugh started to run toward them, dragging Arabella behind him. "What one do we get?" Hunter asked, looking up at all the trees like a kid in a candy store.
Arabella grinned up at him. It was so amazing to see him picking out a tree like he was. Arabella love seeing him as happy as he was. It was his first real Christmas and Arabella was going to make it amazing. She shrugged and looked at the trees. "Which one is the biggest?" She said with a little laugh and she walked a bit closer to the trees. All of them were nice, really. "You pick. It's your first Christmas tree, you need to pick it" Arabella said and she picked up a piece of a tree that had fallen on the ground, just a twig with a few pine needles on it.
Hunter looked around the trees, keeping a firm grasp on Arabella's hand. "I don't know what to look for. And out ceilings are high, but not really high. What if I get one that's too tall? Or if I pick one that's too wide to fit through the door? Ellie, you need to--" Hunter stopped in front of a beautiful pine tree. It was bright green and had a thick trunk. It was familiar. It looked like Thalia's Pine. "We have to get this one." Hunter said with a nod, placing a hand gently on the tree. "This one's perfect."
Arabella looked up at the tree, smiling a little bit. It looked like Thalia's Pine and it was fantasstic. Arabella was happy that their first tree was going to look like something was represented so much for them. She looked up at the tree with a smile on her face and she nodded. "I agree. It's perfect" She said and turned to look at Hunter. "I can't wait to get it home and decorated" She giggled and she looked around for the man that was selling them. "I'll go get the car" She said and she took the keys out of Hunter's pocket with a little smile. "You get the tree" She said and she kissed Hunter lightly before walking away.
Hunter grabbed her wrist a moment and pulled her back for a tight kiss on the lips. "Make me do all the hard work." He whispered against her lips before letting her go to get the car. He turned to the tree and looked at the guy who was walking over. Hunter paid and they bound the tree and lifted it on its side. With the help of another guy they brought it out, strapping it to the top of the car. "Thank you, gentleman." Hunter said with a smile before getting into the passenger's seat and looking over at Arabella. "Alright. Are we good to go?" He said, catching his breath a little, his arms aching slightly from carrying the tree.
Arabella looked over at Hunter and she smiled. She leaned across the seat and she kissed him tightly. "Mmhmm..I think we're good" She said softly and kissed him again before sliding back into the driver's seat and pulling away from the mall and starting to drive towards their house. "Our house is going to look so bomb once we get it all decorated" She said with a wide grin.
Hunter looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Bomb?" he said quiet, feeling like he was missing something. "Is that good? I thought bombs were a bad thing." he said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "You're probably right though. You're going to make it perfect."
Arabella giggled a little bit and she drove down their street with a small smile on her face. "Bomb is a slang word...it means...good, awesome, excellent" She explained patiently to him as she turned into their driveway. In the window, she could see Jolie and Ajax waiting for them. She turned and slid over in her seat, slipping her arms around his neck. "Mmm...you're sexy" She said with a wink and she kissed him.
Hunter blushed and his stomach clenched and his heart raced. He was a little surprised by her sudden advances but he quickly stopped caring. "You are too, babe." he said wrapping an arm around her and kissing her back. "And as much as I would love to do this, we have to get the tree inside before it caves my car in." he said with a sigh. She looked at him and poured a little. "How about this? We'll bring the tree in. Then I'll make dinner and we'll watch a movie with the dogs then I'll take you upstairs and--well, you know the rest." he said giving her a wink. He kissedher tightly and smiled. "How's that sound, beautiful?"
"That sounds wonderful!" Arabella said and she kissed him tightly, teasingly before she pulled away and she slipped out of the car. Arabella walked around, trying to find the best spot to get the tree off of the top. "I don't know how much help I'll be with this whole...getting the tree off of the car. I am such a weakling" She said with a laugh and she reached up, touching the tree lightly.
Hunter smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Ellie, come on. You might be able to just open doors. We'll see if I can lift this thing on my own." Hunter sighed and untied the tree from the roof. He pulled it off the side and carried it a little, adjusting enough to manage to lift it on his own. "Door. Door. Door. Ellie, get the door." He said quickly. Ellie frantically ran to the door and opened just in time for Hunter to rush through the door and drop it in the middle of the living room. He collapsed on the couch and clutched his back. "Ugh...I'm dead." He groaned as he felt an ache in his back similar to the time he had actually fallen out of a tree.
Arabella looked at him with a concerned face and she walked over to him, delicately sitting down on the edge beside him. "You doing okay?" she said and she raised her eyebrow a little. Arabella leaned down and she placed a kiss on his forhead. She gave him a little smile. "That was very, very impressive" She said in a low voice and she gave him a wink.
Hunter smiled weakly with his eyes clenched closed. "Well, it's good because I'm going to die now. My back is killing me." He groaned and put a hand on her leg. "Tell my Ajax that I love him." He said with a chuckle before laying back and groaning again. She giggled and put a hand on his stomach. Hunter perked up and put his hand on top of hers. "Come here." He said quickly before pulling her in for a tight kiss on the lips. "I'll get up and make dinner in a second." He whispered against her lips.
"Mmm...how about I order some pizza for us tonight? You can sit and relax and everything will be perfect" Arabella whispered and she brushed her lips across his jaw. "Then we can do that whole..movie with the dogs then you take me upstairs thing" She giggled then pulled away, putting a serious look on her face. "That is..if you're still up to it" She teased in a serious voice.
Hunter laughed a little and sat up, putting his hand on the back of her neck. "I'm feeling better already." He said quietly, a grin on his face as he pulled her down for a tight kiss on the lips. He winced a little and gasped slightly. "We might just have to stay down here though." He said, winking a little and pulling her down on top of him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. He danced his fingers down her back and to her butt, squeezing gently and kissing her more passionately. That's when he heard barking and felt a cold nose against his ear. He jumped a little, causing his back ache and Hunter looked over at Ajax with his tongue out, looking at Hunter.
Arabella giggled and she patted Ajax a little before sitting up and rolling off of Hunter. "I'll go order the pizza or something" She said with a shrug and she leaned down, kissing Hunter tightly before winking and walking away from him, into the kitchen. She made sure to wiggle her hips a little bit just to tease Hunter as she walked away. Arabella walked over to the fridge and she opened it, looking around. She didn't really want pizza but she couldn't cook anything and she didn't want Hunter to have to cook when his back was hurt. Maybe she would order some Thai food or something.
Hunter looked over and picked up Ajax, placing him on the couch next to him. Soon, Jolie trotted over and barked at him. Hunter sighed and scooted over a little, placing Jolie next to Ajax on the couch. "These dogs are such troublemakers." Hunter said before sitting up a little, cringing softly from the pain in his back, and looking into the kitchen. He saw Arabella at the fridge. "Sweetie, if you don't want pizza I can cook something. I'm fine. Really." Hunter said with a smile, as he tried to get up a little.
"If you get up from that couch, I swear to the gods, I will charmspeak you" Arabella called back to him and she turned to look into the living room with a grin on her face. She turned back to the fridge and she let out a low sigh. Finally, she closed the fridge and looked through the cupboards. Arabella pulled out her phone at this point and she looked through the numbers that she had saved on her phone until she found the one that she was looking for. It was a Korean place in the city that Arabella liked to order from once in a while. It was good food, not like regular take out but it was a little expensive and she prefered to only have it a few times a year. She called them up and quickly ordered the dinner for two. She hung up and starting looking around for a drink. "I hope you like spicy food" She said to Hunter with a little smile on her face.
Hunter sighed and reached out for her to join him on the couch. "Spicy food sounds great." He said as he swung his legs off the side with a groan. "I really am fine. I promise." He said as he picked up the dogs and placed them on his lap, letting Arabella sit next to him. "Well, I will be after one of your world class massages." Hunter said, giving her a wink as he handed Jolie to her. He placed Ajax on the couch next to him and looked put his feet up on the table. "So, what movie are we watching?" He asked with a smile, slipping an arm around Arabella.
"It's A Wonderful Life?" Arabella suggested and she cuddled into Hunter's side, holding Jolie close to her. Jolie nuzzled into her and Arabella let out a happy sigh. "I don't think that my life could get anymore perfect right now" She said happily and she closed her eyes for a moment. It felt so good and so comforting to be sitting with Hunter on the couch, Jolie in her arms, waiting for their food to get there.
Hunter nodded softly. "I've never seen either of those." He said with a raised eyebrow. She looked at him oddly and Hunter thought for a second before realizing his mistake. "Oh...It's A Wonderful Life is a...and then you...Right. Sorry about that. Movie choice is good. I feel the same way." Hunter said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. Jolie yipped at him and Hunter took her from Arabella. "What is your problem, princess?" He said as he held the dog up to his face, looking her in the eye. "You got a problem with me, dog? Hmm?" He said with a smile before Jolie wiggled a little and licked his face. Hunter scrunched his nose and handed Jolie back to Arabella. "That's gross." He said with a smile before leaning back again. He put his chin on Arabella's shoulder, placing a kiss on her neck. "I'm getting a drink. Do you want one?" He asked, starting to stand again.
Arabella put Jolie down on the ground and she stood up before he could. "What id I tell you about getting up?" She giggled and she walked into the kitchen. She looked around for a little bit before picking out the hot chocolate mix. As she was mixing it up, she heard the doorbell ring, followed by the barks of the dogs. With a grin, she ran to the door and opened it up a little bit, holding the dogs back. Quickly, Arabella paid for their food before Hunter had a chance to protest about her paying and she closed the door. She walked back to the kitchen and started putting everything on plates, humming to herself.
Hunter smiled and waited for Arabella to be busy sorting out food before grabbing the dogs and standing up, letting out a little groan. His back felt better, but it still wasn't perfect. "Let's get dinner, my canine children." He said with a weak chuckle as he shuffled into the kitchen and set them down not-so-gracefully by their food bowls, filling each with food. He turned to Arabella who was looking at him sternly. "I told you I was fine." Hunter said, stepping toward her and placing his hands on her hips. "You look very attractive in a kitchen." He said with a smile as he kissed her lightly on the lips. "Very sexy. It suits you, you know? You'll be a master chef in no time." He laughed a little and kissed her again.
Arabella scoffed and she kissed him lightly. "I'll be burning down the house in no time" She said with a roll of her eyes and she picked up a plate, holding it out for Hunter. "Here. I made this all by myself. I slaved in the kitchen for hours to make this" She teased and kissed him again. Arabella put the plate back down and she mixed up the hot chocolate. "Okay...I think that everything is good to go" She said and she took a bite of her kimchi.
Hunter held his plate and took her hand walking her back to the couch and sitting down clumsily, pulling her down with him. They snuggled together, fitting together like two halves of one whole and then started to eat. "Oh, let me put the movie in." He said, setting his plate on the coffee table and starting to stand, but finding the pain in his back a little too much. He cringed and sat back down. "Wait. I remember. I don't remember where that is. Can you take care of it?" He asked quietly, feeling bad for making her get up "I'm sorry." He said quietly, running his finger around the lip of his mug.
Arabella leaned into him, placing a kiss on his jaw. "It's not a problem" She said softly and she put her plate down, standing up and walking over to her DVDs. Arabella looked through them until she found the right one and she placed it in the player. Arabella walked over to the couch again and she sat down, curling up to his side. She pressed play and yawned a little as the movie started. "This is one of the best Christmas movies, ever"
"Well, it's a good thing it's my first one." he said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around her and kisses her cheek. "I'm also really glad I'm watching it with you." he added running a few fingers through her hair. He turned to the movie and smiled as he felt her head rest on his shoulder. Hunter kissed her hair and then put his head on hers before picking Jolie off the couch and handing her to Arabella. He put Ajax by his leg and Ajax put his head on Hunter's leg.
Arabella put Jolie in her lap and she patted her gently, running her fingers through her soft fur. She smiled a little bit as the movie started to play. Every Christmas since she was a little kid, Arabella made sure that she watchedd this movie at some point and she loved the fact that she was now watching it with Hunter. She took a bite of her food and she stretched her legs a little bit. "We'll have to put the tree up tomorrow. I think I have a stand in a box somewhere"
Hunter nodded and watched the movie. His back still hurt, but it wasn't bothering him now that he had all of these wonderful things distracting him. "And in one of the boxes in one of the spare rooms is some lights and some ornaments. Tomorrow, I'll put up the lights and you can work on the tree. That sound okay?" Hunter said, finally turning away from the movie to look at her. "I have no idea what I'd be doing with the lights, but I'll give it a shot." He said, resting his head on hers again, taking a bite of food.
"I can help. I am awesome at the lights. Not to toot my horn or anything" Arabella giggled and she shivered a little bit. She tugged on her sleeves, pulling them down over her hands. It was a little cold in the house and it was starting to snow again. Arabella picked up her phone and she looked at the weather. Just then, she felt a blanket fall around her and she turned a little bit to see Hunter wrapping the blanket around her. Arabella smiled and she kissed him tightly. "You are such an amazing gentleman"
"Nonsense. Just making sure you're treated as you deserve to be treated." Hunter said with a dismissive wave before placing his empty plate down on the table and then wrapping his arms around her, kissing her tightly on the head. "Anything you could ever want, baby. I promise." He said, rubbing her arms a little. He was kind of cold, but he had worse. He didn't need a blanket. He had all he could ever want in his arms at that moment. He turned back at the movie and let his body relax a little, feeling Arabella lean into him and curl up to him, fitting together like two puzzle pieces. Today was perfect. And Hunter was going to make sure it stayed that way. Just for her.
Arabella smiled and she closed her eyes, burying her face in Hunter's side. She felt so protected and so taken care of. Hunter was going to be with her for the rest of her life and knowing that was the best feeling in the world. Arabella felt Jolie jump off of the couch and walk away, probably to go to her bed. With a small smile, Arabella could feel herself drifting off to sleep. She was warm an happy an everything was pretty perfect. "I love you, Hunter" She breathed and with that, she fell asleep.
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