"No, Danny..I'm pretty sure that these cookies are not supposed to be this big..or this brown" Arabella huffed, holding up a gigantic cookie in front of her webcam. There was a sound of laughter coming from her laptop screen and Arabella turned to glare at Daniel. "Maybe Skyping while I'm doing this is a bad idea" She said with a sigh and took a bite out of the huge cookie. Arabella made a face and tossed the rest into the garbage. "Too much salt"
"And that would be cookie batch number...4" Daniel said, adding a tick to a piece of paper.
"Are you seriously keeping track of how many cookies I ruin?" Arabella gasped and looked at the screen. Daniel laughed and Arabella groaned, looking back at the cookie recipe for what felt like the billionth time. "Daniel...it's not funny. I wanted to get some decent cookies made for tomorrow, you know...Valentine's Day.." She moaned as she started measuring out the flour that she needed for yet another batch. Just then, there was the sound of a car and Arabella looked out the window, seeing Hunter pulling into the drive way. "Gotta go, Danny" she said quickly and she turned off the computer.
Hunter took a little breath as he stepped out of the car. His first week at the rec center was finally done and now he really just wanted to curl up on the couch with Arabella and watch a movie or something. Hunter walked in the front door and looked down as Jolie jingled up to him, her tongue out and her tail wagging as Ajax walked up as well. "Hey, buddy." Hunter said with a smile as he hung up his jacket and left his stuff by the door. "Ellie? I'm home!" Hunter shouted as he kicked off his shoes and started to walk into the house.
"Hi Hunter!" Arabella called back to him, quickly turning towards the sound of his voice. However, as soon as she turned, her elbow knocked into the salt and it tipped into her bowl of flour, spilling at least a cup of salt into it. Arabella looked down at it for a moment then grumbled a few choice curse words before putting the salt away and looking down into the bowl with a bit of a pout on her face. With a sigh, she wiped her hand across her forhead, leaving a long streak of flour on her skin that she was very much unaware of.
Hunter peeked into the kitchen and gasped a little. "You uh..." He stepped inside and looked around. There were pans in the sink and bowls everywhere. Ingredients, some of which didn't belong in cookies, were strewn about. "You made cookies." Hunter said with a smile as he looked up at her. "You also have ingredients on your face." He said with a smile as he moved in front of her and ran his hand across her forehead, brushing the flour off her face and hair behind her ear.
Arabella gave a tiny smile when he brushed his fingers across her forehead, getting butterflies. She hoped that that feeling would never go away. That she would always get butterflies from his touch. Arabella shook herself and pouted a little bit. "Made cookies and failed. The pig won't even eat them" She said an nodded towards the trash can where a cookie that she had thrown missed and landed on the floor. Piggy Smalls sniffed the cookie, licked it, scrunched his nose up then ran off. "I failed so hard"
Hunter smiled and bent down, picking up the cookie and throwing it away. "Were you following a recipe or something?" Hunter said with a smile. "I don't bake without a recipe. Cooking is one thing, but you can't bake without a recipe." Hunter reached into one of the cupboards and pulled out a folder. "I think there's a recipe for cookies in here." Hunter said, opening it and flipping through the pages.
Arabella huffed and leaned against the counter. "It's impossible. I should just..never go into a kitchen again" She said and folded her arms across her chest. She turned to look at him as he flipped through pages and she smiled a little, moving over to him to place her chin on his shoulder. "Did you have a good day?" She asked him and bit her lip.
Hunter glanced over at her and kissed her lightly on the lips as he turned toward her and wrapped his arms around her. "I did have a good day. David wasn't there, so it made my life easier." Hunter pulled her closer and kissed her tightly. "I missed you today." Hunter said quietly as he rested his chin on her head. "How was your day? Other than the experimentation with baking."
"It was really good" Arabella said softly and she slipped her arms around his middle. "I went shopping with Danny." She told him and grinned a little bit to herself. Shopping with her brother was always a ton of fun and it was really exciting now that he was going to be her Man of Honor at the wedding. They had spent all day talking about the wedding. "I found my wedding dress" She said to him and wiggled her eyebrows.
Hunter grinned and kissed her on the cheek. "You did?!" Hunter picked her up and swung her back and forth a little. "Well, can I see it?!" Hunter set her back down and smiled. "Wait, is that bad? I'm sorry, I don't know this stuff!" Hunter said with a sigh as he put his forehead down on her shoulder.
"Of course you can't see it!" Arabella said with a giggle and she slipped her arms around him, resting her hands on his back. "It's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding" She said in a matter-of-fact tone and let out a happy sigh. Arabella pulled away from him a little bit and she looked in the cupboard, taking out a box of Oreos and she grabbed some milk from the fridge. "Well, I can't make cookies but I know how to buy them! Want to watch a movie or something?"
Hunter watched as she started to walk out of the kitchen, but Hunter grabbed her wrist, pulling her back into his arms. "Now, hold on." Hunter said with a smile as he kissed her lightly on the lips. "We...are going to make cookies or at the very least, you are going to help me clean up the kitchen." He pulled her closer and kissed her lightly on the lips again. "Now, which do you want to do?"
Arabella pouted and looked around at the mess she had made, trying to bake for Hunter and she let out a little sigh. "We might as well make cookies, then we'll have something to show for this mess" She said and looked up at him with a little smile. Arabella put the Oreos and milk down on the counter and she rubbed her hands together. "Okay, what do we do first?"
Hunter took a deep breath and looked around. "Well, let's look at the recipe. How about you track down all the ingredients and I will begin resetting the workstation, so that we have stuff to use. You dirtied all the bowls and...many...many other things." Hunter said as he started to fill the sink with water. "You know? One of these days I should learn how to use the dishwasher." Hunter said with a sigh as he tapped it with his foot.
"The man can cook anything he wants but he can't figure out the simple dishwasher" Arabella giggled and she leaned into him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "It's okay. It's what makes us such a good team. You cook and I clean. Perfect" She said and she got to work on cleaning everything up, making sure that everything was clean and tidy and spotless so that cooking would be easier. "So, uh..tomorrow should be a good day" She said, wondering if he knew that Valentine's Day was the next day.
Hunter paused and thought for a moment, a devious smile spreading across his lips. "Well, I've got to go into work tomorrow and then David missed today, so I have a lesson with him after that and his parents said that I had to drive out to their ranch in Connecticut. In exchange they said that they were going to pay me double though, so that's nice." Hunter tried to hide his smile and turned to her. "Why? What's your day look like?"
Arabella took a little breath, trying not to show the hurt that she was feeling on her face. Valentine's Day was always a really big deal for her, being a daughter of Aphrodite. It was one of her favorite days of the year and she was really looking forward to her first Valentine's Day with Hunter. Arabella shook herself and cleared her throat as she wiped down the counter, not looking Hunter in the eye. "Oh, no plans, really. We're getting low on dog food and we need to get some groceries" She said, trying to sound calm and keep her poker face on.
Hunter moved forward and put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer and lifting her chin up to look into her eyes. "See, I did have to do all that, but I cancelled it to spend my whole day with you for Valentine's Day." Hunter said, laughing at the look on her face. She punched him in the shoulder and Hunter kissed her tightly on the lips, pulling her closer and showing her how much he cares for her. "Do you really think that I would forget Valentine's Day? When I'm engaged to a VERY proud daughter of Aphrodite?" Hunter kissed her forehead and smiled. "What do you take me for?"
"You are so mean to me, Hunter Reed" Arabella huffed but she slipped her arms around his middle and she put her forehead on his chest, taking a deep breath. She was glad that he was going to be staying home. All of her plans and everything she had been thinking of would have been totally ruined if he was gone. "I was really worried for a mintue there, mister"
Hunter kissed her head and ran his hands up and down her back for a moment before pulling away a little. "Alright. Let's bake some cookies." Hunter said with a laugh. "Okay. We need to combine our dry ingredients first." Hunter said as he started adding ingredients into a bowl. "Flour, baking soda, sugar, brown sugar, little bit of vanilla, some chocolate syrup, and okay. Now start mixing that will you?"
"Tell me if I'm doing anything wrong" Arabella said with a little smile and she picked up the spoon, starting to mix it. She watched it intently, trying not to spill anything or mess it up somehow. Her personal goal was to learn how to bake. She wanted to be able to do that for Hunter. Arabella bit her lip a little bit and turned her eyes to look at Hunter for a quick moment before looking back at the bowl. "How is Tyler doing with the archery?"
Hunter went to the fridge and pulled out the eggs and the milk. He grabbed some chocolate chips and then set it down next to the bowl where he stopped her. "You know, we have a mixer for a reason, babe." Hunter said as he pulled the mixer out and plugged it in. "Tyler is doing great. He's one of my better students." Hunter said, standing behind her and directing her hand-over-hand what to do, placing small kisses on her neck. "He's one of the only people who pays attention though, so..."
"Tyler is really happy there" Arabella said softly and she leaned into him, letting his hand guide hers and soaking in the feeling of his lips on her neck. "Thank you. For everything that you've done for him. You've made him really, really happy" She said softly and turned to look at him with big eyes.
"Well, you and your family have made me really happy. It's the least I can do to make up for it." Hunter said as he kissed her on the lips. He turned back to the food and scraped the mix off the side as it mixed. "Alright. Let's crack the eggs." Hunter said as he grabbed both eggs. With one in each hand he tapped them on the counter and broke them into the bowl, adding a little milk. He set it down and then wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his hands on her stomach, gently brushing his lips along her neck and up to her cheek.
Arabella closed her eyes and she rested her hands on his hands. Everything he was doing to her, every way that he was touching her..it all felt so innocent and so simple. Yet it got her heart beating a million times a minute and it made the butterflies in her stomach go wild. "How long will it take for the cookies to bake?" She breathed, drawing circles on his hands with her fingers.
Hunter led her hands to the mixer again and then added the chocolate chips. "Alright. Let's just stir these in and then we'll be ready to make cookies." Hunter kissed her cheek and then kissed her lips when she turned her head. " They need to back for about 12 minutes." Hunter said, turning off the mixer.
"Perfect" Arabella said softly and she turned around in his arms so that she could press her lips against his, smiling a little bit. "12 minutes is just enough time for a super hot make hot session" She teased with a giggle and gave him a wink. Arabella put her hands on either side of his neck and kissed him tightly before pulling away and looking down at the cookie dough. "So now we just put it on a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven" She said with a nod and took a bit of the cookie dough, popping it into her mouth.
"Or..." Hunter said as he grabbed a cake pan. He pressed it into the cake pan and spread it out before sliding it into the oven. "That probably changes the cook time, so we'll wing it." Hunter said as he turned the timer. He hit start and then grabbed Arabella by the waist and lifted her up onto the counter. He stood between her legs and kissed her tightly on the lips. "Alright. 12 minutes."
Arabella giggled and she put her hands on his sides, holding onto his shirt lightly. She kissed his top lip gently before kissing his bottom lip an nibbling a little bit. Her heart started to race again as she hook her legs arouns his hips, pulling herself much closer to him. Everything about him made this so much fun and so easy for Arabella. She knew that she could spend the rest of her life doing this with him. Her hair fell over her shoulder but she didn't bother moving it away as she brushed her lips away from his and along his jaw.
Hunter smiled and pulled away a little. "You know," Hunter brushed the hair away and pressed his lips to every inch of her skin. "when we start...having kids...I think that....these will...have to stop..." Hunter finally brushed his lips down the other side of her neck and then lightly nibbled on her shoulder, pressing closer to her and squeezing her thighs.
"Mmm...nope. They can go to their bedrooms" Arabella breathed and she ran her fingers down his body, pressing her fingers into his skin lightly as he squeezed her thighs. She smiled a little as his lips grazed her shoulder before pulling away a little bit so that she could place a gentle kiss on his chin. Arabella slowly brushed her lips to the side of his mouth, placing a teasing kiss there. With a little smile, she moved her lips to just above his top lip and placed another teasing kiss there.
Hunter sighed a little and put his hands on each side of her face. "We'll have to be quieter then, too." He said before pulling her face into his, kissing her tightly on the lips. He ran his hands down her neck and to her hips where he lifted her up, placing his hands on her butt and walking over to a chair where he sat down, holding her on his lap. "I hope you'll still enjoy doing this when I can't do that anymore." Hunter said, smiling and pinching her butt.
Arabella giggled and she rested her hands on his arms. She squeezed his biceps and gave him a little winking, biting her lip. "I am going to enjoy doing this for the rest of my life" She said and she brushed her lips along his jaw. Arabella took one of his hands and she placed it over her heart which was beating a million miles a minute. "Do you see what you do to me, Hunter? You are going to drive me crazy one of these days" She whispered with a smirk.
Hunter blushed a little at the placement of his hand. He pulled her hand away and put her hand against his, her nimble soft hands small in comparison to his large scarred hands. He finally folded his fingers with hers and placed her hand against his chest where his heart was beating out of control. He looked up into her eyes and kissed her neck softly before brushing his lips up to her ear and nibbling it gently.
Arabella giggled a little bit and she leaned into his nibbles, closing her eyes. She let out a low breath and turned to head to kiss him but then she heard the timer go off and she cleared her throat. "Maybe we should check that. I don't want to burn the...cookie cake thing" she said with a little giggle and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter nodded softly and wrapped his arms around her, standing up. He kissed her tightly on the lips, pouring love and affection into it. Valentine's Day was tomorrow and he was so glad that he could spend it with someone that he really truly cared about. She seemed to melt into his kiss and released her legs' grasp on his waist and let her legs hang down again. Hunter finally set her down and kissed her on the forehead before walking over to the oven and pulling the cookies out.
Arabella leaned against the counter, running her fingers through her long hair. "How do they look, handsome?" She asked and smiled a little bit before turning her head to look at him. She smiled a little bit to herself. Arabella was looking forward to the next day and she had a few surprises up her sleeves. She just hoped that it would all work out. Arabella stepped over to Hunter and she put her chin on his shoulder, looking down at the cookies. "They smell like....home"
Hunter smiled and set them down on the stove. He put his arm around her and turned his head, kissing her lightly on the lips. He walked over to a drawer and grabbed a pizza cutter and a spatula. Carefully he cut it into pieces and scooped two onto plates. They were still hot so he walked over and put them and the whole pan with a lid on it in the freezer. Hunter walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her cheek. He couldn't wait for them to get married and have kids. He could imagine her standing in the kitchen with a pregnant belly and he would walk up behind her and place his hand on her stomach and feel their baby. He placed his hand on her stomach and kissed her cheek, brushing his lips against her skin.
Arabella smiled a little and she placed her hands ontop of his hands, closing her eyes. She leaned back into him and let out a sigh, completely letting herself melt into him and just relax. Arabella chewed on her lip and she traced circles on his hands. "I like you a lot, Hunter" She told him with a little giggle and she moved her hand over to her left hand and she touched her ring lightly.
Hunter smiled, brushing his lips against her ear. She laced her fingers in with his and leaned against him, closing her eyes. He really just loved holding her in his arms. He hated being away from her. Like if he were separated from her, she would slip away and disappear. Hunter let out a happy sigh then took her hand, leading her into the living room. He sat her down and picked up Jolie, handing her to Arabella with her brush and then he watched as Ajax climbed up as well. He walked back into the kitchen and put the dishes in the sink, filling the sink with water. He grabbed their cookies out of the freezer and brought them back with some milk.
Arabella smiled at him when he walked into the living room. She put the brush down and placed Jolie on the couch beside Ajax and she leaned into Hunter, kissing him lightly. "They look really, really good" She said with a little giggle and she picked up a cookie, taking a bite. Arabella let out a soft moan and leaned back against the couch. "Now this is a good cookie. I need to learn how to do this" She said and winked at Hunter.
Hunter took a bite out of his cookie and smiled. It was still warm, but not hot and the chips were still mostly melted. Hunter dipped his cookie in the glass of milk then ate and leaned back in the couch, closing his eyes. He could feel Arabella leaning into him and snuggling up next to him and he put an arm around her, holding her close. He wasn't sure if there was a better moment then this. He smelled the soft scent of roses coming from his fiancee and the smell of cookies wafting in from the kitchen. Ajax wiggled a little and adjusted next to his leg and Hunter pet him a little, lulling him back to sleep, Jolie curled up right next to him. Hunter put his head back and closed his eyes, wondering if he could fall asleep right here.
Arabella looked up at him when he closed his eyes and she smiled a little bit to herself and she took a deep breath. It was finally starting to hit her. She was going to marry Hunter and she was going to spend the rest of her life with him. At first, it all felt so surreal and she was so stressed out because of all of the planning she was doing. But when she put on her dress for the first time, everything felt magical and it hit her. She was actually going to marry Hunter. Arabella closed her eyes for a moment before she moved onto his lap, straddling him and she started placing little kisses along his neck.
Hunter smiled and looked up at her, opening his eyes. She pulled away and smiled at him and he looked into her eyes with a tired look. He did have a kind of a long day today, but being around Arabella was making him feel so much better. Hunter put his hands on her hips and then ran his fingers to her thighs, squeezing them lightly. He kissed her lightly on the nose then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. He lightly rubbed her back and buried his face in her hair lightly kissing behind her ear.
Arabella smiled softly and she closed her eyes. She stayed like that with him for a little while and it was comforting and warm and wonderful. After a few moments though, she pulled away so that she could lay down, resting her head on his lap. Arabella took his hand and lightly sprea his fingers out, running her fingers over his skin and holding her hand up against his. "So, today, I was walking down the street to meet Danny at the Starbucks when I ran into Amy! Do you remember her? She was at camp for a little while. She's a daughter of Apollo. I remember her telling some of the funniest jokes..like this one about a satyr and some magic mushrooms.." Arabella broke off into a little giggle then cleared her throat. "So anyway, I was talking to her for a little bit. She was going to some store...I think it might have been that new one with all of the yoga clothing and stuff. Their pants make my ass look SO good. Well, she said to say hello to you and she said congrats on the engagement"
Hunter laughed and smiled down at her, brushing her hair back. He lifted her head a little and pulled out her hair, spreading it across his lap then playing with it. He lightly brushed her cheek with his hand and then down around her chin and then ran his thumb across her lips then walked a finger up her nose and to her forehead where he spelled out 'I love you.' in all caps with his finger. She seemed to think for a second before smiling and turning a soft shade of pink, causing him to smile down at her again.
Arabella smiled up at him, biting on her bottom lip a little bit. She could feel that her cheeks were a bright pink and she lifted her hand to place it on his chest for a moment. "I love you too" She said softly and she yawned a little bit, snuggling closer to him. "Are you ever going to talk again or are you going to be getting your best man to read your vows for you?"
Hunter smiled softly and cleared his throat. "Well, it took you long enough to realize that the other voice in out conversations was missing." Hunter said, still playing with her hair. "That reminds me that I need to write my vows." He said, taking a deep breath. "And find a best man." Hunter paused for a moment and then looked down at her. "Can you be my best man?" He asked, laughing a little.
Arabella laughed and she shook her head a little bit. "I can't be bride, wedding planner and best man. Do you need me to be flower girl too?" She asked in a teasing sort of voice and she reached up, placing her fingertip on his nose for a second with a giggle. "Why not ask Will? Or Kyle? They're your best friends and you guys have been through a lot together. Either one would be perfect"
"Well, Will was the best man for Kyle's wedding. I'll probably be the best man for Will's wedding. So, I'll make Kyle the best man for my wedding. Then we'll be taking turns." Hunter said with a laugh as he stuck his tongue out to lick Arabella's hand. She pulled away with a giggle and wiped her hand on his shirt. "I can't believe Kyle was the first one to get married. He's the youngest of the three of us." Hunter said with a sigh. "Well, he was born last. Technically, I'm the youngest with the whole...temporary immortality and death thing."
"Death thing?" Arabella asked softly and she looked up at Hunter with confused and worried eyes. What could he possibly be talking about? What made her worry even more was the way that his cheeks turned red and he looked like he was freaking out about something. Arabella pushed herself off of his lap and she sat down on the couch beside him, looking at him closely. "Hunter..what death thing?" She asked in a tense and low voice, almost a whisper.
Hunter cursed under his breath and took her hand. He really didn't want to talk about this. He really just wanted to forget about it, but the truth was, that he couldn't. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't. "Ellie," He said, taking her hand and looking a the ring on it. "While you were in California, you heard about the war?" Arabella nodded, her eyes not moving from his. Hunter took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I died." Hunter said plainly. He imagined Arabella's reaction as many things, not sure how she'd react. "Prometheus killed me and I met Charon and all that jazz."
"You died. As in...dead?" Arabella said in a low and rather stunned voice. She didn't know how to react. She didn't know how she was supposed to react. How do you react when you find out that the love of your life had died? Arabella kept her eyes locked on Hunter but her mind was racing and her heart was beating out of her chest. None of this made sense. He said that he had died. He said that he had been killed and he met Charon. How was he talking to her today? "I..I don't..what?" She breathed, trying to understand everything and trying really hard not to panic.
Hunter couldn't bring himself to look at her. He felt like he had lied to her and now it was crashing down on him. "Charon made me wait and while I was there, your mom came in and got me and brought me back out. And that's why I'm not immortal anymore and that's how we won because Prometheus assumed I was dead and I was able to kill him." Hunter took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know why your mom brought me back, but I'm not real sure I deserve it." Hunter said, letting his voice trail off the last part into a mumble. Hunter stared down at the ground, too afraid to look up at her and risk having his heart broken again.
Arabella looked away from him, trying desperately to wrap her head around what Hunter was saying to her. She was mad and she was worried and she was overwhelmed. How did this happen? More importanly, why did it take so long for Hunter to tell her? He wasn't even going to tell her. He had just slipped up and made a mistake. She took a shaky breath and looked back at him. "Why would you think that you don't deserve it?" She asked in a slightly strained voice.
Hunter sighed and looked over at her, finally looking into her eyes. They looked so hurt. Hunter looked away again and cleared his throat. "Of all the people in the world that have died, why am I the one who gets brought back from the dead? There are hundreds of other more worthy people who deserve to come back to life. What made me worthy?" Hunter muttered, letting go of her hand and pulling away from her a little. He felt like he had betrayed her. In a way he did, but he just didn't want her to worry.
"What made you worthy?" Arabella said softly, looking at him with a furrowed brow. "How could you think something like that? Hunter, look back at your life. Look at everything you have ever done for the gods. My mother knows how much you've done and she cares about you. You're a hero, Hunter. If anyone deserves it, it's you" She told him in a soft but honest voice. Arabella wanted him to feel better, even if she was a little ticked off.
Hunter sighed. He still wasn't sure why Aphrodite would save him, but that's not what mattered. All that mattered was having Arabella be okay. Hunter looked over at her and put his hands on her cheeks. "Ellie, this doesn't change anything between you and I. I still love you with my entire being and I want to marry you and raise kids together and grow old and call you beautiful even when you think you look terrible. Ellie, there is nothing that will ever change that." Hunter kissed her on the forehead and took a deep breath. "I just didn't want you to worry or break up with me like Philippa did." Hunter muttered under his breath as he stood up off the couch. "Ellie, take all the time you need. Please."
"Hunter, this..this doesn't change how I feel about you. This doesn't change how I see you, at all. And there is now way that I would ever break up with you over something like this" Arabella said softly, looking up at him for a moment before turning her eyes down to look at her lap. "I just...this is a lot to take in" She bit her lip and looked over at the dogs, who both had slightly confused look on their faces. "I wish you would have told me sooner" She whispered.
Hunter buried his face in his hands and sat down on the chair at the end of the couch. "Ellie, I didn't think it mattered. I tried to forget it and I knew that if you had known you'd always worry about me being dragged back down. On top of that, the last person I thought I loved that knew broke up with me hours after coming back to life." Hunter finally looked up at her. "I just couldn't stand the idea of you breaking up with me again. It hurt me the first time and it nearly killed me the second time. I just...I can't do it."
Was there really a possiblity of Hunter being taken back? Arabella hadn't thought about it like that until then. She ahd been worried that the gods would ask him to do a major favor since they had brought him back from the dead. But now she realized that there was a very real chance that he could be taken from her at any moment. She could lose him in the blink of an eye. Arabella could feel her hands shaking a little and her breathing was becoming a bit more shallow. "I..I just..need a drink or something.." She said softly and pushed herself off of the couch, walking to the kitchen as quickly as she could because she could feel tears welling up in her eyes.
Hunter watched her for a moment before standing up himself. He followed her into the kitchen and grabbed her, turning her around and placing his lips on hers. He let his hands fall to her hips and he pulled her closer, kissing her tightly, pouring all of the apology that he could muster into this one kiss, hoping that she would get how much he cared for her across. "Ellie, this is real. I promise you that I am not going anywhere. I promise." Hunter whispered against her lips
Arabella closed her eyes, letting her arms hang limp at her sides. She took a small breath, trying to calm herself down. His words and his kiss and his hands on her hips calmed her down a little bit. He kept her grounded. Arabella nodded softly and she finally slipped her arms around his neck. She kissed him lightly before resting her chin on his shoulder. "I can't lose you, Hunter" She whispered, taking slightly shaky breaths.
"You're never ever going to." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her. "Ellie, I promise that I am never going to let anything happen to you or me." Hunter moved his head and caught her eyes, placing his forehead against hers. He kissed her lightly on the nose then kissed her lips, once, twice, letting his lips linger a little longer each time until he finally broke away. "This is why I shouldn't talk anymore." Hunter said with a chuckle, looking into her eyes, hoping she might laugh back.
Arabella looked up at him, keeping her eyes locked with his. She gave a little watery laugh and she shook her head. "I like it when you laugh" She said softly and she let her hands fall down from his neck. Gingerly, she put her hands on his sides and she looked down, biting her lip. "I'm really glad that my mom brought you back..maybe she'll come to the wedding and you can ask her about it there" She said softly.
Hunter nodded softly and slipped his arms around her, hugging her close and burying his face in her hair. "We should see if we can invite her." He said, placing a kiss on her head. He held her close and surrounded her with his arms, keeping her safe. "I'm sorry, Ellie."
Arabella closed her eyes and she rested her head on his chest. Part of her wished that she had neer asked him about it or got him to talk about it with her because he had been right. She was going to worry about the fact that Hunter could be taken away from her at any moment. How would she be able to function without him? What if they had kids when he was taken from her? Arabella took a small breath and chewed on her lip. "Don't be sorry"
"I just...I really don't want you to worry about me." Hunter said, placing his thumb on her chin and pulling her lip out of her mouth. "Ellie, I won't let them take me back. I will do everything that I can to insure that I spend the rest of my life with you in my arms, you understand?" Hunter said, looking into her eyes. "I promise." He placed his lips on hers and pulled her closer. "I love you more than anything. Please. Just forget about this."
"Okay" Arabella said in a quiet voice. She knew that there was no way that she was going to just forget about it. She also knew that there was no point in talking about it for ages and ages. Arabella let out a tiny sigh and she closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day and she wasn't going to let this ruin her plans. "I kind of like you, you know that?"
Hunter smiled and ran his hands up her sides to her face. "I kind of like you too. You're just so nice to look at." Hunter laughed a little and put his hand on her cheek, putting his fingers in her hair. He pulled her up and kissed her on the lips, running his hands back down her arms and pulling her closer. "So, since we're getting things out in the open, anything you ahve to bring to the floor?" He asked, running his thumb across her lips.
Arabella looked up at him, locking eyes with him. She thought about it then shook her head. "No..I don't think so" She said softly and she scrunched up her face a little bit in concentration. In all honesty, she really couldn't remember if there was anything she needed to tell Hunter or not. Her brain felt all scattered and rattled after finding out that he had died. "If I can think of something, I'll tell you right away"
Hunter took a deep breath and let it out against her lips as he placed a small kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Ellie. I'm really really sorry." Hunter said, picking her up and setting her on the kitchen counter. "Really very sorry." He said, putting his forehead on hers. "What do you want me to do?"
"Stop saying sorry" Arabella said, giving him a little smile. She looked into his eyes, trying as hard as she could to just push all of the bad stuff to the back of her mind. Arabella didn't want to bother with any of that. She didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to sit with Hunter and try to enjoy the night. "Why don't we watch a movie or we could go for a walk or something"
"Is anything going to be easy?" Hunter muttered under his breath as he picked her up and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I like that idea." Hunter said as he carried her into the living room and set her on the couch. He grabbed Piggy and set him on her stomach and then walked back into the kitchen. He grabbed the pan of cookies and a knife. He set the milk and two glasses on top of the lid then walked back into the living room, setting it on the table. He grabbed a DVD at random and put it into the DVD player, handing Arabella the remote and then lifting her neck up and sitting down, resting her down on his lap.
"Do you know what movie you picked out?" Arabella asked, looking down at Piggy as she scratched behind his ears. She smiled a little at the small oinks he made before she turned on her side, placing him on the couch beside her. Arabella cuddled a bit closer to Hunter and pressed play on the remote.
"Nope. Not a clue." Hunter said as the TV buzzed on. He reached forward and grabbed a cookie just as 'The Goonies' title came onto the screen. Hunter paused and looked at the TV. "The Goonies?" Hunter said, sitting back and breaking the cookie in half. He bit into it then fed a piece of it to Arabella. "What in the world is The Goonies?"
"Only one of the best movies ever" Arabella said and she reached for another cookie piece. She nibbled on it happily before letting out a yawn. It was nice to just sit with Hunter and watch a movie. Arabella slowly rubbed Piggy's belly and he let out a few happy oinks. "I can't get over how adorable Piggy is"
"I can't get over how adorable my fiance is." Hunter smiled and then stood, adjusting himself a little and then laying down behind Arabella on the inside of the couch. He draped his arm around her waist and pulled her in closer, feeling a piggy nose against his fingers. Hunter scratched under Piggy's chin and the pig snuggled into the couch, grunting happily. Hunter leaned in and buried his face in her hair, placing small kisses behind her ear. "And you are very very adorable."
Arabella giggled and she cuddled up to him. It was comforting to feel him behind her like that and she loved the way his kisses by her ear felt. It was gentle and loving and she was head over heels. "You're too kind" She said softly and she put her hands over his hands. "I like it, though" She added in the same soft tone and she closed her eyes, leaning back into him.
Hunter smiled and pressed his lips down behind her ear to her neck . "I like it, too." Hunter said with a smile as he finally leaned back. He didn't realize how tired he was, but the fatigue came quickly once he started to relax. He let out a small yawn and closed his eyes a moment, pulling Arabella closer. He didn't want to, but he was just so comfortable that he fell asleep.
Chapter 136 - Hunter and Arabella
Hunter checked his watch and slid an arm around Arabella, a plate of snack food in hand. "I do remember this at camp. Chiron and Mr. D and I would sit around the ping-pong table and talk about they year while we ate snack food like little hotdogs and stuff like that. It was nice. New Years was always pretty calm." He ran his hands through her hair as he offered her a Bagel Bite. "I'm really glad that I have you now." Hunter grinned and pressed his lips to her cheek.
Arabella closed her eyes, a smile on her lips when he kissed her cheek. "I'm really glad that I have you too, Hunter" She said softly and looked down at the Bagel Bite in her hand a moment before popping it into her mouth and chewing. "New Years was always a pretty big party. I like this better, though" She told him adn turned her eyes to look up at him. "I like this a lot better" She said and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter smiled and put the plate on the table before kissing her and pulling her back on top of him as he laid back. "I like this a lot too." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head. Arabella moved and turned her head to watch the TV before putting her head down on Hunter'chest. Hunter looked at her, running his hands up and down her back as he kissed her lightly on the head.
Arabella yawned and she pulled a blanket down, spreading it over herself and Hunter. "Mmm..that feels nice" She said softly as he ran his hands up and down her back. Arabella was still pinching herself when she woke up and saw the ring on her finger. Being with Hunter, laying on the couch with him, having his ring on her hand...it all felt like a dream. She took a breath and looked up at him, grinning.
Hunter brushed his lips against hers and kissed down her cheek to her neck. He laid back and then placed a hand on her butt, giving it a soft pinch. She squeaked and looked up at him oddly. "See? It's not a dream." Hunter said with a grin. "You and I are going to get married. You and I are going to have the best life ever. Understand?" Hunter said, pressing his lips to hers.
"Understand" Arabella echoed, kissing him softly and closing her eyes. She pulled away a little bit, placing her hands on his cheeks and she locked eyes with him. "I am going to have the best husband in the whole wide world" She said softly and she shifted a little, getting more comfortable. Arabella brushed her hair to fall over one shoulder and she ran her fingers down his neck as she kissed his lips.
"And I am going to have the best wife in whole wide world." Hunter smiled and looked over at the TV a moment. "Oh! There it is! There's the uh...the thing!" He said, sitting up with her on his lap. He handed her her glass of champagne and grabbed his. "I can't believe you convinced me to have champagne." Hunter said as he smelled the liquid in his glass and made a face. "Are you ready for the new year?" He asked quietly, rubbing her back.
"This year is going to be the best year, ever" Arabella said in the same quiet tone as him. She looked down at her champagne for a moment and she let herself think back to the past year. So much had happened in her life and she didn't want to look back anyore. "My New Years Resolution is that I'm not going to look back anymore. I'm not going to be upset and ashamed of the stupid things I did and the people in my past that I wish I never met. You and I are going to have such an amazing life together and that's all that matters" She said in a small voice and looked up at him.
Hunter looked at her and smiled. "Mine is to drink less alcohol." He said with a laugh and Arabella smacked his arm. He laughed even harder and kissed her cheek. "I'm kidding. My New Years Resolution is to be the best boyfriend, fiance, husband, friend, teacher, and overall person as possible. I really wasn't that great last year, so..." Hunter let his voice trail off and then turned back to her. "And I'm going to drink less. And we are going to get through that whole book." He said, pointing up the stairs. "Will you hold me to these resolutions, Ellie?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes, I will" Arabella said with a nod and she looked over to the TV. Only one more minute until the new year. "And you better hold me to mine" She giggled and gave him a wink. Arabella shifted a little bit and she held her glass of champagne up a little higher. This felt like a big moment, her first New Years with Hunter. "You know what we do when midnight strikes, right?" She said, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
Hunter raised an eyebrow and looked at her, glancing at the TV then back at her. "We drink, right? That's why we have the champagne in the fancy glasses?" Hunter raised his cup a little. She bit her lip and looked at him. He laughed nervously and looked at her. "Wha-What-What do we do when midnight strikes? Yell? Shout?" Hunter turned to the TV. 30 seconds. Whatever it was it was coming quickly.
Arabella looked over at the TV and grinned. 15, 14, 13, 12. Arabella could feel her heart skipping and she didn't really know why. She was just so excited and so looking forward to the new year. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" Arabella counted down with the people on TV and soon enough, there were yells and cheers coming from the TV and she leaned into Hunter, kissing him tightly. She put everything she had into that kiss. All of her hopes and dreams for their life together. All of the love she had for him. Everything. After a moment, she pulled away just a little bit so that she could smile. "Happy New Year, Hunter" She said softly.
Hunter sat there, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, heart pounding, arms wrapped tightly around Arabella. It was a new year and that was the best possible way to start it. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Happy New Year, Ellie." He said with a grin before putting a hand in her hair and pulling her in for a kiss. He pressed himself into that kiss, leaning into her, a smile plastered on his face that he knew was never going to go away. "I can't wait until next New Years."
"And the New Years after that and the New Years after that and the New Years after that..." Arabella said, her voice trailing off a little as she ran her fingers down his arm. She picked up her champagne glass and clinked it against Hunter's locking eyes with him. Arabella let out a little giggle before taking a sip. "This is going to be the best year ever. Mostly because we're getting married." She said with a little shrug and grinned at him.
Hunter smiled and took a sip of his champagne. "Have you thought about what date we're getting married on? What day we'll finally be tying the knot?" Hunter said, dancing his fingers up and down her spine. He took another drink then put his glass down. "Soon hopefully." Hunter said with a smile as he brushed his lips against her neck and rested his hand on her thigh.
Arabella shrugged and she let out a small sigh "I don't know when it's going to happen. It better be soon because I hate waiting to marry you. But there is just so much that I have to figure out before we actually get married. The place, the dress, the invites, the flowers, the cake. Who is going to marry us? What kind of ceremony will it be? What are the colors going to be? Where is the registry going to be? Prenup? Bridal shower? Bachelorette party?" Arabella let out a huff and she put her head on his chest. "And the list goes on and on and on..."
Hunter looked at her and kissed her head. "Hey, you know what? We are going to do this every step by step and I will be there to help you and take my share of stuff to do, but honestly I don't really have much of an opinion. I just want it to be perfect for you." Hunter wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers, pulling her closer. "I'm very excited and we don't need any of that stuff to make our wedding the best wedding ever."
"Our wedding..." Arabella said softly and she smiled at him, placing her hands on his chest. "One day, years from now, you and I will be on this couch and celebrating the new year. Either that or worrying about what party our teenage daughter has gone to" she said with a giggle and she looked up at him, brushing her fingers down his cheek. "I'm looking forward to having a teenage daughter" She added, laughing a little bit.
Hunter scoffed. "You mean what party she wished she had gone to, but wasn't allowed to because she's not allowed to talk to boys until she's married." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her. "Ellie, I'm just excited to be Mr. Arabella Reed." Hunter kissed her and leaned back on the couch. "You know...our canine and porcine children are int heir cages and by the sound of it our asleep." Hunter smiled and ran his hands to her sides. "This wouldn't be a bad way to break in the new year." Hunter laughed a little and kissed her cheek.
Arabella giggled and she ran her hands down his arms. She leaned her cheek into his kiss a little bit then turned her head to kiss his lips lightly. "I think that it would be a wonderful way to break in the new year.." She said softly, a kissed him again before there was a sound like an explosion and she squeaked out of surprise, jumping up. The dogs started to bark as the sound came again and again. Arabella jumped off of the couch and looked out the window on her way to the dogs. "Fireworks!" She said in an excited voice and she bent down to open up the cages. Ajax looked like he was fine, just excited. Piggy was looking around with his regular chill expression. Jolie, however, was shaking like a leaf. Arabella gently lifted her out of the crate and held the tiny dog close to her chest.
Hunter smiled and stood off the couch. "I bet that's Thad and Jordan and their son Jon." Hunter said as he grabbed his sweatshirt and put it on Arabella's shoulders before picking Piggy up. Hunter opened the door and stepped outside into the cool night air. Hunter tugged his sleeves down a little and smiled at the sleepy little pig in his arms. "Happy New Year!" Hunter shouted over the sound of a Screeching Eagle. Thad and Jordan turned with the 2 year old Jon in her arms.
"Happy New Year, Hunter!" Thad shouted. Hunter took Arabella's hand and led her closer to the fireworks, Ajax trotting close nearby. "How are you guys doing with your mini zoo?" Thad asked with a chuckle and watched as Ajax trotted over to Jordan and looked up at Jon curiously.
"Puppy!" Jon exclaimed and almost fell out of his mom's arms trying to pet Ajax.
Arabella folded her arms across her chest, having left Jolie in the house. She was too terrified of the sound and was much happier hiding under Arabella and Hunter's bed. She grinned at Jon and leaned into Hunter a little bit. Arabella was looking forward to having a life like Thad and Jordan. It would be nice. Comfortable. "Happy New Year, guys" She said happily to them and looked down at Ajax on the ground. "I swear, this dog isn't afraid of anything. The other one is curled up in a ball under the bed.."
"You should see the cat." Jordan said as she set Jon down by Ajax who immediately sniffed away at the newcomer. "Was he hiding behind the toilet or in the couch?"
"I actually think she's on top of the bookcase this time." Thad said with a laugh. He had the kind of hearty laugh that was contagious and he laughed with his whole body, causing his heavy shoulders to bounce up and down with each guffaw. "That cat gets scared of everything."
"Sounds like Jolie. The only thing she's not scared of is Ajax." Hunter looked down at his dog who was licking Jon's face as the boy made a face and laughed the same way as his father. It made him really want to have this life. He wanted to live that life with Arabella. He could imagine holding his son and watching him grow up into a man. Hunter sighed a little and looked over at Arabella, smiling softly.
Arabella took a little breath and she shivered a little, shoving her hands into her pockets. "So, how was your night?" She asked them, smiling a little. Arabella liked Thad and Jordan. She liked that they were a young couple and they had a kid. It made things fun and she liked being able to talk to Jordan. They had friends.
"Oh, it was wonderful. It'll take an army to get this one to bed though. He's all excited" Jordan said with a laugh and she nodded toward Jon. Arabella smiled down at him for a moment before turning back to Jordan. "How was your night?"
"Fantastic. It was quiet but it was really great" Arabella said and she nudged Hunter a little with her hip, a soft smile on her lips. "So....fireworks!"
Hunter adjusted his jacket onto Arabella and then handed her Piggy before walking over to Thad. "Do you mind?"
"No, not at all." Hunter grabbed a firework and a lighter. He set it down in the middle of the street and little before backing up to Arabella where he stood next to her, putting his arms around her and rubbing her arm as it exploded, launching a fountain of red and blue sparks into the air, showering down in front of them. Thad clapped and lit another one, picking up Jon. It hissed until exploding into several bursts of sparks ranging from pink to blue to all the other colors. Hunter smiled and kissed Arabella on the cheek.
"Got anymore?" Hunter asked, shivering a little. Thad shook out the bag.
"Nope, we're all out." Thad said as he crumpled up the bag. He took his lighter back from Hunter. "It's a good thing too. It looks like your dog tired Jon out." Thad laughed as he patted the quickly fading Jon on the back.
"Good night, you two." Jordan said with a wave.
"Good night" Arabella said in a soft voice and she smiled at Jon lightly touching his little fingers. "Sleep tight, Jon" She said in a gentle voice and she waved as Thad and Jordan walked back to their home. Arabella took a deep breath and slipped her hand into Hunter's, yawning as she did. "I've had a really good time tonight, Hunter" She told him softly as he turned her towards their home and started walking.
Hunter smiled and raised her hand up, kissing it gently. Hunter let her inside and let Ajax in then closed it behind him, locking it. Ajax climbed into his cage and Hunter looked inside and saw Jolie sleeping in the corner. Ajax looked at her for a moment before curling up next to her and putting his head down. "Good night, Ajax. Good night, Princess." Hunter said quietly before turning to Arabella who latched Piggy's cage closed and looked at him sleepily. Hunter moved toward her and caught her as she fell into Hunter's arms. "Let's go to bed, sweetheart." Hunter said, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
"Bed" Arabella agreed and she leaned into Hunter, letting her arms fall limp at her sides. It was nice to just stand there with him but after a moment, she could feel him lifting her up and she slipped her arms around his neck, placing small kisses on his cheek. Arabella could feel Hunter shift her in his arms a little bit as he started to walk up the stairs and she smiled a little bit. "What's the plan for tomorrow?" She asked him gently as they moved into their bedroom and Hunter gently placed her down on the bed. Arabella sat up a little and she kicked off her pants so that she was in a pair of boy short underwear and a loose tee shirt before she laid back onto the pillows.
Hunter changed into a pair of pajama pants and slid into bed next to her. He lifted the blankets and put them over the two of them, snuggling up to each other. "Have a really good day." Hunter said as he placed his lips to hers and ran his hand down her hip to her thigh. "What do you want to do? We can do some wedding stuff, too." Hunter ran his fingers through her hair and put his head down on the pillows, lying on his side and looking at her.
"Mmm...wedding stuff sounds really good" Arabella said quietly with a smile on her face. All of the planning that had to be done was stressing her out a little bit but she was just too happy to let it bring her down. It was her wedding. She was getting married and she wasn't going to let a little bit of stress ruin her wedding excitement. "We can do some googling tomorrow to find invites and stuff like that. That way, we won't have to leave the house" She said with a tired giggle.
Hunter smiled and ran his hand into her hair, kissing her softly on the lips. He pulled her closer and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sounds like a plan." Hunter said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her and put his head down. "Good night, beautiful. Happy New Year." Hunter pressed his lips to her forehead one more time before putting his head down and falling asleep.
Arabella closed her eyes, a smile on her lips when he kissed her cheek. "I'm really glad that I have you too, Hunter" She said softly and looked down at the Bagel Bite in her hand a moment before popping it into her mouth and chewing. "New Years was always a pretty big party. I like this better, though" She told him adn turned her eyes to look up at him. "I like this a lot better" She said and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter smiled and put the plate on the table before kissing her and pulling her back on top of him as he laid back. "I like this a lot too." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head. Arabella moved and turned her head to watch the TV before putting her head down on Hunter'chest. Hunter looked at her, running his hands up and down her back as he kissed her lightly on the head.
Arabella yawned and she pulled a blanket down, spreading it over herself and Hunter. "Mmm..that feels nice" She said softly as he ran his hands up and down her back. Arabella was still pinching herself when she woke up and saw the ring on her finger. Being with Hunter, laying on the couch with him, having his ring on her hand...it all felt like a dream. She took a breath and looked up at him, grinning.
Hunter brushed his lips against hers and kissed down her cheek to her neck. He laid back and then placed a hand on her butt, giving it a soft pinch. She squeaked and looked up at him oddly. "See? It's not a dream." Hunter said with a grin. "You and I are going to get married. You and I are going to have the best life ever. Understand?" Hunter said, pressing his lips to hers.
"Understand" Arabella echoed, kissing him softly and closing her eyes. She pulled away a little bit, placing her hands on his cheeks and she locked eyes with him. "I am going to have the best husband in the whole wide world" She said softly and she shifted a little, getting more comfortable. Arabella brushed her hair to fall over one shoulder and she ran her fingers down his neck as she kissed his lips.
"And I am going to have the best wife in whole wide world." Hunter smiled and looked over at the TV a moment. "Oh! There it is! There's the uh...the thing!" He said, sitting up with her on his lap. He handed her her glass of champagne and grabbed his. "I can't believe you convinced me to have champagne." Hunter said as he smelled the liquid in his glass and made a face. "Are you ready for the new year?" He asked quietly, rubbing her back.
"This year is going to be the best year, ever" Arabella said in the same quiet tone as him. She looked down at her champagne for a moment and she let herself think back to the past year. So much had happened in her life and she didn't want to look back anyore. "My New Years Resolution is that I'm not going to look back anymore. I'm not going to be upset and ashamed of the stupid things I did and the people in my past that I wish I never met. You and I are going to have such an amazing life together and that's all that matters" She said in a small voice and looked up at him.
Hunter looked at her and smiled. "Mine is to drink less alcohol." He said with a laugh and Arabella smacked his arm. He laughed even harder and kissed her cheek. "I'm kidding. My New Years Resolution is to be the best boyfriend, fiance, husband, friend, teacher, and overall person as possible. I really wasn't that great last year, so..." Hunter let his voice trail off and then turned back to her. "And I'm going to drink less. And we are going to get through that whole book." He said, pointing up the stairs. "Will you hold me to these resolutions, Ellie?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes, I will" Arabella said with a nod and she looked over to the TV. Only one more minute until the new year. "And you better hold me to mine" She giggled and gave him a wink. Arabella shifted a little bit and she held her glass of champagne up a little higher. This felt like a big moment, her first New Years with Hunter. "You know what we do when midnight strikes, right?" She said, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
Hunter raised an eyebrow and looked at her, glancing at the TV then back at her. "We drink, right? That's why we have the champagne in the fancy glasses?" Hunter raised his cup a little. She bit her lip and looked at him. He laughed nervously and looked at her. "Wha-What-What do we do when midnight strikes? Yell? Shout?" Hunter turned to the TV. 30 seconds. Whatever it was it was coming quickly.
Arabella looked over at the TV and grinned. 15, 14, 13, 12. Arabella could feel her heart skipping and she didn't really know why. She was just so excited and so looking forward to the new year. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" Arabella counted down with the people on TV and soon enough, there were yells and cheers coming from the TV and she leaned into Hunter, kissing him tightly. She put everything she had into that kiss. All of her hopes and dreams for their life together. All of the love she had for him. Everything. After a moment, she pulled away just a little bit so that she could smile. "Happy New Year, Hunter" She said softly.
Hunter sat there, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, heart pounding, arms wrapped tightly around Arabella. It was a new year and that was the best possible way to start it. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Happy New Year, Ellie." He said with a grin before putting a hand in her hair and pulling her in for a kiss. He pressed himself into that kiss, leaning into her, a smile plastered on his face that he knew was never going to go away. "I can't wait until next New Years."
"And the New Years after that and the New Years after that and the New Years after that..." Arabella said, her voice trailing off a little as she ran her fingers down his arm. She picked up her champagne glass and clinked it against Hunter's locking eyes with him. Arabella let out a little giggle before taking a sip. "This is going to be the best year ever. Mostly because we're getting married." She said with a little shrug and grinned at him.
Hunter smiled and took a sip of his champagne. "Have you thought about what date we're getting married on? What day we'll finally be tying the knot?" Hunter said, dancing his fingers up and down her spine. He took another drink then put his glass down. "Soon hopefully." Hunter said with a smile as he brushed his lips against her neck and rested his hand on her thigh.
Arabella shrugged and she let out a small sigh "I don't know when it's going to happen. It better be soon because I hate waiting to marry you. But there is just so much that I have to figure out before we actually get married. The place, the dress, the invites, the flowers, the cake. Who is going to marry us? What kind of ceremony will it be? What are the colors going to be? Where is the registry going to be? Prenup? Bridal shower? Bachelorette party?" Arabella let out a huff and she put her head on his chest. "And the list goes on and on and on..."
Hunter looked at her and kissed her head. "Hey, you know what? We are going to do this every step by step and I will be there to help you and take my share of stuff to do, but honestly I don't really have much of an opinion. I just want it to be perfect for you." Hunter wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers, pulling her closer. "I'm very excited and we don't need any of that stuff to make our wedding the best wedding ever."
"Our wedding..." Arabella said softly and she smiled at him, placing her hands on his chest. "One day, years from now, you and I will be on this couch and celebrating the new year. Either that or worrying about what party our teenage daughter has gone to" she said with a giggle and she looked up at him, brushing her fingers down his cheek. "I'm looking forward to having a teenage daughter" She added, laughing a little bit.
Hunter scoffed. "You mean what party she wished she had gone to, but wasn't allowed to because she's not allowed to talk to boys until she's married." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her. "Ellie, I'm just excited to be Mr. Arabella Reed." Hunter kissed her and leaned back on the couch. "You know...our canine and porcine children are int heir cages and by the sound of it our asleep." Hunter smiled and ran his hands to her sides. "This wouldn't be a bad way to break in the new year." Hunter laughed a little and kissed her cheek.
Arabella giggled and she ran her hands down his arms. She leaned her cheek into his kiss a little bit then turned her head to kiss his lips lightly. "I think that it would be a wonderful way to break in the new year.." She said softly, a kissed him again before there was a sound like an explosion and she squeaked out of surprise, jumping up. The dogs started to bark as the sound came again and again. Arabella jumped off of the couch and looked out the window on her way to the dogs. "Fireworks!" She said in an excited voice and she bent down to open up the cages. Ajax looked like he was fine, just excited. Piggy was looking around with his regular chill expression. Jolie, however, was shaking like a leaf. Arabella gently lifted her out of the crate and held the tiny dog close to her chest.
Hunter smiled and stood off the couch. "I bet that's Thad and Jordan and their son Jon." Hunter said as he grabbed his sweatshirt and put it on Arabella's shoulders before picking Piggy up. Hunter opened the door and stepped outside into the cool night air. Hunter tugged his sleeves down a little and smiled at the sleepy little pig in his arms. "Happy New Year!" Hunter shouted over the sound of a Screeching Eagle. Thad and Jordan turned with the 2 year old Jon in her arms.
"Happy New Year, Hunter!" Thad shouted. Hunter took Arabella's hand and led her closer to the fireworks, Ajax trotting close nearby. "How are you guys doing with your mini zoo?" Thad asked with a chuckle and watched as Ajax trotted over to Jordan and looked up at Jon curiously.
"Puppy!" Jon exclaimed and almost fell out of his mom's arms trying to pet Ajax.
Arabella folded her arms across her chest, having left Jolie in the house. She was too terrified of the sound and was much happier hiding under Arabella and Hunter's bed. She grinned at Jon and leaned into Hunter a little bit. Arabella was looking forward to having a life like Thad and Jordan. It would be nice. Comfortable. "Happy New Year, guys" She said happily to them and looked down at Ajax on the ground. "I swear, this dog isn't afraid of anything. The other one is curled up in a ball under the bed.."
"You should see the cat." Jordan said as she set Jon down by Ajax who immediately sniffed away at the newcomer. "Was he hiding behind the toilet or in the couch?"
"I actually think she's on top of the bookcase this time." Thad said with a laugh. He had the kind of hearty laugh that was contagious and he laughed with his whole body, causing his heavy shoulders to bounce up and down with each guffaw. "That cat gets scared of everything."
"Sounds like Jolie. The only thing she's not scared of is Ajax." Hunter looked down at his dog who was licking Jon's face as the boy made a face and laughed the same way as his father. It made him really want to have this life. He wanted to live that life with Arabella. He could imagine holding his son and watching him grow up into a man. Hunter sighed a little and looked over at Arabella, smiling softly.
Arabella took a little breath and she shivered a little, shoving her hands into her pockets. "So, how was your night?" She asked them, smiling a little. Arabella liked Thad and Jordan. She liked that they were a young couple and they had a kid. It made things fun and she liked being able to talk to Jordan. They had friends.
"Oh, it was wonderful. It'll take an army to get this one to bed though. He's all excited" Jordan said with a laugh and she nodded toward Jon. Arabella smiled down at him for a moment before turning back to Jordan. "How was your night?"
"Fantastic. It was quiet but it was really great" Arabella said and she nudged Hunter a little with her hip, a soft smile on her lips. "So....fireworks!"
Hunter adjusted his jacket onto Arabella and then handed her Piggy before walking over to Thad. "Do you mind?"
"No, not at all." Hunter grabbed a firework and a lighter. He set it down in the middle of the street and little before backing up to Arabella where he stood next to her, putting his arms around her and rubbing her arm as it exploded, launching a fountain of red and blue sparks into the air, showering down in front of them. Thad clapped and lit another one, picking up Jon. It hissed until exploding into several bursts of sparks ranging from pink to blue to all the other colors. Hunter smiled and kissed Arabella on the cheek.
"Got anymore?" Hunter asked, shivering a little. Thad shook out the bag.
"Nope, we're all out." Thad said as he crumpled up the bag. He took his lighter back from Hunter. "It's a good thing too. It looks like your dog tired Jon out." Thad laughed as he patted the quickly fading Jon on the back.
"Good night, you two." Jordan said with a wave.
"Good night" Arabella said in a soft voice and she smiled at Jon lightly touching his little fingers. "Sleep tight, Jon" She said in a gentle voice and she waved as Thad and Jordan walked back to their home. Arabella took a deep breath and slipped her hand into Hunter's, yawning as she did. "I've had a really good time tonight, Hunter" She told him softly as he turned her towards their home and started walking.
Hunter smiled and raised her hand up, kissing it gently. Hunter let her inside and let Ajax in then closed it behind him, locking it. Ajax climbed into his cage and Hunter looked inside and saw Jolie sleeping in the corner. Ajax looked at her for a moment before curling up next to her and putting his head down. "Good night, Ajax. Good night, Princess." Hunter said quietly before turning to Arabella who latched Piggy's cage closed and looked at him sleepily. Hunter moved toward her and caught her as she fell into Hunter's arms. "Let's go to bed, sweetheart." Hunter said, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
"Bed" Arabella agreed and she leaned into Hunter, letting her arms fall limp at her sides. It was nice to just stand there with him but after a moment, she could feel him lifting her up and she slipped her arms around his neck, placing small kisses on his cheek. Arabella could feel Hunter shift her in his arms a little bit as he started to walk up the stairs and she smiled a little bit. "What's the plan for tomorrow?" She asked him gently as they moved into their bedroom and Hunter gently placed her down on the bed. Arabella sat up a little and she kicked off her pants so that she was in a pair of boy short underwear and a loose tee shirt before she laid back onto the pillows.
Hunter changed into a pair of pajama pants and slid into bed next to her. He lifted the blankets and put them over the two of them, snuggling up to each other. "Have a really good day." Hunter said as he placed his lips to hers and ran his hand down her hip to her thigh. "What do you want to do? We can do some wedding stuff, too." Hunter ran his fingers through her hair and put his head down on the pillows, lying on his side and looking at her.
"Mmm...wedding stuff sounds really good" Arabella said quietly with a smile on her face. All of the planning that had to be done was stressing her out a little bit but she was just too happy to let it bring her down. It was her wedding. She was getting married and she wasn't going to let a little bit of stress ruin her wedding excitement. "We can do some googling tomorrow to find invites and stuff like that. That way, we won't have to leave the house" She said with a tired giggle.
Hunter smiled and ran his hand into her hair, kissing her softly on the lips. He pulled her closer and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sounds like a plan." Hunter said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her and put his head down. "Good night, beautiful. Happy New Year." Hunter pressed his lips to her forehead one more time before putting his head down and falling asleep.
Chapter 135 - Hunter and Arabella
Hunter stretched a little as he woke up, feeling well-rested. He glanced down at Arabella who was sleeping quietly, snuggled up to Hunter's side, an arm draped across his middle, her head on his shoulder. He smiled and kissed her head once before closing his eyes and putting his head back down. It took him one more moment to realize what day it was. "Christmas!" He shouted as his eyes shot open, sitting up and looking over at Arabella. "Ellie! Ellie! Wake up! It's Christmas!" He said, lifting her closer to him and kissing her tightly on the lips, wrapping his arms around her. She was a little disoriented at first, but she quickly slid her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. He finally pulled away and ran his thumb across her lips. "Merry Christmas, Ellie. I love you more than life itself."
"Merry Christmas, Hunter" Arabella whispered in a slightly raspy voice. A tired smile slid onto her face and she snuggled closer to him. "I love you like a fat kid loves cake" She giggled and buried her face into his shoulder. Christmas morning. It was finally there and even though she was a little tired from just waking up, her stomach was doing backflips of excitment. There was a jingling sound coming down the hall towards them and Arabella lifted her head in time to see Ajax pad into the room, followed by a very excited Jolie who had a jingle bell on her collar and tinsel on her head.
Hunter smiled and let out a laugh before kissing Arabella tightly on the lips and pushing her her back down onto the bed, keeping his arms wrapped around her. He rolled and then rolled again, keeping his lips firmly placed on hers the whole time. After a few moments, he stopped with Arabella on top of him. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her tightly on the lips, smiling against her skin. "How about this? How about I go downstairs and make some coffee and a huge breakfast of food that isn't good for us, then while we exchange presents we can eat and then we'll figure it out from there?" He whispered against her skin, placing small kisses on her cheeks and lips. He felt a nose against his leg and he looked to see Ajax up on the bed, sniffing around. There were a few barks and Hunter reached down blindly off the bed and snapped until he felt fur then picked up Jolie and placed her on the bed too. "Ellie, I think all I want for Christmas is right here." He said with a smile before kissing her on the forehead.
Arabella smiled a little and she nodded in agreement. She leaned into him and kissed him tightly, happy that she was in that bed with him and that their dogs were playing around on the bed. Everything was wonderful and Arabella was happy. She was blissful. "A huge breakfast and coffee sounds amazing" She said with a happy little sigh and she sat up so that she could stretch and look out the window. "It is a beautiful day" She said and looked down at Hunter with a grin.
Hunter grinned and ran his fingers through her hair a moment, kissing her again. "You know, as much as I would love to sit here in bed with you and kiss you and hold you, I'm way too excited for gifts to be here much longer." He pulled her in for a tight kiss on the lips, putting all of his love into it and hoping that it would be enough until they could do it again.
Arabella swayed for a moment, trying to regain her composure after that kiss. She took a little breath and slowly opened her eyes. "Yeah...I'm pretty excited for gifts too. You are going to LOVE yours" She said with a little giggle and she grabbed Jolie before jumping off the bed. She put Jolie down on the ground and looked over at Hunter, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet for a moment before she turned and skipped out of the room.
Hunter smiled and rolled off the bed, grabbing a shirt and slipping it on as he hurried down the stairs, catching her at the bottom and wrapping his arms around her. "No presents until after breakfast." He said, placing a small kiss on her neck then walking her into the kitchen. He pulled away from her and opened the fridge, pulling everything out for breakfast and starting to cook. He sighed once he had everything cooking and he turned to Arabella. His stomach was twisting out of eagerness to open presents, but he really wanted to save it until after breakfast. Hunter peeked out the window. It was still pretty dark due to how early it was, but you could see light snowfall and Hunter smiled before closing the curtains.
Arabella bounced a little out of excitment and nerves. She really just wanted him to love the presents she got for him. They weren't flashy or over the top but she put a lot of thought into them. She wanted Hunter to love his first real Christmas presents. Arabella looked over at Hunter and yawned, stretching her arms out. "I'm gonna have to go for a nap later today, I think" She said in a small voice.
Hunter sighed and nodded a little turning the eggs over a little. He put away a lot of the stuff that he had initially gotten out and moved the bacon to a plate. It was a little undercooked, but he didn't care. The eggs he turned up the heat on and a few minutes later he put it on a plate and handed it to her before taking his own plate and grabbing her arm. "Alright. That's it. Gifts while we eat. I can't wait." He said, hurrying her into the living room. "Me first or you first?" He said, setting his plate on the table and walking toward the presents.
"You first!" Arabella said and she put down her plate. With slightly shaking hands, Arabella picked up a medium size box. It was neatly wrapped in silver wrapping paper with a blue bow on the top, like all of hers were. She took a small breath and passed it to him. "It's not much. It just..made me think of you when I saw it" She said with a little giggle.
Hunter weighed it in his hand a moment before unwrapping it, a gigantic smile on his face. He opened it and looked inside, his smile dropping a moment in confusion when he saw the giant gummi worm inside. "What...is...Is this a giant blue gummi worm?" He said with a raised eyebrow. She giggled and nodded. Hunter set it down on the table and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the lips. "It's perfect." He said with a grin. He stood up and walked over taking a little rectangular box out from under the tree. It was wrapped in clumsily wrapped in green paper. "Okay, I was going to save this for last, but I couldn't wait." He said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the window where the curtains were closed. "Alright. Close your eyes and open the gift and your eyes when I tell you, okay?"
Arabella looked down at the gift for a moment, running her hand over the paper. It was already so perfect and she almost didn't want to open. She almost wanted to hold onto this exact moment for ever. Almost. Arabella closed her eyes and she ripped the wrapping paper off like a little kid. Once the paper was off, she held it gingerly in her hands and ran her fingers over the front of it. "Okay, so..it's some kind of book" She said with a little giggle. "Can I open my eyes, now?"
Hunter took a deep breath and opened the curtains, letting the lights from the houses across the street streaming into the room. He was shaking a little and he cleared his throat. "Okay. Open the book and look down at it." He watched her and he waited a moment. "Okay. Look out the window." He said before standing behind her and dropping to one knee.
"This better be good, Mr. Reed. Because you seem to really enjoy teasing me.." Arabella said, her voice trailing off as she slowly opened her eyes, looking down at the book in her hands. "Oh, Hunter..it's beautiful" She said in a soft voice, amazed at what an incredible book he got for her. It was a journal, made with black leather. It had small flowers on the front of it and it had little beads along the spine. On the front, it had a small metal piece with her name engraved on it. It looked like an old-world sort of journal. Arabella took a small breath and opened the journal. In the pages was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen and her heart skipped a beat. A promise ring, maybe? Before she could take a long look at the ring, she looked out of the window like Hunter told her to. What she saw made her heart stop. It made everything stop. Arabella Marie Foster, will you marry me. Across the roofs of the houses across the street was the proposal that Arabella had been waiting and wishing for. She couldn't speak. She could hardly move. Tears started to flow and her hands were shaking. It was perfect. It was beautiful. And it was for her. After a moment, Arabella turned to look at Hunter and found him on one knee. She let out a little squeak and covered her hand with her mouth, trying to find words.
Hunter smiled up at her, taking deep breaths and trying to stay calm. His heart was beating out of his chest and his hands were shaking a little as he grabbed the journal because she looked like she was going to drop it. "Ellie," He started taking the ring out of the journal and taking her hand in his. "Your journal talked about your life at camp and about how much you wished you could be with me. This journal is for the new life. The life with me. Ellie, I made this ring out of my old knife that I used at camp. It was the ring that I killed Kate with." He took a deep breath and paused as his tears started to build up on his eyelashes. "Ellie, for so long I held onto that and for a long time it controlled my life and now, I just want to be with you and nothing is ever ever going to change that. You've made me happier than anything has in my entire life and I don't ever want that to change. Ellie, will you marry me?"
Ellie, will you marry me. They were such simple words but they had such an incredible meaning. Arabella never thought that she would be lucky enough to be with someone as amazing as Hunter, let alone have the chance to grow old with him. She took a small, shaky breath and she nodded. Yes. Yes, she would marry him. She would grow old with him and raise a family with him. She would wake up to his face every single day and fall asleep in his arms every single night. Tears were falling down her cheeks freely now and it was takng everything she had not to jump on him right at that moment.
Hunter smiled finally let a tear fall as he slipped the ring on her finger and stood up, wrapping her arms around her and kissing her tightly on the lips. She was going to marry him. She was going to marry him. "Ellie, I love you so much." He breathed as he held her tight in a hug that made his heart soar. He laughed and lifted her up, hugging her more closely. "I love you." He repeated finally setting her down and kissing her.
"I love you too" Arabella said softly in a watery voice. She kissed him tightly then looked down at the ring on her finger. It was more than she could ever hope for. It was prettier than any ring she had ever seen. It meant the world to her. Everything felt so surreal, almost like it was a dream. "All of my presents for you will so not live up to this" She said with a little giggle and she looked up at him with a little smile.
Hunter laughed a little and grabbed the rest of the presents setting them on the table. "They don't have to. You just gave me the best gift ever." He said, sitting down with her and putting an arm around her. "Alright." He said, picking up one of his presents. "This one?" He said, shaking the gift a little by his ear. He was still shaking a little and he was happier than ever. He didn't really care if the rest of the gifts were any good. He was happy because of his new fiance who was leaning into him on the couch. He could really get used to the feeling.
Arabella giggled, knowing exactly what present he picked up and she thought that it was pretty funny that it was following his proposal. "I think that you're gonna like this one" She said with a mischevious smile. Arabella glanced down at her ring again and her heart fluttered. They were getting married. Nothing could ruin this day.
Hunter bit his lip a little as he destroyed the wrapping paper to reveal a box that he recognized as holding clothes. "Is this a 'World's sexiest Hunter' shirt or something?" He said with a chuckle as he pulled the lid off of the box and saw a bundle of pink lace. His jaw dropped as he helped up the lingerie from Victoria's Secret. "Uhh...umm..." He mumbled as he looked over at Arabella who was giggling her butt off. He blushed, but finally smiled a little. "I don't think this will fit me." He said with a chuckle before handing it to her and following it by pushing himself on top her a little, his lips on hers. "I can't wait for tonight." He winked at her and kissed her one more time before grabbing one of her gifts and placed it on his lap. It wasn't wrapped and it was a fairly large box that wasn't taped shut or anything. Hunter smiled and looked at her. "Alright. Open it."
Arabella looked down at the large box with a little look of awe on her face. She hoped that he didn't spend too much money on her because it would probably make her feel guilty. Arabella was about to open the box when she heard small movements coming from inside the box and she squeaked a little out of shock. It wasn't a big movment, just a soft sort of rustling. Arabella looked at Hunter before gingerly lifting the lid of the box. Inside was a small, pink pig that was fast asleep. Arabella gasped and reached inside, gently lifting the small animal out of the box. It wiggled it's nose before slowly opening it's eyes and looking at her. The pig was hardly bigger than her hand and the moment she looked in it's eyes, Arabella was in love.
Hunter laughed and looked over at Arabella and scratched the pig's head. "I have no idea what compelled me to buy that for you but I knew you would love it." Hunter said putting an arm around Arabella's middle. "The stuff to take care of him is in the back of my car." The pig wiggled its nose a little and pushed it onto Arabella's cheek like a little piggy kiss. "So what's his name?" Hunter asked, scratching the pig's side.
Arabella giggled a little, smiling down at the pig. He was the most adorable thing she had ever seen and she was pretty amazed that Hunter had gotten her a teacup pig. "Oh..I don't know" She said softly and held the little pig close to her chest. "He needs a special name" She said with a little nod and gingerly patted the pig's side.
"It'll come to you." Hunter smiled and kissed her on the cheek. She turned her head and Hunter kissed her tightly on the lips, pushing her back a little. He heard a little small grunt and he turned toward the pig. "He's just so adorable." Hunter said, pulling away and grabbing a gift. "Alright. This one next?" He said, sitting back and leaning against Arabella a little.
Arabella nodded, holding the tiny pig close to her chest. Her heart started to flutter as she watched Hunter start to unwrap the present. It was one of the better gifts that she had gotten for him. It was a navy blue sweater that she had knitted by herself and she was rather proud of it. A lot of work and heart had gone into it. Arabella had also knitted a little special something in the left sleeve.
Hunter unwrapped and gasped a little as he ran his fingers over the thread. "Ellie, this is beautiful." He said, standing up and slipping it over his head. He smoothed it out and sat back down. "Ellie, this is absolutely perfect." He slipped an arm around her and kissed her cheek, feeling a difference in the fabric on his left arm. He rolled the sleeve to reveal a little pink heart on the inside. "Oh, gods...I love it!" He said, rolling it back down then grabbing a gift off the table. "This one next."
Arabella looked up at him for a moment, smiling softly when she saw the sweater on him. Seeing him in it made her feel pretty amazing. She placed the small pig on the couch beside her where it curled up and closed his eyes. Arabella took the gift from him and she quickly unwrapped it. When she got all of the wrapping paper off, she gasped at what was in her hands. It was a panoramic picture of the view from the roof of her old apartment building. Where her and Hunter had spent a few perfect moments and danced together. "Oh, Hunter..." She said softly and turned to kiss him tightly.
Hunter leaned into her, kissing her. He finally broke away and picked up the pig, holding it gingerly. "I stole your camera and then had Tom let me up." He looked up when the dogs walked over and Ajax hopped onto the couch, sniffing the pig curiously. Jolie barked and barked until Arabella finally helped her up. "Hi, guys. This is the newest member of our family. Be nice to him. He's very important." Ajax finished sniffing and then curled up against Hunter's leg. Jolie quickly did the same and Hunter set the pig down which did the same. He smiled and looked at Arabella. "Okay. What's next?"
"Last one" Arabella said and she bent down to pick up a hard box, wrapped neatly. She took a small breath and place it on his lap, hoping that he would like it. Arabella reached over and scratched behind Jolie's ear as Hunter started to unwrap his gift. Everything felt so surreal. Like she would wake up and this would all be a dream. Was she really sitting with Hunter, two dogs and a pig on Christmas morning? Was she really going to be getting married? Arabella hoped that it wasn't all a dream.
Hunter eagerly tore off the paper, revealing a small box with the 'LOVE' sign carved onto it. Gasping a little, he ran his fingers along the top of the box. "It's beautiful." He breathed, finally opening it and showing their first picture. In Philadelphia, in front of the sign carved onto the box she had her arms around him, her leg popped into the air, Hunter's hands up in the air in surprise. He laughed a little and looked over at her. "It's so much better than my last gift." He said with a sigh.
Arabella giggled and she grabbed the last gift with a grin on her face. "I am sure that it's amazing. Besides, you already gave me the best gift in the world" Arabella said softly and she lifted up her hand to show off her new ring. She smiled a little and kissed him before opening the gift. When she first saw it, she was a little stunned. It's not that she didn't like it, she loved it actually. It was more that she never expected Hunter to buy a book of sex positions. Arabella looked up at Hunter with the slightly stunned look on her face before smirking and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him teasingly. "I love it" She said softly.
Hunter put his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Well, I knew how much you've been frustrated with our lack of...intimacy, so I thought I'd get you this to make up for it." He said with a smile as he kissed her gently on the lips. "Maybe we could try one out, right now."
"Mmm...sounds good to me" Arabella said with a wink and she pushed him back a little bit, leaning into him and kissing him tightly. She giggled a little bit and brushed her lips along his jaw, running her fingers along the hem of his sweater. It was at that moment that she felt a wiggling in her side and she looked down to see the pig, wiggling around and nudging her side with his nose. She let out a sigh and sat up a little bit. "Silly pig.."
Hunter picked up the dogs and the pig off the couch and set the on the floor before sitting up with Arabella in his arms. "I think he might be hungry." Hunter said with a sigh as he stood up. "I'm going to go get his stuff out of the car. You can put this on and meet me upstairs." He handed her the lingerie and the book of sex positions. "Pick out a good one." He helped her up and placed his hands on her hips, kissing her tightly. "If we get interrupted, we are going to move away." He said with a chuckle before picking the pig up into his arms and walking off to the kitchen.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away then she looked down at Jolie. The dog looked up at her then stood up, wagging her tail. "I am so close to putting you in your crate for the next little while" She said with a nod then tossed a little chew toy to her before she ran up the stairs. She hoped that everything would go well for them. It felt like everytime they went to do something, they had to stop for whatever reason. It was a miracle that Daniel hadn't called her or just shown up on their doorstep yet. Arabella brushed her fingers through her hair and she quickly started to make the bed.
Hunter set the pig down on the counter and he grunted around, sniffing everything. Hunter walked out and grabbed the food and the pig's cage out of the car. He brought it back inside and set it up in the kitchen. "Who's hungry?" Hunter said, picking the pig up and bouncing him a little. He poured his food and set the pig down on the counter. He shuffled over and started eating, oinking happily. Hunter watched with a happy little sigh and then turned toward the stairs. He knew what would be waiting for him. He was tempted to unhook the phone and to put a sign on the door, but he just hoped it wouldn't be necessary.
Arabella quickly slipped into the lacey pink and looked around the room, her heart fluttering. Everything looked perfect and she was beyond excited. Arabella moved over and sat down on the bed, opening up the book that Hunter had got for her. She flipped through the pages, giggling at some of them. It was exciting and it was new and she was happy that she got to do stuff like this with the man that she was going to marry. Arabella heard the bedroom door open and Hunter walk in but she didn't look up, she smirked a little to herself. "I missed you"
Hunter grinned and laughed a little. "Don't you look absolutely lovely?" He said with a smile, running his fingers through his hair a moment. He walked over to her and crawled on top of her, smashing the book between them, kissing her tightly on the lips. "I missed you too." He whispered against her lips before rolling off next to her. "Did you pick one?" He said, putting an arm around her, running his fingers through her hair. He froze for a second. "Or...or did you pick more than one?" He said quietly, pausing a little in trepidation.
Arabella giggled at the way that he paused and she kissed him lightly, her lips brushing against his in a teasing sort of way before she lightly nibbled on his bottom lip. "I found quite a few that I like" She breathed and wiggled her eyebrows at him. Seeing the look on his face, she let out another giggled and she pulled herself closer to him. "This is a really wonderful present" She told him with a small nod.
Hunter took her hand and kissed her ear, moving his lips down to her neck. "Well, you gave me the best gift ever." Hunter said, holding up her ring hand and kissing it. "Alright, shall we do the...leg wrap or the...sun worshiper?" Hunter furrowed his brow and the turned his head, trying to understand what it was describing. "I'm not sure if that's...legal or possible." Hunter muttered a little. "Or what about the tight squeeze?" He said, turning the page and trying to get that position out of Arabella's mind.
"Mmm...I like them all" Arabella said with a little giggle and she leaned back against the pillows. She ran her fingers up and down his arm, closing her eyes as he looked through the book. From downstairs, she could hear a bit of movment as the dogs and the pig walked around but it was nothing serious. Arabella was just happy to be with Hunter in that moment. "Why don't you just...surprise me" She said with a giggle.
Hunter scoffed. "Oh, good. The guy who doesn't know anything is going to decide." He looked over at Arabella and placed his lips on hers. "You know what? It's Christmas. People don't show up until 7:30. Let's just start at 1 and we'll just keep going until we don't feel like it anymore." He said against her lips, flipping to the front of the book. "That's not so hard." He was about to explain, but he felt Arabella lean into him, kissing him more passionately. Hunter couldn't help, but respond. He put the book open on the night stand and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her tightly. "I'm very excited to show you off tonight." He said with a smirk against her lips.
"Oh please, if anyone is going to be showing off, it'll be me showing off my stud of a fiance" Arabella said with a little giggle and she smiled up at him. In that moment, with Hunter so close to her and his ring on her finger, she had never felt more beautiful. She felt like she could rule the world. She felt strong. Arabella kissed him lightly before turning her head to look at the book on the night stand. "You do remember that you're talking to a daughter of Aphrodite, right? If the plan is that we're just going to keep going until we don't feel like it anymore..we'll be here until we finish the book"
"Challenge accepted." He said with a small and slightly nervous laugh. Hunter took a deep breath and looked at the book. "Well, we'll skip the ones that are not...possible or the ones that make me cringe and that'll cut it in half, so it's not as many as you think." He said, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her tightly on the lips. He grabbed the book and opened it to the first page. "Okay. The...No. Skipping that one. Yikes. And that one. See we're making progress already." He finally turned another page and turned the book, trying to figure it out.
Arabella giggled a little bit and she slipped an arm around his neck, placing little kisses along his jaw. "You know..we can't skip everyone either" She teased in a soft voice and without looking, she flipped the pages of the bookand randomly stopped on one. "That one" She whispered against his skin and trailed her lips down from his jaw to his neck, nibbling lightly.
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Hunter put his head down on the pillows, his breathing heavy. "How many do we have left?" Hunter said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "It's 5:30. We're not going to eat until 9 at this rate." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer on top of him. "I feel sore." Hunter said against her lips. "Like...more sore than when I fought Atlas. Or the Nemean Lion." He moved his lips across her cheek and to her shoulder where he bit her skin gently. "I really didn't expect you to be able to put your leg up like that."
"You underestimate me, Mr. Reed" Arabella let out a tired little giggle and she closed her eyes. She had snuggled close to him and now she was just focusing on the way his breath felt against her shoulder. All she wanted to do for the rest of the day was stay in bed with Hunter. Fall asleep early and get the best sleep of her life with her future husband. She turned her eyes down and looked at the ring on her finger, smiling to herself. She yawned before sitting up a bit, she she was straddling him and smiling down at him. "If you're sore..maybe I should give you a massage" She giggled and ran her hands down his bare chest.
Hunter laughed a little and pulled her down for a kiss. "I need to start the turkey, sweetheart." He smiled and sat up, rolling over and hovering over her. "Let start the turkey and some of the other food and then I'll be right up. I'm already going to have to cut the turkey up so it can cook before 9 o clock." He placed a lasting kiss on her lips. "I'll be back. Take a breather." He winked at her and stood up, steadying himself with a hand on the wall. He took a little breath and tracked down a pair of shorts, slipping them on and heading downstairs.
Arabella closed her eyes and she took a deep breath, wiggling under the blankets a ittle bit more. Now that Hunter was gone, she realized just how tired she was and how cold the air was. She shivered a little bit and rolled onto her stomach, putting her face into the pillow. Arabella was trying to be good and stay in bed while she waited for him, but it was very difficult. She also knew that she was probably going to fall asleep if she was by herself in a cozy bed for very much longer. Arabella groaned and pushed herself out of the bed, holding the blanket around her. She walked over to her closet, picking out her favorite shorts, the boxers that she had stolen from Hunter. She pulled them on before finding a tee shirt and a thick sweater. Once all of her clothes were on, she dropped the blanket on the bed and walked out, towards the stairs.
Hunter started the turkey right when he got down to the kitchen. He cooked the potatoes and started on the stuffing. It was a good headstart and things were probably going to be done right on time. Hunter stepped away from the counter and almost tripped over the animals swirling around his feet. Jolie yipped at him and then ran off into the living room, followed by the pig. Ajax put his paws up on his leg and barked. Hunter grabbed a tennis ball of the counter. "You're going to chew it up anyway." Hunter said before tossing it down the hallway. Hunter walked to the bottom of the steps and saw Arabella coming down. "You are awful at listening to directions." Hunter said with a laugh before running up the stairs and picking her up over her shoulder, carrying her back into the bedroom.
With a giggle, Arabella gave his butt a little pat. "Yeah, well you were taking too long and I was gettig bored" She said and she wiggled around in his arms a little bit. She could feel him walking towards the bed and she let out a little squeak of laughter when he flopped her down on her back. Right away, she turned over so that she was on her stomach and her back was facing Hunter and she buried her face into the blankets, trying not to laugh.
Hunter knelt on the bed next to her and started rubbing her back. "I think all the food will be ready at 8ish, so you might have to entertain our guests for about 30 minutes." He said, bending down and placing small kisses on her shoulders. "Are all the gifts ready, by the way?" Hunter asked, brushing his lips to her back and nibbling lightly on her skin. Hunter was excited for dinner, but he really just wanted to spend all day with his fiance.
Arabella bit her lip, gasping softly when she felt Hunter's lips against her back. She was focusing on that and nothing else. She didn't want to have to move or do anything, she just wanted to feel what Hunter was doing on her back. "Hmmm? Gifts? Oh, yeah..they're ready" She said softly and let out a little moan when he rubbed a knot in her back. "Hunter, you are going to make it very difficult for me to entertain our guests if you keep doing stuff like this to me" She giggled.
Hunter smiled and laid down on his stomach next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her closer. She turned her head and Hunter caught her lips with hers. "That's alright. I'm sure the animals will do it well enough." He whispered against her lips, rubbing her back gently. He smiled as he kissed her and moved himself closer to her. "Tom and Daniel are coming. Then Your dad and Tyler are coming. Am I forgetting anyone?" Hunter pulled himself closer and kissed her cheek once before running his hand across it.
"Tyler's new crush, Gwen and her aunt might be stopping by. I invited them and they said that they might be able to make it" Arabella said with a small nod and she smiled at him before turning her eyes down to look at her ring. "I can't wait to show this off tonight" She said with a little grin and she looked up at him. "I can't wait to marry you, Hunter"
Hunter grinned and rolled, pulling her on top of him. She snuggled into him and put her head down on his chest, placing small kisses on his skin. "I love you, Arabella Marie Foster and I can't wait to marry you, too." Hunter sighed happily and wrapped his arms around her, placing his lips on hers. "You know, I never told you what I said to your dad that made him like me." Hunter smiled and brushed a little hair out of her face. "Mr. Foster, I love your daughter more than I have ever loved someone and I'm going to marry her. I know I am. You might not like me at all and you don't have to. That isn't going to stop me from marrying her."
Arabella looked at him with wide, amazed eyes. For about the billionth time, she wondered how she had gotten so lucky, how she had managed to find someone as amazing as Hunter. It almost felt like the life that she was living didn't belong to her, but she wasn't willing to give it up anytime soon. "Hunter, I think that you might be the most incredible man in the entire universe" She said and softly ran her fingers down his cheeks. She kissed him lightly and smiled against his lips. "I love you too"
Hunter smiled and kissed her cheek several times, running his fingers across her back. "I don't know what I did to deserve such a beautiful, charming, smart, kind, funny, loving, wonderful, sexy, young woman like yourself to be my fiance." He kissed her tightly on the lips and ran his hands up her back to her neck. "Whatever it is I couldn't be happier about it." He laughed a little and sat up with her in his arms. "I like you."
Arabella giggled and she kissed his nose "I like you too" She said and she buried her face into his neck. Arabella let out a happy little sigh and she snuggled into him. As much as she didn't really want to get out of bed, she was excited for dinner. It was their first Christmas dinner together and she was looking forward to many, many, many more. She was looking forward to Christmas morning with their kids and seeing them grow. She was excited for her life. "Mmm...I don't want to get up but I should probably get a shower and get dressed for tonight"
Hunter kissed her a moment and then put his forehead against hers looking into her eyes. Her brilliant blue eyes. He wanted to look into them forever and he was even happier now that it was now his luxury. He had the rest of their life together to do so. "A shower and you getting dressed sounds really good, Honey bunch." Hunter said with a little laugh as he put a hand under her butt and stood, wobbling at first, but steadying himself and kissing her as he walked toward the bathroom.
Arabella slipped her arms around his neck and she smiled against his lips as he walked towards the bathroom. "You know, I don't know how much showering I'm actually going to get done if you're in there with me" She said softly as Hunter moved his lips down to her neck "Not that I'm complaining" She breathed, pressing her fingers into his back.
------------------------------------
Hunter checked the turkey and ran his fingers through his hair. "I should get a haircut eventually, no?" Hunter said, leaning against the counter and pulling Arabella toward him, putting his hands on her hips. He smiled down at the pig in her arms and sighed a little. "Have you named it, yet, babe?" Hunter asked, kissing her lightly on the forehead.
"The Notorious P.I.G or Piggy Smalls or just Piggy" Arabella said with a small shrug and she smiled down at the small pig in her arms. She giggled a little bit when he wiggled his nose and she looked up at Hunter thoughtfully. Arabella ran her fingers through his hair, a small smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. "I could cut it for you if you want, we can do it tomorrow"
Hunter made a weird face and looked up at her. "I'm not sure I can trust you. Let me see your credentials." Hunter laughed and pulled her between his legs and kissing her being met with a little pig nose against his jaw. "I don't know..." Hunter said, petting the pig gently. "I think Just Piggy could be shortened to JP. That's a good pig name, probably. I've never had to name a pig before." Hunter laughed a little and checked on the food again.
"Or, I could name him Kevin Bacon" Arabella said with a nod and she placed Piggy down on the ground. He pushed his little nose against her leg before he waddled off to find Jolie and Ajax. Arabella smiled then turned to Hunter. "And by the way, I am excellent at cutting hair. What do you think we did in the Aphrodite cabin?" She said with a smile and a little scoff. Arabella kissed his cheek and she walked over to the freezer, pulling out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of peppermint schnapps.
Hunter grabbed the bottles from her. "And what do you think you're doing?" Hunter said quietly, holding the bottles out of reach. "I'm all for you having a good time today, babe, but this is not needed." Hunter put it back in the freezer. "And what will your dad think when he sees you drinking. You are not 21 yet, beautiful." Hunter said, standing between her and the freezer.
Arabella looked up at him with a little pout. "My father knows that I drink, for one. And I was going to make martinis for those who wanted one" She said and let out a little sigh. Arabella thought abous trying to get around him to get to the freezer but she realized that she was too tired to do anything like that so she just leaned against the counter and looked up at him with big eyes.
Hunter sighed a little. "How do you expect me to refuse those beautiful eyes?" Hunter said, kissing her gently, running his fingers up her arm. "Ellie, it's unfair because you know there's nothing to rival that." He pushed her a little and stepped away from the fridge, walking over to check on the food again.
Arabella walked over to him and she slipped her arms around her neck, pressing her lips to his cheek. The last thing that she wanted was for Hunter to feel uncomfortable about anything and she certainly didn't want to fight with him. "I'm sorry, Hunter"
Hunter waved it off. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart." Hunter said, sliding his arms around her waist. "You can make the martinis or whatever. I'm just overreacting." Hunter kissed her and picked her up, setting her on the counter. "I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you, Ellie."
"I just...I don't want you to feel...awkward or uncomfortanle or anything like that, ever" She said softly and she ran her fingers down his chest a little before stopping and holding onto his shirt lightly. She looked down for a moment before turning just her eyes up to look at him, her long braid falling over her shoulder from the way that her head was tilted.
Hunter leaned into her and kissed her. "Ellie, I don't feel awkward. I don't feel uncomfortable. You're the thing that makes all that go away." He slid his hands down her sides and squeezed her thighs as he kissed her. "I promise. Everything is fine. More than fine." Hunter kissed her. "It's perfect." KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Ding-dong.
"Oh!" Arabella gasped and she kissed Hunter lightly before jumping off the counter and running towards the door. She picked up a barking Jolie and an oinking Piggy in one arm before opening the door with the other. Daniel was standing there, with Tom and Arabella grinned.
"Arabella! You have a pig!" Daniel said in shock, giving her a one armed hug before walking into the house. "Where is Hunty!" He called in a sing-song sort of voice. Arabella rolled her eyes at Daniel with a little giggle before closing the door behind Tom.
"Merry Christmas, Tom" She said, putting the dogs down and giving him a hug.
"There's no one here by that name, but if you're looking for me then I'm in the kitchen!" Hunter shouted from his spot in the kitchen where he was mashing the potatoes.
"Hunter!" Danny hurried into the kitchen and Hunter turned around, just as Danny hugged him. "This sweater is great. Where...Who got this for you?" Hunter laughed and looked over at Arabella.
"Ellie made it for me. Can you believe that?" Hunter said with a laugh as he poured milk and butter and garlic salt and a little bit of cheese into the potatoes. He grabbed a masher and started smashing the potatoes. "How was your guys' Christmas?" Hunter said, adding a little more milk to the potatoes. "Speaking of...We have gifts for you two."
"We have gifts for you too!" Daniel said excitedly and he reached into his bag, pulling out two small presents from his bag and passing them to Arabella and Hunter. Arabella gasped and she ran over to their tree. She nudged Jolie out from under and she grabbed the two flat packages that she had wrapped in gold wrapping paper with little red bows. She walked back over and passed one of them to Tom and the other one to Daniel. As soon as she handed Daniel, his present, he gasped and he grabbed her hand, holding on tightly and close to his face. "Excuse me, missy. What is this ring on your ring finger?" He said, not looking up at Arabella, keeping his eyes on the ring.
"Oh...that" She said with a little giggle and she looked over at Hunter. Her cheeks turned pink and she looked back at Daniel. "It's my Christmas present from Hunter. An engagment ring" She said and laughed at the squeal that came out of Daniel.
Hunter smiled and stopped mashing potatoes for a second, bracing himself for the coming bearhug. Daniel trapped his arms and hugged him tightly until he couldn't breath. "Enough, Danny. Yes, we're all very happy." Danny finally released him and Hunter took deep breaths leaning on the counter.
"Congratulations!!!" Danny screamed, startling Ajax a little who ran off into the living room. Hunter laughed and finished the mashed potatoes before bending down and picking up JP.
"Have you picked a date, yet?" Tom asked, hugging Hunter, giving him a heavy pat on the back. Hunter walked over to Arabella and slipped an arm around her waist.
"We really haven't talked about it." Hunter grabbed her hand and looked at the ring. "We're still just excited."
Arabella leaned into Hunter and she smiled down at the ring. She was so excited and telling people was making the whole thing more real. Up until that point, Arabella was sure that she would probably wake up and find out that Hunter had never asked her to marry him. She took a small breath and looked up at Daniel and Tom. "You should open your gifts now" She said with a little nod and she giggled when Daniel ripped the paper off of his gift.
"A spa day? Oh, Arabella, you know me so well" Daniel said happily and gave Arabella a tight hug before hugging Hunter.
Hunter smiled and hugged Danny before looking at Tom. "What do you think, Tom?" Hunter said with a grin. Tom stared oddly at the certificate. "I think February is pistachios." Tom looked up at him and then burst out laughing.
"This is great. Thanks, you guys." Tom said with a chuckle. Hunter looked back and snapped his fingers.
"I should get back to the food. Wait. What did you get us?" Hunter asked, changing his attention quickly.
Daniel passed a present to Hunter and a little present to Arabella. She looked at it for a moment before pulling the paper off of it. Arabella looked at the little blue box, a look of awe on her face and she gingerly lifted the top of it. Inside was a delicate bracelet made out of rose gold with a few diamonds. "Oh, Danny..." She breathed. Daniel stepped closer to her and helped her get it on.
"I know that you've had a bit of an...emotional year and I wanted to thank you for everything that you've given me with the company and all of that" Daniel said in a low voice to her as he finished with the bracelet. Arabella hugged him tightly.
"Thank you" She said softly.
Hunter smiled at Arabella then turned to his own gift. He opened it and found a small box. He smiled a little and opened it to reveal a beautiful silver watch nearly identical to the one he had as a Hunter.
"We're starting to do Mens' Jewelry and that is our newest piece." Daniel said with a grin. Hunter looked down at it and slipped it out of the box and onto his wrist.
"Danny, it's fantastic. Thank you." Hunter said, hugging the both of them. Hunter sighed happily. Even though things were completely different it was comforting to feel something that reminded him of his life at camp made him happy. "Alright. I have to get back to the food or we'll never eat on time."
"Can I help?" Tom asked, stepping forward. KNOCK KNOCK Ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong KNOCK KNOCK.
Arabella squeaked and she ran to the door, yanking it open. Matthew and Tyler were on the other side of the door and when she saw them, she grinned from ear to ear. "Hi guys!" She said happily and she threw her arms around Matthew in a hug. Tyler stepped into the house and stuck out his hand to give Daniel a handshake but Daniel pulled him into a hug and Tyler let out an 'oomph!'
"Merry Christmas, sweetheart" Matthew said with a smile when Arabella finally let go of him.
"Merry Christmas, Daddy" Arabella grinned and looked around for Tyler. She rushed over to him and jumped at him, giving him a huge bear hug.
Hunter smiled and shook Tyler and Matthew's hands. "Merry Christmas, sir. Merry Christmas, Tyler." Hunter said, patting Tyler on the shoulder. Hunter briefly turned to Tom. "You could finish the stuffing or heat up the cranberry sauce or the gravy. It's jarred or canned or mix, so whatever the directions say..." Hunter laughed a little and crouched down checking the turkey. "Looks like dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes."
Arabella smiled and she walked over to the stereo that she had set up a little while ago and she turned a Christmas CD on, keeping the volume pretty low so that everyone could talk. She walked towards Hunter and leaned against the counter, smiling a little. Arabella could see Daniel and her father talking and it made her smile. Daniel was her brother and she wanted him to be able to have a good relationship with her father. They were both her family. She took a breath and looked over at Hunter. He looked amazing and all she really wanted to do in that moment was hug him. She brushed her fingers along his forearm before turning to look at Tom. "How have things been going, Tom?"
Hunter smiled and looked over at Arabella a moment, before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. "Are you back at work at the apartment complex?"
"Yep!" Tom said with a grin. "I started back up again a couple of weeks ago. I feel fine honestly." Tom stretched a little. "Danny seems to make a fuss over me usually, but I'm really in good shape. Danny makes sure of that." Tom winked at Arabella who giggled, but Hunter cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"So, what did Danny get you for Christmas?" He asked, kissing Arabella lightly on the head.
"Nothing too special, really. I promised him that I would take him out on a fancy date. That was all he wanted" Tom said with a little nod and Arabella giggled.
"And he is impossible to shop for" Arabella added and Tom grinned.
"That too" He said and Arabella looked up at Hunter, snuggling into him a little bit.
"Danny is the pickiest person on the planet and he gets really fussy about certain things but when you ask him what he wants, he just tells you that he doesn't need anything" Arabella explained and she turned her eyes down to the ring on her hand for the millionth time, just to remind herself that it was actually real.
"We should have gotten him socks." Hunter said with a smile. "When do people not need socks?" Hunter wrapped his arms around Arabella and kissed her lightly on the lips before hugging her then turning back to the food. "People can sit down. We'll be ready to eat soon." Hunter grabbed Arabella's wrist. "Can put some of the food on the table?" Hunter said quietly before kissing her on the lips.
"I suppose I could manage that" Arabella said softly with a smile and she kissed him again, her heart fluttering when she did then picked up a bowl with the mashed potatoes in it and she headed towards the table. Everyone was sitting around, talking and having a good time but her father was standing off to the side, holding something gingerly in his hands. Arabella's eyes narrowed and she saw that he was holding her little statue of Aphrodite. The look on his face nearly broke her heart. It was the same look that she saw in Hunter's eyes when he looked at her. But Matthew would never get to marry the love of his life. Arabella took a breath and cleared her throat and putting the bowl on the table. Matthew quickly put the statue down and walked over to the table, sitting down.
"This looks really good, Arabella" Tyler said, sniffing the air.
"I know...I worked really hard" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hunter put the rest of the food on the table except for the turkey. He turned to the oven and opened the door. The turkey looked good and so Hunter pulled it out and set it on the table with a knife and a fork. "Mr. Foster?" Hunter said, spinning the knife on his finger. "Would you like to do the honor?" Matthew shook himself a little and waved it off.
"Oh, no, no." He said, shaking his head a little. "You cooked it, you carve it. Besides, you look a lot better with that knife than I am." Hunter smiled and nodded before beginning to carve. He cut skillfully around each section, making sure there wasn't too much fat and making sure it was white meat or dark meat. Hunter served everyone and then served himself before sitting down.
"I'd just like to thank everyone for coming to the first Christmas here at the Hunter Reed and Arabella Foster home and I am happy to announce that this will be the last Christmas at the Hunter Reed and Arabella Foster home." Hunter looked over at Arabella and smiled proudly.
Arabella smiled over at Hunter, her heart fluttering. In the next year, she was going to be Arabella Reed. She took a sip from her water and realized that Matthew and Tyler were looking at her with very confused and slightly nervous looks on their faces. Arabella cleared her throat and grinned. "Yeah, this time next year, I won't be Arabella Foster anymore. I'll be Arabella Reed" she said and paused for a second before holding up her hand. "Hunter proposed this morning. I said yes!"
"He...wha...really?!" Tyler said in an excited voice and he looked from Arabella to Hunter and a grin appeared on his face. "Wow! That's awesome!''
"Daddy?" Arabella said in a soft voice, looking over to Matthew, who was still silent and had a hard to read look on his face. He shook himself a little and smiled at Arabella.
"That's really exciting. Congrats. I'm happy for you" Matthew said and Arabella grinned at him.
Hunter smiled and let out a happy sigh. "That's right, Danny. Soon we'll be family and that means no more flirting with me." Danny put a fake look of disappointment on his face, but then smiled and laughed along with Hunter. "Alright. I've kept you all away from your food for long enough. Dig in!" Hunter said and he closed his eyes a moment. He was just so happy and right now everything was perfect. He was going to have a family. The family he always wanted. Hunter cut one of the bones out and tossed it to Ajax who caught it in his mouth and started gnawing at it. He cut a much smaller bone and tossed to Jolie who did the same right next to him. Hunter stood a moment and put Piggy on the counter, who wobbled over to his bowl and ate a little bit before crawling into his cage and curling up. It all seemed so iconic. So picturesque and Hunter knew that today would be the start of many other moments like it. "How's the company going, Danny?"
Arabella looked up from her meal quickly to look over at Daniel. She was glad that she had given up the company to Daniel but she still cared about it and she still wanted it to be successful. It was still her name, after all. She had put a lot of work into it. ''I saw the spread in Vogue" She said giving him a little smile.
"Everything is so amazing!" Daniel gasped and he put down his fork. "You should come by the office sometime, Arabella. You need to see it now. Everything is going so well but everyone misses you so much"
"Awh, tell them I say hello" Arabella said and she took a bite out of her turkey. "Oh! I just realized that I'm going to have to go dress hunting soon. I'll need your help, Danny" She said and gave him a wink.
"Oh, and I'll need to go suit shopping. I'll need your help..." Hunter looked at Arabella, but closed his mouth when he realized how little sense that made. "Uhh..."
"I'll help." Tom said with a chuckle.
"I'll need your help, Tom." Hunter said with a smile. "Thanks." Hunter glanced around the table. "And Tyler. You could help too. Speaking of..." Hunter stood and walked behind Arabella, crouching down by her ear. "Où avons-nous mettre vos cadeaux pour votre famille?"
"Oh!" Arabella said and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Merci" She giggled and stood up, walking over to the Christmas tree.
"She always used to speak french around me when she was teasing me" Tyler muttered.
"Love you, Tyler!" She called back to him and he waved his hand. Arabella grabbed the two presents and walked back to the table, placing one down in front of Tyler and one in front of Matthew. She sat down and grinned at them "Okay, open them!" She said happily.
"Oh, dear..." Matthew muttered and he slowly started to open up his present. He got the wrapping paper open to reveal a photo on canvas of Arabella, Tyler and Matthew when Arabella and Tyler were kids and there was also two ties and a set of cuff links. "This is just...wow" He said and leaned over to hug Arabella and shake Hunter's hand "Thanks"
"Go ahead and open yours, Tyler." Hunter said with a smile. Tyler grinned and shredded the paper, an excited look on his face. He opened the box and inside were a quiver of arrows and a bow.
"WOW! Thank you so much." Tyler said with a smile as he stood and took it out. "This is awesome!"
"Now, Tyler. With the permission of your dad, I have decided to pay for lessons with me at the rec center." Hunter said, glancing over at Matthew. He smiled a moment and nodded. "And as an added bonus, you'll get to see Gwen everyday."
"Gwen? Who's Gwen?" Matthew and Danny asked, looking interested, but for different reasons. Tyler turned a bright shade of red and sat back down.
Arabella giggled and smacked Hunter's arm with a smile on her face. "Gwen is just a friend" She said with a nod.
"Ha! As if! You are not going to fool me, sister. If this Gwen is just Tyler's friend, then I am a goat" Daniel said, grinning at Tyler "So...who is she?"
"She's just a girl" Tyler muttered, his cheeks still a deep red.
"A very pretty girl who laughed at all of your jokes" Arabella teased with a little wink.
"That's how Arabella got me." Hunter said with a laugh. "I laughed at her jokes and now we're together." She scoffed and smacked his arm, but Hunter caught it and pulled her in for a quick kiss on the cheek. "We're just giving you a hard time, Tyler. Seriously, if you'd like lessons, I would be honored to teach you. What do you say?" Hunter said, offering his hand as a peace offering. Tyler shook it and laughed a little.
"Thank you, Hunter." He said, taking a bite of his food.
----------------------
Arabella smiled and hugged Daniel tightly before he walked out of the door, following Tom. She smiled a little and turned to look at Hunter, letting out a happy but tired sigh. Christmas dinner had been fun and she loved it but she was very glad that their guests were leaving now and her and Hunter could just relax together. "That was a very wonderful supper, Mr. Reed" She said and walked over to him, slipping her arms around his middle and resting her forhead on his chest.
Hunter wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lightly on the head. "Why thank you, soon-to-be Mrs. Reed." He smiled at the thought and sighed happily. "Was the turkey okay? I was worried it wasn't done." She looked up at him with a look that said, 'Shut up. It was perfect.' and Hunter smiled before kissing her on the forehead. "We should do this ever year. I had a lot of fun." Hunter pulled her closer and put his chin on her head and swayed softly to imaginary music that was running through the wind that blew against the house. He reached down and took her left hand in his and held it up, taking more of a dancing position. "I love you."
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella said softly and she closed her eyes as Hunter swayed. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. It felt like it should have been in a movie or something. Arabella took a deep breath, letting out in a content sigh. "I could stay here forever" She whispered, snuggling closer to him, listening to his heart beat against her ear.
"Merry Christmas, Hunter" Arabella whispered in a slightly raspy voice. A tired smile slid onto her face and she snuggled closer to him. "I love you like a fat kid loves cake" She giggled and buried her face into his shoulder. Christmas morning. It was finally there and even though she was a little tired from just waking up, her stomach was doing backflips of excitment. There was a jingling sound coming down the hall towards them and Arabella lifted her head in time to see Ajax pad into the room, followed by a very excited Jolie who had a jingle bell on her collar and tinsel on her head.
Hunter smiled and let out a laugh before kissing Arabella tightly on the lips and pushing her her back down onto the bed, keeping his arms wrapped around her. He rolled and then rolled again, keeping his lips firmly placed on hers the whole time. After a few moments, he stopped with Arabella on top of him. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her tightly on the lips, smiling against her skin. "How about this? How about I go downstairs and make some coffee and a huge breakfast of food that isn't good for us, then while we exchange presents we can eat and then we'll figure it out from there?" He whispered against her skin, placing small kisses on her cheeks and lips. He felt a nose against his leg and he looked to see Ajax up on the bed, sniffing around. There were a few barks and Hunter reached down blindly off the bed and snapped until he felt fur then picked up Jolie and placed her on the bed too. "Ellie, I think all I want for Christmas is right here." He said with a smile before kissing her on the forehead.
Arabella smiled a little and she nodded in agreement. She leaned into him and kissed him tightly, happy that she was in that bed with him and that their dogs were playing around on the bed. Everything was wonderful and Arabella was happy. She was blissful. "A huge breakfast and coffee sounds amazing" She said with a happy little sigh and she sat up so that she could stretch and look out the window. "It is a beautiful day" She said and looked down at Hunter with a grin.
Hunter grinned and ran his fingers through her hair a moment, kissing her again. "You know, as much as I would love to sit here in bed with you and kiss you and hold you, I'm way too excited for gifts to be here much longer." He pulled her in for a tight kiss on the lips, putting all of his love into it and hoping that it would be enough until they could do it again.
Arabella swayed for a moment, trying to regain her composure after that kiss. She took a little breath and slowly opened her eyes. "Yeah...I'm pretty excited for gifts too. You are going to LOVE yours" She said with a little giggle and she grabbed Jolie before jumping off the bed. She put Jolie down on the ground and looked over at Hunter, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet for a moment before she turned and skipped out of the room.
Hunter smiled and rolled off the bed, grabbing a shirt and slipping it on as he hurried down the stairs, catching her at the bottom and wrapping his arms around her. "No presents until after breakfast." He said, placing a small kiss on her neck then walking her into the kitchen. He pulled away from her and opened the fridge, pulling everything out for breakfast and starting to cook. He sighed once he had everything cooking and he turned to Arabella. His stomach was twisting out of eagerness to open presents, but he really wanted to save it until after breakfast. Hunter peeked out the window. It was still pretty dark due to how early it was, but you could see light snowfall and Hunter smiled before closing the curtains.
Arabella bounced a little out of excitment and nerves. She really just wanted him to love the presents she got for him. They weren't flashy or over the top but she put a lot of thought into them. She wanted Hunter to love his first real Christmas presents. Arabella looked over at Hunter and yawned, stretching her arms out. "I'm gonna have to go for a nap later today, I think" She said in a small voice.
Hunter sighed and nodded a little turning the eggs over a little. He put away a lot of the stuff that he had initially gotten out and moved the bacon to a plate. It was a little undercooked, but he didn't care. The eggs he turned up the heat on and a few minutes later he put it on a plate and handed it to her before taking his own plate and grabbing her arm. "Alright. That's it. Gifts while we eat. I can't wait." He said, hurrying her into the living room. "Me first or you first?" He said, setting his plate on the table and walking toward the presents.
"You first!" Arabella said and she put down her plate. With slightly shaking hands, Arabella picked up a medium size box. It was neatly wrapped in silver wrapping paper with a blue bow on the top, like all of hers were. She took a small breath and passed it to him. "It's not much. It just..made me think of you when I saw it" She said with a little giggle.
Hunter weighed it in his hand a moment before unwrapping it, a gigantic smile on his face. He opened it and looked inside, his smile dropping a moment in confusion when he saw the giant gummi worm inside. "What...is...Is this a giant blue gummi worm?" He said with a raised eyebrow. She giggled and nodded. Hunter set it down on the table and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the lips. "It's perfect." He said with a grin. He stood up and walked over taking a little rectangular box out from under the tree. It was wrapped in clumsily wrapped in green paper. "Okay, I was going to save this for last, but I couldn't wait." He said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the window where the curtains were closed. "Alright. Close your eyes and open the gift and your eyes when I tell you, okay?"
Arabella looked down at the gift for a moment, running her hand over the paper. It was already so perfect and she almost didn't want to open. She almost wanted to hold onto this exact moment for ever. Almost. Arabella closed her eyes and she ripped the wrapping paper off like a little kid. Once the paper was off, she held it gingerly in her hands and ran her fingers over the front of it. "Okay, so..it's some kind of book" She said with a little giggle. "Can I open my eyes, now?"
Hunter took a deep breath and opened the curtains, letting the lights from the houses across the street streaming into the room. He was shaking a little and he cleared his throat. "Okay. Open the book and look down at it." He watched her and he waited a moment. "Okay. Look out the window." He said before standing behind her and dropping to one knee.
"This better be good, Mr. Reed. Because you seem to really enjoy teasing me.." Arabella said, her voice trailing off as she slowly opened her eyes, looking down at the book in her hands. "Oh, Hunter..it's beautiful" She said in a soft voice, amazed at what an incredible book he got for her. It was a journal, made with black leather. It had small flowers on the front of it and it had little beads along the spine. On the front, it had a small metal piece with her name engraved on it. It looked like an old-world sort of journal. Arabella took a small breath and opened the journal. In the pages was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen and her heart skipped a beat. A promise ring, maybe? Before she could take a long look at the ring, she looked out of the window like Hunter told her to. What she saw made her heart stop. It made everything stop. Arabella Marie Foster, will you marry me. Across the roofs of the houses across the street was the proposal that Arabella had been waiting and wishing for. She couldn't speak. She could hardly move. Tears started to flow and her hands were shaking. It was perfect. It was beautiful. And it was for her. After a moment, Arabella turned to look at Hunter and found him on one knee. She let out a little squeak and covered her hand with her mouth, trying to find words.
Hunter smiled up at her, taking deep breaths and trying to stay calm. His heart was beating out of his chest and his hands were shaking a little as he grabbed the journal because she looked like she was going to drop it. "Ellie," He started taking the ring out of the journal and taking her hand in his. "Your journal talked about your life at camp and about how much you wished you could be with me. This journal is for the new life. The life with me. Ellie, I made this ring out of my old knife that I used at camp. It was the ring that I killed Kate with." He took a deep breath and paused as his tears started to build up on his eyelashes. "Ellie, for so long I held onto that and for a long time it controlled my life and now, I just want to be with you and nothing is ever ever going to change that. You've made me happier than anything has in my entire life and I don't ever want that to change. Ellie, will you marry me?"
Ellie, will you marry me. They were such simple words but they had such an incredible meaning. Arabella never thought that she would be lucky enough to be with someone as amazing as Hunter, let alone have the chance to grow old with him. She took a small, shaky breath and she nodded. Yes. Yes, she would marry him. She would grow old with him and raise a family with him. She would wake up to his face every single day and fall asleep in his arms every single night. Tears were falling down her cheeks freely now and it was takng everything she had not to jump on him right at that moment.
Hunter smiled finally let a tear fall as he slipped the ring on her finger and stood up, wrapping her arms around her and kissing her tightly on the lips. She was going to marry him. She was going to marry him. "Ellie, I love you so much." He breathed as he held her tight in a hug that made his heart soar. He laughed and lifted her up, hugging her more closely. "I love you." He repeated finally setting her down and kissing her.
"I love you too" Arabella said softly in a watery voice. She kissed him tightly then looked down at the ring on her finger. It was more than she could ever hope for. It was prettier than any ring she had ever seen. It meant the world to her. Everything felt so surreal, almost like it was a dream. "All of my presents for you will so not live up to this" She said with a little giggle and she looked up at him with a little smile.
Hunter laughed a little and grabbed the rest of the presents setting them on the table. "They don't have to. You just gave me the best gift ever." He said, sitting down with her and putting an arm around her. "Alright." He said, picking up one of his presents. "This one?" He said, shaking the gift a little by his ear. He was still shaking a little and he was happier than ever. He didn't really care if the rest of the gifts were any good. He was happy because of his new fiance who was leaning into him on the couch. He could really get used to the feeling.
Arabella giggled, knowing exactly what present he picked up and she thought that it was pretty funny that it was following his proposal. "I think that you're gonna like this one" She said with a mischevious smile. Arabella glanced down at her ring again and her heart fluttered. They were getting married. Nothing could ruin this day.
Hunter bit his lip a little as he destroyed the wrapping paper to reveal a box that he recognized as holding clothes. "Is this a 'World's sexiest Hunter' shirt or something?" He said with a chuckle as he pulled the lid off of the box and saw a bundle of pink lace. His jaw dropped as he helped up the lingerie from Victoria's Secret. "Uhh...umm..." He mumbled as he looked over at Arabella who was giggling her butt off. He blushed, but finally smiled a little. "I don't think this will fit me." He said with a chuckle before handing it to her and following it by pushing himself on top her a little, his lips on hers. "I can't wait for tonight." He winked at her and kissed her one more time before grabbing one of her gifts and placed it on his lap. It wasn't wrapped and it was a fairly large box that wasn't taped shut or anything. Hunter smiled and looked at her. "Alright. Open it."
Arabella looked down at the large box with a little look of awe on her face. She hoped that he didn't spend too much money on her because it would probably make her feel guilty. Arabella was about to open the box when she heard small movements coming from inside the box and she squeaked a little out of shock. It wasn't a big movment, just a soft sort of rustling. Arabella looked at Hunter before gingerly lifting the lid of the box. Inside was a small, pink pig that was fast asleep. Arabella gasped and reached inside, gently lifting the small animal out of the box. It wiggled it's nose before slowly opening it's eyes and looking at her. The pig was hardly bigger than her hand and the moment she looked in it's eyes, Arabella was in love.
Hunter laughed and looked over at Arabella and scratched the pig's head. "I have no idea what compelled me to buy that for you but I knew you would love it." Hunter said putting an arm around Arabella's middle. "The stuff to take care of him is in the back of my car." The pig wiggled its nose a little and pushed it onto Arabella's cheek like a little piggy kiss. "So what's his name?" Hunter asked, scratching the pig's side.
Arabella giggled a little, smiling down at the pig. He was the most adorable thing she had ever seen and she was pretty amazed that Hunter had gotten her a teacup pig. "Oh..I don't know" She said softly and held the little pig close to her chest. "He needs a special name" She said with a little nod and gingerly patted the pig's side.
"It'll come to you." Hunter smiled and kissed her on the cheek. She turned her head and Hunter kissed her tightly on the lips, pushing her back a little. He heard a little small grunt and he turned toward the pig. "He's just so adorable." Hunter said, pulling away and grabbing a gift. "Alright. This one next?" He said, sitting back and leaning against Arabella a little.
Arabella nodded, holding the tiny pig close to her chest. Her heart started to flutter as she watched Hunter start to unwrap the present. It was one of the better gifts that she had gotten for him. It was a navy blue sweater that she had knitted by herself and she was rather proud of it. A lot of work and heart had gone into it. Arabella had also knitted a little special something in the left sleeve.
Hunter unwrapped and gasped a little as he ran his fingers over the thread. "Ellie, this is beautiful." He said, standing up and slipping it over his head. He smoothed it out and sat back down. "Ellie, this is absolutely perfect." He slipped an arm around her and kissed her cheek, feeling a difference in the fabric on his left arm. He rolled the sleeve to reveal a little pink heart on the inside. "Oh, gods...I love it!" He said, rolling it back down then grabbing a gift off the table. "This one next."
Arabella looked up at him for a moment, smiling softly when she saw the sweater on him. Seeing him in it made her feel pretty amazing. She placed the small pig on the couch beside her where it curled up and closed his eyes. Arabella took the gift from him and she quickly unwrapped it. When she got all of the wrapping paper off, she gasped at what was in her hands. It was a panoramic picture of the view from the roof of her old apartment building. Where her and Hunter had spent a few perfect moments and danced together. "Oh, Hunter..." She said softly and turned to kiss him tightly.
Hunter leaned into her, kissing her. He finally broke away and picked up the pig, holding it gingerly. "I stole your camera and then had Tom let me up." He looked up when the dogs walked over and Ajax hopped onto the couch, sniffing the pig curiously. Jolie barked and barked until Arabella finally helped her up. "Hi, guys. This is the newest member of our family. Be nice to him. He's very important." Ajax finished sniffing and then curled up against Hunter's leg. Jolie quickly did the same and Hunter set the pig down which did the same. He smiled and looked at Arabella. "Okay. What's next?"
"Last one" Arabella said and she bent down to pick up a hard box, wrapped neatly. She took a small breath and place it on his lap, hoping that he would like it. Arabella reached over and scratched behind Jolie's ear as Hunter started to unwrap his gift. Everything felt so surreal. Like she would wake up and this would all be a dream. Was she really sitting with Hunter, two dogs and a pig on Christmas morning? Was she really going to be getting married? Arabella hoped that it wasn't all a dream.
Hunter eagerly tore off the paper, revealing a small box with the 'LOVE' sign carved onto it. Gasping a little, he ran his fingers along the top of the box. "It's beautiful." He breathed, finally opening it and showing their first picture. In Philadelphia, in front of the sign carved onto the box she had her arms around him, her leg popped into the air, Hunter's hands up in the air in surprise. He laughed a little and looked over at her. "It's so much better than my last gift." He said with a sigh.
Arabella giggled and she grabbed the last gift with a grin on her face. "I am sure that it's amazing. Besides, you already gave me the best gift in the world" Arabella said softly and she lifted up her hand to show off her new ring. She smiled a little and kissed him before opening the gift. When she first saw it, she was a little stunned. It's not that she didn't like it, she loved it actually. It was more that she never expected Hunter to buy a book of sex positions. Arabella looked up at Hunter with the slightly stunned look on her face before smirking and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him teasingly. "I love it" She said softly.
Hunter put his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Well, I knew how much you've been frustrated with our lack of...intimacy, so I thought I'd get you this to make up for it." He said with a smile as he kissed her gently on the lips. "Maybe we could try one out, right now."
"Mmm...sounds good to me" Arabella said with a wink and she pushed him back a little bit, leaning into him and kissing him tightly. She giggled a little bit and brushed her lips along his jaw, running her fingers along the hem of his sweater. It was at that moment that she felt a wiggling in her side and she looked down to see the pig, wiggling around and nudging her side with his nose. She let out a sigh and sat up a little bit. "Silly pig.."
Hunter picked up the dogs and the pig off the couch and set the on the floor before sitting up with Arabella in his arms. "I think he might be hungry." Hunter said with a sigh as he stood up. "I'm going to go get his stuff out of the car. You can put this on and meet me upstairs." He handed her the lingerie and the book of sex positions. "Pick out a good one." He helped her up and placed his hands on her hips, kissing her tightly. "If we get interrupted, we are going to move away." He said with a chuckle before picking the pig up into his arms and walking off to the kitchen.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away then she looked down at Jolie. The dog looked up at her then stood up, wagging her tail. "I am so close to putting you in your crate for the next little while" She said with a nod then tossed a little chew toy to her before she ran up the stairs. She hoped that everything would go well for them. It felt like everytime they went to do something, they had to stop for whatever reason. It was a miracle that Daniel hadn't called her or just shown up on their doorstep yet. Arabella brushed her fingers through her hair and she quickly started to make the bed.
Hunter set the pig down on the counter and he grunted around, sniffing everything. Hunter walked out and grabbed the food and the pig's cage out of the car. He brought it back inside and set it up in the kitchen. "Who's hungry?" Hunter said, picking the pig up and bouncing him a little. He poured his food and set the pig down on the counter. He shuffled over and started eating, oinking happily. Hunter watched with a happy little sigh and then turned toward the stairs. He knew what would be waiting for him. He was tempted to unhook the phone and to put a sign on the door, but he just hoped it wouldn't be necessary.
Arabella quickly slipped into the lacey pink and looked around the room, her heart fluttering. Everything looked perfect and she was beyond excited. Arabella moved over and sat down on the bed, opening up the book that Hunter had got for her. She flipped through the pages, giggling at some of them. It was exciting and it was new and she was happy that she got to do stuff like this with the man that she was going to marry. Arabella heard the bedroom door open and Hunter walk in but she didn't look up, she smirked a little to herself. "I missed you"
Hunter grinned and laughed a little. "Don't you look absolutely lovely?" He said with a smile, running his fingers through his hair a moment. He walked over to her and crawled on top of her, smashing the book between them, kissing her tightly on the lips. "I missed you too." He whispered against her lips before rolling off next to her. "Did you pick one?" He said, putting an arm around her, running his fingers through her hair. He froze for a second. "Or...or did you pick more than one?" He said quietly, pausing a little in trepidation.
Arabella giggled at the way that he paused and she kissed him lightly, her lips brushing against his in a teasing sort of way before she lightly nibbled on his bottom lip. "I found quite a few that I like" She breathed and wiggled her eyebrows at him. Seeing the look on his face, she let out another giggled and she pulled herself closer to him. "This is a really wonderful present" She told him with a small nod.
Hunter took her hand and kissed her ear, moving his lips down to her neck. "Well, you gave me the best gift ever." Hunter said, holding up her ring hand and kissing it. "Alright, shall we do the...leg wrap or the...sun worshiper?" Hunter furrowed his brow and the turned his head, trying to understand what it was describing. "I'm not sure if that's...legal or possible." Hunter muttered a little. "Or what about the tight squeeze?" He said, turning the page and trying to get that position out of Arabella's mind.
"Mmm...I like them all" Arabella said with a little giggle and she leaned back against the pillows. She ran her fingers up and down his arm, closing her eyes as he looked through the book. From downstairs, she could hear a bit of movment as the dogs and the pig walked around but it was nothing serious. Arabella was just happy to be with Hunter in that moment. "Why don't you just...surprise me" She said with a giggle.
Hunter scoffed. "Oh, good. The guy who doesn't know anything is going to decide." He looked over at Arabella and placed his lips on hers. "You know what? It's Christmas. People don't show up until 7:30. Let's just start at 1 and we'll just keep going until we don't feel like it anymore." He said against her lips, flipping to the front of the book. "That's not so hard." He was about to explain, but he felt Arabella lean into him, kissing him more passionately. Hunter couldn't help, but respond. He put the book open on the night stand and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her tightly. "I'm very excited to show you off tonight." He said with a smirk against her lips.
"Oh please, if anyone is going to be showing off, it'll be me showing off my stud of a fiance" Arabella said with a little giggle and she smiled up at him. In that moment, with Hunter so close to her and his ring on her finger, she had never felt more beautiful. She felt like she could rule the world. She felt strong. Arabella kissed him lightly before turning her head to look at the book on the night stand. "You do remember that you're talking to a daughter of Aphrodite, right? If the plan is that we're just going to keep going until we don't feel like it anymore..we'll be here until we finish the book"
"Challenge accepted." He said with a small and slightly nervous laugh. Hunter took a deep breath and looked at the book. "Well, we'll skip the ones that are not...possible or the ones that make me cringe and that'll cut it in half, so it's not as many as you think." He said, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her tightly on the lips. He grabbed the book and opened it to the first page. "Okay. The...No. Skipping that one. Yikes. And that one. See we're making progress already." He finally turned another page and turned the book, trying to figure it out.
Arabella giggled a little bit and she slipped an arm around his neck, placing little kisses along his jaw. "You know..we can't skip everyone either" She teased in a soft voice and without looking, she flipped the pages of the bookand randomly stopped on one. "That one" She whispered against his skin and trailed her lips down from his jaw to his neck, nibbling lightly.
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Hunter put his head down on the pillows, his breathing heavy. "How many do we have left?" Hunter said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "It's 5:30. We're not going to eat until 9 at this rate." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer on top of him. "I feel sore." Hunter said against her lips. "Like...more sore than when I fought Atlas. Or the Nemean Lion." He moved his lips across her cheek and to her shoulder where he bit her skin gently. "I really didn't expect you to be able to put your leg up like that."
"You underestimate me, Mr. Reed" Arabella let out a tired little giggle and she closed her eyes. She had snuggled close to him and now she was just focusing on the way his breath felt against her shoulder. All she wanted to do for the rest of the day was stay in bed with Hunter. Fall asleep early and get the best sleep of her life with her future husband. She turned her eyes down and looked at the ring on her finger, smiling to herself. She yawned before sitting up a bit, she she was straddling him and smiling down at him. "If you're sore..maybe I should give you a massage" She giggled and ran her hands down his bare chest.
Hunter laughed a little and pulled her down for a kiss. "I need to start the turkey, sweetheart." He smiled and sat up, rolling over and hovering over her. "Let start the turkey and some of the other food and then I'll be right up. I'm already going to have to cut the turkey up so it can cook before 9 o clock." He placed a lasting kiss on her lips. "I'll be back. Take a breather." He winked at her and stood up, steadying himself with a hand on the wall. He took a little breath and tracked down a pair of shorts, slipping them on and heading downstairs.
Arabella closed her eyes and she took a deep breath, wiggling under the blankets a ittle bit more. Now that Hunter was gone, she realized just how tired she was and how cold the air was. She shivered a little bit and rolled onto her stomach, putting her face into the pillow. Arabella was trying to be good and stay in bed while she waited for him, but it was very difficult. She also knew that she was probably going to fall asleep if she was by herself in a cozy bed for very much longer. Arabella groaned and pushed herself out of the bed, holding the blanket around her. She walked over to her closet, picking out her favorite shorts, the boxers that she had stolen from Hunter. She pulled them on before finding a tee shirt and a thick sweater. Once all of her clothes were on, she dropped the blanket on the bed and walked out, towards the stairs.
Hunter started the turkey right when he got down to the kitchen. He cooked the potatoes and started on the stuffing. It was a good headstart and things were probably going to be done right on time. Hunter stepped away from the counter and almost tripped over the animals swirling around his feet. Jolie yipped at him and then ran off into the living room, followed by the pig. Ajax put his paws up on his leg and barked. Hunter grabbed a tennis ball of the counter. "You're going to chew it up anyway." Hunter said before tossing it down the hallway. Hunter walked to the bottom of the steps and saw Arabella coming down. "You are awful at listening to directions." Hunter said with a laugh before running up the stairs and picking her up over her shoulder, carrying her back into the bedroom.
With a giggle, Arabella gave his butt a little pat. "Yeah, well you were taking too long and I was gettig bored" She said and she wiggled around in his arms a little bit. She could feel him walking towards the bed and she let out a little squeak of laughter when he flopped her down on her back. Right away, she turned over so that she was on her stomach and her back was facing Hunter and she buried her face into the blankets, trying not to laugh.
Hunter knelt on the bed next to her and started rubbing her back. "I think all the food will be ready at 8ish, so you might have to entertain our guests for about 30 minutes." He said, bending down and placing small kisses on her shoulders. "Are all the gifts ready, by the way?" Hunter asked, brushing his lips to her back and nibbling lightly on her skin. Hunter was excited for dinner, but he really just wanted to spend all day with his fiance.
Arabella bit her lip, gasping softly when she felt Hunter's lips against her back. She was focusing on that and nothing else. She didn't want to have to move or do anything, she just wanted to feel what Hunter was doing on her back. "Hmmm? Gifts? Oh, yeah..they're ready" She said softly and let out a little moan when he rubbed a knot in her back. "Hunter, you are going to make it very difficult for me to entertain our guests if you keep doing stuff like this to me" She giggled.
Hunter smiled and laid down on his stomach next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her closer. She turned her head and Hunter caught her lips with hers. "That's alright. I'm sure the animals will do it well enough." He whispered against her lips, rubbing her back gently. He smiled as he kissed her and moved himself closer to her. "Tom and Daniel are coming. Then Your dad and Tyler are coming. Am I forgetting anyone?" Hunter pulled himself closer and kissed her cheek once before running his hand across it.
"Tyler's new crush, Gwen and her aunt might be stopping by. I invited them and they said that they might be able to make it" Arabella said with a small nod and she smiled at him before turning her eyes down to look at her ring. "I can't wait to show this off tonight" She said with a little grin and she looked up at him. "I can't wait to marry you, Hunter"
Hunter grinned and rolled, pulling her on top of him. She snuggled into him and put her head down on his chest, placing small kisses on his skin. "I love you, Arabella Marie Foster and I can't wait to marry you, too." Hunter sighed happily and wrapped his arms around her, placing his lips on hers. "You know, I never told you what I said to your dad that made him like me." Hunter smiled and brushed a little hair out of her face. "Mr. Foster, I love your daughter more than I have ever loved someone and I'm going to marry her. I know I am. You might not like me at all and you don't have to. That isn't going to stop me from marrying her."
Arabella looked at him with wide, amazed eyes. For about the billionth time, she wondered how she had gotten so lucky, how she had managed to find someone as amazing as Hunter. It almost felt like the life that she was living didn't belong to her, but she wasn't willing to give it up anytime soon. "Hunter, I think that you might be the most incredible man in the entire universe" She said and softly ran her fingers down his cheeks. She kissed him lightly and smiled against his lips. "I love you too"
Hunter smiled and kissed her cheek several times, running his fingers across her back. "I don't know what I did to deserve such a beautiful, charming, smart, kind, funny, loving, wonderful, sexy, young woman like yourself to be my fiance." He kissed her tightly on the lips and ran his hands up her back to her neck. "Whatever it is I couldn't be happier about it." He laughed a little and sat up with her in his arms. "I like you."
Arabella giggled and she kissed his nose "I like you too" She said and she buried her face into his neck. Arabella let out a happy little sigh and she snuggled into him. As much as she didn't really want to get out of bed, she was excited for dinner. It was their first Christmas dinner together and she was looking forward to many, many, many more. She was looking forward to Christmas morning with their kids and seeing them grow. She was excited for her life. "Mmm...I don't want to get up but I should probably get a shower and get dressed for tonight"
Hunter kissed her a moment and then put his forehead against hers looking into her eyes. Her brilliant blue eyes. He wanted to look into them forever and he was even happier now that it was now his luxury. He had the rest of their life together to do so. "A shower and you getting dressed sounds really good, Honey bunch." Hunter said with a little laugh as he put a hand under her butt and stood, wobbling at first, but steadying himself and kissing her as he walked toward the bathroom.
Arabella slipped her arms around his neck and she smiled against his lips as he walked towards the bathroom. "You know, I don't know how much showering I'm actually going to get done if you're in there with me" She said softly as Hunter moved his lips down to her neck "Not that I'm complaining" She breathed, pressing her fingers into his back.
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Hunter checked the turkey and ran his fingers through his hair. "I should get a haircut eventually, no?" Hunter said, leaning against the counter and pulling Arabella toward him, putting his hands on her hips. He smiled down at the pig in her arms and sighed a little. "Have you named it, yet, babe?" Hunter asked, kissing her lightly on the forehead.
"The Notorious P.I.G or Piggy Smalls or just Piggy" Arabella said with a small shrug and she smiled down at the small pig in her arms. She giggled a little bit when he wiggled his nose and she looked up at Hunter thoughtfully. Arabella ran her fingers through his hair, a small smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. "I could cut it for you if you want, we can do it tomorrow"
Hunter made a weird face and looked up at her. "I'm not sure I can trust you. Let me see your credentials." Hunter laughed and pulled her between his legs and kissing her being met with a little pig nose against his jaw. "I don't know..." Hunter said, petting the pig gently. "I think Just Piggy could be shortened to JP. That's a good pig name, probably. I've never had to name a pig before." Hunter laughed a little and checked on the food again.
"Or, I could name him Kevin Bacon" Arabella said with a nod and she placed Piggy down on the ground. He pushed his little nose against her leg before he waddled off to find Jolie and Ajax. Arabella smiled then turned to Hunter. "And by the way, I am excellent at cutting hair. What do you think we did in the Aphrodite cabin?" She said with a smile and a little scoff. Arabella kissed his cheek and she walked over to the freezer, pulling out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of peppermint schnapps.
Hunter grabbed the bottles from her. "And what do you think you're doing?" Hunter said quietly, holding the bottles out of reach. "I'm all for you having a good time today, babe, but this is not needed." Hunter put it back in the freezer. "And what will your dad think when he sees you drinking. You are not 21 yet, beautiful." Hunter said, standing between her and the freezer.
Arabella looked up at him with a little pout. "My father knows that I drink, for one. And I was going to make martinis for those who wanted one" She said and let out a little sigh. Arabella thought abous trying to get around him to get to the freezer but she realized that she was too tired to do anything like that so she just leaned against the counter and looked up at him with big eyes.
Hunter sighed a little. "How do you expect me to refuse those beautiful eyes?" Hunter said, kissing her gently, running his fingers up her arm. "Ellie, it's unfair because you know there's nothing to rival that." He pushed her a little and stepped away from the fridge, walking over to check on the food again.
Arabella walked over to him and she slipped her arms around her neck, pressing her lips to his cheek. The last thing that she wanted was for Hunter to feel uncomfortable about anything and she certainly didn't want to fight with him. "I'm sorry, Hunter"
Hunter waved it off. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart." Hunter said, sliding his arms around her waist. "You can make the martinis or whatever. I'm just overreacting." Hunter kissed her and picked her up, setting her on the counter. "I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you, Ellie."
"I just...I don't want you to feel...awkward or uncomfortanle or anything like that, ever" She said softly and she ran her fingers down his chest a little before stopping and holding onto his shirt lightly. She looked down for a moment before turning just her eyes up to look at him, her long braid falling over her shoulder from the way that her head was tilted.
Hunter leaned into her and kissed her. "Ellie, I don't feel awkward. I don't feel uncomfortable. You're the thing that makes all that go away." He slid his hands down her sides and squeezed her thighs as he kissed her. "I promise. Everything is fine. More than fine." Hunter kissed her. "It's perfect." KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Ding-dong.
"Oh!" Arabella gasped and she kissed Hunter lightly before jumping off the counter and running towards the door. She picked up a barking Jolie and an oinking Piggy in one arm before opening the door with the other. Daniel was standing there, with Tom and Arabella grinned.
"Arabella! You have a pig!" Daniel said in shock, giving her a one armed hug before walking into the house. "Where is Hunty!" He called in a sing-song sort of voice. Arabella rolled her eyes at Daniel with a little giggle before closing the door behind Tom.
"Merry Christmas, Tom" She said, putting the dogs down and giving him a hug.
"There's no one here by that name, but if you're looking for me then I'm in the kitchen!" Hunter shouted from his spot in the kitchen where he was mashing the potatoes.
"Hunter!" Danny hurried into the kitchen and Hunter turned around, just as Danny hugged him. "This sweater is great. Where...Who got this for you?" Hunter laughed and looked over at Arabella.
"Ellie made it for me. Can you believe that?" Hunter said with a laugh as he poured milk and butter and garlic salt and a little bit of cheese into the potatoes. He grabbed a masher and started smashing the potatoes. "How was your guys' Christmas?" Hunter said, adding a little more milk to the potatoes. "Speaking of...We have gifts for you two."
"We have gifts for you too!" Daniel said excitedly and he reached into his bag, pulling out two small presents from his bag and passing them to Arabella and Hunter. Arabella gasped and she ran over to their tree. She nudged Jolie out from under and she grabbed the two flat packages that she had wrapped in gold wrapping paper with little red bows. She walked back over and passed one of them to Tom and the other one to Daniel. As soon as she handed Daniel, his present, he gasped and he grabbed her hand, holding on tightly and close to his face. "Excuse me, missy. What is this ring on your ring finger?" He said, not looking up at Arabella, keeping his eyes on the ring.
"Oh...that" She said with a little giggle and she looked over at Hunter. Her cheeks turned pink and she looked back at Daniel. "It's my Christmas present from Hunter. An engagment ring" She said and laughed at the squeal that came out of Daniel.
Hunter smiled and stopped mashing potatoes for a second, bracing himself for the coming bearhug. Daniel trapped his arms and hugged him tightly until he couldn't breath. "Enough, Danny. Yes, we're all very happy." Danny finally released him and Hunter took deep breaths leaning on the counter.
"Congratulations!!!" Danny screamed, startling Ajax a little who ran off into the living room. Hunter laughed and finished the mashed potatoes before bending down and picking up JP.
"Have you picked a date, yet?" Tom asked, hugging Hunter, giving him a heavy pat on the back. Hunter walked over to Arabella and slipped an arm around her waist.
"We really haven't talked about it." Hunter grabbed her hand and looked at the ring. "We're still just excited."
Arabella leaned into Hunter and she smiled down at the ring. She was so excited and telling people was making the whole thing more real. Up until that point, Arabella was sure that she would probably wake up and find out that Hunter had never asked her to marry him. She took a small breath and looked up at Daniel and Tom. "You should open your gifts now" She said with a little nod and she giggled when Daniel ripped the paper off of his gift.
"A spa day? Oh, Arabella, you know me so well" Daniel said happily and gave Arabella a tight hug before hugging Hunter.
Hunter smiled and hugged Danny before looking at Tom. "What do you think, Tom?" Hunter said with a grin. Tom stared oddly at the certificate. "I think February is pistachios." Tom looked up at him and then burst out laughing.
"This is great. Thanks, you guys." Tom said with a chuckle. Hunter looked back and snapped his fingers.
"I should get back to the food. Wait. What did you get us?" Hunter asked, changing his attention quickly.
Daniel passed a present to Hunter and a little present to Arabella. She looked at it for a moment before pulling the paper off of it. Arabella looked at the little blue box, a look of awe on her face and she gingerly lifted the top of it. Inside was a delicate bracelet made out of rose gold with a few diamonds. "Oh, Danny..." She breathed. Daniel stepped closer to her and helped her get it on.
"I know that you've had a bit of an...emotional year and I wanted to thank you for everything that you've given me with the company and all of that" Daniel said in a low voice to her as he finished with the bracelet. Arabella hugged him tightly.
"Thank you" She said softly.
Hunter smiled at Arabella then turned to his own gift. He opened it and found a small box. He smiled a little and opened it to reveal a beautiful silver watch nearly identical to the one he had as a Hunter.
"We're starting to do Mens' Jewelry and that is our newest piece." Daniel said with a grin. Hunter looked down at it and slipped it out of the box and onto his wrist.
"Danny, it's fantastic. Thank you." Hunter said, hugging the both of them. Hunter sighed happily. Even though things were completely different it was comforting to feel something that reminded him of his life at camp made him happy. "Alright. I have to get back to the food or we'll never eat on time."
"Can I help?" Tom asked, stepping forward. KNOCK KNOCK Ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong KNOCK KNOCK.
Arabella squeaked and she ran to the door, yanking it open. Matthew and Tyler were on the other side of the door and when she saw them, she grinned from ear to ear. "Hi guys!" She said happily and she threw her arms around Matthew in a hug. Tyler stepped into the house and stuck out his hand to give Daniel a handshake but Daniel pulled him into a hug and Tyler let out an 'oomph!'
"Merry Christmas, sweetheart" Matthew said with a smile when Arabella finally let go of him.
"Merry Christmas, Daddy" Arabella grinned and looked around for Tyler. She rushed over to him and jumped at him, giving him a huge bear hug.
Hunter smiled and shook Tyler and Matthew's hands. "Merry Christmas, sir. Merry Christmas, Tyler." Hunter said, patting Tyler on the shoulder. Hunter briefly turned to Tom. "You could finish the stuffing or heat up the cranberry sauce or the gravy. It's jarred or canned or mix, so whatever the directions say..." Hunter laughed a little and crouched down checking the turkey. "Looks like dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes."
Arabella smiled and she walked over to the stereo that she had set up a little while ago and she turned a Christmas CD on, keeping the volume pretty low so that everyone could talk. She walked towards Hunter and leaned against the counter, smiling a little. Arabella could see Daniel and her father talking and it made her smile. Daniel was her brother and she wanted him to be able to have a good relationship with her father. They were both her family. She took a breath and looked over at Hunter. He looked amazing and all she really wanted to do in that moment was hug him. She brushed her fingers along his forearm before turning to look at Tom. "How have things been going, Tom?"
Hunter smiled and looked over at Arabella a moment, before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. "Are you back at work at the apartment complex?"
"Yep!" Tom said with a grin. "I started back up again a couple of weeks ago. I feel fine honestly." Tom stretched a little. "Danny seems to make a fuss over me usually, but I'm really in good shape. Danny makes sure of that." Tom winked at Arabella who giggled, but Hunter cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"So, what did Danny get you for Christmas?" He asked, kissing Arabella lightly on the head.
"Nothing too special, really. I promised him that I would take him out on a fancy date. That was all he wanted" Tom said with a little nod and Arabella giggled.
"And he is impossible to shop for" Arabella added and Tom grinned.
"That too" He said and Arabella looked up at Hunter, snuggling into him a little bit.
"Danny is the pickiest person on the planet and he gets really fussy about certain things but when you ask him what he wants, he just tells you that he doesn't need anything" Arabella explained and she turned her eyes down to the ring on her hand for the millionth time, just to remind herself that it was actually real.
"We should have gotten him socks." Hunter said with a smile. "When do people not need socks?" Hunter wrapped his arms around Arabella and kissed her lightly on the lips before hugging her then turning back to the food. "People can sit down. We'll be ready to eat soon." Hunter grabbed Arabella's wrist. "Can put some of the food on the table?" Hunter said quietly before kissing her on the lips.
"I suppose I could manage that" Arabella said softly with a smile and she kissed him again, her heart fluttering when she did then picked up a bowl with the mashed potatoes in it and she headed towards the table. Everyone was sitting around, talking and having a good time but her father was standing off to the side, holding something gingerly in his hands. Arabella's eyes narrowed and she saw that he was holding her little statue of Aphrodite. The look on his face nearly broke her heart. It was the same look that she saw in Hunter's eyes when he looked at her. But Matthew would never get to marry the love of his life. Arabella took a breath and cleared her throat and putting the bowl on the table. Matthew quickly put the statue down and walked over to the table, sitting down.
"This looks really good, Arabella" Tyler said, sniffing the air.
"I know...I worked really hard" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hunter put the rest of the food on the table except for the turkey. He turned to the oven and opened the door. The turkey looked good and so Hunter pulled it out and set it on the table with a knife and a fork. "Mr. Foster?" Hunter said, spinning the knife on his finger. "Would you like to do the honor?" Matthew shook himself a little and waved it off.
"Oh, no, no." He said, shaking his head a little. "You cooked it, you carve it. Besides, you look a lot better with that knife than I am." Hunter smiled and nodded before beginning to carve. He cut skillfully around each section, making sure there wasn't too much fat and making sure it was white meat or dark meat. Hunter served everyone and then served himself before sitting down.
"I'd just like to thank everyone for coming to the first Christmas here at the Hunter Reed and Arabella Foster home and I am happy to announce that this will be the last Christmas at the Hunter Reed and Arabella Foster home." Hunter looked over at Arabella and smiled proudly.
Arabella smiled over at Hunter, her heart fluttering. In the next year, she was going to be Arabella Reed. She took a sip from her water and realized that Matthew and Tyler were looking at her with very confused and slightly nervous looks on their faces. Arabella cleared her throat and grinned. "Yeah, this time next year, I won't be Arabella Foster anymore. I'll be Arabella Reed" she said and paused for a second before holding up her hand. "Hunter proposed this morning. I said yes!"
"He...wha...really?!" Tyler said in an excited voice and he looked from Arabella to Hunter and a grin appeared on his face. "Wow! That's awesome!''
"Daddy?" Arabella said in a soft voice, looking over to Matthew, who was still silent and had a hard to read look on his face. He shook himself a little and smiled at Arabella.
"That's really exciting. Congrats. I'm happy for you" Matthew said and Arabella grinned at him.
Hunter smiled and let out a happy sigh. "That's right, Danny. Soon we'll be family and that means no more flirting with me." Danny put a fake look of disappointment on his face, but then smiled and laughed along with Hunter. "Alright. I've kept you all away from your food for long enough. Dig in!" Hunter said and he closed his eyes a moment. He was just so happy and right now everything was perfect. He was going to have a family. The family he always wanted. Hunter cut one of the bones out and tossed it to Ajax who caught it in his mouth and started gnawing at it. He cut a much smaller bone and tossed to Jolie who did the same right next to him. Hunter stood a moment and put Piggy on the counter, who wobbled over to his bowl and ate a little bit before crawling into his cage and curling up. It all seemed so iconic. So picturesque and Hunter knew that today would be the start of many other moments like it. "How's the company going, Danny?"
Arabella looked up from her meal quickly to look over at Daniel. She was glad that she had given up the company to Daniel but she still cared about it and she still wanted it to be successful. It was still her name, after all. She had put a lot of work into it. ''I saw the spread in Vogue" She said giving him a little smile.
"Everything is so amazing!" Daniel gasped and he put down his fork. "You should come by the office sometime, Arabella. You need to see it now. Everything is going so well but everyone misses you so much"
"Awh, tell them I say hello" Arabella said and she took a bite out of her turkey. "Oh! I just realized that I'm going to have to go dress hunting soon. I'll need your help, Danny" She said and gave him a wink.
"Oh, and I'll need to go suit shopping. I'll need your help..." Hunter looked at Arabella, but closed his mouth when he realized how little sense that made. "Uhh..."
"I'll help." Tom said with a chuckle.
"I'll need your help, Tom." Hunter said with a smile. "Thanks." Hunter glanced around the table. "And Tyler. You could help too. Speaking of..." Hunter stood and walked behind Arabella, crouching down by her ear. "Où avons-nous mettre vos cadeaux pour votre famille?"
"Oh!" Arabella said and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Merci" She giggled and stood up, walking over to the Christmas tree.
"She always used to speak french around me when she was teasing me" Tyler muttered.
"Love you, Tyler!" She called back to him and he waved his hand. Arabella grabbed the two presents and walked back to the table, placing one down in front of Tyler and one in front of Matthew. She sat down and grinned at them "Okay, open them!" She said happily.
"Oh, dear..." Matthew muttered and he slowly started to open up his present. He got the wrapping paper open to reveal a photo on canvas of Arabella, Tyler and Matthew when Arabella and Tyler were kids and there was also two ties and a set of cuff links. "This is just...wow" He said and leaned over to hug Arabella and shake Hunter's hand "Thanks"
"Go ahead and open yours, Tyler." Hunter said with a smile. Tyler grinned and shredded the paper, an excited look on his face. He opened the box and inside were a quiver of arrows and a bow.
"WOW! Thank you so much." Tyler said with a smile as he stood and took it out. "This is awesome!"
"Now, Tyler. With the permission of your dad, I have decided to pay for lessons with me at the rec center." Hunter said, glancing over at Matthew. He smiled a moment and nodded. "And as an added bonus, you'll get to see Gwen everyday."
"Gwen? Who's Gwen?" Matthew and Danny asked, looking interested, but for different reasons. Tyler turned a bright shade of red and sat back down.
Arabella giggled and smacked Hunter's arm with a smile on her face. "Gwen is just a friend" She said with a nod.
"Ha! As if! You are not going to fool me, sister. If this Gwen is just Tyler's friend, then I am a goat" Daniel said, grinning at Tyler "So...who is she?"
"She's just a girl" Tyler muttered, his cheeks still a deep red.
"A very pretty girl who laughed at all of your jokes" Arabella teased with a little wink.
"That's how Arabella got me." Hunter said with a laugh. "I laughed at her jokes and now we're together." She scoffed and smacked his arm, but Hunter caught it and pulled her in for a quick kiss on the cheek. "We're just giving you a hard time, Tyler. Seriously, if you'd like lessons, I would be honored to teach you. What do you say?" Hunter said, offering his hand as a peace offering. Tyler shook it and laughed a little.
"Thank you, Hunter." He said, taking a bite of his food.
----------------------
Arabella smiled and hugged Daniel tightly before he walked out of the door, following Tom. She smiled a little and turned to look at Hunter, letting out a happy but tired sigh. Christmas dinner had been fun and she loved it but she was very glad that their guests were leaving now and her and Hunter could just relax together. "That was a very wonderful supper, Mr. Reed" She said and walked over to him, slipping her arms around his middle and resting her forhead on his chest.
Hunter wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lightly on the head. "Why thank you, soon-to-be Mrs. Reed." He smiled at the thought and sighed happily. "Was the turkey okay? I was worried it wasn't done." She looked up at him with a look that said, 'Shut up. It was perfect.' and Hunter smiled before kissing her on the forehead. "We should do this ever year. I had a lot of fun." Hunter pulled her closer and put his chin on her head and swayed softly to imaginary music that was running through the wind that blew against the house. He reached down and took her left hand in his and held it up, taking more of a dancing position. "I love you."
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella said softly and she closed her eyes as Hunter swayed. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. It felt like it should have been in a movie or something. Arabella took a deep breath, letting out in a content sigh. "I could stay here forever" She whispered, snuggling closer to him, listening to his heart beat against her ear.
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