Two weeks had passed and Arabella had gotten more and more nervous as the days went on. Hunter was working a lot, which was a good thing even if she missed him, but that meant that Arabella spent most her days shopping and/or cleaning. The dogs and the pig were getting rather annoyed with her because she kept cleaning around them and Jolie was afraid of the broom. This afternoon, while she waited for Hunter to come home, was pretty hard for Arabella. Her stomach was twisted up into knots and she was shaking so much that she could hardly clean or do anything at all. She glanced up at the clock then let out a huff, pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning back against the couch. She hoped that Hunter would be home soon.
Hunter sighed as he pulled into the driveway, feeling a little exhausted. He was tired and he was glad that it was the weekend. That meant that he could spend more time just relaxing with his wife. He smiled a little at the thought. With a little groan he finally got out of the car and headed toward the door. A smile was already on his face from the enormous hug that he was going to get once he was inside. He took a deep breath as he stepped inside only to see nothing but stairs in front of him. "Ellie?" Hunter said, looking in the kitchen as he walked further inside. "Sweetheart? Where are you?" He called inside as he stepped into the sitting room. He saw her on the couch and his heat dropped. "Ellie, what's wrong?" He said quietly, sitting down and immediately putting his arm around her.
Arabella melted into his arms and she took a deep breath. Feeling his arms around her loosened the knot in her stomach a little bit and she closed her eyes, just taking in the feeling of his arms around her. A small smiled slid onto her face and she bit her lip, knowing that she was probably going to cry for about the billionth time since she'd met Hunter. She sighed for a moment before she pulled out of his hug so that she could look him in the eye. As soon as she moved out of his hug, she felt cold again. She locked eyes with him and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Hunter...." She said in a weak voice then she cleared her throat. "You're gonna be dad in about 9 months" Arabella whispered
Hunter froze in place a moment, just looking at her and letting her words sink in. His face went from concerned to confused to surprised then to incredibly happy. "Arabella Reed! You had me worried!" Hunter said, giving her a tight hug. "I thought that you were dying or something!" He took a deep breath, feeling speechless and he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to hers. He was going to be a dad and the only thing bad about that was waiting 9 months. "I love you so much, Mrs. Reed." Hunter said, pulling away a little to look into her eyes.
"I love you too, Mr. Reed" Arabella said softly, looking back into his eyes. A few tears fell down her cheeks and she brushed them away, laughing a little bit at herself. She took his hands and she placed them on her stomach, smiling up at him. "I can't believe it. I still can't believe it" She breathed and she bit her lip. Knowing that she was actually pregnant just blew her mind.
"Well, you better believe it, sweetheart." Hunter said, pulling her toward him and keeping his hands on her stomach. "Ellie, we should celebrate. Tonight. Now. Well, maybe not now. We should celebrate though. Like...I don't know." Hunter was so excited that he couldn't think about what he wanted to do. "Wait, so what do we need to do now? I need to change things. Err...I mean, I need to...What do I do?!" He said with a little frustrated laugh.
Arabella laughed and she slipped her arms around his neck. "You can calm down, first" She teased and she kissed him lightly. "How did you want to celebrate? We have 9 months to get ready for this baby, so that's plenty of time. We should focus on celebrating while we can" She said with a little laugh and she slid her hands down to his chest.
Hunter sighed and took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, what do you want to do? You can't drink, so that hinders a lot of celebration options." Hunter took a deep breath and bounced on his toes a moment. "How about this? You relax and pick a movie. Shortly, I will bring you a menu of options and I will prepare your order and bring it to you then we will eat together and watch a movie and then you'll probably fall asleep on me and I will carry you up to the bedroom and I will hold you and kiss you until we both fall asleep again. That sound okay?"
"That sounds pretty darn perfect" Arabella said and she leaned into him, kissing him lightly. Her mind was still spinning from the fact that she was going to be a mother but having Hunter around was calming her down a little bit. She kissed him again before pulling away and she walked over to the DVDs, flipping through them and trying to pick out a good movie to watch.
Hunter searched the kitchen and formulated all of the things he could make with what he had. It didn't take long until he had a menu of entrees, appetizers, and desserts. Hunter walked back into the sitting room and sat down next to her. "Alright. Full course meal here. Pick one of each and I will make them and serve you." Hunter said, handing her the menu. She smiled and started looking at it while Hunter put an arm around her and started placing kisses on her cheek.
"You're distracting me" Arabella giggled. She looked down at the menu, leaning into him a little bit. "Hmmm...I'd say..the salad for the starter. The shrimp stirfry with noodles for the entree and the..hmmm..the ice cream sundaes for dessert" She finally decided and she passed the menu back to Hunter. Arabella turned to look at him and she grinned. "I'm thinking either Cheaper by the Dozen or Juno. What do you think?" She asked him, holding up the DVDs
Hunter looked between them. "Well...This one has a lot of kids on the cover and this one has a pregnant girl on the cover, so...Why don't we watch both?" He said, pushing the DVDs apart and kissing her on the lips. "Your order will be out in a flash, madame." He bowed a little and then whisked off to the kitchen to start on her food.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she let out a happy sigh. Maybe in a few months, when she started to show, Arabella would have her head wrapped around the fact that she was going to have a baby. But right now, it felt so surreal. She placed a gentle hand on her stomach and she closed her eyes for a moment before putting Cheaper by the Dozen in the machine and pressing play.
Hunter cooked quickly and it didn't feel like very long before he was carrying a tray of food back into the living room. He set it on the table and then sat down next to her, putting his arms around her. He placed his lips on hers and put a hand on her stomach. "I missed you." Hunter said before pulling away and grabbing the tray. "Is everything to your liking, my beautiful wife?"
Arabella gasped when she saw the food and she nodded. "Oh, Hunter...it's amazing" She breathed and she took a bite of the salad, letting out a happy moan. "Like...really, really amazing" She said and she folded her legs under her on the couch. "I am such a lucky woman. I get to have amazing food like this every night with such a perfect husband" She said and she picked up her bowl of salad, holding it her lap and eating it hungrily.
Hunter grabbed his bowl of salad and started eating, staying as close to her as possible. He had never felt more in love with her. He felt close to her and he felt happy and he was so glad that everything that seemed to go wrong was behind them. "So, what have I missed so far?" He said, taking a drink of water.
"Not much..the previews before the movie were really, really long." Arabella said and she took a bite of her salad. She yawned a little bit and she leaned into Hunter. She smiled at the movie when she saw all of the kids running around and she let out a little sigh. "I think that this is going to be the longest nine months of my life" She said.
Hunter smiled and put his salad down, grabbing the shrimp stir fry. He took a bite of it and nodded as Arabella put her head down on his. "This already feels like a long time. I can't wait until you're really pregnant and I really can't wait until we have a kid." He put his head on hers then fed her a bite of stir fry. "This nine months is going to feel like forever."
Chapter 155 - Hunter and Arabella
Arabella woke up for a little bit the next morning. Hunter had to get up and go to work since he had missed a couple days and Arabella woke up to say goodbye to him. But as soon as he was gone, she had fallen asleep for a couple more hours. The bed was just so warm and cozy and she had the blankets wrapped around her like a cocoon. When she did finally wake up, Arabella rolled out of bed, keeping the blanket around her tightly. She padded down the stairs and towards the living room, where she plopped down on the couch with all the animals surrounding her and she turned on her favorite movie, The Devil Wears Prada. It was a chilly, rainy day and she was happy to spend the day on the couch, watching movies with some tea and waiting for her man to get home.
"Alright. I'll see you later, Anna." Hunter said with a wave. "Be sure to come to me if you need help, okay? That's why I'm here." He walked to the wall and zipped up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He heard a giggle and he looked over to see Gwen slapping Tyler's arm, her face red from laughter. Hunter sighed a little bit and walked over. "Hey, Tyler. Hey, Gwen. How are you guys?" Hunter asked with a smile. Tyler's face went solemn.
"We're doing okay. How were your students?" Gwen asked, looking away a little. Hunter took a deep breath. What was going on?
"They were good. They never practice though, which frustrates me to no end." Hunter said with a nod. "I just wanted to tell you guys that you're both invited to come eat dinner tonight at the Reeds' house." Before they could protest, Hunter put on a serious face. "Guys, look. I insist. We're kind of celebrating something and we'd really like you guys to be there."
"Okay. We'll see you then." Tyler said quietly. Hunter nodded and then headed out to the car, quickly pulling out toward home.
Arabella stuck her hands out of the blanket for a few seconds to pet Jolie, who had just leaned up against her side. With a small smile, she turned back to her movie, hoping that Hunter would be home soon. It was always her favorite time of day, when Hunter came home and she got to hug him and tell him that she missed him. Arabella picked up her cup of tea and she took a small sip but when she heard a car pulling up, she squeaked happily and put her cup down. The dogs and Piggy ran to the chairs by the window and stared out of them, wagging their tails when they saw Hunter.
Hunter stepped inside, setting down a handful of grocery bags in the kitchen. He turned around and was almost knocked over by Arabella flying at him, knocking him into the counter. He grinned and leaned up against the counter, brushing her hair out of her face as her arms created a vice grip around his middle. Hunter kissed her gently on the lips. "I missed you, sweetheart." He said with a smile.
"I missed you too" Arabella said softly and she grinned up at him. She leaned into him a little bit more and planted light, feather kisses along his jaw. "Mmm..how was your day?" She asked softly between her kisses and she trailed her lips down to his neck, smiling a little bit. Arabella was neer going to get sick of this. No matter how old they got or how many kids they had, telling them that they were being gross, Arabella was always going to kiss Hunter when he got home and hold him tightly.
Hunter smiled. "It was good. I invited Tyler and Gwen over for dinner. They were being all couple-y today. You should have seen it." He took her hands and put them around his neck before standing up off the counter, holding her up a little. "We have...2 and a half hours before they get here." Hunter said, kissing her again. "Mmm...you're so pretty." Hunter said, waddling toward the couch. "How was your day?"
"Well, after you left, I fell asleep for a few more hours and then I came downstairs and watched a movie with a cup of tea. Basically, I did nothing" Arabella told him and she slipped down onto Hunter's lap when he sat down on the couch. She turned so that she was facing him, straddling him and she placed her hands on either side of his neck. "So, I had a fantastic day" She said with a giggle and she bit her lip. "So...maybe we'll figure out what's been bugging Tyler.."
"That was my hope." Hunter said, placing his hands on her thighs. "I didn't want to make it seem like an interrogation, so I invited Gwen too. I figure you can distract her for a little while andd then I can talk to Tyler. We'll get to the bottom of this." He nodded and then ran his hands up her sides and pulled her down to him, kissing her lightly on the chin. "You know, as much as I don't want you to, you should probably put on some actual clothes before they show up." He laughed a little and then moved his hands up, running his fingers through her hair.
"What? Your I'm fine in just your shirt" Arabella giggled and she ran her hands down his chest. "You're probably right, though. Maybe a shower would be a good idea too" She said and leaned into him, resting her forhead on his chest. "But that involves moving and I don't think I like that" She said with a little laugh and she tucked her arms between her and Hunter.
Hunter laughed a little and craned his head, placing small kisses around her ear. "Well, I am pretty sweaty from teaching today..." Hunter whispered into her ear, laughing a little at the feeling of her cuddled up on him like that. He wrapped an arm under her and stood, holding her close. "I was going to start dinner, but I think I like this idea a little bit better." Hunter said, heading toward the stairs.
"I like it too. Best idea I've heard in a long time. We can just get takeout and say that we cooked it" Arabella joked and she placed her hands on his chest, leaning into him and planting little kisses on his cheek. "How much time do we have? 2 hours?" She asked him and when they got up to the bedroom, she pulled away from him a little bit so that she was standing on the ground and she danced her fingers up his chest. Arabella grabbed the collar of his shirt and with a little smirk, she backed into the bathroom, taking him with her.
Hunter closed the door with his foot and tucked his fingers inside the hem of her shirt. "2 hours and 15 minutes to be specific." He said, pressing his lips to hers and running his hands up her back. "I think that you should help me with dinner tonight. It's also one of the best ideas I've ever heard." Hunter laughed a little and pulled away enough to take his shirt off. "I mean, assuming you're not too tired from doing nothing all day."
"Mmmm, well...doing nothing is very exhausting, but...I think I can manage" Arabella said softly and she grazed her fingers down his chest. "I just hope that you're not too tired from such a long day at work" She teased and she kissed him lightly. Arabella turned her back to him and she turned on the shower, letting the water heat up.
Hunter moved closer to her slid his arms around her. "Oh, I think I'll be okay. I've got a lot of endurance." Hunter whispered in to her ear as he grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head. It was a matter of moments later when he had his arms around her in the shower with the water pelting their skin. "You know, I feel like we save a lot of money this way. Showering together like this." Hunter said before pressing her against the wall and planting his lips to hers again.
"Well, that's clearly the only reason why I like to shower together like this" Arabella scoffed with sarcasm and she slipped her arms around his middle. She looked up at him happily though her eyelashes and she kissed his lips lightly. Just a tiny, tender, innocent kiss. "I kind of love you, stud" She said softly.
"Oh, NOW you tell me." Hunter said with a little laugh, pressing his lips to her cheek. "I kind of love you too, honey bunch."
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"Alright. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven and the pasta is done cooking, we'll be ready to eat. Gwen and Tyler should be here soo--Oh. Speaking of...." Hunter grinned when he heard a car pulling up and brushed his hands off on a towel. He put an arm around her waist and lead her to the door. He opened it and saw Tyler's blue car in the driveway, Tyler holding Gwen's door open.
"Awh! He's holding the door open for her!" Arabella gasped with a smile on her face. She watched as Tyler took Gwen's hand and helped her out of the car. Even from far away, she could see that his cheeks were bright red and she was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh my gods, Hunter..they are so beyond adorable" She squeaked. Gwen and Tyler walked towards the house and Gwen smiled at them.
"Hey, guys" She said and Arabella smiled back at her.
"Hey, Gwen. It's good to see you. It feels like it's be ages" Arabella giggled a little bit and she turned to Tyler who looked much more serious than she ever knew him to be. "Hey, Tyler.."
Hunter smiled a little bit at Gwen and then cleared his throat to break the tension. "Well, then! Let's get inside, so I can check on dinner." Hunter walked into the kitchen and checked on the bread and then saw that it was done, so he pulled it out and set it on the stove. "And the pasta is done. Good." Hunter said, moving it to a bowl. "Alright. Dinner is served!" Hunter said, setting the food on the table. "Sit. Sit. Please."
Arabella moved over to the table and she sat down, across from Tyler and Gwen. He was still looking very awkward and tense but Gwen looked like she was trying to make this work, which Arabella really liked. Arabella smiled up at Hunter as he sat down beside her and she picked up the bowl of pasta, putting a bit on her plate before passing it over to Gwen.
"Supper looks really incredible" Gwen said and she passed the bowl to Tyler once she filled up her plate.
"Thanks. I worked really hard on it" Arabella said.
"When she says that she worked really hard on it, she meant that Hunter worked really hard on it. Arabella ruins takeout" Tyler said and he glanced over at Arabella, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips. Arabella broke a piece of bread off of her slice and she tossed it at him, hitting him in the middle of his forehead.
"Hey, now, you two." Hunter said with a smile. "Keep it civil in my kitchen." He added some sauce to the pasta and then scooped some onto his fork. "How is your aunt doing, Gwen?" Hunter asked shoving the food into his mouth.
"She's doing alright. The rec center is starting to get busy, so she's been busy, but she always had this way of managing things." Gwen said, spreading butter on a piece of bread. "Oh, she saw that you took a couple days off. She wanted to see if you were okay." Hunter cleared his throat.
"I'm doing fine. Never better actually." Hunter said with a smile over at Arabella.
Arabella smiled at Hunter for a moment then took a bite of her pasta, happy that Tyler and Gwen had at least come over. Even if they didn't get to the bottom of all this, at least they were there. "I love your shirt, Gwen. Where did you get it?" Arabella asked, trying to make a bit of small talk and trying to get more comfortable with Gwen.
"Thanks!" Gwen said happily and she glanced down at her shirt, like she had forgotten what she was wearing. "I got it at Topshop the other day" She said with a little nod.
"Ouu..that means they have more!" Arabella giggled and she looked up at Hunter. "We're going shopping tomorrow" She said in a serious voice.
Hunter smiled and looked up at Tyler for a second. "Hey, Ellie. Didn't you bag up a bunch of your old clothes? Sorry! Clothes that you don't want anymore. Why don't you guys go up and see if she wants anything?" Hunter nodded. "After we eat, of course." Hunter said, taking a bite of bread.
Arabella grinned across the table at Gwen, who grinned back at Arabella. Both of the girls took a couple more bites of their food then put down their forks. "Well, I'm done" Arabella said, picking up her empty plate.
"Me too" Gwen said and she stood up with Arabella. Arabella kissed Hunter's cheek before leading Gwen into the kitchen, where they put the plates in the sink then walked up towards the spare room.
"A lot of my stuff should fit you. Some of it might be a bit too big but I can take it in for you in no time" Arabella said and she sat down on the floor, opening up one of the bags.
Hunter watched the two girls go upstairs before turning his eyes to Tyler. "It looks like things between you and Gwen are getting pretty serious." Hunter said with a nod. Tyler pushed his food around and then cleared his throat.
"I guess..." Hunter narrowed his eyes. "We've just been talking a lot. It's been nice." Hunter finished his food and stood.
"Tyler, I've been noticing that you've been feeling a little uncomfortable around me and I'm starting to worry about you, man. Just tell me what's going on." Hunter said, putting his dishes in the sink then turning to him. Tyler took a deep breath.
"Hunter, I don't mean to hurt you, but I've been talking to Gwen and she said that she had a student spot open up and I was wondering if I could...you know...switch." Hunter's jaw dropped a little.
"Yes! Of course that's fine! I was worried you were going to tell me you were doing drugs or something."
Arabella looked through the bag, passing a few things to Gwen, who looked like she was just beside herself. "Hmmm...this dress might be a bit big on you in the chest area but that'll be really easy to fix" Arabella said, passing it over to Gwen.
'This is really amazing, Arabella. You don't have to do this" Gwen said, looking at the navy blue dress in her hands.
"I was going to be getting rid of them anyway" Arabella shrugged. "I don't really wear them anymore and a lot of this stuff would look amazing on you" She said, looking up at her and giving her a small smile.
"Well...thanks" Gwen said, smiling back at her.
"Things seem to be going good with you and Tyler" Arabella commented and she looked over to see Gwen blush, which was something she hadn't really seen her do. Gwen nodded and pushed a piece of her long hair behind her ear. "I promise that I'm not going to be one of those crazy sisters who are really protective. Just...be kind to him. He's been through a lot" She said softly
Hunter laughed a little and clapped him on the back. "Dude, do what you gotta do. You're not going to hurt my feelings. It takes a lot more than wanting to go after a girl to hurt my feelings." Tyler laughed, looking a little nervous or maybe relieved.
"I didn't want you to think I was just abandoning you." Tyler said, putting his dishes in the sink. Hunter rolled his eyes.
"Come on. Even if you didn't tell me, it would have been okay." Hunter shook his head again. "Let's go check on the girls."
Arabella was sitting with her legs folded and she was sewing the back of a dress, listening to a story that Gwen was telling her when the guys walked in. She looked up from the dress with a happy look on her face when she saw Hunter. "Gwen looks amazing in pretty much everything I have here! It's amazing that most of it fits her pretty perfectly" she said.
"Well, it helps that you can sew things up like it's nothing" Gwen giggled and she held up a dress that Arabella had just taken in to fit Gwen. "I knew that Arabella was a good seamstress, but I had no idea that she is so incredible. She honestly sewed this dress in about 2 minutes"
"Gwen, you're making me blush.." Arabella said and she gave Hunter a little wink. Her sewing skills were something that she had worked at over the years but they were also something that came natural to her with her mother being Aphrodite and all.
Hunter smiled down at her and then looked at Gwen. "She does look pretty nice, doesn't she, Tyler?" Hunter said, shoving him not-so subtly toward Gwen. Tyler stumbled for a moment, but stood up straight when Gwen turned around, smoothing out the dress.
"Gwen, you look...great." Tyler said quietly before letting his cheeks turn a shade of rosy red. Gwen's did, too, and it seemed like both of them noticed the other blushing. Hunter shuffled over to Arabella and put an arm around her waist, kissing her temple and giving her a look that said, well done. we did a good job with these two.
-----------------------------------------
"You two should come around more often. Hunter always makes amazinf food but we never eat all of it, so...stop by anytime" Arabella laughed a little bit and she hugged Gwen before turning and giving Tyler a hug. He seemed to be feeling a lot better and he was starting to act like his normal self again. Seeing him like that was relieving a stress and a tension that Arabella had been feeling for a long time now and she was happy to have her little brother back.
"Arabella. I can't breathe" Tyler teased, patting her back and Arabella shrugged, giving him a good squeeze before letting go of him.
Hunter shook Tyler's hand then gave Gwen a hug before putting his arm back around Arabella. She smiled up at him, placing a quick kiss on his jaw before watching them head back to the car, Tyler opening the door for Gwen. Hunter smiled and laughed a little when Arabella squeaked and clung onto his shirt. 2 honks signaled a goodbye from Tyler and Hunter waved. They disappeared down the road and Hunter closed the door, immediately leaning up against it. "Now, what do we do?" Hunter asked, pulling his wife over to him.
Arabella smiled up at him and she shrugged a little bit. "Sit in the kitchen and pig out on left overs?" She giggled and she kissed him before walking into the kitchen with Hunter. Arabella walked over to the counter and she hopped up, sitting on the edge. She grabbed the bowl with the left over pasta and she took a bite of it. "Mmmm..this is so amazing, babe"
Hunter grabbed a piece of bread and bit off a chunk, chewing quietly. "You're a amazing." He said, bending down and kissing her lightly on the head. "Well, after we eat our weight in leftovers, would be against cuddling on the couch?" He asked with a little laugh.
"We are neer against cuddling" Arabella said with a smile and she kissed Hunter lightly before turning back to the pasta and taking a few small bites. "What did Tyler have to say? Clearly you got through to him while I was talking to Gwen since Tyler actually started to look me in the eye again" She said and she swirled some pasta on her fork then offered it to Hunter.
"It turns out," Hunter started before taking the bite of pasta and giving Arabella a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving a marinara sauce lip print on her skin. He swallowed before finishing. "He wanted to switch archery classes and he was nervous that it might hurt my feelings if he left my class and went to Gwen's." Hunter laughed a little. "I told him that I didn't care at all. He can do whatever he wants especially if it means going after Gwen." He tore off a piece of bread and offered it to Arabella. "I'm just glad he's not out doing drugs or something."
"I really like Gwen. She seems really...down to earth and totally perfect for Tyler" Arabella said and she took the piece of bread from it. She ripped it in half and she ate a piece, chewing slowly. "I just really hope that she doesn't hurt him or anything, you know? I understand that not every relationship lasts, I just don't want to find out that she cheated on him or something" Arabella said softly, shrugging a little bit.
Hunter nodded and sat down next to her. "Gwen seems like a really good girl. There was actually a guy that tried to hit on her at the rec center and she completely blew him off." Hunter nodded and put his head down on her. "She actually walked past him to Tyler. He was a pretty handsome looking guy, too." Hunter took her hand and kissed it. "Gwen and Tyler seem to really like each other. I wouldn't worry about it."
Arabella smiled up at Hunter and she kissed him lightly. She pulled away a little bit so that she could just look at him and graze her fingers across his cheeks. She kissed him one more time before hopping down from the counter. Arabella slid her hands into his and she pulled him towards the couch in the living room with her. All she really wanted to do was curl up with her husband and enjoy the rest of the night. She sat down on the couch and when Hunter sat down beside her, she leaned into him, curling up against his side and pressing her face into his neck. "You smell good" She giggled against his skin.
Hunter laughed and put his arm around her, pressing his lips to her cheek. "I smell like sweat and kitchen." Hunter put his forehead on hers. "You're probably just smelling yourself." He smiled and buried his face in her hair, placing kisses on the spot behind her ear. He pulled away and a little and put a hand on her leg. "So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Hunter asked quietly, dancing his fingers along her thigh. "I have a couple of students tomorrow, but that's done by 11, so we'll have the rest of the day."
"Mmm..sounds perfect" Arabella said and she yawned softly. She looked down at his hand on her leg and she shrugged a little bit. "I didn't really have any plans. My whole day is free" She said and she looked up at him. "Did you have anything in mind?" Arabella asked him and she reached behind them, grabbing the blanket and draping it over them.
Hunter adjusted the blanket over them, letting out a little yawn, mostly from how comfortable he was. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, we can have kids now...As far as I know you're not pregnant..." He tilted his head back and forth a moment. "I'm pretty sure you know where I'm going with this." He finally looked at her with a small smile on his face. "It's not like it's a chore, really."
Arabella grinned and she kissed his jaw lightly before resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "Well, we better get a good sleep so that we can have lots of energy tomorrow" She teased with a little laugh and she put a hand on her stomach. "I'm so excited to be pregnant" Arabella sighed. "This whole waiting thing really sucks, though..."
Hunter nodded and slipped an arm around her and put his hand on top of hers. "Well, it won't be long, now." He said, placing a hand on her cheek, brushing her hair out of her face. "Soon enough we'll be chasing our kids all over the house. The sound of little feet on the floor." He kissed her lightly on the head. "It'll be perfect." He sighed and put his head on hers. "I'm sorry about...not...being able to uh...you know."
Arabella smiled a small smile. "Hunter...that's not your fault" She said softly and she drummed her fingers on his leg lightly. "And besides, we can have kids now so everything that happened before doesn't matter" Arabella finished and she yawned a little before cuddling into him and closing her eyes.
Hunter nodded and sighed softly. "Well, we'd be pregnant by now, though...." Hunter muttered, running his fingers up her side. "I just feel kind of bad, because we've been trying for almost two months and it's basically been a giant disappointment and a lot of unneeded worry and stress and I just wish we had checked first, but then I worry that you wouldn't have stayed with me and now I'm glad that everything has worked out, but I just wish that we had been able to sidestep this whole thing." He said all in one breath and he shook his head, trying to shake everything away.
"Hunter..." Arabella said and she turned to look up at him. She let out a little sigh and she kissed his chin lightly. "I would never have left you because of that, first of all. Second of all, I would say that it was a total disappointment. All of that trying was kind of fun" She finished with a little laugh and she locked eyes with him. "We're going to laugh about all of this one day. When we're old and grey, we'll look back on all of that and laugh because who else would not be able to have kids because a Greek goddess was pissed"
Hunter took a deep breath and then laughed a little. "You're right. I'll just try and...forget it. We're past it." He smiled softly. "Ellie, I really like you. We should get married sometime. Sound good?" Hunter said, leaning into her and placing his lips on hers. "We'll have it on a sandbar at camp. Oh, wait...We did that." Hunter laughed and pushed her back, moving his lips across her cheek.
Arabella laughed and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him closer to her. She looked up at him and she kissed him lightly before resting her head back on the couch. "That was a pretty incredible wedding, husband of mine" She said softly and she bit her lip. "It was everything that I ever wanted and the fact that you had surprised me with it just..made it all so much more amazing"
Hunter laughed and pressed his lips to hers again. "Well, you see what happens when you relax and stop being a control freak?" She smacked him and Hunter laughed again. "Think about it though. You had ideas. I ignored them while telling you it was done and then you had the best wedding ever. All because you managed to relax and because I called in a lot of favors." Hunter smiled and winked at her a little kissing her lightly on the nose.
"Well, thanks" Arabella softly and she closed her eyes when Hunter kissed her nose. "Maybe I should relax a bit more and stop being such a control freak" She said and she took a breath, as if she was thinking about it. "Nah" She giggled and she yawned, nuzzling into his neck.
Hunter laughed and put his arms around her. "Well, maybe I can convince you otherwise." He held her and leaned back so she was laying on top of him. "I know some pretty good ways to relax." He said, kissing her softly on the lips. He placed his hands on her back and softly massaged her spine as he kissed her. "This a good start, honey bunch?"
Arabella moaned and she nodded. "Mmm..this is a really good start" She whispered and she placed a few gentle kisses on his chest. Laying on the couch with Hunter like this was beyond amazing. She could see them resting on the couch like this on Christmas Eve, waiting for their kids to fall asleep or watching movies like that until they were old and grey. Arabella was looking forward to their life together with the kids and everything. She took a small breath and she closed her eyes, feeling very tired suddenly. "Goodnight, Hunter" She breathed softly, feeling herself drift off.
Hunter smiled and closed his eyes, running his fingers through her hair. "Good night, beautiful." He said, placing a small kiss on her hair. Hunter never anticipated falling this far in love, but he was glad he did. He couldn't imagine life without her now. At least, he didn't want to. He never wanted to.
"Alright. I'll see you later, Anna." Hunter said with a wave. "Be sure to come to me if you need help, okay? That's why I'm here." He walked to the wall and zipped up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He heard a giggle and he looked over to see Gwen slapping Tyler's arm, her face red from laughter. Hunter sighed a little bit and walked over. "Hey, Tyler. Hey, Gwen. How are you guys?" Hunter asked with a smile. Tyler's face went solemn.
"We're doing okay. How were your students?" Gwen asked, looking away a little. Hunter took a deep breath. What was going on?
"They were good. They never practice though, which frustrates me to no end." Hunter said with a nod. "I just wanted to tell you guys that you're both invited to come eat dinner tonight at the Reeds' house." Before they could protest, Hunter put on a serious face. "Guys, look. I insist. We're kind of celebrating something and we'd really like you guys to be there."
"Okay. We'll see you then." Tyler said quietly. Hunter nodded and then headed out to the car, quickly pulling out toward home.
Arabella stuck her hands out of the blanket for a few seconds to pet Jolie, who had just leaned up against her side. With a small smile, she turned back to her movie, hoping that Hunter would be home soon. It was always her favorite time of day, when Hunter came home and she got to hug him and tell him that she missed him. Arabella picked up her cup of tea and she took a small sip but when she heard a car pulling up, she squeaked happily and put her cup down. The dogs and Piggy ran to the chairs by the window and stared out of them, wagging their tails when they saw Hunter.
Hunter stepped inside, setting down a handful of grocery bags in the kitchen. He turned around and was almost knocked over by Arabella flying at him, knocking him into the counter. He grinned and leaned up against the counter, brushing her hair out of her face as her arms created a vice grip around his middle. Hunter kissed her gently on the lips. "I missed you, sweetheart." He said with a smile.
"I missed you too" Arabella said softly and she grinned up at him. She leaned into him a little bit more and planted light, feather kisses along his jaw. "Mmm..how was your day?" She asked softly between her kisses and she trailed her lips down to his neck, smiling a little bit. Arabella was neer going to get sick of this. No matter how old they got or how many kids they had, telling them that they were being gross, Arabella was always going to kiss Hunter when he got home and hold him tightly.
Hunter smiled. "It was good. I invited Tyler and Gwen over for dinner. They were being all couple-y today. You should have seen it." He took her hands and put them around his neck before standing up off the counter, holding her up a little. "We have...2 and a half hours before they get here." Hunter said, kissing her again. "Mmm...you're so pretty." Hunter said, waddling toward the couch. "How was your day?"
"Well, after you left, I fell asleep for a few more hours and then I came downstairs and watched a movie with a cup of tea. Basically, I did nothing" Arabella told him and she slipped down onto Hunter's lap when he sat down on the couch. She turned so that she was facing him, straddling him and she placed her hands on either side of his neck. "So, I had a fantastic day" She said with a giggle and she bit her lip. "So...maybe we'll figure out what's been bugging Tyler.."
"That was my hope." Hunter said, placing his hands on her thighs. "I didn't want to make it seem like an interrogation, so I invited Gwen too. I figure you can distract her for a little while andd then I can talk to Tyler. We'll get to the bottom of this." He nodded and then ran his hands up her sides and pulled her down to him, kissing her lightly on the chin. "You know, as much as I don't want you to, you should probably put on some actual clothes before they show up." He laughed a little and then moved his hands up, running his fingers through her hair.
"What? Your I'm fine in just your shirt" Arabella giggled and she ran her hands down his chest. "You're probably right, though. Maybe a shower would be a good idea too" She said and leaned into him, resting her forhead on his chest. "But that involves moving and I don't think I like that" She said with a little laugh and she tucked her arms between her and Hunter.
Hunter laughed a little and craned his head, placing small kisses around her ear. "Well, I am pretty sweaty from teaching today..." Hunter whispered into her ear, laughing a little at the feeling of her cuddled up on him like that. He wrapped an arm under her and stood, holding her close. "I was going to start dinner, but I think I like this idea a little bit better." Hunter said, heading toward the stairs.
"I like it too. Best idea I've heard in a long time. We can just get takeout and say that we cooked it" Arabella joked and she placed her hands on his chest, leaning into him and planting little kisses on his cheek. "How much time do we have? 2 hours?" She asked him and when they got up to the bedroom, she pulled away from him a little bit so that she was standing on the ground and she danced her fingers up his chest. Arabella grabbed the collar of his shirt and with a little smirk, she backed into the bathroom, taking him with her.
Hunter closed the door with his foot and tucked his fingers inside the hem of her shirt. "2 hours and 15 minutes to be specific." He said, pressing his lips to hers and running his hands up her back. "I think that you should help me with dinner tonight. It's also one of the best ideas I've ever heard." Hunter laughed a little and pulled away enough to take his shirt off. "I mean, assuming you're not too tired from doing nothing all day."
"Mmmm, well...doing nothing is very exhausting, but...I think I can manage" Arabella said softly and she grazed her fingers down his chest. "I just hope that you're not too tired from such a long day at work" She teased and she kissed him lightly. Arabella turned her back to him and she turned on the shower, letting the water heat up.
Hunter moved closer to her slid his arms around her. "Oh, I think I'll be okay. I've got a lot of endurance." Hunter whispered in to her ear as he grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head. It was a matter of moments later when he had his arms around her in the shower with the water pelting their skin. "You know, I feel like we save a lot of money this way. Showering together like this." Hunter said before pressing her against the wall and planting his lips to hers again.
"Well, that's clearly the only reason why I like to shower together like this" Arabella scoffed with sarcasm and she slipped her arms around his middle. She looked up at him happily though her eyelashes and she kissed his lips lightly. Just a tiny, tender, innocent kiss. "I kind of love you, stud" She said softly.
"Oh, NOW you tell me." Hunter said with a little laugh, pressing his lips to her cheek. "I kind of love you too, honey bunch."
-----------------
"Alright. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven and the pasta is done cooking, we'll be ready to eat. Gwen and Tyler should be here soo--Oh. Speaking of...." Hunter grinned when he heard a car pulling up and brushed his hands off on a towel. He put an arm around her waist and lead her to the door. He opened it and saw Tyler's blue car in the driveway, Tyler holding Gwen's door open.
"Awh! He's holding the door open for her!" Arabella gasped with a smile on her face. She watched as Tyler took Gwen's hand and helped her out of the car. Even from far away, she could see that his cheeks were bright red and she was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh my gods, Hunter..they are so beyond adorable" She squeaked. Gwen and Tyler walked towards the house and Gwen smiled at them.
"Hey, guys" She said and Arabella smiled back at her.
"Hey, Gwen. It's good to see you. It feels like it's be ages" Arabella giggled a little bit and she turned to Tyler who looked much more serious than she ever knew him to be. "Hey, Tyler.."
Hunter smiled a little bit at Gwen and then cleared his throat to break the tension. "Well, then! Let's get inside, so I can check on dinner." Hunter walked into the kitchen and checked on the bread and then saw that it was done, so he pulled it out and set it on the stove. "And the pasta is done. Good." Hunter said, moving it to a bowl. "Alright. Dinner is served!" Hunter said, setting the food on the table. "Sit. Sit. Please."
Arabella moved over to the table and she sat down, across from Tyler and Gwen. He was still looking very awkward and tense but Gwen looked like she was trying to make this work, which Arabella really liked. Arabella smiled up at Hunter as he sat down beside her and she picked up the bowl of pasta, putting a bit on her plate before passing it over to Gwen.
"Supper looks really incredible" Gwen said and she passed the bowl to Tyler once she filled up her plate.
"Thanks. I worked really hard on it" Arabella said.
"When she says that she worked really hard on it, she meant that Hunter worked really hard on it. Arabella ruins takeout" Tyler said and he glanced over at Arabella, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips. Arabella broke a piece of bread off of her slice and she tossed it at him, hitting him in the middle of his forehead.
"Hey, now, you two." Hunter said with a smile. "Keep it civil in my kitchen." He added some sauce to the pasta and then scooped some onto his fork. "How is your aunt doing, Gwen?" Hunter asked shoving the food into his mouth.
"She's doing alright. The rec center is starting to get busy, so she's been busy, but she always had this way of managing things." Gwen said, spreading butter on a piece of bread. "Oh, she saw that you took a couple days off. She wanted to see if you were okay." Hunter cleared his throat.
"I'm doing fine. Never better actually." Hunter said with a smile over at Arabella.
Arabella smiled at Hunter for a moment then took a bite of her pasta, happy that Tyler and Gwen had at least come over. Even if they didn't get to the bottom of all this, at least they were there. "I love your shirt, Gwen. Where did you get it?" Arabella asked, trying to make a bit of small talk and trying to get more comfortable with Gwen.
"Thanks!" Gwen said happily and she glanced down at her shirt, like she had forgotten what she was wearing. "I got it at Topshop the other day" She said with a little nod.
"Ouu..that means they have more!" Arabella giggled and she looked up at Hunter. "We're going shopping tomorrow" She said in a serious voice.
Hunter smiled and looked up at Tyler for a second. "Hey, Ellie. Didn't you bag up a bunch of your old clothes? Sorry! Clothes that you don't want anymore. Why don't you guys go up and see if she wants anything?" Hunter nodded. "After we eat, of course." Hunter said, taking a bite of bread.
Arabella grinned across the table at Gwen, who grinned back at Arabella. Both of the girls took a couple more bites of their food then put down their forks. "Well, I'm done" Arabella said, picking up her empty plate.
"Me too" Gwen said and she stood up with Arabella. Arabella kissed Hunter's cheek before leading Gwen into the kitchen, where they put the plates in the sink then walked up towards the spare room.
"A lot of my stuff should fit you. Some of it might be a bit too big but I can take it in for you in no time" Arabella said and she sat down on the floor, opening up one of the bags.
Hunter watched the two girls go upstairs before turning his eyes to Tyler. "It looks like things between you and Gwen are getting pretty serious." Hunter said with a nod. Tyler pushed his food around and then cleared his throat.
"I guess..." Hunter narrowed his eyes. "We've just been talking a lot. It's been nice." Hunter finished his food and stood.
"Tyler, I've been noticing that you've been feeling a little uncomfortable around me and I'm starting to worry about you, man. Just tell me what's going on." Hunter said, putting his dishes in the sink then turning to him. Tyler took a deep breath.
"Hunter, I don't mean to hurt you, but I've been talking to Gwen and she said that she had a student spot open up and I was wondering if I could...you know...switch." Hunter's jaw dropped a little.
"Yes! Of course that's fine! I was worried you were going to tell me you were doing drugs or something."
Arabella looked through the bag, passing a few things to Gwen, who looked like she was just beside herself. "Hmmm...this dress might be a bit big on you in the chest area but that'll be really easy to fix" Arabella said, passing it over to Gwen.
'This is really amazing, Arabella. You don't have to do this" Gwen said, looking at the navy blue dress in her hands.
"I was going to be getting rid of them anyway" Arabella shrugged. "I don't really wear them anymore and a lot of this stuff would look amazing on you" She said, looking up at her and giving her a small smile.
"Well...thanks" Gwen said, smiling back at her.
"Things seem to be going good with you and Tyler" Arabella commented and she looked over to see Gwen blush, which was something she hadn't really seen her do. Gwen nodded and pushed a piece of her long hair behind her ear. "I promise that I'm not going to be one of those crazy sisters who are really protective. Just...be kind to him. He's been through a lot" She said softly
Hunter laughed a little and clapped him on the back. "Dude, do what you gotta do. You're not going to hurt my feelings. It takes a lot more than wanting to go after a girl to hurt my feelings." Tyler laughed, looking a little nervous or maybe relieved.
"I didn't want you to think I was just abandoning you." Tyler said, putting his dishes in the sink. Hunter rolled his eyes.
"Come on. Even if you didn't tell me, it would have been okay." Hunter shook his head again. "Let's go check on the girls."
Arabella was sitting with her legs folded and she was sewing the back of a dress, listening to a story that Gwen was telling her when the guys walked in. She looked up from the dress with a happy look on her face when she saw Hunter. "Gwen looks amazing in pretty much everything I have here! It's amazing that most of it fits her pretty perfectly" she said.
"Well, it helps that you can sew things up like it's nothing" Gwen giggled and she held up a dress that Arabella had just taken in to fit Gwen. "I knew that Arabella was a good seamstress, but I had no idea that she is so incredible. She honestly sewed this dress in about 2 minutes"
"Gwen, you're making me blush.." Arabella said and she gave Hunter a little wink. Her sewing skills were something that she had worked at over the years but they were also something that came natural to her with her mother being Aphrodite and all.
Hunter smiled down at her and then looked at Gwen. "She does look pretty nice, doesn't she, Tyler?" Hunter said, shoving him not-so subtly toward Gwen. Tyler stumbled for a moment, but stood up straight when Gwen turned around, smoothing out the dress.
"Gwen, you look...great." Tyler said quietly before letting his cheeks turn a shade of rosy red. Gwen's did, too, and it seemed like both of them noticed the other blushing. Hunter shuffled over to Arabella and put an arm around her waist, kissing her temple and giving her a look that said, well done. we did a good job with these two.
-----------------------------------------
"You two should come around more often. Hunter always makes amazinf food but we never eat all of it, so...stop by anytime" Arabella laughed a little bit and she hugged Gwen before turning and giving Tyler a hug. He seemed to be feeling a lot better and he was starting to act like his normal self again. Seeing him like that was relieving a stress and a tension that Arabella had been feeling for a long time now and she was happy to have her little brother back.
"Arabella. I can't breathe" Tyler teased, patting her back and Arabella shrugged, giving him a good squeeze before letting go of him.
Hunter shook Tyler's hand then gave Gwen a hug before putting his arm back around Arabella. She smiled up at him, placing a quick kiss on his jaw before watching them head back to the car, Tyler opening the door for Gwen. Hunter smiled and laughed a little when Arabella squeaked and clung onto his shirt. 2 honks signaled a goodbye from Tyler and Hunter waved. They disappeared down the road and Hunter closed the door, immediately leaning up against it. "Now, what do we do?" Hunter asked, pulling his wife over to him.
Arabella smiled up at him and she shrugged a little bit. "Sit in the kitchen and pig out on left overs?" She giggled and she kissed him before walking into the kitchen with Hunter. Arabella walked over to the counter and she hopped up, sitting on the edge. She grabbed the bowl with the left over pasta and she took a bite of it. "Mmmm..this is so amazing, babe"
Hunter grabbed a piece of bread and bit off a chunk, chewing quietly. "You're a amazing." He said, bending down and kissing her lightly on the head. "Well, after we eat our weight in leftovers, would be against cuddling on the couch?" He asked with a little laugh.
"We are neer against cuddling" Arabella said with a smile and she kissed Hunter lightly before turning back to the pasta and taking a few small bites. "What did Tyler have to say? Clearly you got through to him while I was talking to Gwen since Tyler actually started to look me in the eye again" She said and she swirled some pasta on her fork then offered it to Hunter.
"It turns out," Hunter started before taking the bite of pasta and giving Arabella a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving a marinara sauce lip print on her skin. He swallowed before finishing. "He wanted to switch archery classes and he was nervous that it might hurt my feelings if he left my class and went to Gwen's." Hunter laughed a little. "I told him that I didn't care at all. He can do whatever he wants especially if it means going after Gwen." He tore off a piece of bread and offered it to Arabella. "I'm just glad he's not out doing drugs or something."
"I really like Gwen. She seems really...down to earth and totally perfect for Tyler" Arabella said and she took the piece of bread from it. She ripped it in half and she ate a piece, chewing slowly. "I just really hope that she doesn't hurt him or anything, you know? I understand that not every relationship lasts, I just don't want to find out that she cheated on him or something" Arabella said softly, shrugging a little bit.
Hunter nodded and sat down next to her. "Gwen seems like a really good girl. There was actually a guy that tried to hit on her at the rec center and she completely blew him off." Hunter nodded and put his head down on her. "She actually walked past him to Tyler. He was a pretty handsome looking guy, too." Hunter took her hand and kissed it. "Gwen and Tyler seem to really like each other. I wouldn't worry about it."
Arabella smiled up at Hunter and she kissed him lightly. She pulled away a little bit so that she could just look at him and graze her fingers across his cheeks. She kissed him one more time before hopping down from the counter. Arabella slid her hands into his and she pulled him towards the couch in the living room with her. All she really wanted to do was curl up with her husband and enjoy the rest of the night. She sat down on the couch and when Hunter sat down beside her, she leaned into him, curling up against his side and pressing her face into his neck. "You smell good" She giggled against his skin.
Hunter laughed and put his arm around her, pressing his lips to her cheek. "I smell like sweat and kitchen." Hunter put his forehead on hers. "You're probably just smelling yourself." He smiled and buried his face in her hair, placing kisses on the spot behind her ear. He pulled away and a little and put a hand on her leg. "So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Hunter asked quietly, dancing his fingers along her thigh. "I have a couple of students tomorrow, but that's done by 11, so we'll have the rest of the day."
"Mmm..sounds perfect" Arabella said and she yawned softly. She looked down at his hand on her leg and she shrugged a little bit. "I didn't really have any plans. My whole day is free" She said and she looked up at him. "Did you have anything in mind?" Arabella asked him and she reached behind them, grabbing the blanket and draping it over them.
Hunter adjusted the blanket over them, letting out a little yawn, mostly from how comfortable he was. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, we can have kids now...As far as I know you're not pregnant..." He tilted his head back and forth a moment. "I'm pretty sure you know where I'm going with this." He finally looked at her with a small smile on his face. "It's not like it's a chore, really."
Arabella grinned and she kissed his jaw lightly before resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "Well, we better get a good sleep so that we can have lots of energy tomorrow" She teased with a little laugh and she put a hand on her stomach. "I'm so excited to be pregnant" Arabella sighed. "This whole waiting thing really sucks, though..."
Hunter nodded and slipped an arm around her and put his hand on top of hers. "Well, it won't be long, now." He said, placing a hand on her cheek, brushing her hair out of her face. "Soon enough we'll be chasing our kids all over the house. The sound of little feet on the floor." He kissed her lightly on the head. "It'll be perfect." He sighed and put his head on hers. "I'm sorry about...not...being able to uh...you know."
Arabella smiled a small smile. "Hunter...that's not your fault" She said softly and she drummed her fingers on his leg lightly. "And besides, we can have kids now so everything that happened before doesn't matter" Arabella finished and she yawned a little before cuddling into him and closing her eyes.
Hunter nodded and sighed softly. "Well, we'd be pregnant by now, though...." Hunter muttered, running his fingers up her side. "I just feel kind of bad, because we've been trying for almost two months and it's basically been a giant disappointment and a lot of unneeded worry and stress and I just wish we had checked first, but then I worry that you wouldn't have stayed with me and now I'm glad that everything has worked out, but I just wish that we had been able to sidestep this whole thing." He said all in one breath and he shook his head, trying to shake everything away.
"Hunter..." Arabella said and she turned to look up at him. She let out a little sigh and she kissed his chin lightly. "I would never have left you because of that, first of all. Second of all, I would say that it was a total disappointment. All of that trying was kind of fun" She finished with a little laugh and she locked eyes with him. "We're going to laugh about all of this one day. When we're old and grey, we'll look back on all of that and laugh because who else would not be able to have kids because a Greek goddess was pissed"
Hunter took a deep breath and then laughed a little. "You're right. I'll just try and...forget it. We're past it." He smiled softly. "Ellie, I really like you. We should get married sometime. Sound good?" Hunter said, leaning into her and placing his lips on hers. "We'll have it on a sandbar at camp. Oh, wait...We did that." Hunter laughed and pushed her back, moving his lips across her cheek.
Arabella laughed and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him closer to her. She looked up at him and she kissed him lightly before resting her head back on the couch. "That was a pretty incredible wedding, husband of mine" She said softly and she bit her lip. "It was everything that I ever wanted and the fact that you had surprised me with it just..made it all so much more amazing"
Hunter laughed and pressed his lips to hers again. "Well, you see what happens when you relax and stop being a control freak?" She smacked him and Hunter laughed again. "Think about it though. You had ideas. I ignored them while telling you it was done and then you had the best wedding ever. All because you managed to relax and because I called in a lot of favors." Hunter smiled and winked at her a little kissing her lightly on the nose.
"Well, thanks" Arabella softly and she closed her eyes when Hunter kissed her nose. "Maybe I should relax a bit more and stop being such a control freak" She said and she took a breath, as if she was thinking about it. "Nah" She giggled and she yawned, nuzzling into his neck.
Hunter laughed and put his arms around her. "Well, maybe I can convince you otherwise." He held her and leaned back so she was laying on top of him. "I know some pretty good ways to relax." He said, kissing her softly on the lips. He placed his hands on her back and softly massaged her spine as he kissed her. "This a good start, honey bunch?"
Arabella moaned and she nodded. "Mmm..this is a really good start" She whispered and she placed a few gentle kisses on his chest. Laying on the couch with Hunter like this was beyond amazing. She could see them resting on the couch like this on Christmas Eve, waiting for their kids to fall asleep or watching movies like that until they were old and grey. Arabella was looking forward to their life together with the kids and everything. She took a small breath and she closed her eyes, feeling very tired suddenly. "Goodnight, Hunter" She breathed softly, feeling herself drift off.
Hunter smiled and closed his eyes, running his fingers through her hair. "Good night, beautiful." He said, placing a small kiss on her hair. Hunter never anticipated falling this far in love, but he was glad he did. He couldn't imagine life without her now. At least, he didn't want to. He never wanted to.
Chapter 154 - Arabella and Hunter
"That was....wow" Arabella breathed, laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling with flushed cheeks. Her breathing was laboured and she was warm but she kept the blanket up to her chest, covering herself up a little bit. Arabella closed her eyes and she took deep breaths, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. After the past couple of days, Hunter had stunned her when he came home and kissed her. She wasn't objecting but she was still a little confused. It was nice to see him off of the souch, too. She had been really worried about him. "Where did you learn to do all of that?" Arabella teased in a breathless voice, turning her head to look at him with a little smirk on her lips.
Hunter was staring up at the ceiling, his breathing heavy. It felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and now it felt like it was all gone. He turned his head to look at her and he saw the smile on her face. He reached over and laced his fingers with hers and kissed her on the lips. The level of fatigue that he had could only be described as exhausted. He wasn't kissing her for a long sustained kiss; Just several small kisses on her lips. "I had a really good teacher." Hunter said with a smile against her lips. After a few more kisses, he put his head back down and pulled her a little bit closer. At that moment, his stomach growled. It wasn't really a growl. More like a roar. His comatose state from the past few days was starting to catch up with him. Hard.
Arabella laughed softly and she put her hand on his stomach. "Yeah, me too" She giggled and she placed a tiny little kiss on his chin. "Mmm..you wait here, stud muffin. I'll be right back" Arabella told him and she sat up in the bed. She grabbed Hunter's shirt and she slid it over her head and she tugged on a pair of lace panties. With a little smirk back at Hunter, Arabella stood up off the bed and she walked out of the room, tugging on the edges of the shirt. She walked down into the kitchen and she pulled all of the containers of Chinese food out of the fridge. Humming softly to herself, she put the food on plates, heated it up in the microwave then put it all on a tray. Arabella yawned as she walked up the stairs, trying really hard not to spill. "This smells really good.." she said as she walked into the bedroom.
After Arabella left, Hunter found himself falling asleep. He shook himself a little and carefully stood up, grabbing his boxers and slipping them on. He walked to the bathroom and bent over the sink, splashing water on his face. He looked in the mirror and found that he had bags under his eyes, but he couldn't have felt better. He wiped his face and then heard when Arabella walked back in. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Mmm...You smell good." He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. She put her hands on his and he felt her ring and he realized that he still didn't have his on. "You know what goes really well with Chinese food?" Hunter pressed his lips to the back of her neck and then pulled away. He went back downstairs and grabbed his ring off the table, quickly slipping it on. Before he went back up, he grabbed a carton of ice cream and two spoons. "Ice cream." He said, sitting next to her and setting it with the rest of the food.
Arabella smiled softly down at the ice cream and she turned to look up at him with big eyes. "Ice cream sounds perfect" She said softly and she kissed his cheek then turned back to the food. Arabella took a bite out of an egg roll and she glanced out of the window. It was really nice to sit with Hunter like that again but she couldn't ignore the fact that less than 24 hours ago, he was turning into a vegetable and then suddenly, he came home and put her on the counter. "So..what happened today, exactly?" She asked him softly, dipping her egg roll in plum sauce.
Hunter took a deep breath. "Where to start..." Hunter mumbled quietly. "Well, after we put down the rebellion, the gods offered me godhood and I declined it, so they told me that I could cash it in whenever because they didn't want to owe me. Artemis in punishment for leaving the Hunters made me sterile and so after your mom told me about all of this I went to Camp and they brought me to Olympus and I talked to the gods and I exchanged the offer of godhood for my fertility and then I was just so excited...Well. You know from there." Hunter said all in one breath before venturing a glance at Arabella.
Arabella looked up at him with a slightly stunned look on her face. She wasn't expecting that. In all honesty, she thought that he was going to say that he had gone and talked to one of his friends or something. Arabella took a small breath and she looked down at her egg roll. She didn't really want to make a big deal out of it and she didn't want to upset Hunter or anything but it was pretty big news. "Well, uhm...you had a busy day" She said in a small voice and she looked back at him. "So, we can have kids now?" She asked him, a smile spreading across her lips.
Hunter took a deep breath and leaned over, placing a kiss on her lips. "Yes. We can have kids, now." He said with a smile. She squeaked a little and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him tightly on the lips. Hunter smiled and put an arm around her, pulling her closer. He took a big bite of fried rice then looked over when Arabella put her head on his shoulder. He put his head down on hers and sighed a little, feeding her a bite of egg roll. "I'm sorry about my behavior the last couple days..."
"I really missed you" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes. She took a small breath and she placed her hand on his knee. "It's okay, Hunter. I was just...really worried about you. I didn't know the right thing to say or do and I hated seeing you in so much pain" She said softly and she traced a small heart on his knee with her fingers. Arabella opened her eyes and she lifted her head off of his shoulder to look at him. "Please don't scare me like that again"
Hunter took a deep breath and kissed her hair. "I won't. I promise. I just...I didn't want to deal with knowing how much I let you down and I didn't want to think about anything, so I just shut off and I didn't know what to do and...I'm just...I'm really sorry." Hunter said with a sigh. He grabbed a piece of crab rangoon and took a small bite before offering a bite to her.
"You didn't let me down, Hunter. You had done nothing wrong" Arabella said softly and she kissed his cheek before taking a bite of the crab rangoon. She chewed in slowly, thinking everything over a little bit. "And you don't have to say sorry. If anything, I should be saying sorry to you. I should have tried to talk to you more or something. I don't know. I just..I thought that you might need your space and I was trying so hard to not be sad about it"
Hunter sighed and put his forehead against her head. "How about we just agree that we were both stupid?" He said, kissing her gently on the lips. Hunter closed his eyes a moment and then grabbed a bowl of orange chicken. He added some rice and Hunter took a big bite. "Ellie, this is amazing. You're amazing. Everything is really amazing and I'm glad you're here." He said, taking another bite of orange chicken.
Arabella smiled and she put a hand on his cheek. "I'm really glad that you're here too, Hunter" She said softly and she leaned forward to place a kiss on his jaw. Arabella took a bite out of some noodles before she flopped back on the bed, closing her eyes and yawning. "We are going to sleep so well tonight. You got me all tired out" she teased with a little giggle.
Hunter laughed a little and kissed her temple. "Sorry about that. I got a little uh...carried away." Hunter sighed and opened up the ice cream. He took a spoonful and offered it to Arabella who ate with a smile. "Sleeping sounds really good right now, in all honesty. I haven't done much of it lately. I felt like I had the world on my shoulders and now I just want you to be pregnant and huge and absolutely breathtaking." He chuckled quietly then kissed her gently on the lips.
Arabella looked up at him with tired eyes, but a smile on her face. She nodded softly and she put her hand on her stomach. "I can't wait to be huge" Arabella said in a little voice then she burst out into giggles. "how many girls do you know will say that they want to be huge?" She joked and she yawned a little bit, rolling over onto her side and closing her eyes. "Maybe we'll find out that I'm pregnant in a few weeks" She said in a soft voice and she curled her legs up.
Hunter pushed the Chinese food to the foot of the bed then wrapped his arms around her. "I really hope you're pregnant because I am more than ready to find out that you and I are going to have a family together." Hunter said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I kind of want to go back to that doctor and just rub it in his face." He laughed a little and leaned his head against hers, closing his eyes. "Do you want a boy or girl first?" He asked, lacing his fingers with hers.
"I want a little girl" Arabella told him softly, looking down at their fingers and taking a deep breath. "Maybe it's just because I grew up without my mother and I like the idea of having a girl and really...being a mother for her, you know? I want to dress her up in pretty clothes and play with Barbies with her and talk to her about boys and all of that" She said and she looked up at Hunter with a smile. "What about you?"
Hunter felt her put her head down on his shoulder and he kissed her head a moment then put his head on hers. "A little girl sounds perfect. Autumn Grace Reed." Hunter said quietly, running his fingers up and down her arm. "A son would be nice though." Hunter said with a nod. Teach him how to catch. Teach him how to...I have no idea actually. When do I teach him to shave?" He said with a sigh. He was nervous about how much of a father he was going to be, since he had no reference. He was excited, but he had this sudden feeling that he had no idea what he was doing.
Arabella giggled and she placed a hand on his leg, drumming her fingers on his skin. "You're going to teach him how to be kind and brave and gentleman" She said and she turned her head so that she could place a few tender kisses on his shoulder. "And that's all that really matters in the end, right? That our kids are good people and have a set of morals?" She looked up at him with a tired smile and she placed a kiss on his chin.
Hunter sighed and then grabbed the ice cream at the foot of the bed. He scooped some out and ate it then handed it to Arabella. "I just don't want our kids to be happy, you know? I'm worried that I'm not going to know what to do and I'll just...I don't know. It won't be good. I'll just panic and make things worse." Hunter shrugged and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "How long until you can find out if you're pregnant with the...the thingie?"
"It can take a little while" Arabella shrugged and she looked down at the ice cream. "Next time that I'm shopping, which wouldn't be too soon if I was being smart, I'll pick up a couple tests" She said and she took a bite of the ice cream before putting down and she yawned. "And by the way, there is no way that you'll make things worse for our kids. I know that you understand that you don't need to have super parents all the time, you just..need them to be there"
Hunter nodded softly and saw her yawn. He sighed a little and then yawned himself, leaning down and grabbing the tray of food. "I'm going to go put this in the kitchen and then put the dogs to bed and then I'll come back up and put myself to bed." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll miss you." He smirked and then turned around, heading downstairs.
Arabella smiled as she watched him walk out of the room. She stretched out her legs, moaning softly. Smiling a little bit to herself, Arabella curled up on her side and she pulled her knees up to her chest. Without moving under the blankets or anything, she closed her eyes happily. That morning, she had been prepared for a terrible day but now, she was on cloud nine. Almost as soon as Arabella had closed her eyes, she was falling asleep.
Hunter placed the dishes in the sink and put the ice cream back in the freezer. With a little yawn, he tossed a treat into Piggy's cage and then closed it. He put a treat into Jolie's cage and she hurried in then picked it up and carried it to Ajax's cage. Hunter rolled his eyes and tossed a treat into Ajax's cage then closed it, keeping the dogs in. "Good night, Princess, Ajax, and Piggy." Hunter said quietly before sneaking back upstairs. Hunter stepped into the bedroom and saw that Arabella was already asleep. He crept forward and slipped in behind her wrapping an arm around her waist. "Good night, sweetheart." Hunter whispered, pressing his lips to her cheek.
Hunter was staring up at the ceiling, his breathing heavy. It felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and now it felt like it was all gone. He turned his head to look at her and he saw the smile on her face. He reached over and laced his fingers with hers and kissed her on the lips. The level of fatigue that he had could only be described as exhausted. He wasn't kissing her for a long sustained kiss; Just several small kisses on her lips. "I had a really good teacher." Hunter said with a smile against her lips. After a few more kisses, he put his head back down and pulled her a little bit closer. At that moment, his stomach growled. It wasn't really a growl. More like a roar. His comatose state from the past few days was starting to catch up with him. Hard.
Arabella laughed softly and she put her hand on his stomach. "Yeah, me too" She giggled and she placed a tiny little kiss on his chin. "Mmm..you wait here, stud muffin. I'll be right back" Arabella told him and she sat up in the bed. She grabbed Hunter's shirt and she slid it over her head and she tugged on a pair of lace panties. With a little smirk back at Hunter, Arabella stood up off the bed and she walked out of the room, tugging on the edges of the shirt. She walked down into the kitchen and she pulled all of the containers of Chinese food out of the fridge. Humming softly to herself, she put the food on plates, heated it up in the microwave then put it all on a tray. Arabella yawned as she walked up the stairs, trying really hard not to spill. "This smells really good.." she said as she walked into the bedroom.
After Arabella left, Hunter found himself falling asleep. He shook himself a little and carefully stood up, grabbing his boxers and slipping them on. He walked to the bathroom and bent over the sink, splashing water on his face. He looked in the mirror and found that he had bags under his eyes, but he couldn't have felt better. He wiped his face and then heard when Arabella walked back in. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Mmm...You smell good." He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. She put her hands on his and he felt her ring and he realized that he still didn't have his on. "You know what goes really well with Chinese food?" Hunter pressed his lips to the back of her neck and then pulled away. He went back downstairs and grabbed his ring off the table, quickly slipping it on. Before he went back up, he grabbed a carton of ice cream and two spoons. "Ice cream." He said, sitting next to her and setting it with the rest of the food.
Arabella smiled softly down at the ice cream and she turned to look up at him with big eyes. "Ice cream sounds perfect" She said softly and she kissed his cheek then turned back to the food. Arabella took a bite out of an egg roll and she glanced out of the window. It was really nice to sit with Hunter like that again but she couldn't ignore the fact that less than 24 hours ago, he was turning into a vegetable and then suddenly, he came home and put her on the counter. "So..what happened today, exactly?" She asked him softly, dipping her egg roll in plum sauce.
Hunter took a deep breath. "Where to start..." Hunter mumbled quietly. "Well, after we put down the rebellion, the gods offered me godhood and I declined it, so they told me that I could cash it in whenever because they didn't want to owe me. Artemis in punishment for leaving the Hunters made me sterile and so after your mom told me about all of this I went to Camp and they brought me to Olympus and I talked to the gods and I exchanged the offer of godhood for my fertility and then I was just so excited...Well. You know from there." Hunter said all in one breath before venturing a glance at Arabella.
Arabella looked up at him with a slightly stunned look on her face. She wasn't expecting that. In all honesty, she thought that he was going to say that he had gone and talked to one of his friends or something. Arabella took a small breath and she looked down at her egg roll. She didn't really want to make a big deal out of it and she didn't want to upset Hunter or anything but it was pretty big news. "Well, uhm...you had a busy day" She said in a small voice and she looked back at him. "So, we can have kids now?" She asked him, a smile spreading across her lips.
Hunter took a deep breath and leaned over, placing a kiss on her lips. "Yes. We can have kids, now." He said with a smile. She squeaked a little and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him tightly on the lips. Hunter smiled and put an arm around her, pulling her closer. He took a big bite of fried rice then looked over when Arabella put her head on his shoulder. He put his head down on hers and sighed a little, feeding her a bite of egg roll. "I'm sorry about my behavior the last couple days..."
"I really missed you" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes. She took a small breath and she placed her hand on his knee. "It's okay, Hunter. I was just...really worried about you. I didn't know the right thing to say or do and I hated seeing you in so much pain" She said softly and she traced a small heart on his knee with her fingers. Arabella opened her eyes and she lifted her head off of his shoulder to look at him. "Please don't scare me like that again"
Hunter took a deep breath and kissed her hair. "I won't. I promise. I just...I didn't want to deal with knowing how much I let you down and I didn't want to think about anything, so I just shut off and I didn't know what to do and...I'm just...I'm really sorry." Hunter said with a sigh. He grabbed a piece of crab rangoon and took a small bite before offering a bite to her.
"You didn't let me down, Hunter. You had done nothing wrong" Arabella said softly and she kissed his cheek before taking a bite of the crab rangoon. She chewed in slowly, thinking everything over a little bit. "And you don't have to say sorry. If anything, I should be saying sorry to you. I should have tried to talk to you more or something. I don't know. I just..I thought that you might need your space and I was trying so hard to not be sad about it"
Hunter sighed and put his forehead against her head. "How about we just agree that we were both stupid?" He said, kissing her gently on the lips. Hunter closed his eyes a moment and then grabbed a bowl of orange chicken. He added some rice and Hunter took a big bite. "Ellie, this is amazing. You're amazing. Everything is really amazing and I'm glad you're here." He said, taking another bite of orange chicken.
Arabella smiled and she put a hand on his cheek. "I'm really glad that you're here too, Hunter" She said softly and she leaned forward to place a kiss on his jaw. Arabella took a bite out of some noodles before she flopped back on the bed, closing her eyes and yawning. "We are going to sleep so well tonight. You got me all tired out" she teased with a little giggle.
Hunter laughed a little and kissed her temple. "Sorry about that. I got a little uh...carried away." Hunter sighed and opened up the ice cream. He took a spoonful and offered it to Arabella who ate with a smile. "Sleeping sounds really good right now, in all honesty. I haven't done much of it lately. I felt like I had the world on my shoulders and now I just want you to be pregnant and huge and absolutely breathtaking." He chuckled quietly then kissed her gently on the lips.
Arabella looked up at him with tired eyes, but a smile on her face. She nodded softly and she put her hand on her stomach. "I can't wait to be huge" Arabella said in a little voice then she burst out into giggles. "how many girls do you know will say that they want to be huge?" She joked and she yawned a little bit, rolling over onto her side and closing her eyes. "Maybe we'll find out that I'm pregnant in a few weeks" She said in a soft voice and she curled her legs up.
Hunter pushed the Chinese food to the foot of the bed then wrapped his arms around her. "I really hope you're pregnant because I am more than ready to find out that you and I are going to have a family together." Hunter said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I kind of want to go back to that doctor and just rub it in his face." He laughed a little and leaned his head against hers, closing his eyes. "Do you want a boy or girl first?" He asked, lacing his fingers with hers.
"I want a little girl" Arabella told him softly, looking down at their fingers and taking a deep breath. "Maybe it's just because I grew up without my mother and I like the idea of having a girl and really...being a mother for her, you know? I want to dress her up in pretty clothes and play with Barbies with her and talk to her about boys and all of that" She said and she looked up at Hunter with a smile. "What about you?"
Hunter felt her put her head down on his shoulder and he kissed her head a moment then put his head on hers. "A little girl sounds perfect. Autumn Grace Reed." Hunter said quietly, running his fingers up and down her arm. "A son would be nice though." Hunter said with a nod. Teach him how to catch. Teach him how to...I have no idea actually. When do I teach him to shave?" He said with a sigh. He was nervous about how much of a father he was going to be, since he had no reference. He was excited, but he had this sudden feeling that he had no idea what he was doing.
Arabella giggled and she placed a hand on his leg, drumming her fingers on his skin. "You're going to teach him how to be kind and brave and gentleman" She said and she turned her head so that she could place a few tender kisses on his shoulder. "And that's all that really matters in the end, right? That our kids are good people and have a set of morals?" She looked up at him with a tired smile and she placed a kiss on his chin.
Hunter sighed and then grabbed the ice cream at the foot of the bed. He scooped some out and ate it then handed it to Arabella. "I just don't want our kids to be happy, you know? I'm worried that I'm not going to know what to do and I'll just...I don't know. It won't be good. I'll just panic and make things worse." Hunter shrugged and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "How long until you can find out if you're pregnant with the...the thingie?"
"It can take a little while" Arabella shrugged and she looked down at the ice cream. "Next time that I'm shopping, which wouldn't be too soon if I was being smart, I'll pick up a couple tests" She said and she took a bite of the ice cream before putting down and she yawned. "And by the way, there is no way that you'll make things worse for our kids. I know that you understand that you don't need to have super parents all the time, you just..need them to be there"
Hunter nodded softly and saw her yawn. He sighed a little and then yawned himself, leaning down and grabbing the tray of food. "I'm going to go put this in the kitchen and then put the dogs to bed and then I'll come back up and put myself to bed." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll miss you." He smirked and then turned around, heading downstairs.
Arabella smiled as she watched him walk out of the room. She stretched out her legs, moaning softly. Smiling a little bit to herself, Arabella curled up on her side and she pulled her knees up to her chest. Without moving under the blankets or anything, she closed her eyes happily. That morning, she had been prepared for a terrible day but now, she was on cloud nine. Almost as soon as Arabella had closed her eyes, she was falling asleep.
Hunter placed the dishes in the sink and put the ice cream back in the freezer. With a little yawn, he tossed a treat into Piggy's cage and then closed it. He put a treat into Jolie's cage and she hurried in then picked it up and carried it to Ajax's cage. Hunter rolled his eyes and tossed a treat into Ajax's cage then closed it, keeping the dogs in. "Good night, Princess, Ajax, and Piggy." Hunter said quietly before sneaking back upstairs. Hunter stepped into the bedroom and saw that Arabella was already asleep. He crept forward and slipped in behind her wrapping an arm around her waist. "Good night, sweetheart." Hunter whispered, pressing his lips to her cheek.
Chapter 153 - Hunter
It felt like a long time that Hunter did anything after Arabella was gone. He didn't know where she was going, but he was a little glad to see that she was doing something else instead of stewing inside like he was. He took a deep breath and finally stood. He was weak and tired and achy and his head was throbbing, but he hated how helpless he was feeling. He needed to face this if he was ever going to move on and it looked like Arabella needed to move on as fast as possible. Sitting on the couch wasn't helping that.
He closed his eyes a moment. He felt so bad for all of this. It was his fault that they were never having kids. It was his fault that Arabella was so heartbroken. He was so broken and so hollow and now he was too confused and jumbled to do anything about it. How could he do this to her? He wished that he had never given this to Arabella. What if he had never left camp? What if he had never left camp? And what if he had never met Arabella and hurt her so badly?
Hunter sat forward and after a few tries, stood up on weak legs. He hadn't used them in so long and now they were a little stiff. Ajax who was sleeping by his leg barked up at him and Hunter sighed. He needed to do something. What could he possibly do? What did he have? He had a house. He had a lot of money. He had a bank account full of money for a kid that's never going to exist. He had nothing. Nothing that would help him now at least.
"You're completely forgetting something." Hunter turned around and saw Arabella standing near the door. She looked like Arabella, but something about her told Hunter that this was someone older than Arabella.
"What are you doing here, Aphrodite?" Hunter asked, his voice raspy from not using it for so long. "What could I possibly be forgetting? Did I inherit some magic potion that makes me fertile? Because that's what I could really use right now." Aphrodite pursed her lips a moment.
"I'm going to ignore that you were so bitter right there and fill you in." Aphrodite cleared her throat. "Your sterility isn't your fault, Hunter. It's not your fault. It's not your parents' fault. Do you remember all those years ago when I brought you back to life? You weren't a hunter anymore and Artemis was furious." Hunter nodded softly. He was starting to see where she was going with this and it made his heart beat a little faster. "Artemis left and she was so pissed, but after you declined godhood, she came back and she pleaded with the gods. She wasn't going to kill you or turn you into a jackalope, but she wasn't going to let you get away with this." Hunter blinked at her for several moments.
"SHE did this to me!?" Hunter asked in disbelief. "I can't believe her! After all that I've done for that ungrateful monstrous BI-"
"Hunter, listen. She's still a god, so don't--" Hunter waved her away. Hunter wasn't going to let this go. He wasn't going to let his rage get in the way, but he wasn't going to let Artemis get away with this.
"No. I know what I have to do. See you soon." He said with a nod. "Please go." He said, looking down at the coffee table. He looked up and she was gone. Hunter took a deep breath. He was going to go face the gods. He was going to do something very brave and very stupid, but it was worth the risk. He needed to do this. Hunter looked at the ring on his finger and carefully slipped it off, placing on the coffee table. After that, he left the house.
He started walking, but the closer he got, the more enraged he became about this. He was not going to let Artemis get away with this. He was running at full speed when he was coming over Half-Blood hill. It felt like not long ago when he was getting married in this same place. He walked past everyone looking at him and giving him looks and he walked straight into the Artemis cabin. The statue at one wall was looking down at him.
"GIVE IT BACK." He shouted at her. Nothing happened. He wasn't going to let her pretend that she didn't hear him. He was in her domain and he was going to make a big deal out of it. He spoke in Greek. He wanted to be on her level. "You took it from me. I gave you my life! I gave you everything! Do you think I wanted to spend my whole life fighting monsters and saving you from whatever it was that threatened you!? I give you EVERYTHING and to no fault of my own I lose the oath. I DIED for you and you make sure that I can't live a happy life. You just can't let me go!" Hunter was breathing heavily and after the days he's been having, he was running on adrenaline mostly. Nothing. "LISTEN TO ME!" Hunter's vision became bright and he squinted away. He could feel the atmosphere shift and the light died down. When he could see again, he was in Olympus.
"Hunter, it is by sheer mercy that we're allowing you to speak to us like this." Zeus said, growling down at Hunter. Hunter looked around and found Aphrodite looking right at him. She looked impressed, but more surprised than anything. Hunter cleared his throat.
"I demand that you right this injustice that has been done to me." Hunter said, standing in the middle of the gods, his heart beating out of his chest.
"You...demand?" Hunter turned and found Ares leering down at him. "You do realize who you're talking to, right?"
"Yes. I DEMAND. I saved you from corruption and infighting and I saved your kids from a bunch of crazy witches. Then I saved everything and where were you? I've given you everything. I died! I gave you my life! And I want to move on! I'm not your kid! I'm not yours to control and make demands of. So, I do realize who I'm talking to. Do you realize who you're talking to?" Ares started to get up, but Zeus raised his hand, stopping him.
"What do you want, Hunter? You come to us making demands and it is by our grace that you are not a soot mark on the floor. Speak quickly or that will change." Hunter nodded and turned to Artemis. The look on her face was one of mixed emotion, but it made Hunter pause a moment. With a deep breath, he stepped forward.
"Artemis, you took away...everything. I was done with this. This life. I sent offerings to you still even after everything you've done to me and you still punish me. I died trying to save the gods and save camp and I lose my oath and you take away my ability of having kids. I want it back. Do you redact your punishment?" Artemis' eyes flared a moment.
"Your life, Hunter, is mine. You've disobeyed me and you've ignored me, but I saved you. You're alive because of me, so I will do what I want to you and you can't do anything about it, do you understand me, mortal!?" Artemis snarled at Hunter and Hunter's heart fell. What else could he do? The gods would need to stop her. There's nothing he could do about it.
"My, my. He comes in here. Hunter, you're acting like a god almost. It makes me...phew." Aphrodite said to him. She winked at him and Hunter thought for a second. He still had one chance.
"Zeus, I give up my godhood." Zeus who had been picking at the armrest of his throne sat up.
"What godhood? You have nothing to give up." Zeus said, shaking his head. Hunter thought for a second.
"I defeated Prometheus and you brought me here and I stood here and you offered me to become a god and I said no, but you were sick of people declining it, so you gave me the request to cash in at anytime. You said I could become a god at anytime. I give it up in exchange for the undoing of her punishment." Hunter said, pointing at Artemis. Zeus looked at him like he was crazy and, glancing around, it looked like everyone was doing the same thing.
"You would give up being a god for her? Give up being a god to raise a family with that wife of yours?" Athena asked, looking at him oddly. Hunter didn't even think about it. Raising a family with Arabella was all that he wanted.
"Yes. I give it up." Hunter said firmly. Zeus stood and he looked down at Hunter.
"Go, then. It has been granted." The room went white and Hunter was standing on Half Blood Hill. Hunter stood there for a second just thinking over what had just happened. A moment later, he was sprintig back toward his house. His heart was beating out of control and adrenaline was pumping through his body and Hunter needed to be home. It wasn't long until Hunter was bursting through his front door.
"Hunter?" Hunter looked into the kitchen. Arabella got up when she heard him and she looked like she had had the worst day of her life. Without saying anything, Hunter wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tightly on the lips, pouring all of his passion and all of his love and all of his regret that he felt for how he had treated her the past few days. Without moving his lips away from hers he pushed her back into the kitchen and lifted her up onto the counter, moving between her legs. They were going to start a family and he wanted to start as soon as possible. Hunter put an arm under her, moving his lips across her cheek to her neck where he nibbled and bit down on her skin. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" She breathed putting her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry, Ellie." Hunter whispered into her ear before placing a kiss on her earlobe. "Thank you for being so strong and for staying." He said before mashing his lips to hers again, stopping her words in her throat. Hunter lifted her up and he pressed her up against the wall, feeling her legs wrap around his waist.
"Hunter, what is it? What's going on?" She asked finally, pulling away enough to look at him. Hunter was breathing heavily and all he did was smile and that was enough. He wasn't sure if there was an understanding now, but he was happy to have her in his arms and she was happy to be in his arms. It felt perfect and Hunter wanted nothing more. Things were going to be perfect.
He closed his eyes a moment. He felt so bad for all of this. It was his fault that they were never having kids. It was his fault that Arabella was so heartbroken. He was so broken and so hollow and now he was too confused and jumbled to do anything about it. How could he do this to her? He wished that he had never given this to Arabella. What if he had never left camp? What if he had never left camp? And what if he had never met Arabella and hurt her so badly?
Hunter sat forward and after a few tries, stood up on weak legs. He hadn't used them in so long and now they were a little stiff. Ajax who was sleeping by his leg barked up at him and Hunter sighed. He needed to do something. What could he possibly do? What did he have? He had a house. He had a lot of money. He had a bank account full of money for a kid that's never going to exist. He had nothing. Nothing that would help him now at least.
"You're completely forgetting something." Hunter turned around and saw Arabella standing near the door. She looked like Arabella, but something about her told Hunter that this was someone older than Arabella.
"What are you doing here, Aphrodite?" Hunter asked, his voice raspy from not using it for so long. "What could I possibly be forgetting? Did I inherit some magic potion that makes me fertile? Because that's what I could really use right now." Aphrodite pursed her lips a moment.
"I'm going to ignore that you were so bitter right there and fill you in." Aphrodite cleared her throat. "Your sterility isn't your fault, Hunter. It's not your fault. It's not your parents' fault. Do you remember all those years ago when I brought you back to life? You weren't a hunter anymore and Artemis was furious." Hunter nodded softly. He was starting to see where she was going with this and it made his heart beat a little faster. "Artemis left and she was so pissed, but after you declined godhood, she came back and she pleaded with the gods. She wasn't going to kill you or turn you into a jackalope, but she wasn't going to let you get away with this." Hunter blinked at her for several moments.
"SHE did this to me!?" Hunter asked in disbelief. "I can't believe her! After all that I've done for that ungrateful monstrous BI-"
"Hunter, listen. She's still a god, so don't--" Hunter waved her away. Hunter wasn't going to let this go. He wasn't going to let his rage get in the way, but he wasn't going to let Artemis get away with this.
"No. I know what I have to do. See you soon." He said with a nod. "Please go." He said, looking down at the coffee table. He looked up and she was gone. Hunter took a deep breath. He was going to go face the gods. He was going to do something very brave and very stupid, but it was worth the risk. He needed to do this. Hunter looked at the ring on his finger and carefully slipped it off, placing on the coffee table. After that, he left the house.
He started walking, but the closer he got, the more enraged he became about this. He was not going to let Artemis get away with this. He was running at full speed when he was coming over Half-Blood hill. It felt like not long ago when he was getting married in this same place. He walked past everyone looking at him and giving him looks and he walked straight into the Artemis cabin. The statue at one wall was looking down at him.
"GIVE IT BACK." He shouted at her. Nothing happened. He wasn't going to let her pretend that she didn't hear him. He was in her domain and he was going to make a big deal out of it. He spoke in Greek. He wanted to be on her level. "You took it from me. I gave you my life! I gave you everything! Do you think I wanted to spend my whole life fighting monsters and saving you from whatever it was that threatened you!? I give you EVERYTHING and to no fault of my own I lose the oath. I DIED for you and you make sure that I can't live a happy life. You just can't let me go!" Hunter was breathing heavily and after the days he's been having, he was running on adrenaline mostly. Nothing. "LISTEN TO ME!" Hunter's vision became bright and he squinted away. He could feel the atmosphere shift and the light died down. When he could see again, he was in Olympus.
"Hunter, it is by sheer mercy that we're allowing you to speak to us like this." Zeus said, growling down at Hunter. Hunter looked around and found Aphrodite looking right at him. She looked impressed, but more surprised than anything. Hunter cleared his throat.
"I demand that you right this injustice that has been done to me." Hunter said, standing in the middle of the gods, his heart beating out of his chest.
"You...demand?" Hunter turned and found Ares leering down at him. "You do realize who you're talking to, right?"
"Yes. I DEMAND. I saved you from corruption and infighting and I saved your kids from a bunch of crazy witches. Then I saved everything and where were you? I've given you everything. I died! I gave you my life! And I want to move on! I'm not your kid! I'm not yours to control and make demands of. So, I do realize who I'm talking to. Do you realize who you're talking to?" Ares started to get up, but Zeus raised his hand, stopping him.
"What do you want, Hunter? You come to us making demands and it is by our grace that you are not a soot mark on the floor. Speak quickly or that will change." Hunter nodded and turned to Artemis. The look on her face was one of mixed emotion, but it made Hunter pause a moment. With a deep breath, he stepped forward.
"Artemis, you took away...everything. I was done with this. This life. I sent offerings to you still even after everything you've done to me and you still punish me. I died trying to save the gods and save camp and I lose my oath and you take away my ability of having kids. I want it back. Do you redact your punishment?" Artemis' eyes flared a moment.
"Your life, Hunter, is mine. You've disobeyed me and you've ignored me, but I saved you. You're alive because of me, so I will do what I want to you and you can't do anything about it, do you understand me, mortal!?" Artemis snarled at Hunter and Hunter's heart fell. What else could he do? The gods would need to stop her. There's nothing he could do about it.
"My, my. He comes in here. Hunter, you're acting like a god almost. It makes me...phew." Aphrodite said to him. She winked at him and Hunter thought for a second. He still had one chance.
"Zeus, I give up my godhood." Zeus who had been picking at the armrest of his throne sat up.
"What godhood? You have nothing to give up." Zeus said, shaking his head. Hunter thought for a second.
"I defeated Prometheus and you brought me here and I stood here and you offered me to become a god and I said no, but you were sick of people declining it, so you gave me the request to cash in at anytime. You said I could become a god at anytime. I give it up in exchange for the undoing of her punishment." Hunter said, pointing at Artemis. Zeus looked at him like he was crazy and, glancing around, it looked like everyone was doing the same thing.
"You would give up being a god for her? Give up being a god to raise a family with that wife of yours?" Athena asked, looking at him oddly. Hunter didn't even think about it. Raising a family with Arabella was all that he wanted.
"Yes. I give it up." Hunter said firmly. Zeus stood and he looked down at Hunter.
"Go, then. It has been granted." The room went white and Hunter was standing on Half Blood Hill. Hunter stood there for a second just thinking over what had just happened. A moment later, he was sprintig back toward his house. His heart was beating out of control and adrenaline was pumping through his body and Hunter needed to be home. It wasn't long until Hunter was bursting through his front door.
"Hunter?" Hunter looked into the kitchen. Arabella got up when she heard him and she looked like she had had the worst day of her life. Without saying anything, Hunter wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tightly on the lips, pouring all of his passion and all of his love and all of his regret that he felt for how he had treated her the past few days. Without moving his lips away from hers he pushed her back into the kitchen and lifted her up onto the counter, moving between her legs. They were going to start a family and he wanted to start as soon as possible. Hunter put an arm under her, moving his lips across her cheek to her neck where he nibbled and bit down on her skin. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" She breathed putting her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry, Ellie." Hunter whispered into her ear before placing a kiss on her earlobe. "Thank you for being so strong and for staying." He said before mashing his lips to hers again, stopping her words in her throat. Hunter lifted her up and he pressed her up against the wall, feeling her legs wrap around his waist.
"Hunter, what is it? What's going on?" She asked finally, pulling away enough to look at him. Hunter was breathing heavily and all he did was smile and that was enough. He wasn't sure if there was an understanding now, but he was happy to have her in his arms and she was happy to be in his arms. It felt perfect and Hunter wanted nothing more. Things were going to be perfect.
Chapter 152 - Arabella
"I love you Hunter, I hope you remember that" She told him then turned and walked out of the house. Arabella adjusted her purse on her shoulder and she opened up the door to her car, slipping in. With a small sigh and a last look at the house, Arabella started the car, pulled out of the driveway and she drove down the road.
She needed to be away from the house. She needed to be away from the sadness and the pain that was in her home. Arabella was trying to hard to be strong for Hunter but it was starting to really hurt her and it was starting to be really painful. She knew that he was hurting but she hated seeing him so upset and so broken.
As she drove down the road, she turned on her radio, wanting to just drown out all of her thoughts. Soon enough she was parking on the side of a road and she was climbing out of her car. Arabella took a deep breath and she looked around. She was back on one of the busiest shopping streets in New York City and she was happy to be there. Cleaning couldn't distract her anymore. She needed another distraction. Shopping would be perfect.
She walked down the street, her purse on her shoulder and her hands in the pockets of her jeans. She stopped in a few stores, buying much more than she needed to. Arabella had cleaned out most of her cloest the other day and now she needed to replace a lot of her stuff. She wasn't sure how long she had shopped for. She didn't really think that she wanted to know. But suddenly, she outside of a tall building with the words 'A.Marie' on a sign. It was her old company. She used to spend so much time there, trying to avoid thinking about how lonely she was.
Arabella opened up the doors and she stepped inside the clean, fancy building. As soon as she walked in, people smiled and waved at her. Arabella put on a fake smile that she hadn't worn in a while and she waved back as she walked to the elevator. The doors closed behind her and she took a deep breath. She wouldn't let anyone know that something was wrong. She would smile and say that everything was fine. She would say that Greece was amazing but she was glad that she was home. She wouldn't let anyone see that she was hurting. The doors dinged when she stopped on the top floor and she stepped out, walking towards the familiar room with the glass walls. She paused in front of the door, looking at the smooth glass. Seeing the door and the glass reminded her of the time that Hunter had saved her life by firing an arrow through the glass. Arabella shook herself and she opened the door, putting a smile on her face. "Hey, Danny" She said
"Arabella!" Daniel squealed and he pushed himself away from the desk.
She needed to be away from the house. She needed to be away from the sadness and the pain that was in her home. Arabella was trying to hard to be strong for Hunter but it was starting to really hurt her and it was starting to be really painful. She knew that he was hurting but she hated seeing him so upset and so broken.
As she drove down the road, she turned on her radio, wanting to just drown out all of her thoughts. Soon enough she was parking on the side of a road and she was climbing out of her car. Arabella took a deep breath and she looked around. She was back on one of the busiest shopping streets in New York City and she was happy to be there. Cleaning couldn't distract her anymore. She needed another distraction. Shopping would be perfect.
She walked down the street, her purse on her shoulder and her hands in the pockets of her jeans. She stopped in a few stores, buying much more than she needed to. Arabella had cleaned out most of her cloest the other day and now she needed to replace a lot of her stuff. She wasn't sure how long she had shopped for. She didn't really think that she wanted to know. But suddenly, she outside of a tall building with the words 'A.Marie' on a sign. It was her old company. She used to spend so much time there, trying to avoid thinking about how lonely she was.
Arabella opened up the doors and she stepped inside the clean, fancy building. As soon as she walked in, people smiled and waved at her. Arabella put on a fake smile that she hadn't worn in a while and she waved back as she walked to the elevator. The doors closed behind her and she took a deep breath. She wouldn't let anyone know that something was wrong. She would smile and say that everything was fine. She would say that Greece was amazing but she was glad that she was home. She wouldn't let anyone see that she was hurting. The doors dinged when she stopped on the top floor and she stepped out, walking towards the familiar room with the glass walls. She paused in front of the door, looking at the smooth glass. Seeing the door and the glass reminded her of the time that Hunter had saved her life by firing an arrow through the glass. Arabella shook herself and she opened the door, putting a smile on her face. "Hey, Danny" She said
"Arabella!" Daniel squealed and he pushed himself away from the desk.
He ran over to her and he hugged her tightly. Arabella laughed and she hugged him back.
"It's good to see you, Danny" Arabella said in a small voice with a little smile as they pulled out of the hug. Daniel looked at her for a moment with a smile but it quickly fell and he walked over to sit down at his desk.
"It's good to see you too, hun" Daniel said and he looked over at her. Arabella nervously ran her fingers through her hair and she sat down across from him.
"How have you been?" She asked, playing with her fingers in her lap. He was looking oer at her with a piercing look in his eyes, like he could see right through to her soul.
"Better than you, clearly" Daniel said and Arabella looked out of the window. She hadn't told him anything but he had somehow seen it on her face. He could tell that her smile and her laugh were forced and he wasn't having it.
"What do you mean? I'm fine" Arabella lied with a little shrug and Daniel raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously, Daniel. I'm fine. Hunter's fine. Everything is fine"
"Bitch, don't lie to me" Daniel said and Arabella folded her arms across her chest.
"Don't be a bitch, Daniel" Arabella said and their eyes locked across the table. The corners ofher mouth turned up at the teasing between the two of them. She took a breath and when she realized that Daniel wasn't going to let it go, she looked down at her lap. "Hunter and I went to the doctor the other day and we found out that he won't be able to have kids and now Hunter's been sitting on the couch and not eating and he wasn't been talking to me"
"Oh, Arabella.."
"No. It's okay. I already told you that everything is fine. I'm fine. Hunter's going to fine. We're fine" Arabella said and she turned to look out the window. She could feel Daniel looking at her. She didn't know how long she sat there, staring out of the window but her hands started to shake and holding back tears became nearly impossible.
"Talk to me, hun" Daniel said in a soft voice. "It's okay." As soon as he said those words to her, Arabella broke down. Tear fell down her cheeks easily, she was shaking and it was hard for her to speak between her sobs.
"I.." Arabella started and she closed her eyes, trying to take a deep breath. "I'm never going to have kids, Daniel" He voice broke off and she looked down at her lap. ''I wanted a family so bad.." She breathed. She could hear Daniel's chair move on the floor and the next thing she knew, he was kneeling in front of her and he had wrapped his arms around her. Arabella leaned forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder, sobbing.
"Shhh...everything is going to be okay. You and Hunter can fix this" Daniel said softly, in a comfortinh voice and he rubbed her back.
"How can I do anything without Hunter? I don't even know how to get him off of the couch. He hasn't said anything to me in days" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes, leaning into Daniel a little bit more. "I'm so worried about him, Danny"
"Just talk to him. Go home and talk to him. Sit beside him and make him talk to you" Daniel said and he pulled away to look at her with a small smile. With his thumbs, he brushed her tears off of her cheeks. "You are going to be an amazing mother, Arabella. You might not be able to have kids with Hunter but you can always adopt, right? Don't give up, yet"
Arabella spent the rest of the day with Daniel in his office. She didn't talk much, but it was nice to be able to sit with someone in her old office, listen to music and do a bit of sewing. But around 5 at night, she said goodbye to Daniel and she got into her car.
She was going to talk to Hunter. She was going to see him and she was going to tell him what was on her mind. She was going to tell him how much she needed him to talk to her. They needed to be in this together. As she drove home, she thought about what she was going to say to Hunter. Arabella didn't want him to feel guilty but he needed to know how she was feeling.
As she drove up to the driveway and parked her car, she looked over at the living room window and she could see that the lights were on. Hunter was probably still sitting on the couch and he wouldn't eat the Chinese food that she had ordered. Arabella closed her eyes and she took a deep breath before opening the door and walking towards their home. Her eyes were bloodshot and sore from crying. She felt sore and tired from opening up like that to Daniel and sobbing for a good portion of the afternoon.
"Hunter? I'm home..I got Chinese for supper" Arabella called out to the house as she opened the door, wondering if Hunter was even listening to her.
"It's good to see you, Danny" Arabella said in a small voice with a little smile as they pulled out of the hug. Daniel looked at her for a moment with a smile but it quickly fell and he walked over to sit down at his desk.
"It's good to see you too, hun" Daniel said and he looked over at her. Arabella nervously ran her fingers through her hair and she sat down across from him.
"How have you been?" She asked, playing with her fingers in her lap. He was looking oer at her with a piercing look in his eyes, like he could see right through to her soul.
"Better than you, clearly" Daniel said and Arabella looked out of the window. She hadn't told him anything but he had somehow seen it on her face. He could tell that her smile and her laugh were forced and he wasn't having it.
"What do you mean? I'm fine" Arabella lied with a little shrug and Daniel raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously, Daniel. I'm fine. Hunter's fine. Everything is fine"
"Bitch, don't lie to me" Daniel said and Arabella folded her arms across her chest.
"Don't be a bitch, Daniel" Arabella said and their eyes locked across the table. The corners ofher mouth turned up at the teasing between the two of them. She took a breath and when she realized that Daniel wasn't going to let it go, she looked down at her lap. "Hunter and I went to the doctor the other day and we found out that he won't be able to have kids and now Hunter's been sitting on the couch and not eating and he wasn't been talking to me"
"Oh, Arabella.."
"No. It's okay. I already told you that everything is fine. I'm fine. Hunter's going to fine. We're fine" Arabella said and she turned to look out the window. She could feel Daniel looking at her. She didn't know how long she sat there, staring out of the window but her hands started to shake and holding back tears became nearly impossible.
"Talk to me, hun" Daniel said in a soft voice. "It's okay." As soon as he said those words to her, Arabella broke down. Tear fell down her cheeks easily, she was shaking and it was hard for her to speak between her sobs.
"I.." Arabella started and she closed her eyes, trying to take a deep breath. "I'm never going to have kids, Daniel" He voice broke off and she looked down at her lap. ''I wanted a family so bad.." She breathed. She could hear Daniel's chair move on the floor and the next thing she knew, he was kneeling in front of her and he had wrapped his arms around her. Arabella leaned forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder, sobbing.
"Shhh...everything is going to be okay. You and Hunter can fix this" Daniel said softly, in a comfortinh voice and he rubbed her back.
"How can I do anything without Hunter? I don't even know how to get him off of the couch. He hasn't said anything to me in days" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes, leaning into Daniel a little bit more. "I'm so worried about him, Danny"
"Just talk to him. Go home and talk to him. Sit beside him and make him talk to you" Daniel said and he pulled away to look at her with a small smile. With his thumbs, he brushed her tears off of her cheeks. "You are going to be an amazing mother, Arabella. You might not be able to have kids with Hunter but you can always adopt, right? Don't give up, yet"
Arabella spent the rest of the day with Daniel in his office. She didn't talk much, but it was nice to be able to sit with someone in her old office, listen to music and do a bit of sewing. But around 5 at night, she said goodbye to Daniel and she got into her car.
She was going to talk to Hunter. She was going to see him and she was going to tell him what was on her mind. She was going to tell him how much she needed him to talk to her. They needed to be in this together. As she drove home, she thought about what she was going to say to Hunter. Arabella didn't want him to feel guilty but he needed to know how she was feeling.
As she drove up to the driveway and parked her car, she looked over at the living room window and she could see that the lights were on. Hunter was probably still sitting on the couch and he wouldn't eat the Chinese food that she had ordered. Arabella closed her eyes and she took a deep breath before opening the door and walking towards their home. Her eyes were bloodshot and sore from crying. She felt sore and tired from opening up like that to Daniel and sobbing for a good portion of the afternoon.
"Hunter? I'm home..I got Chinese for supper" Arabella called out to the house as she opened the door, wondering if Hunter was even listening to her.
Chapter 151 - Hunter
Hunter couldn't believe that all of this had happened. He had lived so long, assuming that he would never live to fall in love or to get married or to start a family. And now for so long, he lived thinking that was a real possibility for him. Then, all in a matter of moments, it was stripped away from him. He wanted it so badly and now, he couldn't have it and it was all his fault. Before he was married to Arabella, his number one desire was to marry Arabella and now that was done and he wanted a family. He wanted to have kids and grow old and live happily ever after like he had thought possible
Hunter just couldn't anymore. He wanted to be strong through this. He wanted to hold Arabella and tell her that everything is going to be fine. That they can get through this. No matter what they had each other, right? He wanted to believe that, but he couldn't. It was all his fault that they wouldn't have kids. It was his fault that this dream, long in the making, wasn't going to happen.
The look on Arabella's face when they found out. Hunter couldn't stand it. He saw it and he just didn't want to see it anymore. He couldn't stand it, knowing that it was his fault. That he hurt her. That the pain and anguish that she was feeling was his fault. When they got home, he just shut off. Raising kids with Arabella was what he wanted more than almost anything. They had names and he had a job and they were going to clear out a room to make a nursery and now they were going to have this big house with all these extra rooms and nothing to do with them.
He could hear Arabella moving upstairs. She was probably cleaning. He hated when she cleaned, because that meant she was upset. He hated seeing her upset, but he had no idea what to do to fix it. The only thing he could think of would be to find someone else for her to marry. Someone who could give her what she wanted and make her happy. Someone who wouldn't break her heart like he did. It seemed like a long time when Arabella was coming back down the stairs, the faint smell of cleaning products hanging around her. He heard her order a pizza and Hunter sighed, knowing that on a regular day he would be making dinner and then they would curl up on the couch and just enjoy the feeling of holding each other. He felt a cold nose and fur against his hand and he looked down to see Ajax who had nudged his head under Hunter's hand.
I'm sorry, buddy. Not today. Hunter thought pulling hand away. Ajax whimpered a little and put his head back down on Hunter's leg. He heard the doorbell ring and Arabella paid for the pizza. She seemed so together and Hunter hated how much of a mess that he had become. He wanted to go back to before when it didn't matter, but now it was too late and Hunter didn't know what to do.
"Hey, Hunter? I ordered some pizza." Arabella said, offering a plate out to him. She looked so uncomfortable, but she seemed better off than he did. She held the pizza out to him and he didn't know what to do. What could he possibly say to make any of this better? Hunter just didn't look at her. He couldn't. He could feel her inhale sharply and Hunter was trying to stop himself. He didn't want to see her hurting, but he didn't know what to do. He watched her set the plate down on the table and she looked down at him. He knew how much she was hurting him, but he couldn't do anything. He was helpless. She ran her fingers across his jaw and it surprised him more than anything. He flinched a little and he knew that she was hurt. "Hunter, if you need anything, I'll be in our bedroom." She left him there on the couch and he could hear the sound of Jolie wobbling up the stairs after her.
I'm so sorry, Ellie. I love you so much, but I just don't know what to do, right now and I'm just so broken and I feel helpless and useless and I wish that I knew what to do and I wish that I weren't this broken husk that tricked you into marrying me and I don't deserve you at all and I wish that we could go back to how things were and I'm so so so sorry. Hunter put his head back and could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. She said 'our' bedroom, but nothing felt like his. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve food. He didn't deserve sleep. He didn't deserve Arabella at all.
The next morning came too early and he didn't even realize he had fallen asleep. He didn't sleep for real long, but it was long enough for Hunter to feel bad. He didn't deserve it. When he woke up, Arabella was scrubbing down the kitchen. It was hauntingly quiet and Hunter hated every minute of it. The day seemed to coast by and next thing he knew she was setting a plate of food down on the table again. He glanced down at it then up at her and he took a small breath, trying to not just breakdown. There was nothing keeping her from moving on to someone else. She wouldn't have much trouble finding another guy. She could divorce him and with the state he was in at the moment, he couldn't really object. He wasn't acting like much of a husband. She could find someone who could give her what she wanted and could pamper her and take care of her. She wouldn't have to worry about money or stability or anything like that. She could be a housewife and raise a family. The family that she wanted. Little blonde haired kids running around her feet, a smile on her face that he hadn't seen in too long. She could be happy and Hunter would go back to living by himself, a life that he had expected to have. The life that he was going to live anyway.
He missed her presence near him the rest of the day. Even though he was ignoring her, he still liked to feel her close. He missed her and he knew that he would always miss her. Even after she moves on and even after she finds real happiness, he would miss her. Hunter let his head fall back and before he could stop himself he fell asleep again. He felt like Arabella was slipping through his fingers and he was helpless to do anything. His worries weren't helped when she was heading out for the day.
"Hunter, I'm going out for the day. I'll be back before supper." She paused a moment and he could feel her eyes on him. "I love you, Hunter. I hope you remember that." Hunter took a deep breath and waited for her to walk out the door before letting it out.
"I love you, too, Arabella. More than anything." He whispered as the sound of the door closing rang throughout the house.
Hunter just couldn't anymore. He wanted to be strong through this. He wanted to hold Arabella and tell her that everything is going to be fine. That they can get through this. No matter what they had each other, right? He wanted to believe that, but he couldn't. It was all his fault that they wouldn't have kids. It was his fault that this dream, long in the making, wasn't going to happen.
The look on Arabella's face when they found out. Hunter couldn't stand it. He saw it and he just didn't want to see it anymore. He couldn't stand it, knowing that it was his fault. That he hurt her. That the pain and anguish that she was feeling was his fault. When they got home, he just shut off. Raising kids with Arabella was what he wanted more than almost anything. They had names and he had a job and they were going to clear out a room to make a nursery and now they were going to have this big house with all these extra rooms and nothing to do with them.
He could hear Arabella moving upstairs. She was probably cleaning. He hated when she cleaned, because that meant she was upset. He hated seeing her upset, but he had no idea what to do to fix it. The only thing he could think of would be to find someone else for her to marry. Someone who could give her what she wanted and make her happy. Someone who wouldn't break her heart like he did. It seemed like a long time when Arabella was coming back down the stairs, the faint smell of cleaning products hanging around her. He heard her order a pizza and Hunter sighed, knowing that on a regular day he would be making dinner and then they would curl up on the couch and just enjoy the feeling of holding each other. He felt a cold nose and fur against his hand and he looked down to see Ajax who had nudged his head under Hunter's hand.
I'm sorry, buddy. Not today. Hunter thought pulling hand away. Ajax whimpered a little and put his head back down on Hunter's leg. He heard the doorbell ring and Arabella paid for the pizza. She seemed so together and Hunter hated how much of a mess that he had become. He wanted to go back to before when it didn't matter, but now it was too late and Hunter didn't know what to do.
"Hey, Hunter? I ordered some pizza." Arabella said, offering a plate out to him. She looked so uncomfortable, but she seemed better off than he did. She held the pizza out to him and he didn't know what to do. What could he possibly say to make any of this better? Hunter just didn't look at her. He couldn't. He could feel her inhale sharply and Hunter was trying to stop himself. He didn't want to see her hurting, but he didn't know what to do. He watched her set the plate down on the table and she looked down at him. He knew how much she was hurting him, but he couldn't do anything. He was helpless. She ran her fingers across his jaw and it surprised him more than anything. He flinched a little and he knew that she was hurt. "Hunter, if you need anything, I'll be in our bedroom." She left him there on the couch and he could hear the sound of Jolie wobbling up the stairs after her.
I'm so sorry, Ellie. I love you so much, but I just don't know what to do, right now and I'm just so broken and I feel helpless and useless and I wish that I knew what to do and I wish that I weren't this broken husk that tricked you into marrying me and I don't deserve you at all and I wish that we could go back to how things were and I'm so so so sorry. Hunter put his head back and could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. She said 'our' bedroom, but nothing felt like his. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve food. He didn't deserve sleep. He didn't deserve Arabella at all.
The next morning came too early and he didn't even realize he had fallen asleep. He didn't sleep for real long, but it was long enough for Hunter to feel bad. He didn't deserve it. When he woke up, Arabella was scrubbing down the kitchen. It was hauntingly quiet and Hunter hated every minute of it. The day seemed to coast by and next thing he knew she was setting a plate of food down on the table again. He glanced down at it then up at her and he took a small breath, trying to not just breakdown. There was nothing keeping her from moving on to someone else. She wouldn't have much trouble finding another guy. She could divorce him and with the state he was in at the moment, he couldn't really object. He wasn't acting like much of a husband. She could find someone who could give her what she wanted and could pamper her and take care of her. She wouldn't have to worry about money or stability or anything like that. She could be a housewife and raise a family. The family that she wanted. Little blonde haired kids running around her feet, a smile on her face that he hadn't seen in too long. She could be happy and Hunter would go back to living by himself, a life that he had expected to have. The life that he was going to live anyway.
He missed her presence near him the rest of the day. Even though he was ignoring her, he still liked to feel her close. He missed her and he knew that he would always miss her. Even after she moves on and even after she finds real happiness, he would miss her. Hunter let his head fall back and before he could stop himself he fell asleep again. He felt like Arabella was slipping through his fingers and he was helpless to do anything. His worries weren't helped when she was heading out for the day.
"Hunter, I'm going out for the day. I'll be back before supper." She paused a moment and he could feel her eyes on him. "I love you, Hunter. I hope you remember that." Hunter took a deep breath and waited for her to walk out the door before letting it out.
"I love you, too, Arabella. More than anything." He whispered as the sound of the door closing rang throughout the house.
Chapter 150 - Arabella
Tossing things out of her closet, Arabella worked through the shelves and the hangers. She needed something to take her mind off of the fact that her and Hunter weren't going to have kids. If she thought about it, if she sat down and actually throught about it, Arabella was sure that she would have a total breakdown. There was no way that she would be able to handle it.
Ontop of that, Hunter was a mess. He had been there for her to help her through hard times. She had to be there for him. Arabella needed to be strong for him and to be strong, she had to not think about it and to not think about it, she had to clean.
Arabella stepped out of the closet and looked over at the bed, where Jolie and Piggy were looking at her like she had lost her mind. She huffed and started shoving all of the clothes that she was getting rid of into a big bag to take down to Goodwill. Once that was all tied up and ready to go at the door, Arabella looked around her bedroom, trying to find something to do. However, the place was totally clean from the last time Arabella went on a cleaning spree. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and stepped into the bathroom, ready to scrub it down.
Arabella didn't really know how long she was there. She cleaned around the bathroom for a long time but then she was hungry. Arabella washed her hands and she walked out of the bathroom, headed down the stairs. She peaked into the living room and what she saw nearly broke her heart. Hunter was still on the couch, staring off into space. Ajax was on his lap and he looked so broken, so hollow. Arabella closed her eyes and she turned away, walking to the kitchen. She picked up the phone and she quickly ordered out for pizza. Hunter was clearly in no shape to cook and Arabella wasn't going to ask him to. Pizza would be fine.
Arabella walked around the kitchen, impatiently, while she waisted for the food to get there. She was nervous about Hunter but maybe they would get some pizza, spend some time together on the couch and everything would be fine. When the doorbell rang, Arabella jumped a little bit and she ran to the door. She had to put on a smile. She had to smile at the man bringing them their food and she had to pretend that everything would be okay.
As soon as she had closed the door behind him, she walked back to the kitchen and she opened up the pizza box. She placed a few pieces on a plate and looked down at it then let out a little sigh. She could remember when Hunter had stayed at her apartment for the first time and he brought her pizza over to the table for her. Arabella smiled a little bit at the memory before she took Hunter's plate and brought it into the living room for him.
"Hey, Hunter? I ordered some pizza" Arabella said softly, walking up to his side and looking down at him with big eyes and a small smile that she was forcing. He didn't even look up at her. He looked so crushed and destroyed. All Arabella wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be okay but she didn't think that he would like that. He flinched when she touched him in the car.
Arabella looked down at him and she bit her lip, trying really hard not to cry. She needed to be strong for him. With a small sigh, she placed the plate of pizza down on the table beside him and she brushed her fingers along his jaw, causing him to flinch a little bit. "If you need anything, Hunter, I'll be in our bedroom" She said softly and she placed a light kiss at the top of his head. Arabella turned around and she walked up the stairs, taking a plate of pizza with her.
"Alright, Jolie...I need to distract myself with something" Arabella sighed, looking down at her small dog. Jolie looked up at her with a confused look on her face, like she had no idea why Arabella wasn't down on the couch with Hunter and Ajax. Arabella placed her pizza on the bedside table and she sat down on her side of the bed, folding her legs under her. She bent down a little bit and she pulled out her newest sketch book and a few pencils.
Maybe sketching some clothes would distract her. Before she met Hunter, she would sketch a few designs from distract her from the fact that she was alone and sad and stressed. Now, she was going to sketch to try and distract her from the fact that she was never going to have kids with Hunter and Hunter was turning into a vegetable.
Arabella flipped through the pages, stopping to look at a few dresses, skirts, shirts and pants that she had drawn up but when she got to the last couple of pages, her heart sank. On those pages, she had been sketching designs for maternity clothes. Dress and shirts and pants, all for a very pregnant person. A few tears fell down her cheeks and landed on the pages, smudging up the pencil markings. A small sob escaped form her lips and she started ripping the pages out. She balled them up and threw them across the room. Jolie ran after them and started playing with them. Arabella flopped back on the bed and she closed her eyes, trying to escape and forget that any of this had ever happened.
She fell asleep there but she only slept for a few hours. When she woke up, she still felt tired and worn out. Hunter wasn't by her side and he wasn't in the kitchen, making breakfast. All Arabella wanted was to wake up next to her husband but instead, she was waking up in a cold bed. Arabella groaned and she rolled off of the bed and walked out of the bedroom, down to the stairs.
"Hunter?" Arabella said softly, looking around the house a little bit. There was no response so she nervously tip toed into the living room, where she had seen him last. When she turned around the corner and she saw Hunter on the couch, sitting up and fast asleep, her heart sunk. He hadn't moved at all and Ajax was still on his lap. The pizza was still on the plate beside him, untouched.
"Come on, buddy" Arabella breathed, picking Ajax up and holding him close to her with one arm. She looked down at Hunter and she bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. Arabella bent down a little bit and she pressed her lips to the corner of his lips in a little kiss. "I'm so sorry, Hunter" She whispered in a watery voice and she headed back to the kitchen so that she could feed Ajax, crying softly.
The rest of the day was painful. Arabella put on a smile and she got dressed and she did her hair. She cleaned around the house, she organized, she ran some errands. She was nice to the people she met during her day. She never told anyone that anything was wrong. Arabella pretended that everything was okay for the whole day. But when she got home at the end of the day, with takeout food for supper, and she saw Hunter on the couch, Arabella couldn't pretend anymore. Hunter was still on the couch. Ajax was back on his lap. Arabella put a bit of the Thai food she bought on a plate and she put it beside Hunter then walked back up to their bedroom.
Hunter was supposed to work the next day. He was supposed to roll out of bed in the morning, kiss Arabella and tell her that he loved her. He was supposed to go to work and then come home at the end of the day, wrap his arms around Arabella and make supper. Arabella let out a sigh as she walked up the stairs and flopped down on their bed. She pulled out her phone and she dialed the number for Hunter's work. When they answered, Arabella paused for a minute. If she spoke to them and told them what she needed to tell them, then it would make it real.
"Hi, uhm, this is Arabella calling. I just needed to phone in and say that Hunter won't be able to make it work tomorrow" Arabella said softly and she cleared her throat. "He's pretty sick"
"Oh, sure..that's not a problem. I'll just write it down" The woman on the other end of the phone said. "I hope he gets better soon!"
"Yeah, me too..." Arabella breathed and she hung up the phone. She laid back on the bed, closing her eyes and holding back tears. Having to deal with not having kids with Hunter was hard enough. She didn't want to have to deal with this broken, empty shell that Hunter had become.
Arabella stayed in bed for the rest of the night. She didn't sleep. She couldn't sleep without Hunter next to her. Arabella stayed awake, staring up at the ceiling and trying to not think of anything. Around 3 in the morning, Arabella rolled out of bed and she shuffled down the stairs. Her whole body was sore and she was exhausted. She needed to get some sleep. She needed her husband.
Ajax was on Hunter's lap and Hunter was on the couch in the living room. They were both fast asleep. Arabella took a small breath and she nudged Ajax off of the couch. He looked up at her with a very offended look and he curled up on the ground, resting his head on Hunter's feet. Arabella sat down on the couch and she looked up at Hunter with sad eyes before she laid down, putting her head on Hunter's lap and falling asleep.
In the morning, Arabella woke up before Hunter could wake up. She looked up at him and kissed his cheek lightly then slid off of the couch and up the stairs. Arabella was going to get dressed, do her hair and her makeup and pretend that she was fine. She had to be strong for Hunter, most of all. She had to pretend that she wasn't hurting so that he didn't feel any worse.
Arabella got a shower, got dressed, did everything she needed to do and grabbed her purse on her way down the stairs. She looked into the living room and saw the Hunter was awake and for the third day, he was sitting on the couch, starin off into space and looking like he was dead on the inside. "Hunter. I'm going out for the day. I'll be back before supper" She told him. Her voice sounded loud and harsh in the quiet house. He didn't respond. He didn't even look on her. "I love you, Hunter. I hope you remember that" She told him then turned and walked out of the house.
Ontop of that, Hunter was a mess. He had been there for her to help her through hard times. She had to be there for him. Arabella needed to be strong for him and to be strong, she had to not think about it and to not think about it, she had to clean.
Arabella stepped out of the closet and looked over at the bed, where Jolie and Piggy were looking at her like she had lost her mind. She huffed and started shoving all of the clothes that she was getting rid of into a big bag to take down to Goodwill. Once that was all tied up and ready to go at the door, Arabella looked around her bedroom, trying to find something to do. However, the place was totally clean from the last time Arabella went on a cleaning spree. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and stepped into the bathroom, ready to scrub it down.
Arabella didn't really know how long she was there. She cleaned around the bathroom for a long time but then she was hungry. Arabella washed her hands and she walked out of the bathroom, headed down the stairs. She peaked into the living room and what she saw nearly broke her heart. Hunter was still on the couch, staring off into space. Ajax was on his lap and he looked so broken, so hollow. Arabella closed her eyes and she turned away, walking to the kitchen. She picked up the phone and she quickly ordered out for pizza. Hunter was clearly in no shape to cook and Arabella wasn't going to ask him to. Pizza would be fine.
Arabella walked around the kitchen, impatiently, while she waisted for the food to get there. She was nervous about Hunter but maybe they would get some pizza, spend some time together on the couch and everything would be fine. When the doorbell rang, Arabella jumped a little bit and she ran to the door. She had to put on a smile. She had to smile at the man bringing them their food and she had to pretend that everything would be okay.
As soon as she had closed the door behind him, she walked back to the kitchen and she opened up the pizza box. She placed a few pieces on a plate and looked down at it then let out a little sigh. She could remember when Hunter had stayed at her apartment for the first time and he brought her pizza over to the table for her. Arabella smiled a little bit at the memory before she took Hunter's plate and brought it into the living room for him.
"Hey, Hunter? I ordered some pizza" Arabella said softly, walking up to his side and looking down at him with big eyes and a small smile that she was forcing. He didn't even look up at her. He looked so crushed and destroyed. All Arabella wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be okay but she didn't think that he would like that. He flinched when she touched him in the car.
Arabella looked down at him and she bit her lip, trying really hard not to cry. She needed to be strong for him. With a small sigh, she placed the plate of pizza down on the table beside him and she brushed her fingers along his jaw, causing him to flinch a little bit. "If you need anything, Hunter, I'll be in our bedroom" She said softly and she placed a light kiss at the top of his head. Arabella turned around and she walked up the stairs, taking a plate of pizza with her.
"Alright, Jolie...I need to distract myself with something" Arabella sighed, looking down at her small dog. Jolie looked up at her with a confused look on her face, like she had no idea why Arabella wasn't down on the couch with Hunter and Ajax. Arabella placed her pizza on the bedside table and she sat down on her side of the bed, folding her legs under her. She bent down a little bit and she pulled out her newest sketch book and a few pencils.
Maybe sketching some clothes would distract her. Before she met Hunter, she would sketch a few designs from distract her from the fact that she was alone and sad and stressed. Now, she was going to sketch to try and distract her from the fact that she was never going to have kids with Hunter and Hunter was turning into a vegetable.
Arabella flipped through the pages, stopping to look at a few dresses, skirts, shirts and pants that she had drawn up but when she got to the last couple of pages, her heart sank. On those pages, she had been sketching designs for maternity clothes. Dress and shirts and pants, all for a very pregnant person. A few tears fell down her cheeks and landed on the pages, smudging up the pencil markings. A small sob escaped form her lips and she started ripping the pages out. She balled them up and threw them across the room. Jolie ran after them and started playing with them. Arabella flopped back on the bed and she closed her eyes, trying to escape and forget that any of this had ever happened.
She fell asleep there but she only slept for a few hours. When she woke up, she still felt tired and worn out. Hunter wasn't by her side and he wasn't in the kitchen, making breakfast. All Arabella wanted was to wake up next to her husband but instead, she was waking up in a cold bed. Arabella groaned and she rolled off of the bed and walked out of the bedroom, down to the stairs.
"Hunter?" Arabella said softly, looking around the house a little bit. There was no response so she nervously tip toed into the living room, where she had seen him last. When she turned around the corner and she saw Hunter on the couch, sitting up and fast asleep, her heart sunk. He hadn't moved at all and Ajax was still on his lap. The pizza was still on the plate beside him, untouched.
"Come on, buddy" Arabella breathed, picking Ajax up and holding him close to her with one arm. She looked down at Hunter and she bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. Arabella bent down a little bit and she pressed her lips to the corner of his lips in a little kiss. "I'm so sorry, Hunter" She whispered in a watery voice and she headed back to the kitchen so that she could feed Ajax, crying softly.
The rest of the day was painful. Arabella put on a smile and she got dressed and she did her hair. She cleaned around the house, she organized, she ran some errands. She was nice to the people she met during her day. She never told anyone that anything was wrong. Arabella pretended that everything was okay for the whole day. But when she got home at the end of the day, with takeout food for supper, and she saw Hunter on the couch, Arabella couldn't pretend anymore. Hunter was still on the couch. Ajax was back on his lap. Arabella put a bit of the Thai food she bought on a plate and she put it beside Hunter then walked back up to their bedroom.
Hunter was supposed to work the next day. He was supposed to roll out of bed in the morning, kiss Arabella and tell her that he loved her. He was supposed to go to work and then come home at the end of the day, wrap his arms around Arabella and make supper. Arabella let out a sigh as she walked up the stairs and flopped down on their bed. She pulled out her phone and she dialed the number for Hunter's work. When they answered, Arabella paused for a minute. If she spoke to them and told them what she needed to tell them, then it would make it real.
"Hi, uhm, this is Arabella calling. I just needed to phone in and say that Hunter won't be able to make it work tomorrow" Arabella said softly and she cleared her throat. "He's pretty sick"
"Oh, sure..that's not a problem. I'll just write it down" The woman on the other end of the phone said. "I hope he gets better soon!"
"Yeah, me too..." Arabella breathed and she hung up the phone. She laid back on the bed, closing her eyes and holding back tears. Having to deal with not having kids with Hunter was hard enough. She didn't want to have to deal with this broken, empty shell that Hunter had become.
Arabella stayed in bed for the rest of the night. She didn't sleep. She couldn't sleep without Hunter next to her. Arabella stayed awake, staring up at the ceiling and trying to not think of anything. Around 3 in the morning, Arabella rolled out of bed and she shuffled down the stairs. Her whole body was sore and she was exhausted. She needed to get some sleep. She needed her husband.
Ajax was on Hunter's lap and Hunter was on the couch in the living room. They were both fast asleep. Arabella took a small breath and she nudged Ajax off of the couch. He looked up at her with a very offended look and he curled up on the ground, resting his head on Hunter's feet. Arabella sat down on the couch and she looked up at Hunter with sad eyes before she laid down, putting her head on Hunter's lap and falling asleep.
In the morning, Arabella woke up before Hunter could wake up. She looked up at him and kissed his cheek lightly then slid off of the couch and up the stairs. Arabella was going to get dressed, do her hair and her makeup and pretend that she was fine. She had to be strong for Hunter, most of all. She had to pretend that she wasn't hurting so that he didn't feel any worse.
Arabella got a shower, got dressed, did everything she needed to do and grabbed her purse on her way down the stairs. She looked into the living room and saw the Hunter was awake and for the third day, he was sitting on the couch, starin off into space and looking like he was dead on the inside. "Hunter. I'm going out for the day. I'll be back before supper" She told him. Her voice sounded loud and harsh in the quiet house. He didn't respond. He didn't even look on her. "I love you, Hunter. I hope you remember that" She told him then turned and walked out of the house.
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