So Rare (Boys of South Chapel #3)

35. Hunter

Chapter 35

Hunter

NOW

“It doesn’t have to be London, although I can assure you, the accommodations are top-tier, and you’ll want for nothing. I’m committed to keeping us together and seeing this through.”

Thoughtful silence falls over the group, punctuated by subtle chirps of insects and the ebb and flow of the lake hitting the shoreline.

We ate a delicious—although slightly cold—meal, prepared by Greedy and Sione, out on the upper deck. We’re still gathered around the table now, dressed in layers and wrapped in blankets I found in the living room, discussing what’s next.

It’s more clear than ever that Magnolia has no boundaries when it comes to getting her way. We can’t go back to the Ferguson house while she’s there. I’m not sure we should even stay in North Carolina at this point.

So this is it. As a group, we need to work through a plan. Decide what comes next. Where we’ll go, where we should live.

Guilt nags at my gut. All of this is only necessary because of my mother… because of me .

The guys have all agreed that they want to stick this out and see it through. For Greedy and Levi, that makes sense. They also have each other—a point that still thrills me when I think about our moment in the pantry. Or about what we’ll share next.

Sione’s desire to stay doesn’t surprise me either. His plan was always to come to the States for chiropractic school. It was the fantasy we’d lie awake talking about. Once I left Italy, though, it felt like a forgotten dream. When I left, he remained, feeling compelled to stay to care for his grandparents and Villa Viola. A hopeful “someday” became a distant “someday” when we parted. But now that he’s here, I don’t see him leaving my side.

Kabir has the most to lose. Although he’s an international mogul, his day-to-day business operations are based in London. He’s already disrupted his life in significant ways since his arrival. It doesn’t make sense for him to stay here.

It’s not just him I worry about, though. It’s the people who work for him, who depend on him for income and benefits. What happens to Gerald if Kabir remains in the States? What happens to the hundreds or maybe thousands of employees who work for his various ventures if he chooses to consolidate or change business operations?

“I’m not outright opposed to London,” Greedy eventually replies, studying Kabir, then shifting his gaze to me. “I didn’t apply to any international schools, though.”

Greedy’s life plan has always included medical school. He’s been working toward this goal for as long as I’ve known him.

“Where did you apply?” Levi asks.

“Carolina Coastal. Northern State. A few Ivies up the East Coast. And a few schools in Northeast Ohio.”

Sione rests his forearms on the table and angles forward. “You’re waiting to hear back from those institutions?”

Greedy gives a quick shake of his head and a tight smile, as if he’s embarrassed. “I already heard back. I got into all of them.”

Tenderly, I squeeze his forearm. When he lifts his gaze to meet mine, I smile. I’m so proud of him for all he’s accomplished, as well as all I know he’s destined to achieve.

“Well done, you,” Spence remarks. There’s a softness and genuine sincerity to the praise.

“And you’ll finish your undergrad this year?” Sione asks.

Greedy tips his head from side to side, then shrugs. “I could, but I wasn’t planning on it.” Sheepish now, he side-eyes me. “I was going to stick around here for another year.”

For me.

He was going to stall his life for an entire year because of me.

My stomach twists in knots of devotion and guilt and shame. I’m startled from my spiraling thoughts when calloused fingertips caress my arm. When I glance up, Greedy takes my hand and squeezes. There’s an unspoken confession in his touch, a truth I’ve known in my heart of hearts since the moment I returned to North Carolina.

He never gave up on us. More importantly, he never will.

I clear my throat. “What do you think, Si?”

Sione raises both hands behind his head, stretching back far enough that his T-shirt lifts to expose a peek of dark, taut, tatted abdomen.

“I have not even acclimated to this time zone yet, Mahina. I’ll follow you anywhere.”

Tears well in my eyes. Not because he’s willing, but because there’s an ease in which Sione cares. His love is effortless. It doesn’t have to be earned, fought for, or cultivated. It just is.

I fight the sudden compulsion to rise from my seat and take up residence in his lap.

Leaning forward again, he taps out a rhythm on the tabletop with his knuckles. “If we head to Europe, we could use the villas until tourist season picks up. That would buy us a few months.” The villas are his grandparents’ main source of income. They rely on tourism season to support themselves all year long. I wouldn’t want to be a hindrance to their ability to make a living, but this time of year, they’re vacant. “You know Mamaie would love to have you back at the lake.”

Pressure builds behind my eyes at the reminder. I love Sione’s grandparents as if they are my own. I would be so happy to see them again, even if the circumstances aren’t ideal.

Blowing out a long breath, I look to the only man who has yet to state his intent.

“Duke?”

With a pained sigh, Levi rests his forearms on the table. Lifting his backward ball cap off his head, he runs one hand through his blond tresses, then replaces it.

Wary resignation rolls off him as his brows pinch together in concern. “I can’t really afford to go anywhere.”

Kabir and Greedy instantly sound off their objections.

Despite knowing damn well money doesn’t have to be an issue for any of us if we’re together, Levi won’t easily accept the idea of either man bank-rolling his life.

Slowly, I rise and circle the table. I hover beside Levi until he sits back in his chair. Once he’s made room, I plop down into his lap, curling my legs underneath me and circling my arms around his broad shoulders.

“Hold up. Had I expressed hesitation, you would have straddled my lap?” Sione teases. “Perhaps now I want to change my original answer.”

Snickering, I shoot him a mock glare. Then I turn back to Levi and cup his face in my hands. His denim-blue eyes meet mine, wary and uncertain.

He’s not doubting us, but he is doubting his own worth. Judging himself against the others. Worrying about how he’ll contribute.

“Wherever we go, you can find work. I’m not asking you to accept a handout indefinitely. Just long enough for us to make a clean break.” I brush my lips against his, squeezing him tighter. “I don’t want to do this without you, Duke.”

Seconds tick by. The sound of the lake grows louder in my ears, water lapping at the shoreline in time with my heartbeat as I hold my breath and wait out his answer.

Eventually, he exhales, and the tension drains from his body.

“Yeah. Okay.” He pecks my lips, sealing his promise with a kiss, then raises his gaze to the other men around the table. “I’m in. Up for whatever. I don’t have much to contribute at this point, but I’ll go wherever you go, if it’s okay that I’m figuring my shit out along the way.”

Quiet assurances and confirmation rise up around us.

I inhale a fortifying breath. “Okay. We’re doing this.”

“Apparently,” Spence remarks. “Now, the only question remains is where we’re going. I’d be remiss to not strongly advocate for going overseas. It just feels… safer… putting an entire ocean and several nations between you and Magnolia.”

“I don’t disagree,” Greedy pipes up. “But I’m not sure I want to relocate permanently. I need to know if and when I’ll be able to attend medical school. If we really think this needs to be a long-term arrangement, then I need to consider international options.”

Ugh. The last thing we need is more dissonance in the group. If Spence and Greedy can’t agree on a plan, I won’t be able to take sides.

Groaning, I sit up, preparing myself to serve as mediator.

Levi tightens his grip on my hips, locking me in place. “Let’s see how this plays out. I think Spence has got it,” he whispers in my ear.

With a long exhale, I lean back and will myself to wait it out.

Spence regards Greedy thoughtfully, his lips pressed together. “If Europe is where we land, it wouldn’t be forever. I doubt Magnolia will receive a partial transplant without Hunter’s donation. I assume she has a year left, two at most?”

Greedy settles back in his seat, elbows on his armrests, considering Spence’s assessment. “I could do a bit of digging. See if I could find her latest test results or medical records in my dad’s office at home. That would give us a lot more insight into the situation, but given what we know about her prognosis, I believe you’re correct.”

“I usually am,” Spence quips.

A snort escapes me. Spence is such an abrasive egomaniac when he wants to be. I’m really fucking lucky the guys warmed up to him the way they have.

“I hate this for us,” I comment, the words intended for no one in particular.

Levi wraps me up in a hug from behind. Out of everyone, he’s most likely to commiserate with the layers of anger, grief, and shame that come with having such a toxic parent.

“I know, Tem.” Greedy reaches over and squeezes my arm. “But when people show you who they are, you have to believe them.”

Spence chimes in next. “She’s not human, love. Her mind is twisted. The hard reality is that you’re not her daughter. You’re a product of her own making, and by that strain of logic, you are a possession she is entitled to. That she’ll always feel entitled to. Where would it end? How far would she go?”

Silence hangs between us as the weight of Spence’s ominous questions linger in the air.

The world is quiet and still for a breath.

Then Greedy sits up straighter, looking out over the lake. Spence notes his reaction, then follows his gaze before hurriedly rising to his feet and rushing to the railing.

They say nothing. They offer no clues beyond the urgency of their reactions. Their movements are stiff, though. Concerned.

Though I can’t see what’s caught their attention, a deluge of dread washes over me, and tears well in my eyes out of habit.

Everything I love leaves.

I try to form a question. When that doesn’t work, I try to muster up a plea.

Sit down.

Don’t leave.

What’s happening?

Please stay.

I open and close my mouth several times, but no sounds escape me.

When Greedy rises from the table and stalks over to join Spence along the handrail, that’s when I know something isn’t right.

“What’s going on?” Levi asks, shifting me to his good leg so he can see more clearly where the guys are hovering. “What’s out there?”

Sione stands, then silently walks over to our side of the table and places a hand on my shoulder.

We wait. I stare at Spence’s and Greedy’s backs, their bodies tense and guarded as they stand shoulder to shoulder.

Finally, Spence turns back to us, his face stone cold and somber.

“There’s light on the water, love. A boat is approaching.”

My stomach bottoms out, and trepidation washes over me like a wave.

Flovely .

Fucking. Lovely.