The First Steps (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 1 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Twenty

❝mistletoe (pronounced ˈmɪs(ə)ltəʊ or mis-uh l-toh), noun
a common decoration at Christmas.❞

Christmas Eve rolled along. Hunter was busy on the road, and they had made a HH Christmas Tree in the bus. But Hunter was home for the holiday, the band busy celebrating with their own families. Hunter's parents had come over, and Lilly was with them.

While Hunter and Leo sat together and watched the British version of Top Gear, Lilly sat with Lynette, drinking some green tea and relaxing.

"You look much healthier than you did when we left," said Lynette, smiling.

She smiled back. "I knew I couldn't keep going like that. I told Hunter, and he made me promise to never do it again."

"That boy loves you more than you think he does," said Lynette.

Lilly sighed. "You know he wrote 'Wanted' about me?"

"He never told me outright, but I suspected he did. And numerous others, you know."

"Yeah, I do," said Lilly. "But I didn't realise that I actually liked him back, and I said that I didn't feel anything for him. And I was afraid of what my parents might say."

"Hmm, I was very surprised when Hunter told me your parents allowed you to come to Nashville."

She looked down in shame. "I ran away."

"You did?" Lilly had always liked how Lynette never actually yelled or got angry with her, or as far as she knew, at Hunter. Leo was a little bit rougher, but he was male, whereas Lynette was everything Lilly wished her own mother was.

"They wanted me to marry Colin Heckstall, remember him?"

"Hunter never spoke of him."

"Colin bullied him in school."

Lynette's eyes widened. "Hunter... bullied?"

"Music freak and all that. It was jealousy on Colin's behalf, really. Colin couldn't play an instrument to save his life, and the fact that Hunter had my affection from the beginning bothered him."

"So all the times he came home with a black eye, saying he had crashed into a pole-"

"-were all the times Colin had punched him, and I had ended up punching Colin harder."

For the first time in her life, she saw Lynette lose it a little. "My poor boy," she whispered, covering her face with her hands. "How didn't I know?"

"He didn't want to worry you, ma'am," said Lilly gently, putting a hand on Lynette's arm. "I know him well. He's not the type of person to put his troubles on other people."

"I know that," she said, nodding. "I just wish he had said something."

She sighed. "But now I have feelings for Hunter, and it just... I don't think it's going to happen."

"Why not?"

"We almost kissed the other day, but we got interrupted, and neither of us have talked about it since."

Lynette smiled. "Really?"

"I don't even know if it actually happened. I wish he would mention it."

"Maybe it did, and he's not sure if it actually happened either."

Lilly looked up. "You think so?"

"Maybe you should try and ask him tonight." Lynette stood. "Leo, let's go, or we'll be late back home!"

"Comin', honey," called Leo from the living room, and Hunter followed him out. He gave Lilly a smile that made her feel slightly weak at the knees, and Lynette hugged and kissed Hunter goodbye.