The tour was over, the court case long behind them, and Christmas was rolling into town like a pluffy storm. Hunter was on his way to pick up his beautiful girlfriend, and his palms were sweating. His forehead was wrinkled into stress lines, and the foot that wasn't pressing the gas pedal was bouncing uncontrollably.
She was going to meet his parents tonight, for the first time. He knew they were going to love her, because who wouldn't love such a wonderful person? At the same time, though...this would be the first time he'd ever brought home the love of his life. Hopefully the last time, too. It did put a little unwanted pressure on the evening.
He climbed into the elevator and rode up to her floor, then knocked on her apartment door.
Bethany answered, attaching her earrings and smoothing out her skirt.
"Do I look okay? Is this too...I don't know...do I look like a nun? Or a slut? Wait...do you want me to look like a nun?"
Hunter laughed, glad to see that she was as nervous as he was about the whole ordeal. He kissed her gently to cut off her rambling, and assured her that she looked positively perfect. She sighed in resignation and they left the apartment complex, riding in nervous silence to his parents place.
When they pulled into the parking deck behind his parent's apartment complex, Hunter looked over to see Beth sitting there with her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"Beth?" he asked, laughing a little. "What are you doing?"
She blew out the breath she'd been holding and answerd, without opening her eyes. "I'm too nervous to look. Can you just walk me to their door, so I can imagine for a little while longer that I'm not about to meet your parents?"
Hunter chuckled heartily, feeling better now that he knew she was freaking out so badly. He couldn't remember what his reaction had been when he'd met Bethany's mom. He was sure it hadn't been nearly as hard on him, though, as he had already met her when he had caused Bethany a concussion and inadvertently sentenced her to a few weeks in the hospital.
"Okay. I'll come around and help you out," he replied, jumping out of the vehicle and climbing around to her side.
It was a slow walk, with Hunter guiding her with a reassuring hand around her waist, and she stayed true to her word, not opening her eyes until Leo and Lynette were opening the door to their home.
"Bethany, hi!" Leo annouced, watching her face light up in shocked delight. "It's good to see you again!"
Lynette came forward to wrap Bethany in a warm hug, which she returned with some bewilderment.
"How's your ankle, sweetheart?" she whispered, clutching Beth's hand lovingly.
Bethany laughed, relief flooding her system as she finally understood what all of this meant. "It's fine, thank you for asking!" Leo and Lynette are Hunter's parents? No wonder they were so helpful to me! They must have recognized me instantly! She laughed uncontrollably for a moment, then wrapped Leo in a hug as well.
"Wow, this explains so much!" she said emphatically, smiling widely.
"Would someone explain it to me, please?" Hunter prompted, raising his hand like a child in school. His face betrayed his confusion, and the three laughed, realizing that none of them had thought to reveal their secret meeting to him.
"Well, come on in and we'll tell you the story, baby," Lynette said, ushering them out of the chilly air and into the kitchen, where they all perched on stools and talked merrily while Lynette rushed around, filling the air with wondrous, homemade smells.
After dinner, Leo helped Lynette clear the table, then the two of them cleaned and dried the dishes. Bethany offered to help, but Lynette smacked her hands away, practically ordering her to go sit with Hunter in front of the TV, which was showing a crackling fire and playing Christmas music softly.
Hunter wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and looked over at her with a smile.
"I have a present for you," he said, "for our anniversary."
She laughed, watching him reach behind the couch and pull the present out. "Hunter, it's not our anniversary for another month."
He shrugged. "Well, it's the anniversary of something in our relationship, I'm sure. Besides, it's Christmas time. So I have a gift for you."
She smiled as he handed her a bag with tissue paper in the top. "I see your gift wrapping skills have not improved," she teased, seeing the wrinkles and tears in the delicate decoration.
He laughed and rolled his eyes. "Just open the stupid gift, babe."
She did, and she burst into laughter the moment she saw what it was. She pulled it out, giving him a look. "Hair gel?"
He pulled her into his arms. "Yep. I was just thinking how awfully romantic I am. I mean, I'm so romantic all the time, and I had to find some way to make it better, so what else but hair gel? It's what all the girls are just dying to get from their boyfriends these days, right?"
She rolled her eyes and kissed him. "You're right. It's what I've always wanted, thank you."
He leaned in again, kissing her for a long time. "I love you."
"I love you, too." She sighed and pulled away. "Now, you have a quandary, sir."
He cocked his head and said, "Oh?"
She nodded as though it were extremely obvious. "Well, since you've really outdone yourself with this gift, how are you ever going to find something to give me for our anniversary?"
He smirked. "Well, I was kind of hoping this would count towards our anniversary too..."
She swatted him playfully and he laughed. "Naw. I've got something really special planned. Don't you worry."
She smiled and kissed him gently. "Thank you, Hunter. You're so wonderful," she said sincerely, blushing at how cheesy the line sounded.
"I get it from you," he replied, kissing her nose. His parents came back in, and the four of them spent the holiday with wine in their hands and joy in their hearts. At the end of the night, when Hunter took Beth back to her apartment and gave her a long kiss goodnight, he was thinking of his parents, knowing that he and Beth...they had the kind of love he'd grown up with, the kind of love his parents shared.
Oh, what a life we have ahead of us.
So, it's over! :D I'll come back and fix this if I ever come up with a better way to end it, but for now, here you are! I'll probably end up posting a chapter of "Do Me A Favor?" in here as a promotion sort of thing. If you enjoyed this book, you should check that one out, because it's very different.
"WHAT'S THAT PICTURE ON THE SIDE?!" Everyone is asking now. It couldn't possibly be? Could it? Could it REALLY?! Is it what you think it is? Do you think it's the cover for the SEQUEL?!
AND WHAT IS THAT NEXT CHAPTER?! IS IT A PREVIEW INTO THE SEQUEL?! NO WAY!
Anyway, thank you all SO MUCH for reading this. You guys are the literal best and I've thoroughly enjoyed having you around! :D I look forward to further interactions! <3 Thank you thank you thank you!
God Bless and Happy Reading!
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Secret Love (Hunter Hayes Fanfiction)
Romance"I'm falling for someone who isn't falling for me." "I know exactly how you feel," he answered, leaning down and hugging her tightly. "Do you?" She hugged him back, willing him to know just how much she cared for him. He chuckled. "Yeah, I do." H...
