Getting out of the truck, we walk up the flagstone path, hand in hand. I ring the bell, my heart thudding harder with each second that passes.
The door swings open, and Melissa stands there, her expression calm and surprisingly warm.
“Hi,” she says, smiling gently. “Come in.”
She steps aside, and we follow her into the house. The air smells like fresh-brewed coffee and cedarwood. The living room is all earth tones and oversized furniture, with a big stone fireplace and windows that let in the fading light.
Hunter’s sitting on a leather armchair, a coffee mug in hand, his face unreadable.
Melissa gestures toward the couch. “Would you like some coffee?”
We both shake our heads no.
“Okay,” she says softly, and takes a seat on the armrest of Hunter’s chair.
I glance at Eva, then back at Hunter and take a breath.
“It started at the very first meeting,” I begin. “When you talked about family and how important it is to your brand. Austin and Noah started sharing stories, and I—I panicked. I thought… I don’t know, that I would look like I wasn’t serious enough because I’m single. So I said I had a fiancée.”
Hunter doesn’t react. His eyes stay fixed on me, so I keep going. “It was stupid. I know that. But once I said it, I had to stick to it. I figured I’d find someone to play the part. Then Eva offered.” I glance at her, and she nods, picking up the story.
“I had just come back from Florida. Brandon and I broke up for good. And I didn’t have much going on besides trying to rebuild my life here,” she says. “I offered to help because I believed in what they were doing. But also… I was attracted to him. And once we started hanging out on our non-dates, as we called them, I realized it wasn’t just attraction.”
“We were falling for each other,” I say, cutting in softly. “By the time we flew to Florida, we weren’t even pretending anymore. It was real. All of it.”
Hunter finally shifts, but he still doesn’t speak.
Melissa leans forward a bit, her brow furrowed. “What happened to your mouth, Esteban?”
I offer her a small, wry smile. “Noah happened.”
Her eyes widen slightly, and Eva stiffens next to me, butI keep my tone calm. “He found out about us in the office today, how we’d been seeing each other behind his back for real. He feels hurt, betrayed, and I don’t blame him. I took the punch. I deserved it.”
Eva squeezes my hand, and I feel her strength moving into me like a current.
“I knew exactly who she was,” I continue looking at Eva while I speak. “That’s what made it so hard. I’ve known Eva most of her life. I knew Noah would lose his mind if anythingrealhappened between us. He told me this was just pretend, that I wasn’t allowed to be with her for real. And I agreed, at first. He’s always been protective of her, and I get that, I really do. But no matter how hard I tried to stay away, I couldn’t. It wasn’t just a crush. It wasn’t a game. Somewhere along the way, the pretending stopped… and real feelings took over. I fell for her so damn hard, and I’d risk it all again if it meant I get to be with her.”
I take a breath, turning to look directly at Hunter. “I know what I did was wrong. But I’m not going to apologize for falling in love with her. Because I did. I have. And I don’t regret it, not for a second. This whole thing started as a lie, but it gave me the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It gave me her.”
The silence that follows stretches out like a rubber band tight, fragile, on the edge of snapping.
Melissa is the first to speak. “I knew it,” she says, smiling now. “The way you two look at each other? That’s not something you fake. I told Hunter that when he came back from the meeting saying it was all pretend. I couldn’t believe it.”
Hunter sighs, finally setting down his coffee. He looks tired, but not angry.
“Thank you,” he says. His voice isquieter than I expected. “For coming here. For saying all this to our faces. That takes guts. And honesty.”
He looks at me a long moment, then at Eva.
“I’m still going to need time to think about the business side of things,” he says. “We’ll be in touch. But either way… I appreciate you telling the truth.”
Eva nods, her grip still tight on my hand. “Thank you. That’s all we wanted.”
Hunter stands, and so do we, offering me a handshake that I gladly take.
Melissa walks us to the door. “Whatever happens, I’m rooting for you two.”
“Thank you,” Eva says, her voice full of emotion.
