“My father lives off of his trust fund, and that’s fine. The other day, I was speaking to my granddad, and he was talking about duty. About what it meant to be a Waverly and how it comes with pomp and circumstance. And the ultimate goal of the Waverlys—it’s been to grow the fund, right? It’s been to make more and more money so that we remain a steadfast family. But maybe that’s not really what the goal should be. Maybe that’s not what life should be about. Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about keeping as much money for future generations as I should be thinking about spreading the wealth and helping others and looking at my duty to mankind, not as my duty to future generations of Waverlys.”
“So, what—you’re going to give it all away?” she says, smiling.
“I don’t know. I mean, it’s not mine to give away right now.” I sigh. There are just so many questions, so many things, so many philosophies. And that’s why I’ve been here. I’ve been trying to find myself. “And ironically, the best part of all of this is that I found you.”
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. My girlfriend left me because she didn’t want to be with a sick man. And going through chemo—it is not for the faint of heart. I don’t really want to talk about it, but it was a really life-changing experience. And honestly, because I was going through a lot and some of the board knew about it, they held a vote of no confidence in me. Certain friends stopped returning my calls. I felt like I wasn’t who I thought I was. I felt like the friendships that I had built, both socially and in the business world, weren’t real. I felt like I was loved for being a Waverly and for being strong. I was loved for what I could provide. But I was just another rung on a ladder to other people’s riches and success. My grandparents, more than anyone, helped me to recover. And I’m in the process of rebuilding my life intothis new future. And I don’t know what that looks like. I’ve been working remotely here. The stock market would panic if they knew I’d been sick.”
She scoots closer to me and wraps her arms around me.
“I’m so sorry you went through that, Hunter. And I’m so sorry that you felt like some of your friends weren’t real, that those people weren’t genuine. And I want you to know that I like you for you—not because you’re a handsome billionaire.”
“But that doesn’t hurt, does it?” I say.
“I mean, could it ever hurt that you’re a handsome billionaire?” She laughs and touches the side of my face. “But really and truly, I do like you for Hunter—for the way you make me feel and for, well… just everything.” She smiles at me. “Thank you for sharing, and thank you for trusting me. And I guess we both have a little growing to do.”
“A little? A lot. You want to go home?”
“Yeah,” she says. “Let’s go to your cabin.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” I put the car into reverse and pull off. I don’t turn on the radio, and we don’t talk. We just sit there in companionable silence. I can feel the lightness between us. I can feel the love radiating between us, even though neither one of us has said it. We’ve both been searching and looking for that person. And we somehow found each other in this crazy world. Neither one of us is perfect. Neither one of us has all the answers. But I know we can figure it out together. I know that Gina Spellman is my one. My person. I suddenly realize that my entire life has been building to this one moment, because this one moment makes me feel like I’m living my best, most authentic life. My heart soars with love and happiness because I have my girl beside me. I have a woman who was made for me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Gina
I feel like I’m floating on air as I walk into the writing group. The previous day with Hunter was life-changing. I know deep in my heart that I love him. I can’t believe that he shared his secret with me. It both broke me and touched me at the same time. He’s been through so much, and yet he is still strong, and he’s still been there for me.
Part of me is still worried. A part of me wonders if the cancer could come back, but I didn’t want to ask him. I love him.
I love the way he touches me. I love the way he looks at me. I love everything about him. And when I look at him, I feel that love from him, as well, even though he’s never said it to me. And I’m certainly not going to say it to him first.
When I reach the parlor, I realize that I’m the first one in the room and take a seat. I grab my writing pad and look down at my notes. There are a bunch of ideas for different articles that I was going to send Holly, but I know I can’t send any of them. I can’t write about Hunter. I would never do that. I can’t betray him. And now that I know what the secret is, there is no way. Before Ican think about what I’m doing, I’m writing the word cancer on my notepad.
Fuck cancer, I think to myself.Fuck cancer.
He was right about the fact that he’d been lucky. A lot of people didn’t have access to the same doctors, the same medicine, the same manner of care. Many people’s families were left devastated and bankrupt because of healthcare costs. It is admirable to me that he realizes that. And I wonder if he really and truly meant what he said. If he really meant that he would try to find ways to help people—that it would be life-changing for so many. I find myself scribbling randomly in my notepad and hear footsteps. I look up and see Amethyst walking in. Behind her are Enid and Preston, and then Captain Joe, Quincy, Sally, and Ernest, whom I haven’t seen in about a week. I stare at Sally to see if I can get any vibes off her that would make me think she was a thief. But I’m fast realizing that I’m not really any sort of detective. I can’t tell anything.
“Hello, everyone,” Enid says, clapping. “Let’s have a seat, and we’ll get started soon.”
“I’m very pleased to announce that my darling husband, Preston, has decided to join us today. You all know Preston.”
“We know him very well,” Amethyst says, rolling her eyes and taking a seat next to me. “Hello, Gina.”
“Hi.”
“Having a good day?”
“Yeah, thank you. What about you?”
“So so.” She looks around and stands up. “I would like to make an announcement before everyone starts.”
“Go ahead, Amethyst.” Enid looks annoyed.
“I actually may not be part of the writing group for much longer because I have had a publisher contact me, and they are interested in publishing a book of my poems. So, I’m thinkingabout going on a writing retreat to visit other states to get inspiration.”
“Oh,” Captain Joe says, surprised and slightly upset. “You got a book deal?” His voice is incredulous, and I bite down on my lower lip to stop from laughing.
