“You’ll figure it out,” I reassure him, catching a glimpse of his twin at the other end of the hallway just before he slips around the corner out of sight.
We’ll all figure it out. Everything’s going to be okay.
I just know it.
CHAPTER NINE
Kaitlyn
NOW
Oh god.Why do I feel like I’ve just walked right into the middle of something?
“Good morning!” I greet, trying to lighten the tension in the room.
Mirabelle blinks, looking away from Bailey, and I move to hug her briefly. “Hey, Mira, how are you feeling today?” I ask, sliding into the seat next to her. Her morning sickness never really went away after the first trimester, and it’s been a struggle for her.
“We’re having a good day so far,” she says, her mouth curling into a warm smile while her hand drifts to rest on her growing belly.
I can feel Bailey watching me, and I tuck my hair behind my ear, smiling widely at him. “It’s a perfect day to go surfing. Think you still remember how to do it, or have you turned into a total kook?” I ask, and Bailey’s eyes sparkle at the challenge. The idea of Bailey being clueless on the water is laughable, especially considering he was always the best out of the Walker family at finding theperfect swell.
“I bet you wipeout more than I do,” he says, and for a moment, it’s painful how familiar this feels. It’s a conversation we’ve had so many times over the years.
“You in?” I turn toward Mirabelle, and she’s beaming.
“Hell yeah. I need to get in all the surfing I can before I’m too big to pop up on the board.”
“Awesome,” I say, starting to wonder if Hunter has come downstairs yet today. “Is Hunter up yet?” I ask, and by the way Bailey looks away, I’m guessing the twins still aren’t talking.
Mirabelle clears her throat, pulling my attention to her. “I don’t think so. When I talked to him yesterday, he said his insomnia’s keeping him awake most of the night, so he’s probably still sleeping.”
“Not for long,” I sing, getting out of my chair. “We’ll meet you guys at the shed in a few.”
Maybe surfing is exactly the right shove the twins need to get them talking.
I take the stairs two at a time, knocking on Hunter’s door softly. “Who is it?”
“It’s Kait,” I say, chuckling as I open the door.
He’s still lying in bed, his blond hair messy, and his mouth curls into a smile as he takes me in. “I thought you weren’t coming over until later?” he asks, his voice scratchy with sleep, and I move to sit next to Hunter on the bed as he stretches.
“It is later,” I tease, and he reaches for his glasses, pushing them on before grabbing his phone, eyes widening when he sees the time. God, sometimes I wish he would wear his contacts less because somehow they have a way of making him look hotter than he already is.
“Oh shit.” Hunter sits up, dragging a hand over his face, and I try not to stare at his muscular chest, tanned from summer days out in the sun. I’ve tried to paint him hundredsof times, but I can never seem to get it right. I can never capture the golden hue of his skin or the way Hunter’s sun-kissed shades of blond get perfectly tousled by the wind.
It’s a shame to be so beautiful it can’t even be captured by art.
“How’d you sleep?”
“Fine, I’m just tired,” he answers vaguely, climbing out of bed to walk toward the bathroom he shares with Bailey.
I wait for Hunter to come back out, mildly disappointed to see he’s put his contacts in, before leading into the plans I made with his siblings. “Do you think surfing could make you feel better?”
He smiles, making his way toward me. “I can think of a couple of other things that’d make me feel way better than surfing,” he teases, leaning over me as I fall back onto my elbows. The weight of his body over mine is distracting, but when his soft mouth finds the hollow of my neck, it’s easy to forget why we’re talking about surfing in the first place.
“Hunter.” I laugh when his hand grazes my side where my shirt’s ridden up.
“You’re cute,” he says, lifting his head to kiss me for a moment. Hunter’s skin is hot beneath my palm and the way he’s looking at me right now makes it tempting to find out exactly what he’s thinking.
