Hunter stood very still, the sweet smell of Alice still lingering in his nose and the heat from her lips against his cheek like a brand. Clara came over and laid against his feet, putting pressure against his right leg he couldn’t take.
“Move, Clara,” he said as gently as he could with the hurricane in his whole soul. The dog got up and moved, thankfully, and he gritted his teeth as he hobbled back to the armchair. He shouldn’t have gotten up and walked without his cane, even to prove a point. Especially to Alice, of all people. He didn’t have anything to prove to her.
And yet, he wanted her to know he was okay. That he didn’t need her pity. That he could take care of himself and their son.
and He groaned as he settled into the chair, happy to have Clara on his cold toes now. She laid o
