The Road Ahead (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 4 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Thirteen

❝bittersweet (pronounced bɪt ərˈswit or bit-er-sweet), adjective
happiness with a tinge of sadness.❞

The next morning, Hunter slowly dragged himself out of his bed and made himself a coffee. He hadn't slept the whole night through, and there was only so much salt water his pillow could hold. He couldn't understand why he was hurting so much. Of course, he knew the reason, but somehow, it hurt worse than when Lilly had lost their child. It was just... more painful with Ryan. Maybe it was making old feelings of hurt and resentment float to the surface, Hunter didn't know. But whatever it was, it was killing him slowly.

He sipped at his coffee, opening his laptop to find a video message from Ryan, sent six hours earlier. He opened it.

"Hey," she said, before taking a deep breath. "By the time you see this, I'll be on a plane. I'm at the airport right now. Estimated arrival time is at 7 am in America, third of February. So... I'll see you then."

His eyes widened. "She's what?!" he whispered, before checking the time on his laptop. 8:47.

He jumped up, going to the bathroom and brushing his teeth, before leaving a note to Elle.

Ellie,

Something's come up, make Nick and Robbie breakfast, I'll be back soon.

Pa

Then, he pulled on some adequate clothes, a hat and sunglasses to hide his face, and headed out the door.

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"Mama, I'm tired," complained Spencer.

"I know, darling, just a bit longer," she said, trying to hide the tiredness in her own voice. Eighteen hours of pure hell were taking their toll on her. All she wanted was to be at home, in Hunter's arms. She had never wanted it quite as badly as she wanted it now. Not in all her time in London.

It had been hard to say goodbye to their old home, especially for Spencer. He didn't understand why they couldn't take his race car bed, or half the food in the kitchen. Ryan was just glad she was on good terms with the landlord and could hand her keys in early, and that she had already sold her car.

There was another line, and Ryan sighed. She needed to rest. She needed to sleep. Spencer, as they quickly found out, was terrified of heights, and wouldn't stop fussing for the entire plane ride here. They were in Nashville now, full of people with accents different to hers and Spencer's, and he hated it. "Mama, can we go back?" he asked.

"No, darling. When we get out of here, we'll be staying with Papa, I promise. Please, just hold on for a little bit longer. I promise, we'll have Papa, okay?"

He sighed, pouting, before beginning to cry. He was tired, cranky, and he was throwing a tantrum. Ryan felt like crying, too. She was so exhausted. An older woman, maybe about in her sixties, who was lined up behind Ryan asked, "Are you alright, dear?"

"He's just tired," she said, trying not to let her voice tremble from how close to tears she was at this point.

"You look tired, too. Would you like me to hold your luggage while you calm him?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you." She let go of her suitcase and picked Spencer up, giving him a hug. "Oh, honey, come on. It's not long now. See, we're nearly at the front!"

"I'm hungry," he cried. "And I'm sleepy."

"Would you like me to buy him some hotcakes from McDonald's or something?" asked her partner, who was around the same age as her.