Where We Left Off (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 2 of the HunTia Trilogy)

Chapter Thirty-One

TIA'S POV:

I spend the night with Trey, Peyton and JJ, and let me tell you, he can scream the house down. It took us a while to get him to calm down so that he'd fall asleep, and we were all exhausted when he finally did.

Exhausted enough to miss my plane.

The minute I wake up, I start cursing, throwing my clothes into a bag. Peyton and JJ were still blissfully asleep when Trey and I left. He made sure to leave a note behind for her when she woke up.

To our disappointment, the next plane to Nashville would be in the evening, which meant I wouldn't be able to get back until at least dinner time. The tour was finally over, and Hunter and the band would pick me up in the tour bus before we all went back home

"I can drop you off, if you prefer," says Trey, carrying one of my bags.

"Are you sure?" I ask. "It's not like you had much sleep last night, and it's a long drive..."

"Eh, I'll be fine," he says dismissively. "Cup of coffee, I'll be as good as new."

"Thanks heaps, Trey."

"That's okay."

Before we leave, I call Hunter, tell him about the change of plans. He tells me that he has Olive with him, and that he'll be home when I get back.

It's a quiet drive. Both of us are relatively awkward the whole time, and we don't really talk. At one point, Peyton calls to make sure we're okay, but other than that, we're totally silent.

"Hey, Tee?" asks Trey, just before I go inside. "You know that guy... the one who..."

"Yeah?" I say, referring to the black haired, blue eyed man.

"Has he bothered you? Like, ever since?"

"No," I lie. "Haven't heard from him in a while."

"Good," he says, obviously relieved. "I'll see you later, Tia. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," I echo him, not really listening. Finally, after three months, I was home.

The minute I open the door, a small ball of white fluff collides with my leg.

"OLIVE!!!" I yell, kissing her. "I missed you so much, pumpkin!"

"First she's an olive, now she's a pumpkin," Hunter says, laughing. "What next, turnip?"

"Yep," I say, winking. "Come here, Turnip!"

To our surprise, she answers to not only Olive, Pumpkin and Turnip, but Radish, Carrot, Spinach, Leek, Sweetpea and Potato.

"Well," says Hunter, "you learn something new every day."

I hug him. "I missed you."

He kisses the top of my head. "I missed you too, Tee." He's warm and comfortable. His eyes are sparkling, and he seems genuinely happy to see me.

For some reason, there seems to be more meaning behind this. It's more than just an "I missed you." I can't put my finger on it though.

Strange.

HUNTER'S POV:

Tia laughs, tilting her head to the side in that adorable way that she does. I hug her, properly, now that her bump isn't in the way, and a little girl runs up to us.

"Daddy, come play!" she says, giggling.

"I'm coming, Laidey-bug!" I say to the girl, a perfect little replica of Tia. Her dark hair and purple eyes match her mother's exactly, and I smile. Adelaide was perfect.

I wake up from my dream, a smile on my face, and roll over to look at Tia.

Her eyes are wide open, staring at the ceiling of our room.

I check the time. It's apparently 1:39 am.

"Tee?" I ask, my smile fading. "Why are you awake?"

She gives me a smile, one that looks forced. "No reason. Go back to sleep."

"No." I sit up a little, trying to look at her better. "How long were you awake?"

"I never really fell asleep," she sighs. I notice that her eyes are sparkling.

"Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm doing great," she says. A small laugh bubbles out of her mouth, before she begins to cry, her heartbroken sobs filling the room.

"No, Tia," I whisper, pulling her into my chest. "Please, baby, don't cry."

She doesn't stop crying, and her tears soak the front of my shirt. I rock her gently, trying to soothe her, but she's shaking and crying even harder, if that were possible.

So, I do what I do best.

"You're not alone,

I'll listen 'til your tears give out,

You're safe and sound,

I swear that I won't let you down," I sing softly. She quietens down a little.

"What's hurting you, I, I feel it too,

I mean it when I say,

When you cry, I cry with you..."

Her breathing slows down a bit, and I take the opportunity to brush her hair out of her face.

"Tia, what's wrong?"

She sniffles. "I- I-" she stutters, tears falling from her eyes again. I carefully brush them away with my thumb and hug her. "Lately, it's just that... we've been fighting, and we don't get to talk as much, and I'm just scared that... what if, when the baby's born, we won't have time for each other? What if what we have-" She breaks off, sobbing.

"You think I don't love you anymore?" I ask. She shakes her head. "You- you don't feel the same about me?" Again, she shakes her head. "Then what?"

She shrugs, crying again. "I'm just scared, Hunt."

"Tee, love, you've got to understand this," I murmur. "What we have, it's different. It's so, insanely different from what everyone else has. I love you more than you could ever imagine. That's not going to change anytime soon." I kiss her once. "Please, don't do this to yourself."

She looks at me. "So, I'm worrying over nothing?"

"Of course you are," I say, kissing her again, gently. "Just like always. Now, where's the smile that I fell in love with?" Tia gives me a small smile. "There it is," I whisper, kissing her one more time. Her lips move against mine softly.

"I've been a bitch lately," she sighs.

"Don't say that."

"It's true, though. I've been treating you horribly, and you never even waver in how you think about me. You love me more than I deserve."

Says the one who took a bullet, I think.

"That's true, I guess," she says.

I feel myself go red. "I said that out loud?"

"Yeah." I feel her laugh softly.

"Tia, I love you. You're the most amazing, beautiful person that I know."

She sighs. "You always know how to make me feel perfect."

"You are perfect," I correct her quickly.

"There you go again," she says, her tears long gone. Olive, finally realising that we were awake, comes and sandwiches herself between us, and Tia strokes her soft, white fur. "I love you too, Hunt."

"That's all I ever wanted."

"You've really got to stop with the dad jokes."

I laugh. "Good night, love. Sleep well."

"I will."

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