Chapter 150: Realization

Later that night, Hunter sat on his front porch and stared out at the darkness. He’d considered heading to his office but remembered the cabin model and thought better of it. Out on the porch, the evening was cool, even for early fall, but he didn’t feel the chill. Of course, he might chalk that up to the bourbon he’d downed since he’d gotten home.

But the truth was, since Starla’s revelation, he’d felt mostly numb. He’d had it wrong. Had it wrong the whole time. Poppy had been telling the truth. If he’d taken the time to listen to her, let her explain… But of course, he hadn’t. He’d just assumed, completely flown off the handle, and made her leave.

As he had a thousand times since that awful day, he wondered what she was doing at that exact moment. Before tonight, he’d frowned to himself and chased the thought away like an unwanted stray. But now, he allowed himself to go down that path. Was she looking up at the sky and thinking about him?