Page 102 of Coach's Temptation

He steps behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I wanted you to have everything you deserve, Natalie. It’s all yours, exactly how you always imagined it could be."

"But Hunter, I can't—"

He chuckles and squeezes me in his massive arms so hard I can get the words out.

"And don't worry about the bill. It's been taken care of." He releases me and presses a kiss to the top of my head. "I know what this place meant to you, baby. And now it's restored, and another generation gets to create the same memories you did growing up here."

Tears prick my eyes, but before I can completely melt into an emotional puddle, my gaze flicks down the hallway.

Wait.

The bedroom.

My bedroom. The scene of the crime where this shit show started.

The last time I stepped foot in there, a fat droplet of ceiling water had plummeted straight onto my forehead at some ungodly hour.

And now?

Now, I peek inside and see the peeling paint, ominous water stains, and the distinct aroma of regret have gone.

Instead, I’m greeted with a room straight out of a Pinterest fever dream.

Soft, cloud-like bedding. A chic, upholstered headboard in a creamy linen fabric. Warm light glowing from elegant bedside sconces that look expensive enough to require a background check just to touch them.

I turn to Hunter, jaw slack.

“What the hell? Where’s my hellhole? The leak? The cursed spot where I saw my life flash before my eyes?”

He smirks. “Gone. Fixed. Banished to the fiery depths of contractor hell where it belongs.”

I blink, still processing. “So you’re telling me I can now sleep in here without waking up to an impromptu waterfall taking over my dreams?”

Hunter chuckles and nods. “Pretty much.”

I whirl back to the living room, very much starting to enjoy this.

“Holy shit.”

My eyes well with tears as I spot my Grandmother's rocking chair, lovingly restored and positioned proudly by the window seat. Plush, cozy cushions in my favorite shade of blush pink now line that spot where we spent hours reading books together. Shelves have been built seamlessly into the wall and now overflow with all my favorite books, arranged exactly as I'd described to Hunter in late-night conversations I never dreamed he remembered.

I turn to him, overwhelmed. "Hunter, I can't believe you… you did all this for me."

His eyes soften, thumb brushing gently over my cheek. He doesn't say a word, just nods and smiles.

My heart squeezes painfully in my chest as tears spill down my cheeks.

"You know, I was perfectly fine living in your luxurious man cave. But now?" I sniff dramatically. "Now you've given me an impossible choice."

He laughs warmly, bending to kiss me softly.

"Who says you have to choose? I happen to think you'd look pretty damn good splitting your time between here and my talking fridge."

I laugh through my tears, cupping his face as happiness floods me in a rush. "Hunter Brody, if I didn't already love you, I'd have no choice but to fall hopelessly, madly in love with you right now."

His eyes lock on mine. "Y-you what?"

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