Holding On (Love In Montana Book 3)

Rihanna couldn't deny him what he asked for. Her hand went beneath the duvet and touched his hardness and stroked him just as he wanted her to. She gave him his release showing him that she really cared. Later she pulled him into her arms and caressed his hair softly. He was asleep in no time, his face into her neck, his hand on her breasts, his leg wrapped around her. His even wRm breathing lulled her to sleep too.

Someone shook her and her eyes flew open to see Robbie's excited face. "Mommy, wake up. I'm hungry," he said, eagerly. Rihanna looked beside her and saw that Hunter was still asleep. His long lashes looked beautiful, casting shadows on his cheekbones, his soft lips more kissable when he slept.

"Give me a moment to freshen up, sweetie. I'll give you some crackers and a banana to fill your tummy, okay?" She told him. Robbie nodded eagerly. Rihanna gave him his food and went to the washroom to freshen up. When she returned, Hunter was up and wearing his sweatpants and stealing Robbie's crackers from him. He looked up at her when she emerged, his face lightening up as he remembered what they did last night. Rihanna blushed at his scrutiny.

"Uncle Hunt, you promised that we'd go fishing today," reminded Robbie with a pout. Hunter scratched his head with a goofy smile on his lips. Rihanna was surprised to see his change of mood after last night. He looked happy.

"Sorry champ. I overslept and completely forgot about it," he said apologetically as Robbie pouted.

"You can go after breakfast, " said Rihanna and Robbie's face brightened again. Hunter quickly freshened up and wore a tee shirt and they locked the cabin and went to the cafe to get some coffee, milk and breakfast for themselves.

"You can continue to prove that you care about me, " he whispered into her ear, as they followed an excited Robbie to the cafe. Rihanna looked at him with disbelief.

"I already have last night," she pointed out to him.

"I'm not convinced yet," he said shaking his head. Rihanna rolled her eyes.

"By the way, thank you for the best sleep of my life. Have you thought about my question last night? I'm waiting for your answer," reminded an impatient Hunter.

"Not yet, " she told him. She didn't get any time to think having dozed off immediately after him. Hunter looked a little disappointed but didn't ask again. They ordered breakfast and enjoyed their first meal of the day.

Later while Hunter and Robbie went fishing, she went to shower and change. Afterwards she sat on the porch and watched them as they laughed and tried to catch some fish. Both looked exceptionally happy and she found herself thinking about Hunter's question again and again. She wanted to stop thinking too much into this and plunge headlong into it. She wanted to marry Hunter. She wanted to make him and Robbie happy. So, should she listen to her heart or her mind?

They returned back with a fresh catch, both looking triumphant as if they had won a prize.  There was a cooking range in the cabin and Rihanna wanted to cook it for lunch. Hunter  went to buy some ingredients for fried fish and rice. The whole morning they jointly cooked and ate just like a happy family.

"Mommy, will you stay with us tonight too, please?" Asked Robbie, hopefully.

"Not tonight, Robbie. Tomorrow you and I have school in the morning," she gently reminded him.

"You can go to school with me, Mommy. You can wear anything uncle Hunt got for you," Robbie reasoned.

"I know sweetie but I had informed my family and they would be expecting me today, " she explained. Robbie nodded but looked a little unhappy. Rihanna sighed and cleaned up quietly. Hunter had quietened down strangely after her announcement of going home. He just quietly packed up everything to load onto his truck. With Robbie around, she had no way of communicating with him or kissing his worries away. Soon they were all packed up and ready to return home. Hunter drove on with a grim expression on his face while Robbie slept in the backseat.

Rihanna didn't know what to say to Hunter. He was acting a little too childish just like Robbie. He couldn't have expected her to stay back with them forever right now. Even if she had agreed to marry him, it would have taken a few days for her to move in with them.

"Hunter, are you angry with me?" She asked with a sigh.

"No," he said with a poker face, looking straight ahead of him.

"Yes you are. I can't understand what I've done to make you so angry with me," she said, her shoulders slumping dejectedly. How could she go home if he behaved this way?

"I'm not angry with you, just upset. That's all," he admitted with a shrug.

"Why?" She asked with interest.

"Because you don't care about me at all," he complained. Rihanna's jaws dropped at his complaint. Even after everything that she was doing for them, how could he make such allegations?

"How can you say that Hunter? Of course I care about you," she said, feeling choked with tears.

"If you did, you would have stayed, " he told her in a hurt voice. Rihanna sighed.

"I need to return home Hunter. My family would be worried about me," she explained.

"Tell them that you want to marry me. Tell them that you want to be with me," he said.

"Excuse me. Don't you think that's your job? You can't just secretly whisk me away. You need to meet my dad and ask him for my hand, " she told him, feeling angry and upset with him.

"Then tell me you agree to marry me. I'll just now go and ask for your hand, " said Hunter in the same tone.

"Mommy, uncle Hunt, please don't fight," mumbled Robbie from the backseat. It quietened them and Hunter drove on with a scowl on his face while Rihanna didn't say a word more to him. He stopped his truck in front of her home. She unloaded her luggage. Robbie was still asleep. She kissed his forehead and looked at Hunter, who had turned his back towards her. She sighed and walked towards her house while Hunter drove home, looking furious.

She entered her house and everyone looked relieved. "Finally, " said her mom, rolling her eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?" She asked in a displeased tone.

"Please mom. Can we discuss this later? I'm exhausted, " she said, dragging herself to her room. She was not in the mood for explanations, Hunter's attitude had hurt her. Why he couldn't see her point of view was beyond her. As she freshened up, her eyes filled up with tears thinking of Robbie and Hunter. She started missing them the moment her anger wore off. It was just fifteen minutes and she felt like her heart was breaking, like it wanted to run to Hunter and kiss him, show him that she cared. She knew Robbie would be upset when he woke up, maybe inconsolable too.

It was dinnertime when she emerged from her room. Everyone looked at her with curiosity. "I'm sorry for disappearing like that. I had no choice," started Rihanna. She told them about Robbie and how she rescued him from Samantha's torture. She told them how disturbed Robbie was and the fire that killed his family members. "He needs me mom. He calls me mommy and stays normal only when I'm around him," explained Rihanna.

"All that is fine, Anna but what about that uncle of his? This is a small town. If you frequently spend nights at their house, there's bound to be a lot of gossip. We have a good reputation here. I hope you're aware of how our business will be at stake because of your behavior?" Said her granddad.

Rihanna was quiet. She hung her head, knowing that her granddad was right. Should he tell him that Hunter wanted to marry her? She decided to announce that later when things cooled down and everyone were in a better mood.

"Your granddad is right. No spending nights there. You can visit that child and then return home. Is that clear?" Said her dad.

"I'm not a child, please. For God's sake, I know what I'm doing, " she said, getting up to go to her room. After that interaction with her family, she was worried that her interactions with Hunter and Robbie would be affected a lot. So should she marry Hunter? That was a decision she couldn't take. Her only worry was what if they realized later that they weren't meant for one another? What would happen to Robbie then?

She went to sleep with a heavy heart, thinking about the last two nights that she spent with Hunter and Robbie. After what her granddad and dad told her, she knew she wouldn't be allowed to spend any more nights with them. She sighed thinking of tomorrow when she would see her little family again at school. Her little family?