When The Curtains Drawn
It was a Friday night when Hunter heard a familiar knock on his front door. His brow creased in confusion because it wasn't his week with the girls and he didn't usually have visitors. Pulling the door open he was only semi-surprised to see Stephanie standing on his doorstep.
She looked nervous and he wasn't at all sure what she wanted. He hoped it was to talk but even then he wasn't sure that'd be a good conversation. He couldn't read her expression at all and it just made his stomach twist in knots.
"Uh, Stephanie?" he asked cautiously, curiously even, unsure of himself, "What are you doing here?"
She pursed her lips for a moment before speaking, "I think you know why. Can I come in please?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him.
Hunter nodded, opening the door wider for her, "Of course," he breathed, stepping aside. She walked past him and he couldn't help but let his gaze follow her. She was as gorgeous as ever; if a little thinner than she usually was and he couldn't believe he'd ruined their life together.
There was no doubt in his mind that Stephanie was the love of his life, that she's his soul mate and his other half. They were made for each other and he doesn't understand, even now over half a year later, why he cheated on her. It certainly wasn't because he had some uncontrollable, burning desire for Nikki Bella and he couldn't even blame it on drunkenness because he didn't drink.
No, the destruction of his marriage was because of his own vanity and ego.
Stephanie was enough, is enough, he reminds himself as he closes the door behind her. She always had been and despite their rocky first marriage, even then he had never looked at another woman or thought about cheating on her. He had always been faithful and he'd always prided himself on that fact, until now.
He can only put it down to a momentary lapse of judgment. But he knows there will be no excuse or reason enough for Stephanie and he doesn't blame her. He has nothing to offer in his defense.
He leads her silently into the living room, choosing to sit in the armchair and let her take the couch for herself. Hunter doesn't know how this conversation will go or what it's about, so he's giving Stephanie as much space as he can. She liked her space when she had something to say, when she was thinking hard on something, and Hunter could tell this was one of those times.
She settled herself down in the seat, glancing around the room. She smiled bitter sweetly at the picture hanging on the wall; one of she and Hunter and their three daughter's all smiling happily. She stares at the picture and it's a long minute before she turns back to Hunter, ready to talk.
"Hunter I…I don't know where to start," she sighs, shaking her head at her own words. "I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. But I don't know if we can…if I can," she continues to tell him, hands clasped tightly in her lap. "I want to forgive you and take you back. I want us to be a family. But you're having a child with another woman. A woman that, if I take you back, I will have to see every other week. And you'd have a child, a child that I'm not sure I can accept," she tells him, pausing to gather her emotions.
"Stephanie…"
"No," she shakes her head, bringing a hand up to stop him, "Don't interrupt. Please," she insists.
Hunter nods his head, realizing that she needed to get this out all at once. It was obvious that she'd been struggling with this very thing and it was something he was ashamed to admit, he hadn't thought of.
"You're a wonderful father Hunter and I know you would want to be there for your child. I could never ask you to give them up for me; I could never do that to you or your child. But I just don't know if I could see that child and accept it. I don't know what to do Hunter," she shrugged, being as completely honest as she could with him.
She felt horrible almost, for the way she'd spoken about that baby that wasn't even born yet, but that was how she felt. There was a difference between knowing and being told your husband had gotten another woman pregnant and then actually seeing and dealing with the other child.
Hunter sat and listened to her words closely. She had every right to feel the way she did and he also realized they did indeed have a problem. He knew he'd be having a child with Nikki but he hadn't yet thought about what would happen if he and Stephanie were to get back together.
He was stupid he realized, to think that Stephanie would have no problem being around the child he shared with another woman. This situation wasn't the same as if he'd had a child before they'd gotten together, no this child would be a physical reminder of the fact he had cheated on her. It would be even worse if the baby looked more like Nikki then him too.
"I don't know what to do either," he said eventually, looking at her with sadness in his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you more but…I can't not be a father to that child either," he continued, shaking his head as he realized once again how much of a mess everything truly was.
"Then I don't see how we can be together," Stephanie said quietly after several silent moments.
Hunter shook his head, moving from his seat over to the couch sitting beside her. She looks ready to burst into tears and it makes his heart ache. He reaches out his hands, taking hers gently and covering them with his own. It's a simple gesture but an intimate one; one they hadn't engaged in for months and Hunter couldn't help but want more.
"I want us to try Stephanie…please," Hunter whispered, ducking his head a little to catch her eyes.
The tears he saw in her eyes was too much and he hated that he was causing her to cry so much. If there was one thing in the world he hated, it was causing his wife or his daughter's to cry; something he was sure he'd caused quite a lot over the last year. His hand reached up to cup her cheek tenderly, using his thumb to wipe away her tears.
"Hunter," she practically whimpered, shaking her head softly.
"I love you Stephanie. You're my heart and I don't think I can live without you anymore. I know this will take time and work and that I broke your heart but I want my family back Steph. I want you back. Please. Please let's try again baby," he whispers to her hopefully, eyes locked with hers in a silent, desperate plea.
Her eyes were locked on his and she felt her heart melt but she couldn't give in. As much as she wanted to, as much as she knew she still loved Hunter, she just knew this wasn't something she could change her mind about. Shaking her head she sighed, lips trembling as she tried to find the words she wanted to speak.
"Hunter," she murmured, voice trembling, "I can't. I love you so much. But this…this isn't something I can get over," she told him; tears pouring down her cheeks now as she tried to talk. "God, I wish I could be that woman. I wish I could be strong enough to move past it. To not let it affect me. But I'm not Hunter; I'm not that woman. No matter how much you and I both want me to be. I just can't do it," she murmured, shaking her head as she looked at her estranged husband.
Hunter watched her speak; listening to her words intensely and slowly he started to lose his hope. She didn't think she could work through what he'd done and the fact he'd have another child and it killed him. It killed him to know that he'd done this, all of this was his own fault and he couldn't even blame her for her reaction. Of course, he didn't want it to be this way, he wanted her back and he wanted their family back but he could also see how selfish that was. And he loved her too much to continue to put her through this whole ordeal.
"Okay," he whispered, jaw tight as he tried not to let his emotion show. He was upset, incredibly so but this wasn't about him right now. It was about the woman he loved, the mother of three of his children and his apparent, soon to be ex-wife. "I'm sorry Stephanie," he told her tenderly, a hand still cupping her cheek.
"I'm sorry too," Stephanie told him softly, leaning into his touch. She knew she shouldn't, she knew it was a bad idea but she didn't care at this moment. Leaning in, she pressed a slow kiss to his lips, letting him kiss back for several long moments before pulling back.
The moment was bittersweet as she stood up then, trying to gather herself as she moved out of his living room and out of the house. The tears were still streaming freely down her face and she wasn't sure she could stop them at this point. It was done, they were all over and she just needed to get out of there before she changed her mind.
AN: So, here is the second and final part to this story. Finally. I'm actually thinking of making this a oneshot series. Well, this universe at least. I feel like there's some interesting potential with them in this verse, so we'll see how it goes.
I hope you liked. Please review! :) LT.
