Hunger Awaits
Chapter 12

Kendra's POV

Today was my last day at the bakery and Mrs. White was making a big fuss over it. "Oh dear, I really am going to miss you. You have been such a big help to me." I laughed as I finished preparing the scones I was working on.

“I will miss being here too. I have loved working here. Thank you for everything." Mrs. White had actually hired Bree to replace me. Bree had decided to move in with Audrey and Paxton since I was leaving. She had still been living at home with our parents and she was finally ready to move out. "Thank you for hiring Bree. I know she will be a great person for the job." I said to Mrs. White. She just smiled at me then went about the shop getting ready for it to open. I really was going to miss this place, but I knew where my heart was and it was with Matto.

The day was full of customers and plenty of business to keep me occupied. I was helping the last customer of the day when Audrey, Bree, and Paxton came in with my parents. I smiled as I saw them all. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked as I walked the customer out and locked the door behind them. My mother came and wrapped her arms around me.

“Well, we wanted to come to say our goodbyes to you and maybe take you all out for dinner tonight." I smiled.

“That would be great. Let me just go say goodbye to Mrs. White and see if she needs anything else." My mother released me from her hug and nodded. I turned to head back to the office, but Mrs. White was already standing behind us smiling.

“No need to do anything else, my dear. Go enjoy your time with your family." I walked up and gave her a big hug.

“Thank you again." She smiled and then handed me an envelope. "What's this?" I asked her.

“It is your final pay and a little bonus to start your new adventure with." She said with a smile.

I opened the envelope and there was two thousand dollars in cash inside. I started to cry as I hugged her again. "You didn't need to do this. It's way too much." I said through tears. Mrs. White pushed me back and looked at me.

“It is not enough in my eyes. You have been like a daughter to me over the last few months and I just want you to be ok. Now go before you make this poor old woman cry more." We both laughed and I turned and walked back to my friends and family. I placed the envelope in my purse and we all walked out and down to the house. The bakery was only a block from the apartment so it gave us all time to chat a little. I went to my room quickly, not looking around and showered and changed before we all went to dinner. I was already packed and most of my belongings were already shipped. I was leaving all my furniture for Bree to use so all I was really taking was my clothes and some personal things.

I placed the envelope of money from Mrs. White in my carry on luggage and walked out to meet everyone in the living room. "Ok, I'm ready. Let's go." I said as I entered the living room. When I looked up I saw the living room was full of balloons and more of my friends and family.

“Surprise!" They all yelled. I was in shock.

“But, how?" I caught the eye of Audrey from across the room and she had a big shit eating grin on her face. I can't believe she did all this. Everyone I cared about was here. My parents, my sister and even some of my aunts and uncles that I hadn't seen in years. Mrs. White was also here smiling as well holding a beautiful big cake that she had made. How she had done it without me noticing, I will never know.

“Well I'm hungry let's get this party started," Paxton said and everyone laughed. We all grabbed plates and walked over to the food that my parents and had brought. They had ordered from my favorite Italian place in town. Everything looked yummy and I was enjoying every minute I had left with them all.

The night was full of tears and laughter as I sat with them all. We talked about my plans and how much I was going to miss them all. We laughed about the crazy things that, 'us crazy kids', as my mother put it did. She had even brought an old photo album from my high school years. It was getting late and everyone started to make their way out with hugs and goodbyes. Finally, there were just my parents left. My father walked over and hugged me tightly. "My little girl is all grown up. Please be careful." He said to me. I tried fighting back the tears, but I was always a daddy's girl.

“I will daddy. I promise I will call all the time." He broke our hug as my mother approached. She gave me a big hug as well and we cried together for a few minutes. "Oh mom, stop crying. I am going to be just fine. Matto is a really good guy and I promise he will take care of me." I said to her through the tears.

“He better." I heard from behind us. I laughed as I turned to Paxton.

“I know, I know if he doesn't you will kick his ass, right." He laughed. "You know me too well." We all laughed.

When my parents finally left I was feeling exhausted. My flight was at ten in the morning and it was after midnight now. I dragged myself down the hall to my bedroom and changed into my sweats. I pulled my hair up and sat down on my bed. I grabbed my phone and sent a quick message to Matto before I fell asleep. We had been texting or talking every night since I left. I laid in bed thinking about how much I was going to miss my family, but how excited I was to be starting a new life. I still wasn't sure what this new adventure held, but I knew that it would be with someone I trusted with my life. I finally drifted off to sleep after about ten minutes and slept soundly until my alarm went off the next morning.

At first, I didn't want to get out of bed until I realized what today was. The excitement consumed me as I jumped out of bed and went to take a shower. I stood in the shower washing and singing to myself. I couldn't wait to finally be with Matto again. I knew it was crazy to feel this way so quickly, but I just couldn't help it. He had brought out something in me that I didn't think even existed until I laid eyes on him. After my shower, I blew dry my hair then straightened it out. I pulled on my comfy sweatpants from Victoria Secrets and a long-sleeved pink shirt to match. It was a long flight so I wanted to be as comfortable as possible, it still looks cute since Matto was meeting me at the airport. Once I was dressed and ready I headed out to the kitchen to make breakfast. To my surprise, everyone was already awake and Paxton was actually in the kitchen cooking. I looked at him in shock. "Oh, so you can cook?" I said with a laugh. In all the years that I have known him, I had never seen him cook. He laughed at me and nodded.

“Oh yeah. One of my hidden talents. I just love your cooking so much I always let you cook." He said with a smirk, as I walked up to him.

I gave him a playful slap, as I reached in the refrigerator and grabbed the orange juice. He laughed and just kept cooking. I poured a glass of orange juice and grabbed some coffee as well, then went and sat next to Audrey and Bree. They were talking about how Bree wanted to decorate her new room. I laughed. "Wow, I haven't even left yet and she is already redecorating," I said. They both smiled up at me.

“Well while Paxton is dropping you off at the airport we are moving Bree's stuff in," Audrey said with a giggle.

“Oh, Paxton you're taking me? You don't have to. I was just going to call a cab." He walked over and sat a plate of food in front of me.

“Please, like I was going to let you do that. I want to make sure you get to the airport ok. Besides, why would you need to spend the extra money?" I smiled and thanked him. I was actually glad he was going to take me.

After breakfast, I helped clean up as Paxton took my things to the car. I stood in the doorway saying goodbye to Audrey and Bree. "I love you guys. Take care of each other and I will call you once I land. Audrey, you have Matto's number right?" I asked.

“Yep. If I don't hear from you, you better believe I will be calling him. So make sure you call me." She said with a laugh. I promised I would and gave them both hugs. Paxton came up behind us.

“You ready to go?" He asked. I nodded and grabbed my purse and took one last look at the girls.

“I love you guys. I should be able to come back out in a few months." We all had tears in our eyes as we hugged one last time and then walked out to the car. Paxton held the door for me and I climbed in and watched as the girls stood hugging each other as Paxton and I drove away. I wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled at Paxton. He smiled back and placed his hand on mine.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?" He asked. I nodded.

“Yes. I will miss you all, but I belong with him." He nodded and released my hand.

It was eight thirty when we arrived at the airport. Paxton helped me carry my bags into the terminal and waited with me while I checked in and got my ticket. I walked back to him and we walked to the security checkpoint. "Alright Paxton, I guess this is where we say goodbye," I said, as we stopped in front of the checkpoint. He looked down and I could see him trying to control his emotions. We had been friends for a long time and I knew it was hard for him to say goodbye. He finally looked up at me and wrapped his arms around me.

“Be safe Kendra. I am going to miss you." He said and I instantly started to cry again. Damn it I really hate crying. He just held me tighter until I finally pulled away.

“I will miss you all, but I will be back soon for a visit. Take care of those crazy girls." I said with a laugh. We both laughed and then I gave him one last hug as I walked to the checkpoint. I gave the security guard my ticket and ID and looked back to see Paxton watching me. I smiled big at him, as the security guard handed me back my things. I walked through the metal detector and took one last look back to see him walking away.

I found my gate that I was leaving from and took a seat by it. I pulled my phone out and called Matto. "Hey, babe. Are you on your way?" I smiled at the sound of him calling me babe. I guess it finally hit me that we were a couple.

"Yes. I am at the airport waiting to take off. I have like an hour before I leave." I looked around as people started to arrive at the gate and sit down around me.

"Well, I will be at the airport to get you. I have a surprise for you when you get here." This intrigued me.

“Oh really. What is it?" I said with a smile. I heard him laugh.

“You will just have to wait and see. I have to go, but I will see you soon." He said. I felt the frown come across my face, but I said ok and hung up with him. The terminal was starting to fill up and I started to get an uneasy feeling. I felt like someone was watching me. I looked around but couldn't see anyone watching me so I just shook it off.

After about thirty minutes I decided to go and grab a snack for the flight and use the restroom before I had to board the plane. I walked over to a small snack stand and grabbed a soda and a small sandwich. Then I walked to the restroom. The bathroom was a small one with only one stall in it, which was currently occupied, so I had to wait. I looked in the mirror and fixed my hair as I waited. I heard the stall door open and a young woman walked next to me and washed her hands. I smiled at her and went into the stall. I sat down and could hear the door open and close behind the woman as she left. I stood up and was about to walk out of the stall when I heard the door open again. I didn't pay any attention since I figured it was another woman waiting to use the restroom. I opened the stall door and ran right into someone. "I'm sorry. I didn't.." I stopped in my tracks as I looked up and saw Ryker standing in front of me. My heart sank as he flashed an evil grin at me.

“Hello, Kendra."