It seems empty now without her things scattered about. It’s an absurd thought, but it feels like this room was meant to be hers.
I grab her bag from her, slinging it over my shoulder. Her hair is mostly dry after the shower she took this morning.
I had to fight the urge to hop in with her, but I think we could all tell she needed a minute on her own to process everything. Last night was… well, there aren’t really adequate words to describe what last night was.
She stops in front of me, looking up with those honey-brown eyes. She’s trying to put on a brave face, but I can tell she’s sad.
I cup the sides of her face, sliding my fingers through her thick brown waves. “Thank you for helping to take care of Kane this week.”
A tiny snort of laughter bursts from her. “He didn’t really need me that much,” she says, knowing eyes trying to unravel my innermost secrets.
“It got you here. Right?” I ask with a playful shrug.
“Yeah, it did.” There’s a wistfulness to her words.
“Do you regret it?” I ask because I have to know. She and I both know we aren’t talking about her being here to “take care of Kane” anymore.
The question has barely left my lips before she’s shaking her head. Her cheeks press against my hands with the motion. “No, I don’t.”
She bites her lip. It looks like there’s more she wants to say, but she shuts it down with a heavy sigh.
I bend, pressing my lips to hers. I try to communicate everything I’m feeling through the kiss instead of words.
My brain is a fucking mess, so I don’t even know what I would say if I didn’t think it could shatter everything into a million pieces.
Last night was perfect. You’re perfect. I want to sleep next to you every night.
She clings to me, like maybe she’s feeling some of the same things I am. I know last night wasn’t a one-sided thing.
The way she looked at all of us showed how real this has become for her, too. I have been wrong plenty of times in my life, but I’m pretty damn sure this isn’t one of them.
I know I suggested the one-night-only idea, but I’m a fucking idiot. Even as the words were pouring from my mouth, I knew there was no way it would work.
You don’t just fuck someone like Abby out of your system. She’s the kind of woman that permanently leaves an imprint on your heart and soul.
I grab her hand as we silently walk side by side down the stairs and into the kitchen. My mind is whirling with anything I can say or do to make this last.
This can’t be it.Last night was too perfect to never happen again. Connections like that deserve to be cherished, not shoved to the dark recesses of one’s mind.
Abby gives my hand a squeeze before rounding the island to where Linc and Kane are cleaning up from the breakfast we all ate together.
I’m only half paying attention as she gives them both hugs and kisses. Their conversations are masked by the thoughts racing through my mind, manically trying to create a solution out of thin air.
I snap back to reality when Abby tugs at her bag that I’m still holding. “Cole just pulled up,” she says.
My heart sinks because this is it. She’s really leaving. She’s only been here for a week, but it feels wrong that she won’t be sleeping here tonight.
Reluctantly, I hand over her bag. She presses up on her toes, giving me one last kiss. My lips want more than a kiss that’s barely more than a peck.
The tears in her eyes as she pulls back threaten to break my heart, which feels perilously close already.
She steps away when the front door bursts open. Oliver and Maverick come sauntering in, both laughing about something. “Mom,” Mav shouts.
Abby blinks a few times, clearing the tears from her eyes. She might be masking other feelings, but her smile is genuine as she wraps her son in a hug.
The sight makes my heart ache. Before Jess died, I saw firsthand how much Kane struggled when Oliver wasn’t with him. I can only imagine how Abby feels right now.
“I missed you,” she says, kissing the top of his head.
