“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Carly opened the journal and began to read. She wasn’t quite finished when Abel parked in front of the coffee shop, but he was content to sit and wait. Despite the text, Carly couldn’t begin to wrap her mind around Honorius’s sick plans. It seemed impossible that her own flesh and blood could be capable of such cruel intentions.
Her fingers shook as she finally closed the journal. “Abel, he…”
“I know,” Abel sighed.
“He couldn’t have meant it. There’s just no way he could have meant it.”
“He was very explicit, Carly. All mixed blood shapeshifters are to be eradicated by whatever means possible. He had a pure blood agenda and he was willing to do whatever it took to get rid of partial breeds like me.”
Carly’s fingers fell in on top of Abel’s hand, her heart thumping as sparks sizzled in the air. “Don’t talk about yourself that way, Abel. Ever. He’s wrong.”
“You yourself pointed out that I’d be more powerful if I had more shapeshifter blood in me. You claim it doesn’t mean anything, and then you go and say something like that—”
“I was wrong, too,” she gushed. “I was wrong, and I’m sorry. It doesn’t matter what’s in your bloodline, Abel. Trust me, you’re absolutely perfect just the way you are.”
He twisted his hand so his fingers cradled hers. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes,” Carly said, although she pulled her hand away. It was best not to tempt herself with something she shouldn’t let happen. “I think I’m ready for that coffee now.”
“I figured as much,” Abel replied. “Let me get your door.”
Carly was thankful for fresh air as she climbed out of the car. She enjoyed a moment alone with her thoughts as they made their way inside, comforted by the familiar scent of freshly ground coffee beans. She’d certainly been frequenting this place more since she’d started hanging out with Abel so much.
“Abel?” someone called from across the room.
Carly looked to the stunning blonde, maybe in her late twenties, an indescribable allure about her beyond her tailored dress and meticulous lipstick. There was no question that she was the most beautiful woman in the room. How exactly did she know Abel?
“Mom, hey,” Abel sighed in response. “What are you doing here?”
“Mom?” Carly asked, looking back and forth between them. She could see it now, the resemblance in their features, but there was no way this woman was old enough to be Abel’s mom.
“I’m Gretta, Abel and Esther’s mother,” she introduced herself, stepping in to give Carly a thorough once-over. “My God, Carly, you’re the spitting image of your mother. And so beautiful—just like Molly was at your age. Abel, why haven’t you brought Carly home yet?”
“Really, Mom, you’re going to embarrass me like this?” he groaned.
Gretta ignored him. “Carly, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Although my son talks about you so much, I feel like I already know you. I suppose you two came in for a cup of coffee. Get whatever you’d like and put it on my tab. And Carly, why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Dinner?” Carly asked, glancing at Abel. Was he blushing? “Are you sure?”
“Yes, we’d love to have you,” Gretta replied. “Wouldn’t we, Abel?”
“Whatever you say, Mom,” he grumbled.
“How did your final go this morning?”
“How do you think it went? It was history. I aced it.”
“Good job. I’d hoped it would go well. Well, I’d better get back to work. I’ll probably be home late tonight, Abel, but your father should be in at a decent time. It was lovely to meet you, Carly. You two have fun now.”
“Thanks,” Carly said as Gretta headed for the door.
“That was my mother,” Abel noted.
Carly watched after her and couldn’t help but to imagine the beautiful blonde in her youth, caught up in the love triangle that had resulted in Abel’s birth.
“I appreciate your vivid imagination, Carly,” Abel told her. “But can we not go there right now? Please?”
Carly turned to meet his gaze. Can you hear all my thoughts, or am I able to hide anything from you?
You’re the one letting me in—you tell me.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and stepped up to the counter. “We should probably get that coffee and head back to your place. Unless you’ve changed your mind about digging into the past?”
“I’m certainly not okay leaving things the way they are,” Abel said, sparks shimmering between them as his fingers fell to her arm. “Besides, something tells me the past isn’t quite done with us yet.”
* * *
Abel drove Carly back into town after their caffeine fix and led the way inside his white two-story home. She had only been here a couple times, but never upstairs. Which was the first place Abel headed once he’d secured the door behind them.
“That’s my room,” he said, nodding toward the end of the second-floor hallway as he stopped to reach up to the ceiling. He slid his pointer finger around a notch carved into the wood and gave it a good pull, guiding the ladder into place as it spilled out in front of them. “Just a warning—our attic’s not nearly as cool as yours.”
“Few are,” Carly replied, walking in front of him to step onto the ladder.
“Don’t think so,” Abel determined, hooking her around the waist to set her back on the ground.
Carly was both annoyed that Abel had done that and excited that his hands remained on her waist. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Keeping you from breaking a leg. This staircase is known to buckle, and I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m pretty sure I can take care of myself.”
Abel’s lips twitched in a smile. “Even so, I’m still inclined to look out for you.”
“What are you two doing?” Esther asked as she appeared at the top of the staircase.
Carly was suddenly aware of how close she was to Abel, and that there were visible sparks shimmering between them. She tore herself from his arms and took a step back. “H-hey, Esther, we were going to go exploring in your attic.”
Esther threw her head back in a laugh. “Exploring, huh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
“Can we help you with something?” Abel questioned.
“I just needed something from my room. I certainly wasn’t expecting to walk in on you two making out. The attic’s not the best place, FYI. There’s too much junk up there.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Abel said, and scaled up the ladder.
“Have fun on your Goonies-like adventure,” Esther said, and disappeared into her room.
Light shown at the top of the attic steps, and Abel called out, “Are you coming, Carly?”
“Oh, so I have your permission now?” Carly answered, and hurried on up after him. There was just enough room for her to stand beside Abel at the attic entrance, but the rest of the space was covered from floor to ceiling. Esther had been right—there wasn’t much room to breathe up here.
“And here I thought we’d have no trouble getting through this place by three,” Abel mentioned, studying the space. “I’m not even sure where to start.”
“Isn’t that what makes it fun?” Carly challenged, and stepped past him to start through a pile of boxes. She glanced at Abel over her shoulder, and noticed he’d done the same. Carly turned back to the stack in front of her, and went through one, two, three boxes of old quilts. She started in on another stack, and that’s when she noticed the golden armoire hidden behind them.
Carly shuffled boxes until she could get a good look at the double-doors of the armoire, which were covered in intricate ivy carvings. It was quite a remarkable piece of furniture to be hidden away like this, unappreciated. She pulled open one of the doors, only to discover more boxes inside. “Really?”
“What are you finding over there?�
� Abel asked.
Carly tore into a box of wool sweaters. “Nothing special. What about you?”
“So far, canning jars, and more canning jars. Sorry, I thought this would be more exciting.”
“I’m still having fun,” she assured him, catching his gaze for a moment before she went back to her boxes. More old clothes. “Your family must not be big on giving stuff away.”
“Yeah, I guess not.”
Carly pulled out box after box, each filled with disappointment. That was until she dug into the very last one at the very bottom of the armoire, her fingers landing on something tucked inside a pile of afghans. She fished out the pink flowered scarf, and the stack of Polaroid photos hidden inside.
“Abel,” Carly gasped, thumbing through the pictures. She recognized the blonde bombshell right away as Gretta, and the brunette with her looked an awful lot like Gabe. Of course he does, because that’s Paul Hutchinson.
“What?” Abel groaned, appearing over her shoulder to steal the Polaroids. He flipped through them, his expression souring as he landed on a photo of Gretta and Paul in an embrace, kissing.
Abel cursed, and threw the pictures on the floor.
Carly patiently picked them up and looked through them all again. There was no disputing who was in the photos, or that they’d been deliberately hidden away up here. The pictures were proof of a past that Gretta hadn’t yet let go.
“But they’re not proof he’s my father,” Abel hissed. “And until we have that, no one can know about this—especially not Gabe.”
Carly nodded, not about to argue. It was a lot, realizing your entire life had been a lie. She understood all too well how hard that was to compartmentalize, and quietly wrapped the photos back up in the scarf. She tucked the items away as she’d found them, and closed the top of the box.
“Would it be okay if we did something else for a while?” Abel asked. “I just can’t think about this anymore right now.”
“I could take you out to lunch,” Carly proposed with a small smile. “We’ve got plenty of time to kill before we have to be back at school, and I could really use a cheeseburger.”
Abel seemed to relax, even if it was just a little bit. “It’s like you read my mind.”
* * *
Carly ducked out of her classroom Tuesday afternoon, happy to have one more final under her belt. She pulled out her cell to check the time, hoping she wouldn’t be late. She was supposed to meet Abel at the coffee shop at three, and she’d just make it if she left right now.
“Hey, Carly, wait up,” Esther called as Carly hit the lobby.
Carly turned to face her, not sure what to say. They hadn’t exactly been speaking, although she was curious to see what was on Esther’s mind. It would be nice if at least some of her relationships could go back to the way they were.
Carly thought over a safe response, and asked, “That was some final, huh?”
“It sure was,” Esther agreed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m glad it’s over.”
“No kidding. What’s up? I’m kind of going to be late for something.”
“Trust me, my brother can live without you for five minutes. That is where you’re going, isn’t it? To hang out with Abel? Again.”
Carly opened her mouth, but wasn’t quite sure what to say. Yes, she’d been spending a lot of time with Abel, but what did that matter to anyone else? They were friends—
“Friends, huh?” Esther snickered. “Is that really all you are?”
Carly didn’t appreciate that Esther was in her head, but wouldn’t let it show. “That’s right.”
“Because you just broke up with Gabe—”
“So what? Gabe and I are over, and Abel and I are friends. Who the hell cares?”
“I care,” Esther informed her, her dark eyes intent as she took a step toward Carly. “Abel’s my brother, so I care a great deal that you’re leading him on—”
“I’m not leading anybody on,” Carly countered. “Abel knows where we stand. I think it’s about time you do, too.”
“Abel knows where you stand, huh? Well, maybe you’re too blind to see it, Carly, but my brother really likes you—and I promise you, it’s as more than friends. He hasn’t stopped talking about you since the dance on Saturday, and why would he when you two are attached at the hip? You’re stringing him along, and he’s going to get his heart broken. Maybe you don’t care if he gets hurt, but I do.”
“I do care about him, Esther—of course I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Then leave him alone,” Esther pleaded. “Please, Carly, just stay away from him.”
“I’m sorry,” Carly told her, “but you’re not the one who gets to decide that.”
“And you don’t get to divide us any more than you already have. You’re too naïve to see it, Carly, but there’s a reason I was so willing to forget what happened with Gabe. Things are a lot easier around here when we’re all getting along, and you had to go and ruin all of that—”
“Esther—”
“And now you’re going to break Abel’s heart, too?” Esther snapped at her. “I don’t know why I’m supposed to look up to you when you’re not giving me any reason to.”
“Jeez, Esther, I never asked you to look up to me,” Carly barked back. “And I’m not leading Abel on because I actually have feelings for him, okay? Is that what you need to hear?”
“I don’t need to hear anything, but he probably does.” Esther nodded over Carly’s shoulder, and Carly turned around to lock eyes with Gabe.
Gabe shook his head and twisted around to stomp away. I hope Abel makes you happy, Carly, because I’m done.
“If you do to Abel what you did to Gabe, I’m done, too,” Esther warned. “We were all doing just fine before you showed up, Carly. Keep that in mind.”
With that, Esther walked away, leaving a stunned Carly standing in the high school hallway.
Whether or not Carly liked it, things were changing. She’d made her choice about Gabe, and now she had to live with it. Even though living with it left her feeling like crap.
Carly’s cell beeped, and she pulled out the device to read Abel’s text: I think you like keeping me waiting. Even though she felt terrible, he’d still managed to make her smile. She started for the exit as she typed back: You have no idea how much.
* * *
“You’ve been fidgeting since you got here,” Abel noticed as he peered across the coffee shop table at Carly. “Everything okay?”
Everything wasn’t okay, but Carly wasn’t about to relate what’d just happened at school with Esther and Gabe. Not when it would also mean admitting what she was feeling for Abel. She hoped to keep all those thoughts to herself and shrugged instead.
“Is this about your birthday? Because I talked to Crys this morning, and everything’s a go.”
“Crystal’s still throwing me a party?” Carly asked. She hadn’t spoken to Crystal since the dance, and for some reason, had hoped her birthday would be forgotten. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Anyway, it sounds like everyone’s meeting at your house for dinner—”
“Everyone?”
“I know this is your first Christmas here,” Abel answered, “but our families have a tradition of getting together for a meal on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Since your birthday happens to fall on Christmas Eve, Howard volunteered to have everyone over to your place. I’m not sure what all Crys has planned for the party, but we’re bound to have a great time.”
Carly took a drink of coffee, drumming her fingers on the tabletop. She didn’t know that a great time was possible, considering this would be her first birthday and Christmas without Mom.
“How about I give you something to look forward to?” Abel suggested. “I’ll stop by your place the morning of your birthday and take you out for coffee. That way the day will be half over by the time we head back to your house for dinner. How does that sound?”
It sounded better than spending the morning fe
eling sorry for herself. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
He winked. “Am I sure I don’t mind making sure you have an awesome seventeenth birthday? Carly, I promise you, I can’t think of a better way to spend my day.”
twelve
Carly toiled over the reflection in her bedroom mirror, unsure if the short, white dress was the best outfit to wear today. Abel kept insisting that she was going to have a great birthday, and she was willing to at least give it a try. But giving it a try would be a lot easier if she had someone to help her get dressed.
Her female friends were barely speaking to her, so Carly couldn’t turn to them. But she didn’t want them anyway—she wanted her mother. Not only would Mom know what to wear, she’d also know what to do about Abel. She’d have all the right answers, and now more than ever, Carly needed her.
Legends: Bloodline Book 2 Page 12