Back to Me without you (Sibling Love Book 1)

by Christie Mack

“I’m all right,” she said. “You don’t need to be here. I’d much rather do this alone.” She didn’t know what Sam was doing here, anyway. He could have stayed behind in the taxi, but instead he was standing beside her.

  “I want to be here. Besides, where else would I be? I have nowhere else to go except back to the hotel I’m staying at.”

  Abby didn’t know how to respond other than say, “Thank you.” It had been a long time since any man had shown her as much kindness as he was showing her right now.

  “Are you going to knock on the front door?” Sam asked.

  Abby shook her head. “No. It would be nice to see what the house looks like on the inside, but I don’t want to disrupt the family that’s living there now. They’ll think I’m a weirdo for wanting to explore the house they now call home.”

  “Correction, they’ll think that we’re both weirdos for exploring their home. But if we tell them it was the house you grew up in, I think they’ll understand and maybe even sympathise with you. It’s sentimental. I’m sure they’re nice people. What do you say?”

  Abby didn’t say anything, which prompted further questioning from Sam.

  “What were you going to do? Stand outside the house and take a picture? Then people will think you are a weirdo.”

  Abby knew he had a point. She didn’t know what she was going to do. Maybe she was just going to stand here and look at the house. All she knew was she had to see it again.

  “We’re here. I think we should at least knock on the door and ask if it would be okay to take a tour of what used be your house. And even if they’re not home or they don’t allow us inside, at least we tried and you can say it wasn’t a complete waste of a trip.”

  Before Abby could respond, Sam was opening the small gate and strolling up the pebble path leading to the front door. Butterflies surged through her. She was nervous as hell. Abby was never as outgoing as Steven and Jessica. But she couldn’t back out now. It was too late. Sam was already standing on the veranda. He knocked twice on the front door, looking back at Abby with anxious eyes.

  Abby ran a hand through her curls, hitched up her dress and began making her way towards the front door. Memories flooded back to her as she walked along the pebbled path leading to the door, and she had to blink twice to keep the tears at bay.

  She thought back to the days when she and Jessica would play hopscotch out front. They would wait for their father to come home from work.

  Abby stepped onto the veranda, which triggered more memories. She was sure she was ready to break down right here, glad to have Sam standing next to her.

  She reached out to touch his arm for support just as the door opened revealing a young couple that couldn’t be any older than Abby herself.

  “Hello, can we help you?” the man asked.

  “We don’t mean to be intrusive, but I’m Sam and this is Abby,” Sam took it upon himself to introduce the two of them. “Abby used to live here when she was a child and has since moved to New York after her parents’ passing.”

  Abby nervously cleared her throat, then spoke. “I don’t want to trouble you or disturb your business. I was just wondering if I could take a peek into your home for cherished memory purposes.” Abby could see the hesitation in their faces and she understood their uncertainty to let two strangers into their home. For all they knew, Abby and Sam could be serial killers who preyed on unknowns as their next victims. She felt her face heating up and hurriedly added, “I understand if you decline. It’s silly even to think it, and I’m sorry for intruding. We’ll go.”

  Abby grabbed Sam’s arm, turning to leave.

  “No, it’s okay,” the young man said. “We’re sorry but we weren’t expecting visitors at our door tonight. We’re just surprised. That’s all.”

  Abby nodded. “Of course. Apologies for that.”

  They both smiled, and the young woman said, “Please, come in. You can look around, but you’ll need to be quiet because our children are already asleep in bed.”

  Abby felt a gush of relief and gratitude. “Thank you so much,” she said, returning their smiles. “We’ll be quiet, I promise.”

  The front door opened wider to allow them inside. Abby had her differences with Sam, but she had to admit she was grateful she had someone by her side. She almost felt like tugging on his arm but refrained from doing because she didn’t want to look like a weirdo who couldn’t stand on her own two feet. She supposed they looked weird enough standing there wearing a fancy dress and a tuxedo.

  With Sam behind her, Abby stepped inside. The house took her back to another time and place. More memories flooded through her and she almost shed a tear or two, but she stayed strong.

  Abby stopped at the entryway leading toward the living room. She expected this family made a lot of their living there, just as her family had. In her mind’s eye, she could still see her family sitting around the fireplace during the winter. They would talk about their day and what they were going to get up to on the weekend. There was no better way to unwind after a long day at work or school than by watching television with family.

  Her mother would be sitting in her faded floral armchair with whatever knitting project she was working on at the time. Her father would be in his shed out back attempting to fix something he was sure wasn’t broken, while proving a point to his wife at the same time. He always aimed to assure his wife that he was good at fixing things when he wasn’t. He usually made them worse off than they were originally. Abby couldn’t help but smile at the memory. She supposed that was where Steven got his desire to help others.

  Her father also made his beer. And he would insist to anyone who would listen that his home-brew was the best kind, better than any beer you could buy at the supermarket.

  The room looked just as it used to look except for a change of paint colour. The fireplace was still intact. The mantle above it was the same as well. It had been the home to a selection of framed photographs from memorable moments of the family throughout the years.

  Abby used her fingers to trace over the markings on the wooden frame of the doorway. Her mother had used the doorframe to measure each of her children’s height over the years. Even to this day, they were still etched into the woodwork. She could see that even as a child, there was a height difference between Steven, Abby and Jessica. He always towered over his sisters.

  As Abby continued to roam the rest of the house, she opted to stay clear of the bedrooms at the risk of waking the couple’s two young children. Sam remained in the hallway. She was grateful he left her alone with her memories. While it was wonderful to be able to come back and visit the house she had grown up in with family, Abby also knew that she had to move forward with her life. Although she would never disregard her past and would treasure her memories forever, she couldn’t dwell on what used to be anymore.

  Abby thanked the couple, Seth and Jamie, for their warm generosity. Then she joined Sam at the door, scanned her surroundings one final time and headed out into her sometimes-scary new life.

  Later that night, Abby was still with Sam, having agreed to join him for a couple of drinks back at his hotel. She’d hesitated when he’d offered but surprisingly changed her mind. So now they were on drink number three, and it seemed to Sam that she was having a good time. Of course, being a little tipsy probably had a lot to do with that. He guessed she didn’t usually indulge in a lot of wine.

  “I don’t think I thanked you for earlier, so thank you,” Abby blurted out.

  Abby could see that she had surprised Sam by her comment. Up to this point, Abby knew that she could come across as being uptight. Although she must admit that she had thought the same thing about him too.

  His job at the hospital was often the reason why he couldn’t commit to a long-term relationship. That, and memories of his disastrous first marriage.

  “You’re thanking me?”

  Abby rolled her eyes. “Don’t look so surprised. You don’t know that it doesn’t happen a lot. Even with peo
ple I’m not crazy about. I am glad you made the first move in knocking on the front door. I would have never done it alone.”

  Sam chuckled, clutching at his chest. “I don’t know whether I should feel sad at the fact you don’t like me.”

  “Well, I didn’t like you a whole lot, but after the way we met, you should have expected that. You were chatty on the plane and you spilt coffee on me.”

  Sam opened his mouth in shock. “What? Do you mean to say you don’t like small talk on a plane? I’m sorry. I was a bit anxious about flying. I thought it might help that it would keep my mind off the fact that I was in the air.”

  “I guess you couldn’t know that when I travel by plane, I like my flight quiet. I like to read a good book, listen to music or get some work done. I’ll forgive you for that. But after we landed, you stole my taxi!”

  “I’m sorry for that,” Sam said. “That was wrong of me to do. I don’t usually do that.

  “It’s okay. Just don’t make a habit of it or I might have to hold against you. I can be mean when I want to.” Abby downed the last of her wine in her glass. “But I don’t want to talk about that. I’m ready to have some fun.”

  “Would I be correct in saying you don’t have a lot of fun?”

  Sam guessed he was spot on by the look Abby gave him. “I have a good time,” she protested. “I know how to have fun. I bet I have more fun than you do, Dr Collins. Given your line of work, I bet you practically live at the hospital.”

  Sam raised one eyebrow, lifting his glass of beer. “Is that a challenge?”

  “Maybe. Are you up for it?”

  Something told him he wasn’t going to stand in the way of Abby proving a point. She seemed a lot stronger than she looked. “Let me get this straight. Are you saying you can be more fun than me?” Abby nodded. “Fine then. I’m willing to take on the challenge if you are.” Sam wasn’t one to back down from a bet.

  “Of course I am. I’m not about to back down now,” Abby said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. She had lovely hair. It was thick, glossy and chocolate brown. For a moment, Sam caught himself imagining how soft it would feel if he ran his fingers through it.

  He extended one hand towards her and gave her a smile. “It’s a bet then,” he said as he and Abby shook hands.

  Later that night after making it a challenge to see who could be more fun, Abby and Sam ended the night standing outside his hotel room.

  “So did I prove to you just how much fun I can be?” Sam asked Abby with a grin.

  “The night isn’t over yet. I’m not done proving to you how much fun I am,” Abby challenged him with a cheeky smile on her face.

  “Oh really?” Sam returned the challenge as the distance between them grew smaller and smaller. “I thought you’d be wanting to get home.”

  Abby didn’t know if it was the alcohol talking but suddenly she craved for a kiss by Sam. The temptation was too sweet and too hard to ignore. Should she pass up the opportunity to kiss a gorgeous man no matter how much he might piss her off?

  “I’m not ready to go home yet. I’m having more fun with you than I realised I would. Besides, I’m in no shape to go home by myself. I thought I would just sleep in your room.”

  “Oh, you’re offering my place to yourself. That’s nice. How do you know I would say yes to letting you spend the night in my room? I might have other ideas.”

  “You will,” Abby said.

  “And you’re so sure of that.”

  Abby nodded her head. “You like me. And I am a lot of fun. You want to see where this night is going to go just like I do. Besides, I figure that you’re a good man. A gentleman. You wouldn’t turn your back on me in my state.” And before Abby even understood what she was saying or doing, she kissed Sam.

  “So are you going to let me in or do I have to do it myself?” she asked him one more time, biting her bottom lip as she slipped her hand around his waist to the back pocket of his pants, retrieving his hotel room card.

  She opened the door and let them both inside.

  Sam pushed her against the back of the closed door as she hooked her legs around his waist and he kissed her more passionately on the lips. His mouth then trailed down her neck as his growing erection within his pants pushed against Abby’s thighs, desperate for the attention it craved.

  “I want you,” Abby whispered softly.

  Abby’s words were enough to send shivers through her body as Sam carried her gently to the bed, ready to find out just how much fun she could have tonight.

  The following morning Abby rolled over onto her side. She slowly opened her eyes to the early morning sun that streamed in through the bedroom window. Being a bit cold, she pulled the comforter up around her body before she noticed something was off. This was not the room she was staying at in her sibling’s house and why wasn’t she wearing any clothes? She struggled to remember what happened last night, but the details were fuzzy. She covered her face with her hands. Oh shit! What did she drink and eat? Her breath smelled horrible.

  Reluctantly, she turned to the other side of the bed. Thank goodness it was empty. Was it possible she had gotten so wasted last night that Sam had made her sleep in his bed alone? She hoped so. Nothing else made sense. Drunk or not, Abby didn’t think she would sleep with Sam.

  Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the door open but jumped when Sam’s voice echoed through the room.

  “Good morning, sunshine! I see you’re finally awake.”

  Fuck!

  There was no sunshine about this morning.

  Abby groaned, covering her make-up smeared face with the back of her hand. It was still too early to contemplate further whatever happened last night and Sam’s voice was way too chirpy for her this morning.

  “What time is it?” Abby asked, staring up at the ceiling.

  Sam glanced down at the gold Rolodex on his wrist. “9 AM.”

  Abby sat up in bed, almost forgetting that she was wearing next to nothing. She held on tight to the comforter wrapped around her. Even if Sam had seen more of her than she would have liked last night, it didn’t mean he had to see her again this morning.

  “Why did you let me sleep in?” she asked, giving him a scrunched-up facial expression. “I’m not going to be able to sneak home now. Jessica and Steven will most likely be awake. They’ll give me shit to compensate for all the times I’ve given them shit about coming home late after a big night.”

  It was something she didn’t need to withstand. She already felt shitty for walking out on Jessica’s engagement party, on top of getting wasted with Sam.

  Sam shrugged his shoulders. “Look at the bright side, at least they can’t call you a good girl anymore.”

  Abby supposed he had a point, but how did he know she was such a good girl? Had she somehow blurted it out last night?

  Sam was putting on a pair of faded jeans, and a t-shirt was evident that showed Abby just how fit and toned he was.

  He ran a hand through his scruffy blonde hair that was standing up on its end. “I figured you could do with a little sleep-in. You did drink an awful lot last night.”

  “You did too. I thought we had the same amount of alcohol.”

  “I didn’t have as much as you. And besides, I have a better metabolism than you do. I can control my alcohol intake better than most people.”

  “So did we…?”

  “Sleep together last night? Well, we did ‘sleep’ together, so yes we did.” Sam laughed. He used air quotes to get his point across.

  Abby frowned. She was in no mood for laughing and smiling. “Don’t be silly. You know what I mean.”

  “Are you saying you don’t remember what we did last night?” Sam joked again, but Abby only folded her arms over her chest. “Then I either have some good or bad news depending on which way you’re going to take it. Yes, we had sex last night.”

  Oh, God.

  Abby collapsed down onto the pillow, shutting her eyes in an attempt to remember the events of the pre
ceding evening.

  Had she been so wasted she couldn’t remember a single thing that happened? Abby had never been that drunk in her life, so why would she start now at twenty-eight years of age?

  A pounding headache was hitting her hard, and she used her index fingers to massage her temples. She lay there in silence, flashing back to the night before. She remembered leaving her sister’s engagement party early. She remembered Sam following after her and then taking a trip to her childhood home. She also remembered sitting at the bar of the hotel Sam was staying at and drinking a couple of glasses of wine. Anything after that was a hazy blur, although she did remember undressing. She wondered if Sam also had something to do with that.

  She groaned and gave him a glare. “You’re serious?”

  “Do you not remember anything from last night?”

  “Some,” she hedged. “The last thing I can remember is drinking with you at the bar of the hotel. So just tell me the truth. Did we have sex?” She could hardly believe she’d made such a fool of herself.

  Sam’s expression sobered, and he sat down on the edge of the bed. Did he tell her the truth or make up a lie she wanted to hear? He could see she was somebody who normally did not do this kind of thing. Hell, he didn’t either. On most occasions, he closed off his heart. He was always trying to protect his heart from getting broken.

  Maybe it was the alcohol, but Sam had thought maybe he and Abby were connecting on a deeper level. She didn’t seem like other women he had been with. Perhaps that was why he felt drawn to her because she was different.

  Sam drew in a deep breath. “I think so,” he admitted, replaying the vivid image engraved into his mind of their night together.

  Abby groaned again and slapped her palm to her forehead.

  Sam winced at her reaction, but asked, “Do you want to hear the details? Or not?”

  She took a deep breath, then answered. “Tell me.”

  “Well, you were quite funny. Making a lot of cute jokes and witty come-backs. Charming. Then later on, as we were leaving the hotel bar, you bet me that I couldn’t steal a kiss. I know it wasn’t very gentlemanly of me, but I wasn’t about to turn down an opportunity to kiss a beautiful woman. But in my defence, I only intended a kiss. Nothing more.”