A Long Time Coming

by Heather Van Fleet

  Her throat constricted tighter than ever. Jesus…this wasn’t fair. Nothing about this situation was fair. Nothing. The worst part was that Abigail didn’t have the heart to tell her they’d decided in California to take that next step. But really, what the beautiful woman next to her didn’t know would never hurt her. Things happened for a reason though, and with the bad came the good. She could only hope that the bad had taken its turn long enough so that the good could finally have the last say in life. She wasn’t holding her breath though. She knew life’s disappointments were secret little bitches that would sneak up on you when you weren’t paying attention. She’d just have to be better prepared for them the next time.

  “Your mom loves you, Abigail. Your father loves you too, even though he may only be your uncle.” Okay, wow. So when had this lady become a fortune teller? Abigail questioned her with her eyes, tears inappropriately dashing down her own cheeks as she did. Damn, she shouldn’t be crying when the lady who was on the verge of death had a sad smile on her face!

  Glad for the subject change, even though it wasn’t for the better, she spoke through the tightness in her throat. “I don’t understand. They didn’t tell me anything, I wasn’t prepared. I mean, I knew they never really got along growing up. Now that I think about it, I don’t even remember them kissing or anything.” She bit down on her lip, trying to remember any piece of a memory where the two of them looked as if they were in love. There was nothing there. A kinship in parenting—but other than that, nothing. She shook her head, escaping the thoughts to speak. “And now my supposed dad is gone, and my mom is avoiding me altogether! How do I get answers when they just don’t seem to care?”

  “They’re scared.”

  “Scared? Of what? I already know the truth.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “And I was held in the dark all these years and now I want to know more. Like, what happened, and why my dad…er…real dad couldn’t be there at all.” She had no idea where that man was. Yet, did she care? No, not at all. Anyone who could walk away from his child for almost nineteen years would never get the title of dad.

  “Yep, you do deserve answers, honey. And your mom, I’m sure, will tell you…you’ve just gotta ask.” Dammit, why did this lady have to be so sensible?

  A knock sounded at the window before she could respond, and Abigail jumped, turning to face a grinning but confused looking David from the other side. The hand currently being held by Mrs. A was squeezed, and then dropped.

  “I love you, Abigail, just as much as I love my own kids.” Oh no…not now. She wasn’t going to start a goodbye yet. It wasn’t time, nowhere near close to it. Her throat tightened. It was a wonder she could get air inside at all. “Just remember that when your kids are big. And most importantly, you don’t have to physically be a parent to take on the parenting title.”

  Mrs. A’s breath hitched, just when Abigail turned to look at her again. David pulled at the handle, hollering ‘open the door’ through the glass. But she couldn’t do it just yet. She wasn’t ready to let go. So she held up her finger, silently demanding another minute at David. He took the hint, and backed away, surprisingly.

  “He’s going to need you sweetie, and he’s made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in my help anymore, so—”

  “He loves you…he’s just stubborn. You know that better than I do.” Why was she pleading here? What was she pleading for?

  Laughing, Mrs. A turned to face her, grinning as she wiped her tears away. “Ah, yes, that he is… But he pushed me away, probably unknowing that it was finally time to step up and be a man.” She shrugged, as if what she was saying wasn’t damn near heartbreaking, “So I’m accepting it, thankful that he has you to take over for me.”

  Desperate to come across as a non–replacement, but as simply someone who just loved a boy, Abigail spoke up, and wrapped her hand over the tiny wrist that shook against the steering wheel. “I can’t replace you. I don’t want to replace you. I could never fill your shoes. You are his rock.” A sob fell from Abigail’s mouth just as Mrs. A reached over and brushed her tears away.

  “Aw, sweetie, that’s where you’re so wrong. You are. I know that, David knows that.” No, she wasn’t wrong. Mrs. A was the glue that held David together when he was almost broken. “And I love you for saying that. But there comes a time in a mother’s life when she knows it’s time to step away and let the real woman come into her son’s life—the one who will make him a father, and make him happier than she could ever wish for him to be.” She shrugged. Why did a simple shrug tear her up on the inside? “I just have to do it a little sooner than most.”

  Unspoken words lingered between them as they shared the quietness of the moment. Mrs. A was the rock needed to hold this family together, whether she believed it or not. How could they ever be without her? She swallowed her final hiccup, but it burned her throat so badly, that she didn’t know whether she had the ability to speak at all anymore.

  “Now, no more tears. It’s messing up your makeup, and David would kill me if he knew I’d made you cry.”

  “You didn’t, I just can’t help it. Sometimes—”

  She winked, interrupting her, “Get out there. Show my son what he’s been missing all these years, would you?”

  Yes, she would do just that. “I…I love you Mrs. A.” Words she’d never really even spoken to her own mother fell easily from her mouth.

  “Ditto, kiddo.”

  The simple phrase she used with her own kids…she’d actually used them with her. Jesus, why did this moment have to be so bittersweet? What did she do in life to deserve this family? This sort of love?

  Nothing. She was just lucky. Damn, lucky…

  Chapter Twenty–Two

  Wow… How was it humanly possible for this girl to get more beautiful every single time he saw her? Sexy brown boots that hit her knees, leading up to some seriously hot jeans–clad thighs that he wanted wrapped around him…an hour ago if he had a choice. Her straight blond hair was pinned back along the sides giving him all sorts of fantasies as to what he could do with that exposed neck of hers. Preferably with his teeth first and then maybe his tongue after that… He shook his head and leaned away from the fence to approach her. Jesus, she made him crazy. And he loved every second of it.

  His mom gave a wave from her window, and he nodded, beyond humiliated at how this had all turned out. He knew Abigail didn’t care about stuff like this, but he just wanted it all to be perfect. Stupid JT, this was his fault. The guy had the whole thing messed up, thinking the date was on Friday, instead of today… He was always on deaf mode it seemed. Tonight he’d been working, and had no way to help him out when he’d finally reached him ten minutes ago. But he did promise he’d make it up to him down the road. Luckily his mom was available and could transport Abigail for him. His mom though… shit, how much more embarrassing can things get? What was he, fifteen again? He sure as hell felt like it, the closer Abigail neared him. Turning needy and hardening at the sight of her body…

  Yeah, apparently he should get on with the license renewal thing. But getting behind the wheel of a car scared the piss out of him—he had just kept that little–known fact to himself for the past couple of years. The fear of getting behind the wheel, always worrying it would lead to death the next time, just about consumed his life. He was anxiety–ridden, he just hid it better than most.

  “My God, are you safe in those heels?” He teased, hobbling over to her side—completely without the crutches this time.

  She grinned, skillfully walking her way over to him in said heels, looking like the devil and a glorified angel, all wrapped up in one deliciously–shaped body. “Hey, don’t start. You know I have a boot addiction.” He grinned harder. Yeah, he had a slight addiction to her boots too. Imagining the black leather ones she always wore, along with the nakedness of her body… Needless to say her addiction didn’t bother him a damn bit.

  Done with the fantasies, and needing to experience
the real thing, David yanked her curvy body into a tight hug with one arm, careful not to smash the flower he’d brought with the other one. Heaven…home…all things Abigail. She was his safe haven from all the bad. He shut his eyes, inhaling her perfume, burying his nose deep into the curve of her neck. God, did he love this girl.

  “Besides,” she sighed, falling into him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and mumbled gruffly into his chest, “I know you’d catch me if I fell.”

  He pressed his lower half firmly against hers, and she sighed ever so slightly. Yeah, he’d do more than catch her if she fell on the ground at this point.

  “Come on,” he cleared his throat, lifting a hand to cup the back of her warm neck. “The rains finally stopped and there are no more animals around to steal your cheesecake. So it’s safe to say we are officially alone now.” She shivered, yanking at the end of his sweatshirt, until her hands were both stuffed in the front pocket of his hoodie. She was trapped of her own accord. He pressed his mouth to her head, kissing the smoothness that was her forehead.

  As much as he would have loved to just stay there—just like that—wrapped in the hold of all holds, he knew his wooing plan needed to get its ass in gear. His hands shook as he held out the first yellow rose in front of them, suddenly nervous at the prospect of telling her what it meant and why he chose this one in particular.

  “It’s beautiful,” she gasped, reaching for it, taking it into her free hand only to bring it to her nose and inhale. Her eyes shut. She looked so angelic, so sweet that it was a struggle to even breathe as he watched her.

  “It means…” he was sweating—literally sweating here. He could do this wooing thing. He’d practiced with his mom, for Christ’s sake. But following through with it when it meant so much, with the girl he was so in love with, was something entirely different, and much more powerful. “It…it means a new beginning. Starting with friendship, moving on to something beyond…” She stood frozen in place, not a word was on her lips as she stared down at the flower. He shut his eyes and held his breath. Shit. What had he done?

  “David, I…” His breath was still caught in his lungs, but he had to give her an out, especially if she wasn’t up to being wooed tonight after all. His mom assured him that all girls liked to be wooed, but Abigail was not like all girls, he’d tried to explain that. God, if he fucked this up, then he was going to crawl into a hole—let it suck him up completely.

  “Abigail, you don’t have to say any—”

  “Yes, I do.” The demand in her voice—the sudden sharpness to it—had him turning to face her fully. Her eyes were bright and he swore, if he looked deeply enough, he could almost see her soul. She was an open book to him, as he was to her. Vulnerable, terrified… Wanting… Swallowing, he nodded her on, ready to hear whatever rejection or acceptance she had for him.

  “I love you. There…I said it.”

  One side of his mouth tipped up as he watched the nerves dance across her face. His own body slipped into a state of relaxation he didn’t know he could reach. His shoulders fell, his hands no longer shook. He studied every inch of her lips, stopping on her mouth the longest. Her poor lips…they were already swollen for as much as she was chewing on them. Abigail was beyond adorable. Not kittens and puppies adorable though…Abigail Zane adorable. Not to mention Abigail Zane sexy, playful, and his—most definitely his.

  Tilting her chin up with his thumb and forefinger, David met her gaze, definitely done with the avoidance thing altogether, ready to let the inhibitions fly out the window—on behalf of both of them this time.

  “I love you more, Abs…”

  “Good.” Her face was glowing. How had he been so scared of saying this in the past? Sharing his feelings, letting it all out there, telling her how he felt like this, was like he was finally letting go of something he didn’t know he was holding. Saying those words was almost a healing medicine to his soul.

  Patting his cheek with her suddenly–free–from–his–pocket fingers, she grinned up at him, looking every bit as free as he felt. “So, big boy, whatcha got planned for us tonight, hmm?” Well, seeing as though he was damn near delirious right then and there, he really had no clue anymore himself what he wanted do beyond that moment. If he could have just frozen the night, right then and there, he would have done just that. Him… Abigail… Just beyond the beauty of the field where he once made the most awesome memories of his life. Tonight though, he’d make some new memories that went beyond scoring a touchdown…went beyond the high of the game he’d loved so much growing up.

  This…was something entirely different.

  “You’ll see.”

  Giggles filled the air as he pulled her by the hand through a tiny broken down piece of fence, and onward through the football field that lay empty. The smell of wet grass intermingled with Abigail’s perfume, and he grinned as he inhaled his two favorite smells. He was going to go mad crazy from this happiness shit if he wasn’t too careful.

  Clearing his throat, he decided it was time to get his mind out of the gutter and on to the question he’d been dying to ask ever since she pulled up with his mom. Maybe it wasn’t exactly romantic, or woo–worthy, as his mom would call it, but it was definitely unavoidable. She and his mom looked too serious for him not to question what they’d been so secretive about in the car.

  “You and Mom looked heavy in conversation back there. What was that all about?”

  She flinched, staring at the ground beneath their feet. His brows dipped down as he questioned her again, “Abs, come on, what are you not telling me here?” He pulled them to a stop, right in the middle of the field, swinging her around to face him. The grass was wet and it seeped into the material of his Converse. He shivered; the sensation wasn’t exactly cold, just irritating, and a bit too ominous for his liking.

  “She knows…”

  Eyes drawn together harder, he growled his response, “About…?”

  “The baby.”

  “What? How…?”

  Lips still swollen from her teeth, she puckered them out as she answered, “Harley told her.”

  He cringed, digging his fingers into his hair. “How did Harley find… ah, fuck, for real Abigail?”

  “I’m sorry David,” she protested, eyes wide as she defended herself. “She figured it out on her own when she found me puking in the bathroom at their apartment. I wasn’t going to tell her, I swear. She just guessed. Kind of surprised the piss out of her when I said it was yours though.”

  Pulling her closer, David took her hand in his. Their foreheads met, and he blew a breath over her lips, fighting a small smile as he pictured his sister’s reaction. “It’s…fine, really. I guess I’m just feeling pretty shitty knowing that my entire family knew about my future before I did.”

  Tears trickled down her cheeks. God, he couldn’t take this version of Abigail. He reached for them, drying them with his fingertips. He wasn’t mad at her, dammit. In fact, he was glad she’d gotten it off her chest with someone. That was too big a secret to hold on to. It just pissed him off that they, the two of them together, hadn’t been in the position where he would have known the truth before anyone else. He should have been there right away, holding her hand as she got sick, or when she read that pregnancy test and discovered the positive sign… Crap, had she even been to the doctor yet?

  Vowing to himself that he would never miss another day of this, he gripped her hands in his tighter, kissing her fingertips, making a secret promise to himself that he didn’t need to share aloud yet. It’s not like he deserved to be a part of this anyways, but he was really fucking trying here…trying to earn those firsts, no matter what they might be anymore.

  Needing to hear her voice, he didn’t try to stop her when she spoke. “I love you, so much, David. I just figured you’d be upset, so I was planning on waiting for the right moment to break it to you. I’m sorry. I really and truly—”

  He couldn’t take it. And he did what he’d missed the hell out of all day. He
found her lips with his and made them swollen himself, kissing her with a fervent demand he couldn’t contain if he tried.

  Heat simmered between their mouths, over and over, and he dropped her fingers to grab the back of her neck. He pulled her closer, making it impossible for her to escape. But then her hands found his chest, letting it be known, obviously, that she was in no way ready to end this kiss any more than he was.

  Minutes passed, and their gasping chests rose and fell with wild abandon as they fell away from one another. Damn, why was breathing so necessary at all? He could have kissed her all night!

  “David, I want…please…”

  He shuddered at her plea, knowing exactly what she wanted. He gripped her in his arms and hugged her to his chest. He settled his chin upon her head, groaning as her body shook against his. She was an obvious mess like he was, and as much as he wanted to take her right there on that field—score a touchdown that in no way needed balls made of pigskin to do so—he knew he couldn’t. He and his mom worked too damn hard with this wooing shit, and he wasn’t about to waste it because his other head was doing the controlling.

  “I want you too, Abs. But I want to show you something first.” She heaved a sigh that broke his heart, and made him smile at the same time. Her disappointment was evident, but he hoped it would be worth it in the end.

  Leaning back to catch her lips in one, final quick kiss, he spoke, articulating every word he could over her mouth, “Don’t worry, Abs… You won’t be leaving my arms any time soon.”

  Her face was flushed, her eyes held heat that matched his own. If she kept looking at him like that, then he might not be able to make it through dinner after all. Dammit!

  “Promise?” She was breathless. She was perfect.

  “Always.”

  Making out with this girl both teased him and sufficed him at the same time. His mouth felt sated, but yet his body always said something different altogether.