“You know she doesn’t like strangers.”
“Megan’s not a stranger. She’s been my friend since high school, and she’s been there for Mom more than you have in the last few years.” Abby couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice. Especially not with the way her brother accused her of abandoning their mother. Like he had any room to talk. He’d abandoned them years ago.
“Well, I’m here now. Tell your friend and her boy to stay away. They upset Mom when they came by earlier.”
“Megan was concerned. She said Mom acted weird on the phone yesterday and wouldn’t answer today. She was being a good friend by coming by. And she brought Chris in case there was something seriously wrong.”
“Whatever. Just tell them they don’t need to anymore. I’m here. I’ll be here until you get back.”
“How long are you there for?”
Once again he ignored her question. “When are you going to be home?”
“We’re supposed to get back on Friday night.”
“After Christmas.” He tutted.
Abby knew he was trying to get an emotional reaction out of her. It would give him something to use against her. She didn’t rise to the bait. “Aaron, how long are you staying?”
He paused for a long time, but finally answered. “I’m not sure yet. A while.”
“Why are you back? Where have you been?”
“Look, Abby, it’s been fun catching up, but I’m gonna go now.”
“Let me talk to Mom.”
“Nah. She doesn’t feel like talking on the phone today. You know how it goes. I’ll tell her you said hi.”
“No, Aaron. No. Let me talk to her. Put me on speakerphone at least.” She made her voice as commanding as possible. It didn’t make any difference. It never did before, either.
“Bye, Abby. See you when you get back.”
“Aaron. Aaron!”
Silence. She pulled the phone away from her ear, and the call had ended. “Motherfucker.”
“Abby?” Marissa stood in the kitchen again. “What’s going on?”
Abby shook her head. “Um, I don’t really know. My brother’s back home.”
“Is that bad?” Marissa’s brows were raised, her face open and curious, clearly unsure about the family dynamics at play.
Abby sighed. “Yeah, probably. I don’t know. He left after I graduated from high school. I don’t know where he’s been. I haven’t heard from him since my nineteenth birthday. He called me to say happy birthday. He didn’t call last year, though. And I didn’t figure he’d call for my next one in February, either. I didn’t think my mom had heard from him either. She never said anything, and I didn’t bring him up, because why? Why talk about another person who abandoned us?” Abby clamped her lips together and shook her head, trying to stop herself from rambling. “Sorry. I don’t—“ She shook her head again. “I don’t know what’s going on. I think … I think I need to go home. I don’t trust him. He wouldn’t let me talk to my mom. I don’t know what’s going on. I need to call Lance. I’ve gotta get home as soon as possible.”
Chapter Eight
Lance sat on the couch in the family room watching ESPN with his dad, bored and irritated with listening to his dad’s intermittent commentary. How much longer would Abby be gone? He was glad his sisters were intent on getting to know her. He knew they’d have the best chance to get to know her without him there, but he still missed her. His dad’s ongoing silence on anything other than cars and football made it hard to be in the same room with him. If not for those two subjects, they wouldn’t have anything to talk about. And both of those were rife with subtle and not-so-subtle digs.
How he’d left to go play football, but maybe he’d have been able to go pro if he’d stayed in Texas. Rolling his eyes, he didn’t even acknowledge that one. He hadn’t wanted to go pro. He liked football, he enjoyed being on a team and had fun playing. And he really liked how it paid for most of his education. But pro? No thanks.
How he probably didn’t know his way around an engine anymore. He bit his tongue on that one. Could he disassemble and reassemble an engine in his sleep anymore? No. But he didn’t need to. He knew enough to keep his and Abby’s cars in good working order. That was enough.
How he’d abandoned his family for some girl. He’d sat up straight at that one, ready to tell his dad to shove it. But Abby’s name popping up on the screen of his phone stopped him. Instead of arguing with his dad, he swiped his thumb across the screen, stood up and left the room.
“Hey, sweetheart. I was just thinking about you.”
“Hey. Can you come get me?”
The blood froze in Lance’s veins. Why would she want him to come pick her up early? Had his sisters done something to upset her? They’d seemed to get along okay last night. “What happened?”
“I just got off the phone with my brother. He’s at the house, and I need to go. I need to go home.”
Relief swept through him, new worry close on its heels. At least it wasn’t his sisters causing problems. “Wait, what? Your brother? He called you?”
“No.” He knew she was probably shaking her head, even though he couldn’t see her. That brought a smile to his face, a rush of affection blooming in his chest. “No, he’s at my mom’s. Megan and Chris went over there today because Mom wouldn’t answer her phone and found him there. She called a few minutes ago to let me know. When I called Mom, he answered and wouldn’t let me talk to her. I’m worried.” She paused. He could tell she wanted to say more, but didn’t know what.
Grabbing his mom’s keys and a light jacket, he found his mom in the office. “Hang on a sec, Abby.” He pulled the phone away from his face. “Hey, I need to go get Abby from Marissa’s. I’m taking your car, okay?”
His mom turned, her dark brows scrunched together, concern on her face. “What’s wrong? Isn’t she having a nice time with the girls?”
Lance shook his head. “Her brother’s home, and they’re having a family crisis of some kind. She just called and asked me to come get her.”
“Oh. Abby mentioned her brother at lunch. I thought he was out of the picture.”
“Yeah. That’s kind of the crisis. He just showed up out of nowhere today. I don’t know more than that. I’ll be back soon. I’ll fill you in when I can.”
She nodded, and he jogged out to the garage, hitting the opener as he went out the door. “Alright, I’m back. I’m on my way. What are you thinking?”
“I hate to do this, Lance, but I’m really worried. I need to go home. Like tonight. Or tomorrow. As soon as I can.”
Lance swallowed, not answering for a minute. She wanted to leave? Shit. Okay, they could still have a nice Christmas at home, right? It wouldn’t be the same, but they’d be together.
“Lance?”
“Yeah, sorry. Just backing out of the driveway. I’ll be there in a few, and we’ll figure out rearranging our tickets.”
“Just mine. I don’t want you to miss out on Christmas with your family. I know you’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”
He’d been looking forward to spending Christmas with her and his family. And his planned proposal on Christmas morning. And how everyone would react when they saw her ring. And how loved and part of the family she’d feel with all the women in his family squealing and fussing over her. He’d been envisioning it for weeks. The way Gabby would clap and squeal, his mom hugging them both one after the other, Marissa pulling up ideas on Pinterest for wedding dresses and decorating ideas. That’s what he’d been looking forward to. Now it wouldn’t happen. Even if he went home with her, that vision was dead before it even had a chance.
He cleared his throat. “We’ll talk about it when I get you. See you soon.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, Lance. I really am. I know—“
“Don’t apologize, Abby. I’m not mad at you. I get it. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Lan
ce ended the call, his hands clenching the steering wheel as he drove to pick Abby up from his sister’s apartment, the roads familiar even though it had been a year since he’d been here for a visit. He parked as close to Marissa’s stairs as he could, taking them two at a time to get to her apartment.
Marissa answered his knock, Abby right behind her. “You didn’t have to come up. I would’ve come down if you’d texted me.”
He wrapped Abby in a hug and kissed her forehead. “I know. I wanted to come up. You ready?”
She nodded against his chest. “Let me grab my bag.”
Before she could detach herself, Gabby brought Abby her new purse. Abby managed a small smile. “Thanks.”
Gabby gave her a hug. “I hope everything’s okay.”
“Me too.”
Marissa hugged her too. “It was fun while it lasted. We’ll do it again sometime, okay?”
Abby nodded. “I’d like that. I’m sorry for ruining our girls’ night. I had fun. At least until the phone calls. Thanks for having me over.”
“Anytime.”
Abby reached for Lance’s hand, and he led her out to where he was parked. “Was Gabby not ready to leave yet?”
Shrugging, Abby worried her lower lip with her free hand. “She offered to take me back to your parents’. But I’d already called you. And I figured they could finish the movie without me if they wanted. That way girls’ night isn’t a complete bust.”
“I bet Gabby’ll be home before too much longer. They get together and watch movies all the time. Tonight was about hanging out with you.”
“Don’t say that. It’ll only make me feel worse.”
Lance opened her car door for her, kissing her before she got in the car. “You don’t need to feel bad. It’s not your fault that your brother showed up out of nowhere.”
Her blue eyes searched his face. “You don’t think I’m overreacting? I mean, it’s weird, right? Him coming back like this?”
Lance nodded. “Yeah, it’s weird. I’m worried too. I don’t think you’re overreacting. And the way he won’t let anyone see or talk to your mom really bothers me.”
She let out a breath in relief. “Yeah, me too. I tried calling again after I got off the phone with you, but no one answered. When I called again it went straight to voicemail like her phone is off. I need to get home. I need to check on her.”
With a hand on her back, Lance turned her to face the car. “Get in, sweetheart. We’ll change our flights once we get back to my parents’ house.”
She nodded, climbing in, and he closed her door for her while she buckled her seatbelt. When he got in the car, she vibrated with nervous energy, one leg jiggling, her right hand clutching the handle on the door, the fingers of her other hand tugging and rolling her lower lip. He started the car and reached for her hand, pulling it away from her mouth, intertwining their fingers. “It’ll be okay, Abby. We’ll figure it out, okay?”
“Okay.” He barely heard her, but saw her lips move. They rode the whole way in silence, her staring out the window, occasionally messing with her lip with her free hand, him darting glances at her every so often. Once inside, he led the way up to their room where he got out his iPad and pulled up the airline’s website to change their tickets. Abby started packing her things while he looked.
“We can get on a flight tomorrow afternoon. It won’t get in until almost ten tomorrow night, but there aren’t any available seats earlier than that. We can see if they’ll let us try to fly standby on an earlier flight, though.”
Abby stopped what she was doing and looked at him. “No, Lance. Just me. You should stay.”
He sighed, setting the iPad down. “Abby, I’m not going to stay without you.”
“But you’ve wanted to come home for Christmas. Spend it with your family. You’ve been talking about it for months.”
He shook his head. “I’ve been talking about taking you to spend Christmas with my family. I wanted you to meet them and them to meet you. If you’re not here, it’s no good. I want to spend Christmas with you.”
“I want to spend Christmas with you, too.” It came out as a whisper, but then her face hardened, and he knew he wouldn’t win this fight no matter what he said. “But that’s not a good enough reason for both of us to leave early. Your parents will be upset if you leave. Your dad already doesn’t like me.”
“Abby, that’s not—“
“I know you think it’s all because of you. But I think he blames me for you not coming back. If you don’t spend Christmas with your family, you dad’ll hate me even more.”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
She grunted. “Fine. But if you leave now he will. You should stay. Just change my ticket. I’ll pay for whatever it costs.”
“No.”
“Lance—“
“No.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Look, I’ll do what you want and stay here—because you asked me to, not because I want to, because I want to go with you. But you asking me to stay means you don’t want me with you for some reason.”
“Lance, no, that’s not—“
He shook his head. “It is. It’s okay, though. I know your family stuff is hard for you, and you don’t like having other people involved. It’s bad enough that Megan and Chris have gotten involved. And you don’t know what’s going on with your brother—which, by the way, is an even better reason for me to come with you. I don’t trust him. I don’t know what’s going on, and the fact that he won’t let you talk to your mom worries me. But if you want to handle it on your own, I’ll respect that. They’re your family. So, fine. I’ll stay. But there’s no way in hell I’m letting you pay to change your tickets. I didn’t even let you buy your ticket to come. I’m not letting you pay for the way back, either.”
Abby stuffed a wadded up shirt into her suitcase, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine. And it’s not that I don’t want you with me. I do. I just don’t—I don’t know what’s going on or what to expect. And if you come along, it might make things worse. I need to handle this on my own.”
Lance stood, pulling Abby into him. “I get it. It’s fine.” It wasn’t fine, but he knew better than to push right now. He’d do what she asked and get her home on Christmas Eve. And he’d follow the next day. There were lots of flights open on Christmas Day. He’d exchange gifts with his family that morning, then have one of them take him to the airport.
She was right that his dad would give him shit about that. But he’d give him shit for staying without her, too. Nothing he did would be right in his father’s eyes at this point. So there was no point taking that into consideration. His biggest regret was that he wouldn’t get to propose the way he’d planned. And with this new development with her brother, it would have to wait.
Chapter Nine
Abby finished stuffing her things back in her suitcase, leaving out clothes for tomorrow and her toiletries for the morning. Lance sat on the bed propped against the headboard with a pillow behind his back. His iPad sat in his hands, but his eyes followed her. She cast one last glance around, crossing her arms over herself, unsure what to do about the tension in the room. He wouldn’t say it, but she knew that Lance was hurt by her insistence that he stay with his family. But she couldn’t disrupt Christmas anymore than she already had. It killed her to be so far from home right now with things so up in the air. And it killed her to leave Lance like this.
She finally met his eyes. “Um, I put everyone’s presents under the tree earlier, so you guys can still open them on Christmas morning. I hope they like them.” Lance had given her some ideas on what to get his family, but she’d been the one to pick everything out. He’d tried to get her to just sign her name to the stuff he got, but she couldn’t do that. Or let him pay for the presents. No, they were gifts for his family from her. She needed to pay for them. He said he understood her need to pay for things, but he didn’t really seem to. Or maybe she just didn’t understand why it bothered him so much.
“Okay.”
He climbed off the bed, reaching for a slim, wrapped box on his nightstand. “Since you’re leaving tomorrow, I wanted to give you your present tonight.”
“I can wait until you get home. We don’t—“
He kissed her, cutting off her protest. “I know. But I want you to have it before you fly home. Open your present, Abby, and quit arguing with me about everything, okay?”
A small smile came unbidden to her lips. He was right. She was fighting him on everything right now. It was reflexive, the need to maintain her sense of self, her sense of independence. And when she got in this mode, she argued with him about everything. He’d gotten better at stopping her gently before things spiraled into a shouting match. Their first few months living together and hashing out how to split the bills resulted in more than one of those. But they’d managed to come to an agreement. It still didn’t make Lance happy that she insisted on paying for half the rent and utilities, and she still got annoyed when he’d go to the grocery store without her and buy a ton of food and not let her pay him back. He always told her that if she felt that strongly about it, she could repay him with sexual favors, a wicked glint in his eye and his mouth curved in his most devastating smile. And then he’d chase her around the apartment and give her multiple orgasms, which didn’t seem like she was paying him back at all. But it distracted her from her frustration. Until the next time they got low on groceries, and she made sure to go shopping before he had the chance. That way she could keep things balanced and fair.
She took the box from his hands, ripping off the shiny green and gold paper, her eyes meeting his in disbelief. “Lance. You didn’t.”
He smile played over his lips. “Open the box.”
Sitting on the bed, she pulled the lid off the white rectangular box with the image of an iPad mini on it. Sure enough, the contents matched the packaging. She looked up at him, the lid dangling from her fingers. “I told you my Kindle was fine.”
Unsaid Things (Players of Marycliff University #4) Page 6