by Sherri Hayes
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Max said.
She tilted her head down and raised her eyebrows as if to say, ‘so?’
He snorted. “You do nothing for my ego.”
Abby waved her hand in front of her, dismissing his comment. “Like you need any help with your ego. It’s big enough as it is.”
He rocked back on his heels and grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes and exited the room.
Max followed. “Have you had lunch yet?”
“Have you forgotten so soon that I was in there on a personal phone call? Wow. Your memory’s slipping.”
It was his turn to roll his eyes. “Food, Abby. Have you eaten food?”
“I figured I’d just grab something out of the vending machines downstairs and eat at my desk.”
“I’ll take that as a no.” He took hold of her arm and redirected her toward the elevator. “This way.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m starving. Both for food and for some decent company.”
Abby halted in her tracks. “Hold on. If we’re going out, I need to get my purse.”
He waited for her to run back to her desk and retrieve her purse from one of the drawers.
“Got everything now?” he asked.
She was tempted to stick her tongue out at him. “Yes. Come on, let’s go before I change my mind and decide I’m the one who needs some decent company.” Abby delivered the last sentence with a smile.
He chuckled as he pushed the button for the elevator. “What would I ever do without you, Abby? You’re the one who keeps me grounded.”
She didn’t respond, but her thoughts drifted to Trent. His business was here. There was no way he could move to New York. In fact, she knew that if he did, he would hate it.
It was then that she realized her feelings for him were just as strong as his were for her. Despite what was going on with his family, she was thinking about a future with him.
The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside. How had her life changed so drastically in such a short period of time?
***
Almost as soon as Trent hung up the phone with Abby, his mom called. He’d known it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. “Hey, Ma.”
“How are you doing?”
Her question caught him off guard a little. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You’d tell me if you weren’t, right?” Paul was right. She sounded really worried.
“Of course.”
She continued as if he hadn’t answered. “Chris called me this morning. Well, Elizabeth called and made Chris get on the phone.”
Trent’s chest vibrated with amusement. He could see his sister-in-law doing that. She was extremely stubborn when she wanted to be.
“He told me about Abby and what happened. The baby. He also said you were there with Abby when she told him.” His mom paused for a long moment. “I could tell there was something between the two of you when she was here Sunday for dinner. I may be worried about Chris and what he’s going through right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Ma,” he said again. Compared to Chris his issues weren’t even a blip on the radar.
“Are you? Really?” For some reason she didn’t believe him.
“Yes. Other than being worried about Chris and Abby, I’m good.” That wasn’t entirely true, but his mom didn’t need to know that. She had enough on her plate already.
“How is Abby? I thought about calling her, but I didn’t know if she’d want to talk to me.” The hesitancy in his mother’s voice unsettled him. His mother was usually a rock, especially in uncertain situations.
“She’s afraid we all hate her. I’ve been trying to convince her that’s not the case.”
His mom was quiet for several moments. “While I don’t understand why she kept this to herself all these years, I don’t hate her. I don’t think your brother does either, as hurt and angry as he is right now.” Her voice got quieter as she continued. “I remember what it was like to be twenty. I can’t imagine being single and finding out I was pregnant. Maybe I would have done the same thing. I don’t know. We can never know until we are in that position.”
A smile pulled at the sides of Trent’s mouth. His mom was an incredible woman. But he’d always known that. “Did Chris tell you the two of them are going to New York this weekend?”
She was quiet for too long.
“Ma?”
“Yes. Your brother did tell me. I understand why he wants to go, but I do wish he’d let someone go with them. I just don’t want them to be alone. Either of them.”
While Trent felt the same way, he tried to soothe his mom’s fears. “Maybe he feels like it’s something they have to do alone. I mean . . . it was their baby after all.”
“You’re not telling me anything I haven’t told myself, son. Unfortunately, that doesn’t ease my worry. I know your brother. He may seem like a tough guy on the outside, but inside he’s a big softie and this has hit him hard.”
That was true. The last time he’d seen Chris anywhere close to this was when he had walked in on his best friend in bed with his wife. It took a lot for Chris to lose his tough guy exterior, and Trent was pretty sure this was the biggest blow he had ever received.
“I should go,” she said, although it didn’t sound as if that’s really what she wanted. “Your dad and I have some errands to run this afternoon and I’ve been on the phone for most of the day talking to your brothers.”
Trent strolled over to the tall filing cabinet along the far wall, cradling the phone against his shoulder. “Tell Dad I’ll be over Saturday to help with the flower beds.”
“All right.” She paused. “And Trent?”
“Yes?”
“I love you. I love all my boys and I always will. No matter what. Remember that.”
He’d begun digging through the drawer, but he stopped when he heard the catch in her voice. “I know, Ma. We love you, too.”
It was almost as if he could see her smiling through the phone. “Call me if you need anything.” She hesitated. “And give Abby a hug from me.”
“I will.”
After saying goodbye to his mother, Trent returned his attention to the files in front of him. It was strange how the human brain worked and what triggered a memory. When his mom mentioned Chris and Abby’s upcoming trip to New York, he’d started thinking about the city. The people. The cars. The cameras everywhere. It reminded him of the reason he’d had the security camera installed in the first place.
Three years ago, they’d had some mulch go missing. The only reason he’d noticed was that they were a much smaller crew back then and ten bags meant a lot more to the bottom line than they did now. He’d called a security company and had them install the camera.
What he was looking for now was the invoice from the security company. It would have a date on it. Something told him that was important. He didn’t know why, but if he’d learned nothing else from his big brother Paul, it was to always follow your gut even if it didn’t make sense at the time.
After spending almost twenty minutes searching through the filing cabinet, Trent moved into the storage room. He knew it was in the building somewhere. He only had to find it.
It took him almost two hours going through eight different boxes, but he found it. He scanned the papers several times, hoping something would jump out at him. What, he had no idea.
An hour later, he was no closer to figuring anything out than when he’d walked into the storage room. Trinity had come to check on him once. He’d made some excuse about wanting to double-check something for a client. She’d offered to help, but he assured her that he had it under control. He hated not being able to trust anyone.
Putting everything back in the boxes, including the paperwork he’d been staring at for the past hour, he ambled out of the back room with the date of March tenth seared into his brain.
&
nbsp; “Find what you were looking for?” Trinity asked as he passed by her desk.
“Yeah.”
She frowned and he realized that hadn’t come out sounding all that confident.
“Just took longer to find than I thought it would.”
Knowing he needed to get her mind off what he’d been doing, he asked for an update on the Keller job. She’d been putting some figures together for a new water feature they wanted to add.
At five thirty, he locked up and headed home. If he and Abby were going out, then he needed a shower and a change of clothes. While digging through boxes wasn’t as dirty as field work, he felt as if he’d been coated in a layer of dust.
He got ready as swiftly as possible. Even though he’d spoken to Abby a few short hours ago, the desire to hold her close was increasing with every breath. In three days, she and his brother would be flying off to New York. He had no idea how that would go, and he wanted to solidify his position in her life before then. She needed to understand that he wasn’t going anywhere.
It took him a little longer than normal to reach Abby’s apartment. Two blocks from her place, a family of geese had stopped traffic trying to cross the road. Thanks to them, he was late.
He jogged up the sidewalk, but before he could knock, she pulled the door open. Abby was a vision standing there in a flowery dress full of pinks and purples. Her long hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves. He couldn’t hold back any longer.
She squeaked as he crushed her against him.
“You’re late,” she whispered against his lips.
“Sorry.” He bent his head down and kissed her, taking his time. “I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
Abby grazed her hands across his chest, making him reconsider the notion of going anywhere with her except straight to her bedroom.
He cleared his throat and took a step back before his thoughts could go any farther down that path. “You ready to go?”
She took a deep breath, which drew his gaze to her chest. The rise and fall of her breasts did nothing to help calm the desire racing through his veins.
“Yeah,” she said. “Let me get my purse.”
He waited outside, not trusting himself. If he crossed her threshold, they wouldn’t be going anywhere tonight.
Abby emerged from her apartment a couple of minutes later with a small white purse slung over her shoulder.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded. “Ready.”
Chapter 18
Abby climbed inside the cab of Trent’s truck and waited for him to settle behind the wheel. She hadn’t cried in almost twenty-four hours, and it was all thanks to him.
He put the truck in gear and reached for her hand. The look in his eyes made the muscles in her belly clench in the most pleasurable way. She released a contented sigh as he laced their fingers together and pulled out onto the road.
In some ways, Cincinnati had changed since she’d been gone. It others, it hadn’t. The city still felt like home even though she hadn’t called it that for over fourteen years.
When he started heading south, she figured they were going back to the riverfront. She wouldn’t say no to another boat ride. Their first one had been fun and romantic. So when he turned into a parking garage instead of continuing on toward the river, she was intrigued.
He reached behind the seat and pulled out a folded up blanket once he’d found a parking spot not far from the entrance. Abby raised her eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Whatever he had in mind for tonight was fine with her, as long as they were together.
They met at the back of the vehicle and Trent took her hand again. She held on tight as they walked past the parking attendant out to the sidewalk. Once they were clear of the concrete structure, Abby saw the park. “Wow.”
“They opened it a few years ago. I’ve driven past it, but I’ve never been down here myself.” He squeezed her hand. “Never had reason to before now.”
She felt the heat rising in her cheeks.
“Come on.” Trent tugged on her arm. “Let’s get moving before I change my mind and drive us back to your place.”
Abby giggled, but followed him willingly.
They crossed the street and into the park. Even though it was the middle of the workweek, there were plenty of people about. Kids were playing, their squeals of delight sending a pang of regret.
Trent must have seen her reaction. “Do you want more someday?”
She turned her gaze from the children and looked at him. “Yes. Hopefully.”
He released her hand and circled his arm around her shoulders. She took the offered comfort and leaned into his strength. While she wanted to have children again, it scared her. Abby didn’t know if she could handle the possibility of losing another baby.
Trent brushed his lips against her forehead, and led them farther down the path toward a line of food trucks. “I thought we could get something from one of the trucks and enjoy a picnic on the grass.”
She looked in the direction he was indicating and noticed a large grassy area not that far away. People were scattered around doing various things. Most were either reading or eating, but there was one couple playing Frisbee. “Sounds good.”
It took them several minutes to decide what they wanted. She hadn’t paid much attention to the food trucks in New York. Max tended to have more expensive tastes and more often than not she tagged along with him for lunch. When she looked at the offerings in front of her she was shocked at the variety. They had a little bit of everything. It was somewhat daunting.
In the end, they decided to try a truck that served Korean barbecue. It had been a while since she’d had barbecue at all, and the smell coming from the truck had her mouth salivating. The man at the window took their order and a few minutes later, he handed them each a nicely wrapped container of food.
With their dinner in hand, Trent and Abby found a quiet spot on the lawn. She held their food as he laid out the blanket. He took the containers from her and waited while she got comfortable before lowering himself down beside her.
The food was delicious. She couldn’t believe it had come from a food truck. It was as good as any meal she’d had in a restaurant.
“What do you think?” Trent asked, pointing to her food.
“It’s really good. I don’t remember food trucks serving food like this when we were younger.”
“They didn’t. Things have really changed in the last ten years. I’m glad, though. Food trucks have saved my stomach more than once when I’ve been out on a jobsite.”
Abby grinned. “I’m glad you found something you enjoy doing. I always worried that you wouldn’t.”
He leaned in, invading her space. “You worried about me?”
“Yeah.”
Her eyes fluttered closed as he removed the distance between them. The feel of his lips grazing against her cheek caused her to sigh.
“You don’t have to seduce me, you know. It’s a pretty sure bet that you’re going to get lucky tonight.” She’d meant it as a way to lighten the mood. Otherwise, she was going to end up jumping him right there in the middle of a public park.
Trent lay down on the blanket, propping himself on one arm, a satisfied smirk on his face. He’d finished his food before she’d eaten half of hers. “What do you do back in New York when you’re not at work? For fun.”
“I don’t get much downtime, to be honest. Being Max’s personal assistant keeps me pretty busy. But when I do get some time, I usually read or go for a walk in the park.” She didn’t mention that most of those walks included a stroll by Kaylee’s grave.
He was quiet for a while. “I’m supposed to give you a hug.”
“What?”
“Ma asked me to give you a hug.”
He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was fifteen years ago, but not now. Not after what happened.
“Abby?”
She looked up and met his gaze.
Trent to
ok what was left of her food and set it off to his right before scooting closer to her. No words were spoken as they sat there, but the way he looked at her spoke volumes. He cupped the side of her face and rested his forehead against hers. “You need to let go of the guilt, Abby. It was a long time ago.”
It was amazing how well he could read her. “What if I can’t?”
He grinned. “Well then, I’ll just have to stick around and remind you, won’t I?”
Trent didn’t give her a chance to respond before he kissed her. This one was so slow and deep that she could feel it all the way down to the tips of her toes. The way he took his time, not seeming to care about anything outside their little bubble, had her inching closer to him.
Something landed on their blanket, startling them both. They jerked apart.
A little boy was running toward them. He skidded to a stop a couple of feet away. The boy looked at them and then down at the ball resting in the crook of Trent’s knees. “Can I have my ball back?”
Trent picked up the baseball and tossed it back to the boy. He caught it with little effort and mumbled, “Thanks,” as he ran back across the field to where an older man waited for him. The man had a cheesy grin on his face which made Abby wonder if the ball had been misthrown on purpose. Considering how their kiss had probably looked to the outside world, she really couldn’t blame the man if that’s what he’d done. It was too easy to forget where she was when Trent was around.
She heard a snicker beside her and glanced over to see Trent trying his best not to double over in laughter.
“You know he did that on purpose, right?” he said when he noticed Abby staring.
“Yeah.” She grinned. “I guess we did kind of get carried away there.”
He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. “It seems to happen quite often.”
“You’ve noticed that, too?” Although she’d phrased it as a question, she hadn’t really expected him to answer.
Trent smiled and stood, not letting go of her hand. “Come on. Let’s take a walk down by the river before we get any more balls thrown at us.”
She laughed.
It took a few minutes to clean up their little picnic before they headed down toward the water. Trent had the blanket tucked under one arm as they walked hand in hand along the path. She loved the water. There was something soothing about it. If she was being honest, it was one of the things she’d missed most about living in New York. Although you were surrounded by water, the city swallowed you up. Here, even with the city right behind her, Abby still felt a connection to the water.