The Way Down

by Alexandria Hunt

  She finished cashing out, picked up the kids, and high tailed it home to steam over David’s girlfriend in Piper’s Lake.

  And him handing out his number to random girls like Sam.

  There was no denying her feelings this time.

  Abbey was jealous.

  And she was pissed off.

  Chapter 9

  Halloween fell on a Wednesday the following week, and much to Sophie’s disappointment, there was no snow.

  David came along but the night was too busy to bring up the topic of Sam and his phone number. It weighed heavy on Abbey’s mind the entire time though.

  “Have you ever seen a prettier princess?” Sophie asked David when they hopped into the back of his truck cab. His was new, way nicer than Abbey’s and made her feel a little self conscious of her own shitty vehicle.

  “I have not,” David told her and helped her up, buckling her in with a gentleness that made Abbey’s heart pound a little faster.

  He would make such a good father, he should have been the father to her children.

  Not that she would have changed her two little monkeys for anything in the world, but she would give anything to have Tom stay away from them completely.

  “Should we go to the trailer park on the hill near the lake?” David asked as he helped Abbey up into the passenger seat of the truck. He walked around the other side, climbed in and fired it up.

  “Where’s that?” Zach asked from the back seat.

  “It’s where your mom and I went one time in high school, when we still trick or treated,” David told him.

  “I think that was our last year,” Abbey laughed. “We dressed up like people from the eighteen hundreds. I was a saloon girl and David was a gold miner.”

  “Those were the days,” David grinned. “We were much more naïve than the kids around now.”

  “That’s true,” I said.

  “What does that mean?” Sophie asked.

  “It means we didn’t get up to trouble,” David said. “Speaking of which, I do need to work later on. I can drop you guys off around nine.”

  “Nine is a little late for a school night anyhow,” Abbey replied, bristling at the fact that he needed to work again. It made her jealous side go crazy, did he need to actually work or was he just getting away from her to go spend time with Sam?

  David either didn’t notice her tension or he chose not to respond. He laughed and teased the kids, was the perfect gentleman with her, and generally made the entire experience all that much better.

  And true to his word he did have them home well before nine. Abbey’s dad was waiting for them on the front steps.

  “There they are, my little ninja and princess,” her dad exclaimed and held out his hands. “Now where is my candy tax?”

  “Candy tax?” Sophie laughed. “What the heck is a candy tax?”

  “It’s a tax you pay to me in candy,” Abbey’s dad laughed and chased both kids up the stairs as they giggled like mad and clutched their candy bags to their chests.

  The front door slammed and Abbey found herself alone with David once again, and once again her feelings were so mixed up inside her chest that she could almost feel them slamming against her rib cage as they battled it out.

  Fear and desire, those were the two prominent emotions.

  Fear of being vulnerable and desire for David.

  “I wish I didn’t have to work,” David said, taking a step towards her.

  “You gotta do what you gotta do,” Abbey frowned and stiffened up as he reached her. He stood in front and she had to crane her neck to look up at him.

  “Are you mad at me?” he asked and brushed a strand of her messy curly hair off her forehead.

  “No,” she replied and pursed her lips.

  “You seem awfully pissed off about something,” he said and ran his hand through her tangled hair, resting it on the back of her neck like she loved.

  “I’m not,” she said, still looking up at him. His eyes almost glowed in the light from the porch, giving him an other worldly sense.

  “I think you are,” he said and kept his hand firm on her neck as he bent to kiss her again. “And I don’t care if you are right now, Abbey, because I need to taste you. Anger and all.”

  Before she could protest his mouth covered hers and any words she might have said were muffled against his tongue.

  And anything that had been welling up inside of her became a moan as her body responded to his and she began to throb with lust for her childhood friend.

  She couldn’t help herself, she wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her close, holding her tight.

  In the midst of their kiss when she was sailing high above the earth on every romantic cliché she could think of, his phone went off.

  He winced but kept kissing, ignoring the persistent chiming as long as possible until he had to break away.

  “God dammit, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice strained as he looked at the screen. “It’s work, I need to get in now. There’s been more activity tonight than we anticipated, damned kids.”

  A flare of jealousy burned in Abbey’s chest and she almost demanded to see his phone to prove it. Instead she slammed her walls down and locked him out.

  “That’s fine, I’m tired anyhow,” she said.

  “Are you gonna tell me what’s up now?” he asked her, stroking her cheek softly.

  “You have to go,” she replied.

  “I can’t go until I know we’re okay,” he said.

  “Have you been spending time in Piper’s Lake?” she blurted.

  “Piper’s Lake?”

  “Uh yeah, next town over. Remember?”

  “For work, yes,” he replied, but he dropped his eyes and seemed to be holding something back.

  “I see,” she said and stiffened up even more.

  All the times Tom had cheated on her came rushing back like a tidal wave washing over her, leaving her gasping for air and unable to breathe.

  She wouldn’t be humiliated again, not now, and not when she was trying desperately to start over with a clean slate.

  His phone went off again and he looked at it, frowned and said, “Listen, I’m working a lot this week but promise me you’ll save Saturday night for me. I have something to show you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I can’t tell you, I have to show you,” he said with a lopsided grin. “I’m not fooling around if that’s your worry. But we’ll talk about it when my workload isn’t so crazy, okay?”

  “Fine,” Abbey replied and let him walk her to the front porch.

  He tried to kiss her quickly there, but she turned her face at the last minute and his lips landed on her neck.

  “Dammit, Abbey,” he said and sighed. “Everything will be clear on Saturday. I’m not trying to hurt you.”

  She heard his words but she couldn’t feel them. Her fear and insecurities wouldn’t let her feel them.

  As David drove away, Abbey watched and Tom’s voice came back, wrapping itself around her heart until it squeezed hard enough that it hurt.

  He’s going to her. He doesn’t care about you, you’re just another conquest. How could any man love you enough to be faithful?

  She choked back a sob and went inside, found her dad waiting with some tea and welcome distraction.

  She didn’t know if she believed David or not, and she didn’t know if she ever would.

  How could such a damaged woman ever give him what he deserved?

  He should be with somebody free of baggage and devoid of cracks.

  He should be with somebody like Sam.

  Abbey didn’t deserve him.

  Sam came up to her at work the next day and said, “I want to apologize for the other day.”

  “What for?” Abbey replied.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you by talking about David. I was just excited and forgot that you seem to like him.”

  “I don’t like him, he’s a friend and that’s all.”

  �
��Oh good because we’re going out tonight.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, he invited me to the movies,” Sam said with a smug grin.

  “How nice for you,” Abbey replied and her heart turned to stone.

  This felt like every time Tom was busy with friends or working too hard at the ranch only to find out he’d been banging any little cowgirl who slowed down enough for him to catch.

  And only to find out that everybody in their friends circle or his family knew about it, but not Abbey.

  She was too stupid and really too naïve to ever think anything of it.

  Even when the evidence was too great to ignore, she chose to stick her head in the sand and hope he’d keep away from her if he was occupied with somebody else.

  Not this time though, she refused to let herself go through it again.

  She would see him on Saturday and she would finally tell him it was never meant to be, she wouldn’t be played by him and she needed time to get over her marriage.

  She wasn’t even divorced yet anyhow, why was she pining for David?

  Tom’s voice gave a smug laugh inside of her somewhere and when her fear won, it felt satiated and content.

  Chapter 10

  Abbey managed to mostly avoid Sam the rest of the week, although she couldn’t help but notice Sam’s smug satisfaction the day after her supposed date with David.

  She walked around the entire day humming to herself and wearing a sly smile, as if she had a secret that she was bursting at the seams to tell if only Abbey would ask.

  Abbey refused to ask. In fact she refused to look at Sam much at all.

  Friday rolled around and the kids were excited about the weekend. Snow had been forecast once again and her dad had promised to take them snowmobiling if they got enough in the fields.

  After dinner that night her dad got the kids to bed and she made hot chocolate and lounged on the couch with a good book. She didn’t get much reading done, she was checking her phone every ten seconds for David’s text. As much as she was irritated by the whole Sam dating thing, she was still dying to know what he had in mind for her tomorrow.

  Her dad came down the stairs and ran his hand through his thinning hair. It struck her then how much he’d aged since she was a little girl, but how much better he looked since they got here.

  “Those kids have too much energy,” he chuckled and sat in his recliner near the fireplace.

  “Tell me about it,” Abbey replied and set her book down, giving up the illusion of reading once and for all.

  “You’ve done a good job,” he told her, “in spite of everything you’ve been through.”

  “It’s been tough,” Abbey said, “I won’t lie. Being with him was tough.”

  “I know you haven’t said much about your life over there, but I can see it in your eyes,” he Dad replied. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” Abbey asked.

  “I failed you,” he replied, a pained look in his eyes. “I failed at my most important job, after your mother died you needed me more than ever and I failed you. I couldn’t protect you from a man like Tom.”

  “I chose to marry him,” she said, feeling the weight of his emotion heavy in her heart. He had suffered after her mom’s death, both of them had. “It wasn’t your fault. There’s nothing anyone could have said to stop me.”

  “I guess even David couldn’t do it,” her dad said. “What chance did I have?”

  “David never said anything back then,” Abbey replied and heat reached her cheeks as she thought about David’s kisses and her jealousy.

  “He didn’t show up at your wedding?” her dad asked, seeming surprised.

  “No, was he?”

  “He said he was. He showed up here like a bat out of hell demanding to know where it was happening. I told him the courthouse, and he babbled on like a mad man about stopping it, saving you and letting you know how he felt.”

  Abbey’s mind stilled long enough for her to understand the revelation. Back then she’d been so in love with Tom that she’d agreed to marry him as soon as he’d asked. He hadn’t wanted to spend money on a big wedding, so she’d let him talk her into a simple date before the judge at the courthouse.

  At the time it hadn’t bothered her, but in many fights since he had brought it up, telling her he was ashamed of marrying such an ugly woman and that’s why he hadn’t wanted it to be a public event.

  Abbey wondered if David had been there, she thought she’d seen him out of the corner of her eye when they’d exited the building, but hadn’t paid much attention. Tom had carried her out in his arms, and she’d kissed him the entire time he’d dashed down the steps, her joy bubbling out of her like cheap champagne bubbles.

  “He loves you, you know,” her dad said, breaking into her memories. “He’s been loyal to you for years now.”

  “I doubt that, he has a reputation of sleeping around,” she laughed acidly.

  “Sleeping with a woman and loving a woman are two different beasts in a man’s heart,” he said. “You should know that by now. David has never fallen in love in spite of them women he’s been with, that oughtta tell you something.”

  “I…I think I have feelings for him too,” Abbey admitted, feeling lighter for saying it out loud.

  “No shit, Sherlock,” her dad chuckled and got up out of his chair. “Now do you want me to make you another mug of hot chocolate while you check your phone every two seconds?”

  Abbey laughed and handed him her cup. “I guess I can’t keep much from you, old man.”

  He walked to the kitchen and Abbey finally felt her phone buzz. She looked at the screen and David had texted her, sending her heart into a dizzy flutter.

  Tomorrow at six, meet me at the old Anderson farm.

  Abbey replied yes, but wondered what the heck he was up to and why he wanted her to come to their neighbor’s abandoned ranch.

  It didn’t matter though, not as much as the fact that he’d sent her a message and she would see him again tomorrow.

  Abbey was lucky that the kids had been excited to have a movie night with her dad. They had begged him to watch some Disney cartoon, but he’d convinced them to watch one of his favorite old westerns.

  “As long as it’s not violent,” Abbey said as she headed out the door. “These kids don’t need to see that kind of thing.”

  “Not violent at all,” her dad reassured her, “it’s got some fighting but it’s pretty PG compared to most movies these days.”

  Abbey checked her phone, she had fifteen minutes to meet David and find out what the heck was going on.

  “Just go,” her dad said and waved her away. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah, we’re fine!” Zach grinned and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table.

  “Okay, I get the hint, I’ll let you guys have your party,” Abbey laughed.

  Sophie lifted her soda can and looked equal parts guilty and excited. Abbey was thrilled that the kids were so comfortable around her dad. They’d bonded with him in the short time since he’d been in their lives.

  Once again she realized she’d made the right decision. Leaving Tom had been the right choice all along.

  Her heart was full as she walked to her truck, shivering in the chilly air. It felt like snow, but there were too many stars showing for it to happen tonight.

  She watched for the driveway to the Anderson Ranch and almost missed it. She slowed down and drove carefully down the long and winding driveway, it was overgrown since the Andersons had moved away and been unable to sell the place.

  David’s truck was already parked in front of the old ranch house so Abbey pulled up behind it. She stepped out and looked up. The house was still a little run down but light blazed from the windows on the first floor.

  The door opened wide and David stepped out looking more like a mythical warrior than her best friend from high school.

  Abbey bit her lower lip to prevent herself from gasping, but she couldn
’t help her body’s reaction to his muscular frame. She strummed with desire and felt liquid heat swirling around in her stomach.

  But she was still insecure and worried about Sam. She could still feel the shame of betrayal after Tom’s many affairs, and she didn’t know if her body would ever let that go.

  David walked down the steps towards her, his smile as bright as the sun and his eyes twinkling with some untold secret.

  “What’s going on?” Abbey asked as he got close. “Why here?”

  “This is the surprise,” David grinned and swept his hand around the farm yard.

  “What is?”

  “The ranch,” he said, staring down at her with his violet eyes shining.

  “The Anderson place?”

  “You can officially call it the Edwards place. As of today,” he said and held up a set of keys, dangling it between them.

  “You bought it?” Abbey exclaimed. “This is such a big amount of land though, can you handle it yourself?”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he replied with a wink. “Now before we talk shop, come in and eat. You’re officially my first guest.”

  Fighting the rising ache in her body, Abbey simply nodded and followed him into the house, yanking her hand back as if his touch was fire when he brushed against hers.

  “It’s pretty simply, just some comfort food. You still like lasagna I hope,” he said as they walked through his front door.

  “I do,” Abbey replied, and man did she ever. She could dive into a pool of lasagna and die happy. Tom hadn’t let her have it though, he’d always been afraid of carbs and how they’d make Abbey fat.

  Even when she begged him during her first pregnancy, he’d denied her, telling her she was already a whale and leaving her carless and alone at the house munching on rice crackers, sobbing at her plight.

  And she hadn’t known it then, but he’d left her to go into the arms of some woman he’d met somewhere along the long months of rodeo. Abbey never knew if Tom told his women he was married, or if he’d lied to them too.

  It didn’t matter then, and it didn’t matter now but it felt like a sliver in Abbey’s heart that was still festering and throbbing with pain every time she tried to dislodge it.