by Rachel Ryan
Brady glances at me.
“Are you okay, man?”
Nodding my head, I reassure him that I am fine.
My eyes follow where Levi is pointing and I tell them we need to stay together. We have more chance of helping Abbi if it’s three against one. We move quietly in the direction of the cabin, treading lightly on the dried grass, leaves and twigs. I’m really starting to get nervous about what we are going to find as we approach the side of the cabin, hiding behind trees and ducking behind bushes. We watch carefully for any movement inside the cabin before we creep along toward the back deck and mount the three steps.
There is a small square window just to the right of the back door, so I slowly inch closer to it, staying low to avoid being seen by anyone inside. I crouch down below the window and rise slowly, peeking through the corner. All I can see is a table and a couple of chairs and an old armoire in the corner. There is a floor lamp beside the armoire lighting up the small room. The lamp is on, someone is here. I look over at Levi and Brady and shake my head, letting them know the room is clear. Levi crawls to the door and gently tries the door knob. He nods at me and stands up, before slowly walking inside the cabin, with me and Brady following closely behind him. I close the door softly behind us and scan the room. We are in a small foyer beside the kitchen, the door leading to the kitchen open. Levi enters the kitchen and Brady follows me in the other direction. We enter a small living room containing a sofa and an armchair arranged around a large timber coffee table. There is a small end table in the corner with another lamp and a couple of small trinkets. Apart from the lamps there is no sign of anyone being here. I hear a sound coming from behind a door on the other side of the living room and walk toward it.
There is another thud from behind the door, just as I reach it. I glance back at Brady and see Levi enter the living room, and I signal to them to let them know that I’m going in. As I turn the door knob, I don’t know exactly what I’m expecting to see, but when I push the door open slightly, the sight of Abbi lying on a bed in her underwear, a large patch of blood on the side of her face, makes my heart stop. I swiftly walk toward the bed not thinking to check the rest of the room, but I am stopped in my tracks when there is a loud bang in my ears and a sharp burning pain in my back. The pain is severe and as I stumble toward the bed, I suddenly can’t suck in a breath. I feel like I am choking as I reach the bed. The last thing I see before I pass out is my beautiful Abbi, lifeless on the bed. As the darkness pulls me under, I don’t care if I don’t survive this. I can’t live in a world where she doesn’t exist.
Chapter Sixteen
Beeping.
All I hear is beeping.
My alarm sounds different. I reach blindly for the nightstand, but my hand is just hitting air. The beeping continues as I lift a hand up and rub my eyes. I open my eyes and blink repeatedly, trying to focus. As my vision starts to clear, I see a white ceiling, white walls and a lime green curtain. I try to sit up, but the dull ache in my chest stops me. Movement beside the bed grabs my attention and I turn awkwardly to see a beautiful vision that takes my breath away.
Abbi. My gorgeous Abbi. Am I dreaming? I roll onto my side so that I am facing her. She looks so beautiful. Her hair is pulled back into a messy bun and I can see an ugly purple bruise on the side of her face, but she is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
“Shorty?”
She opens her eyes, blinks a couple of times and her eyes meet mine. She stares at me for a few seconds before her gorgeous face lights up in the prettiest and most contagious smile I have ever laid eyes on.
“Jake.” Leaning forward on the chair, she takes my hand in hers. “How are you feeling?”
Once again I try to shift into a sitting position, but my body won’t cooperate. Abbi grabs a control off the side of the bed and holds down a button, making the top half of the bed rise up. She fixes the pillows up behind my bed and straightens the blanket, while I just watch her in silence, her beauty leaving me breathless.
She notices me watching her and flashes me a toothy grin.
“You really gave me a scare back there, Jake.”
“Me? What about you? I thought you were gone. When I saw you lying on that bed, I imagined the worst. What the hell happened anyway?”
She sits on the side of my bed, her hand resting on top of mine and tells me the details of what happened after Daniel shot me. Apparently, after I went down, Levi had busted into the room and knocked Daniel out with the tire iron, while Brady called for help. Cameron had heard the gunshot from the car, picked us up and drove along the highway to meet the Ambulance. She mentioned that the Doctors said I had lost a lot of blood and if I had bled for a few minutes more I wouldn’t have made it. According to the Surgeon, the bullet had hit my back and gone through my abdomen, just missing my liver, which was very lucky. Brady had stayed behind with Daniel and tied him up while he was still knocked out. When the Police arrived he was awake and they arrested him on the spot.
“I’m so sorry I put you in that situation, Abbi. I’ll never forgive myself.”
She shakes her head. “What are you talking about? It’s not your fault. Why would you think that?”
Closing my eyes, I try to push away the overwhelming feeling of guilt.
“I should have been here. I should have been with you. I never should have gone to Perth.”
She leans forward, staring into my eyes. “Don’t you dare blame yourself, Jake. If anything, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been so careless where Daniel was concerned. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you, but he was sending me all of these messages and some of them were a little frightening. I should have told you, I’m sorry.”
“Abbi, I understand why you didn’t tell me about all of that. I’m not angry, I’m just so thankful that you are okay.”
She leans down and presses her soft lips to mine and I close my eyes, so glad that she is okay. Suddenly, she pulls back abruptly and I open my eyes to see her worried expression.
“What’s wrong, Babe?”
“What happened with the test? Is the baby yours?”
Shaking my head, I grin up at her and watch the relief cross her face as she brings her mouth back to mine. I pull her down onto the bed beside me and wrap an arm around her, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent and whispering in her ear how much I love her. I fall asleep some time later, with Abbi wrapped in my arms and my heart back in one piece.
Three days later I am released from hospital and Abbi picks me up and takes me to her place, which is where I will stay for the next week until I have recovered a little more. I am still experiencing quite a lot of pain in my abdomen and am under strict instruction to not lift anything heavy or do anything too strenuous. Abbi volunteered to be my nurse and I am looking forward to it.
Daniel was refused bail and is being held until his court trial in seven weeks. Jessica came to see me at the hospital before I was discharged and told me that he was looking at a minimum of twenty years for attempted murder, kidnapping and various other charges. I really feel sorry for her, and hope that she can get through all of this drama and get on with her life. The last few months feel so unreal, like a really bad movie. I never would have guessed that when I moved to Sydney to find Abbi, that I would have been competing with a psychopath and eventually be shot in the back. I’m just so glad that it all worked out and she is safe.
***
After a week of lying on Abbi’s sofa and having her take care of my every need, I feel a little sad knowing that soon I will have to go back to my apartment. I have become a little too comfortable waking up to her each morning and it’s going to be hard leaving her again. But my wound is healing well and I am becoming more mobile, plus, I hate the fact that I have to rely on her so much when she has been through so much. She has taken some time off work and it will be at least a few more weeks before I will be returning. Lacie and Corey will be visiting this weekend and Cameron decided to organise a little get toge
ther at ‘The Joint’ to celebrate the end of the drama. Abbi has been a little quiet and is still working through some of the trauma from being kidnapped and the abuse she suffered from Daniel. She keeps trying to reassure me that apart from hitting her with his gun, he didn’t really hurt her, but I just don’t want her to keep it all bottled inside and suffer alone. I suggested that she find a therapist but she insists that she doesn’t need one. I’m hoping that eventually she will talk to someone about what she went through, but I won’t push her if she’s not ready.
Chapter Seventeen
Over the next few weeks, everything seems to go back to normal, well, as normal as it is going to get. Abbi decided to return to work a couple of weeks after the incident with Daniel and she seems to be back to her cheerful self. There are still odd moments where I catch her staring into space with a sad expression on her face and I find myself wondering if she’s thinking about him. After a week of staying with Abbi, I moved back to my own apartment, but I have spent most nights with Abbi at her place or mine. It’s like neither of us wants to be away from each other. The news about Abbi’s kidnapping was a big deal and when we finally went back to work, everyone seemed to know every little detail. I ended up going back to work after three weeks off, and now all of our colleagues and students are aware of our relationship, there’s no hiding it. Apart from a little pain in my abdomen every now and then, I have healed completely and I am feeling really good.
Abbi and I haven’t been intimate since before the incident with Daniel, I think she is worried she will hurt me and I am a little hesitant as I don’t know if she is ready yet. We’ve slept together every night since and a couple of times we have come close, but she always pulls back at the last second. Tonight, though, as I lay on my back in Abbi’s bed, with her draped across me in her tiny silky pyjamas, I don’t think I can hold off any longer. All I have to do is look at this girl and my dick is instantly hard. Her bare, toned arm is draped across my chest and as I tilt my head to place a kiss on her shoulder, I hear a sigh escape her pretty mouth. Running my fingertips up and down her arm, I feel her shiver and she lifts her face to look in my eyes. The intensity in her gorgeous blue eyes makes my heart stammer and I flip her over onto her back, only feeling a slight ache in my abdomen, but not enough to hold me back. I hover over her and take in her beauty, her dark hair surrounding her on the pillow, contrasting with her sapphire blue eyes, the high cheekbones, sculpted brows and soft, pink lips. She really does take my breath away.
“I love you so much, Abbi.”
Her lips turn up slightly at the corners and she pulls my face down until we are nose to nose.
“I love you too, Jake. More than you can possibly know.” We make love slowly and softly and afterwards curl up in each other’s arms and just before I drift into a deep and content sleep, I decide that I am going to ask Abbi to marry me.
The next morning I am sitting at the table with Cameron while Abbi is in the shower. My coffee is getting cold as I stare blankly into my cup.
“Hey, are you okay?” Cameron’s voice snaps me from my thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just…can I ask you a question? Do you think Abbi is happy with me?”
Cameron’s face spreads into a massive grin.
“Are you freaking kidding me? I’ve never seen her happier. It’s sickening, she’s constantly walking around with a smile on her face and she never stops talking about you. Yeah Jake, she’s got it bad. Why?”
“I want to marry her, Cameron.”
Cameron’s grin gets bigger and her eyes look watery as she just stares at me.
“Oh my God! Are you serious? You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“No, Cameron. It should have happened years ago. I have loved her since I was fifteen years old and I have spent way too much of my life without her. I don’t want to waste any more time. I’m going to propose to her.”
Cameron claps her hands and giggles like a little girl.
“Jake, you are a smart man. You two are so meant for each other. When are you going to pop the big question?”
“I don’t know…soon.”
Chapter Eighteen
It’s now the start of February and Abbi is getting excited about Lacie and Corey’s upcoming wedding. Over the last month we’ve had a couple of trips back to Coffs Harbour for last minute preparations, as Abbi is the Maid of Honour and I’m Corey’s Best Man. We spent a couple of days with Abbi’s parents, which was nice. They have always been really nice to me and seem to be happy that we are finally together after all of these years. After the trouble with Daniel they had wanted to come and stay with Abbi, but she had assured them that she was fine and I was taking care of her.
On our last night at her parents place I finally get a chance to be alone with Abbi’s Dad, Richard to tell him about my plans to propose and to ask for his blessing. We are sitting in the two armchairs in his games room watching a game of football when I bring it up.
“So, Richard, I want to marry your daughter.”
His head snaps to mine, eyes wide, and then his lips curve up in a massive smile.
“I think that would be just fine. That girl has been in love with you for as long as I remember and when you left she wasn’t the same for years. Through the whole mess with that scum you proved just how much you care about her and what you are willing to do for her. Jake, I would be happy to call you my son.” He reaches out his hand and I grasp it in mine, glad that it went that smoothly.
“Thanks Richard, it means a lot to hear you say that.” He gives me a wink before turning back to the football game. Abbis’ Dad is a man of few words, but when he does speak it means something. I am touched by his comment about being happy to call me his son and I wish that my Dad was around so I could share my happiness with him. When I told my Mum about my plan to propose to Abbi she had gushed about how happy she was that I was ready to settle down and how ecstatic she was that it was with Abbi. She then reminded me that she’s not getting any younger and I need to make her a Grandma soon.
***
One afternoon after work, I meet Levi and Cameron at a small jeweller’s shop in the city. Cameron insisted on coming along to help me choose a ring and demanded that Levi come with her.
We walk around the store looking for the perfect ring that Abbi will love, but nothing is jumping out at me.
Just as I begin to move to the next display, a small, silver ring catches my eye.
“Excuse me.” I call to the store clerk. “Can I please see this one?”
She looks to where I’m pointing and smiles.
“Ahh…yes. A beautiful choice.” She unlocks the cabinet and carefully lifts out my ring of choice placing it down on a piece of black fabric. “This is a one point five carat Princess Cut Diamond set in a platinum upswept, hand engraved band. It’s beautiful and very unique.”
“Cameron. This is the one.”
She comes to stand beside me and her eyes nearly pop out of her head when she sees the price tag. It’s a lot of money, but totally worth it. The ring is perfect and I smile to myself when I picture it on Abbi’s delicate little hand.
“I’ll take it.”
***
The week before Lacie and Corey’s wedding, we drive up to Coffs Harbour with Cameron and Levi for the Bachelor and Hen’s parties. It was my job to organise the bachelor party, so I booked out a private function room at one of the local clubs and invited around twenty five of Corey’s closest friend, including some that we had gone to school with and after a game of paintball in the afternoon, we met up at the club for some poker and drinks.
The alcohol is flowing and I have already lost close to a hundred dollars on the poker game, which isn’t really my thing, but I know Corey enjoys it. I make my way over to the small bar and order another beer while pulling out my phone to see if I have any messages or missed calls from Abbi. Nope, nothing. The girls are out for the Hen’s night and I can’t help but wonder what kind of mischief they are up to righ
t now.
“Checking up on her already?” I look up and see Levi grinning at me and I smile back.
“You know me too well, man.”
“She’ll be fine, Cam will look after her.”
Chuckling, I tuck my phone back in my pocket.
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
At the far end of the room, the main door flies open and a couple of girls stumble through, obviously a little intoxicated. They are closely followed by a larger group of girls and in amongst them I spot a head of dark hair and bright blue eyes that make my heart speed up.
A smile spreads across my face as I watch her stumble toward me, towing Cameron and Lacie behind her. Lacie is wearing a veil covered with little rubber penises and I hear Levi chuckle beside me.
Abbi stops right in front of me and gives me the sweetest, drunk looking smile I have ever seen and I am lost. I’m lost in her beauty, in her magnificent blue eyes that just pierce through my soul.
“Hey, stud.” She actually giggles and it’s music to my ears. I haven’t seen her this happy and carefree since Daniel and I’m loving it.
“What are you girls doing here? Did you miss us already?” Lacie spots Corey over at the poker table and saunters toward him and Cameron drags Levi over to the soft couches in one corner of the room, leaving me and Abbi alone.
She slowly steps closer to me, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously. I am really trying hard not to take her in my arms and make love to her right here on the floor. As she gets closer, she wraps her slender arms around my waist and gazes up into my eyes.
“You’re right, I did miss you.”
Leaning down I place a gentle kiss on her lips, my eyes not leaving hers.