I sat in my car and watched Arabella walk past the bookstore and head to the private entrance to Greer’s apartment. My mother had told me that Greer had met someone, a writer by the name of Hudson who lived in New York City and had come to Boggy Creek to finish a book. He and Greer had ended up falling in love. She was moving out of her place above the bookstore and moving in with him soon.
Arabella walked through the door. Once it clicked shut, I glanced around. When I got out of my car, I pulled my hat down a bit more and ran across the street. A light dusting of snow was on the ground, and I was surprised there wasn’t more, with it being early November.
I pulled out my keys and stared down at the two extra ones on my key chain. I’d never taken them off. One was to Greer’s apartment, the other was to the little cabin Arabella lived in behind her folks’ house.
Unlocking the door, I headed up the steps. My heart pounded in my ears and I fought to keep my breathing controlled.
Stopping outside the door to Greer’s place, I closed my eyes. I could hear Greer and Arabella’s muffled voices. They were most likely trying to figure out who had written the note asking Arabella to come to the bookstore.
With a deep breath, I lifted my hand and knocked.
Silence. Then whispered voices.
I smiled and called out, “Greer? Bella?”
I thought I heard my name, followed by rushed footsteps. The door flew open, and Arabella and Greer stood there with identical shocked expressions on their faces.
God, I had missed these two.
Greer grabbed me, pulled me into her arms and hugged me as tightly as she could.
“Abby!” Arabella shouted as she wrapped us both in her arms. We stood there for a few moments, just hugging one another, before Greer stepped away and released me.
“Oh my God, you’re here! Wait, when did you get into town?”
I let out a strangled laugh. “I got in yesterday. I was the one who sent you the note, Arabella. Sorry, I didn’t really want anyone to know I was back in town, not yet…” My voice trailed off and I looked at Greer. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d be down in the bookstore, but I saw Arabella coming up through the private entrance, so I just followed her up. I still have a key, so I let myself in.”
It was then I noticed someone else sitting behind Greer and Arabella. I froze for a moment and then said, “Oh, I didn’t know you had company.”
Greer reached for the woman’s hand. “Abby, let me introduce you to Candace Reynolds. Candace, this is Abby Harr—um…Boyer.”
I gave Candace a warm smile. She was stunningly beautiful. Golden-brown skin and warm chocolate eyes that held so much kindness, I instantly wanted to get to know her. Her black curly hair was pulled up, and she returned my smile with one of her own as she replied, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Abby.”
“Greer told me a lot about you,” I said. “I mean, when I was still living here. I’ve been gone for a couple of years. I think you had just moved to Boggy Creek when I, um…left.”
Suddenly, Candace’s eyes went wide. Her mouth dropped open and she looked at Greer, then back at me. “Wait. Abby Boyer? As in Bishop’s ex-wife, Abby?”
With a tight grin, I replied, “That would be me.”
Arabella reached for my hands and squeezed them. “Are you here to visit your folks?”
I chewed nervously on my lip as I watched Greer and Candace exchange a worried look, then I focused on Arabella. “No, I’ve, um, well…I’ve moved back to Boggy Creek. For good.”
Greer and Arabella gasped, and Candace let out a whistle. Then she chuckled. “Bishop is going to shit…his…pants.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. Hard. The fact that Candace was so on the mark was ridiculously funny. “I would have to agree with you.”
“Grab coats or jackets, Arabella and Candace. We’re all going to need a drink.” Greer took my hand and pulled me farther into the apartment, then up the staircase that led to her rooftop area. Memories of nights I’d spent up there suddenly all came rushing back.
“The bar is still up here, I see.” I giggled as I walked across the rooftop and over to the edge. From where I was standing, I had a clear shot of the other buildings in town and across the river. And in the distance, I could see the faint outline of Wonderland. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d have no idea it was a tree farm.
Turning, I started to say something—and stopped short when I found the three of them standing there, staring at me.
“You’re back for good?” Arabella asked. “That is so…amazing and wonderful and…”
“I think the words you’re looking for is ‘shocking as fuck,’” Candace said as Greer handed me a glass of whiskey.
Arabella took her drink. “Those weren’t the words, but they’ll work.”
“Why? I mean, why now?” Greer asked.
I frowned, but then figured that was a fair enough question. “I was hoping I could speak to you and Arabella before I went and saw Bishop.”
“Bishop?” the three of them said at the same time.
“Yes. I mean, he’s the main reason I came back.”
Candace’s eyes went wide again. “This town is like a damn soap opera.”
Before I could even ask Candace what she meant, Greer walked closer to me. “Abby, what are you saying? Are you here to…to…get back with Bishop?”
“I’m not really sure what I hope to do, but I do need to talk to him. To apologize, as well as to apologize to you guys. For leaving like I did. For making the biggest mistake of my life.”
Candace took a step closer and raised a single brow. “Which was?”
I swallowed hard and blinked rapidly, trying not to bawl like a damn baby. “Leaving the only man I’ve ever loved.”
Greer looked at Candace, who simply nodded, turned, and walked over to the bar. She grabbed two bottles and started back toward us.
Arabella wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I think we should sit down.”
I sat down on an outdoor love seat, with Arabella next to me and Candace to my left. Greer turned on the outdoor heaters, and I took off my jacket.
Candace set a bottle of whiskey down, along with a bottle of vodka, while Greer took the seat opposite me.
Glancing around at the three of them, I drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Before you say anything, I need to tell you both something.”
Candace started to stand. “I can leave.”
I reached for her hand. “No. I can’t keep hiding it forever. Please stay, Candace.”
She sat back down and gave me the sweetest smile.
“I’m guessing that Bishop never told you the main reason I left,” I said.
Greer and Arabella both shook their heads.
I glanced down to see that I had been pulling at the bottom of my sweater. I forced myself to stop and looked back up at them. “About a month before I, um…well, before I left…I had a miscarriage.”
Greer brought her hand up to her mouth and Arabella instantly teared up.
“We hadn’t told anyone about the baby yet, because I wanted to wait until I was out of the first trimester. We were supposed to tell everyone that very night, at a barbeque dinner we had planned for everyone. But I ended up going to the hospital instead.”
“I remember that night,” Greer whispered.
Looking over at Arabella, I said, “I was going to tell you before the dinner, since you had declined the invitation.”
She wiped a tear away. “Bishop called later, said you had food poisoning or something and were terribly sick.”
My jaw ached from trying not to cry. Lord, was this going to be my life from now on? Fighting not to cry?
“I asked him not to…” I sniffled and suddenly a napkin appeared in front me, then Greer, then Arabella. Candace had gone and gotten them for each of us. “Thank you, Candace.”
All she did was nod and sit back down.
Attempting to regain some composure, I went on. “I asked
Bishop not to tell anyone. For some crazy reason, I thought it would be better. That if no one knew, they wouldn’t ask me anything about the baby or if I was okay. I was eleven weeks along.”
Arabella took both of my hands in hers.
“The first week, all I did was cry. Bishop was, of course, right there by my side. The second week, I was so angry. Then it switched to utter shame, because I blamed myself.”
“What?” Greer gasped.
“No,” Arabella said, squeezing my hands.
“Bishop had asked me not to move these pallets of fertilizer we’d gotten in. He said he’d take care of it. I did it anyway. I…I moved them, and then a few hours later, I started to have the pain. Then…then came the blood and…I called Bishop, and he rushed me to the hospital, but it was too late. They couldn’t find a heartbeat.”
The only thing I could hear above the light roar of the gas heaters was their sniffling.
“Anyway, that was why I blamed myself. If I had only listened to Bishop. The third week, I was so confused. All Bishop wanted to do was be there for me. He wanted to talk about the baby, and that was the last thing I wanted to talk about. He kept saying we could try again. He went to a counselor and begged me to go, too, but at the time, I couldn’t talk about it. I could hardly stand to think about it.”
I lifted my chin and found three pairs of teary eyes staring at me. Slowly, I shook my head.
“I…I don’t know what happened, but something inside of me panicked. The thought of doing that again, falling in love with this little person and then getting Bishop’s hopes up, as well as mine, only to…to have it happen again? I couldn’t do it.”
Candace reached for my hand. Her warm, dark eyes instantly calmed my pulse. “First, I want to tell you that it wasn’t your fault, Abby. Most of the time when a miscarriage occurs, it’s for reasons you have absolutely no control over. When you lose a child before the twelfth week, fifty percent of the time it’s because of a problem with the baby’s chromosomes. There’s nothing you can do to prevent chromosomal problems, but it doesn’t mean it’ll happen with every pregnancy. They usually don’t happen again in future pregnancies. Have you seen your gynecologist since? Has he or she given you any indication that they see an issue?”
“N-no, I haven’t been back to see her,” I said, sniffing again.
Candace squeezed my hand. “Then I highly suggest you do. For one, you need to go every year.” She glanced around to all of us. “Everyone does.”
“How do you know about this?” Arabella asked.
Candace and Greer exchanged a look. “I was on my way to becoming a doctor. I was actually in medical school when I moved to Boggy Creek. Well,” she said with a laugh, “I had been in medical school, until I quit.”
“Why did you quit?” I asked.
Candace looked down at our joined hands and then back at me. “Medical school was my father’s dream for me. Watching Greer follow her dream made me realize that medical school wasn’t mine. So, I quit. When Greer found out, she called me and begged me to move to Boggy Creek to help her with the bookstore.”
“Wow,” Arabella said. “I have to ask, Candace, what is your dream?”
She chewed on her lip. “Baking. I love to bake.”
“And she’s so good at it!” Greer added.
Arabella sat up straighter. “No way? How am I just finding this out now?”
Candace shrugged. “It’s more of a hobby, but someday I think I’d like to dive further into it. Right now, I make cakes and cupcakes for my family.”
Arabella pointed at Candace. “We seriously need to talk. I like to bake, but I’m not very original when it comes to decorating. I’d love to have a baker for the apiary café.”
“Wait, you are not stealing her from me!” Greer stated.
I nearly laughed at the fake shocked expression Arabella had on her face. It was so good to see her happy and carefree like this. “I would never!”
Greer huffed. “You would. I know you, Arabella. I see the wheels turning in your head right now.”
Candace cleared her throat and they both looked at her. “Ladies, not that I’m not totally digging the fact that you’re both fighting over me, but I believe we were in the middle of a rather hard conversation.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
Greer scrunched up her nose. “No, Candace is right. I’m so sorry, Abby. The one thing I think you need to do is talk about this.”
“Keep talking,” Candace urged.
“Well, like I said, Bishop mentioned us trying again, and I freaked. All I could think about was how he wanted a baby and how I had failed him. The thought of going through that again scared the hell out of me—it still kind of does, if I’m being honest.”
I looked at Candace. “I met someone in Boston. She’s a therapist…a couple’s therapist. We met as friends and she never pushed me to talk about Bishop and what happened. Piece by piece, it came out over time, and really over the last year, she’s helped me to see that all I’ve been doing is hiding. I told her about the baby eight months or so ago, and I cannot even begin to tell you guys how much it helped to talk to her about it. I started to see how foolish my reasons were for leaving, and started to realize I’d been hiding in Boston because I was afraid of what would happen if I came back to Boggy Creek.”
Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Then I looked at the three of them. “I’ve been so miserable. I don’t know why I pushed Bishop away, other than the fact that I thought I was doing the right thing for him. I realized too late, though, that I didn’t want to divorce him.”
“Did you tell him that?” Greer asked.
“We played this stupid game of back and forth. He called and texted me a lot right after I left. I was so confused and lost that I couldn’t talk to him. I would either cry when I answered the phone or I’d simply ignore him. I thought if I filed for divorce, we could both move on. I was so incredibly stupid and wrong. I tried calling him, but after he got the divorce papers, my mother told me he kind of lost it. Got angry, drank a lot, that sort of thing.
“The day of the divorce, I tried to get him to talk to me. I begged him, actually. He wouldn’t. He simply wouldn’t, and when I asked my lawyer to stop the proceedings, she said it was too late. I was so upset I didn’t even think to question her on it. So I sat there and cried the entire time. I don’t think Bishop even looked at me once. When the judge granted the divorce, Bishop stood and walked out of the courtroom and never looked back. I tried calling, texting, but he’d turned the tables on me. He was the one ignoring me at that point. Eventually…we both just stopped trying. I was so hurt and angry, and honestly, just embarrassed about what I’d done.”
“Embarrassed?” Greer and Arabella said at the same time.
Greer shook her head and asked, “Why?”
“I was a coward, in so many different ways. Too afraid to talk to Bishop about my fears, so I did the only thing I could think of—I left him. God, if only I could go back in time. But I can’t,” I said with a somber laugh.
Candace had since let go of my hands, and I rubbed my palms over my thighs as I continued. “Months after the divorce—once I realized I would never be able to let go of the past, or Bishop—I decided I needed to come to Boggy Creek to talk to him. I saw him with another woman, and I felt…I felt the greatest heartache I’d ever experienced in my entire life. So I left again and went back to Boston.”
“And that’s when you stopped coming to Boggy Creek,” Arabella whispered.
All I could do was nod.
“Why did you come back now?” Candace asked.
I buried my face in my hands and cried. Suddenly, I had three sets of arms around me.
“Christ Almighty, what is this liquid leaking from my eyes onto my cashmere sweater?” Candace asked between sobs.
I laughed and dropped my hands. “Thank you, Candace.”
She wiped a tear away and nodded.
Blowing out a deep breath, I
went on. “I made the biggest mistake of my life by leaving Bishop. I tried to go on a few dates, tried to force myself to move on, but I couldn’t. I had to finally admit it to myself. I love him, I’ve always loved him, and I don’t think I can do this anymore. Live this life without him.”
We all wiped at our eyes, and I drew in another shaky breath. “I don’t know if he’ll forgive me, and honestly I don’t expect him to. But…I need to at least give him the answers he deserves. I know I can’t simply walk back—” I cleared away the sudden lump in my throat. “I know I can’t walk back into his life and expect him to greet me with open arms. I have to try, though.”
The three of them looked at each other, then back at me. My heart dropped at their shared expressions of pity.
Greer pressed her fingertips to her mouth and then said, “I don’t know how to tell you this, Abby.”
She looked at Arabella and I swung my gaze to her. Arabella opened her mouth, closed it, then opened…and closed it again.
Candace sighed. “For the love of…I’ll tell her.” I jerked my eyes back to Candace. “Girl, he’s dating someone.”
“What?” I whispered. “I mean, I knew it was a possibility, since he’d stopped calling me and I saw him with that woman, but…why didn’t my folks tell me. How long has he dated her?”
“No!” the three of them all yelled, causing me to jump.
“It’s new,” Greer stated.
Arabella nodded. “Like, really, really new.”
“Like, super new,” Candace said with a big smile, clearly thinking it would make things better. “They went on their first date alone without the little girl last night.”
My stomach twisted into knots. “Little girl?”
Greer shot Candace a dirty look. “Real subtle, Candace.”
“What? She needs to know it all so she has an idea of what she’s walking into. She’s gonna have to fight to win that boy back.” Candace looked at me. “My money is on you, though. I think you’ve got this woman. She isn’t nearly as pretty as you. But then the whole single-mom thing attracts some men… Why, I don’t know.”
She's the One (Boggy Creek Valley Book 3) Page 6