I rubbed my temples in an attempt to rid myself of the headache I felt like I’d had for the last week. “I might have said she was one to talk. Then I might have said something about her hiding out with bees, pretending she hadn’t broken your heart.”
Hunter closed his eyes. “Son of a bitch, Bishop.”
“Dude, I felt like a dick as soon as it came out. Don’t worry, though, she made sure to tell me I was an asshole before she ended the call. I was so pissed at myself for taking my anger out on her, I threw my phone at the wall.”
Hunter’s gaze snapped to mine. “That’s how you broke your phone?”
I nodded. “I’m telling you, women are going to be the death of me.”
“Amen to that, brother.”
Hunter’s phone beeped, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “It’s from Kyle.”
That piqued my interest. “What did he say?”
“He just says all is fine. Girls are enjoying themselves, and they’re almost to the top.”
We both looked over toward the mountain ridge Kyle had taken the girls. It was a clear day and I knew he wouldn’t put them in any danger.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Hunter said, breaking our silence.
“Yeah, I know. Why do you think they both wanted to go hiking?”
Hunter let out a bitter laugh. “Hell if I know. I’m tired of trying to figure Arabella out. I wish I could move on, but it’s fucking hard when you gave your heart and soul to someone and they let it go without a second thought.”
I turned and looked at Hunter. “I have a feeling it wasn’t that easy for Arabella to let you go. She still has feelings for you, Hunter, or she wouldn’t have made that comment about Brighton.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” His gaze met mine. “What are you going to do now that Abby is back in town to stay?”
“Fuck if I know. A part of me wants to pull her into my arms, and another part wants to tell her off. Every time I see her, I’m a jumbled-up mess of emotions. I saw her in the grocery store the other day and hurried down an aisle before she saw me, then fucking stalked her through the store. Tess finally hit me on the side of my head from behind and told me to grow some balls and go talk to her.”
Hunter laughed. “Damn, leave it to Tess. No wonder Maggie was never able to get away with anything.”
“I feel sorry for Maggie, having a mother like Tess. The woman seems to show up at the oddest damn times.”
He laughed again, then turned serious. “You gonna take Jax’s advice and talk to Abby?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I just need some time to process the fact that she’s back and how that makes me feel.”
“I get that.”
Jack barked to get Hunter’s attention. He picked up the ball and threw it once more. “I better get going,” he said. “You want to meet up tonight, drink a few beers? I already invited Aiden and Kyle. Adam had to go to Boston for a few days.”
I smiled. “You just want to get the scoop about what happened today on the trail.”
He huffed. “Like you don’t want to know.”
There wasn’t any arguing with him on that one. “What time?”
“I’ll order pizza, so come by around seven.”
I slapped Hunter on the side of the arm. “Count me in.”
Picking up the ball, Hunter smiled at Jack. “Let’s load up, bud. Playtime’s over.”
Jack ran over to Hunter’s Explorer and stood at the back. Hunter opened the door and Jack jumped in. After he was loaded up, Hunter took off his coat and threw it onto the passenger seat.
“You need me to bring anything besides the normal six pack?” I asked.
“Nope, I’ll get the food, you guys bring the brew.”
“Sounds good. See you later. Be careful out there.”
He smiled. “Always am.”
After he shut the door and started the vehicle, I stepped out of the way and watched as he drove down the long drive. Then I walked over to the barn.
I stepped in, glanced around, and smiled. My mom was busy getting all the displays dusted and ready for opening day next week. Ken and my father were standing off to the side behind a large display, most likely hiding from Mom so they could drink what I already knew was spiked hot apple cider. My folks always came back to Boggy Creek in November and stayed through the first few opening weekends to help out. They both loved it, and it was an excuse to get out of Boston for a bit.
“Catherine Harris, do you never stop?” I asked as I approached my mother. She turned and gave me a warm smile. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she was dressed in her signature jeans and Wonderland Tree Farm long-sleeve shirt. I got my blond hair and blue eyes from my father’s side. As well as my tall frame. Even though my father was in his mid-50s, he was still a built motherfucker.
“I love keeping busy, you know that, Bishop,” my mother said.
Stopping in front of her, I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’d be lost without you, Mom. Thank you for doing this. The season crew starts next Wednesday.”
Her smile grew bigger. “You know how much I love opening day. I’m hoping this snow stays on the ground to give us that wintery Christmas feel. Puts people in the buying mood.”
I glanced out the window. “I think today is the last snow for at least the next six days.”
She laughed. “This is New Hampshire, Bishop. A snowstorm can pop up from someone sneezing.”
“What did you do to make Dad and Ken break into the spiked apple cider so early?”
With a quick look over at the two men, Mom rolled her eyes. “They’re hiding because I asked them to go get me two trees to put out so we can decorate them. Look at these adorable ornaments.”
I picked up a silver Christmas bulb, admiring its design. “Where did you order these from?”
“A company Abby had written down. I found her notebook last summer when I was digging through her desk.”
When I didn’t respond, Mom stopped what she was doing and looked at me. “Have you seen her yet?”
I nodded. “Twice.”
“And how did it go?”
“Not so great.”
“Mmm, I see. She called me, wanted to know if we could meet her for lunch sometime this week.”
I set the ornament back down in the box. “What did you say?”
“I said yes, of course. You certainly don’t expect us to turn our backs on her, do you?”
“Has she ever called you in the last two years?”
She lifted her chin. “As a matter of fact, yes. She always calls your father and me on our birthdays, and also on holidays.”
“Ha. And because of that, you’re willing to just open up your hearts again and welcome her home?”
Mom’s shoulders dropped as she brought her hand to her hip. She gave a little sigh and then took my hand. “Bishop, I’ve tried really hard to keep my mouth shut during all of this. Am I happy she up and left you—”
“Divorced me, Mom. She divorced me.”
With one quick nod, she went on. “Am I happy she left and then divorced you? Of course not. Your pain is mine, but her pain is also mine.”
I gritted my teeth for a moment, trying to keep my temper under control. “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t really give a shit about her pain.”
“Bishop Harris,” my mother scolded. “I know I raised you better than that. I also know you lost a child that day, and I feel that pain with you too. But something tells me there’s a deeper issue here for Abby. Something caused that girl to run not only from the love of her life, but from her friends and family as well. You know Abby better than any of us. Does that sound like a woman who was in her right mind? To up and leave everyone and everything she loved?”
I let her words sink in. This was the second time someone had pointed out that maybe Abby hadn’t been in her right mind.
Mom went on. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to give the girl a few minute
s of my time if she’s finally ready to tackle that burden she’s been carrying.”
“Burden?”
My mother’s face softened. “You have so much anger inside of you, Bishop, and I don’t blame you. All I’m saying is, if you want to unload your own burden—your hurt and anger—then you need to talk to her. If you never want to speak to her again, that’s your choice and your right. But until you make peace with it, until you both make peace with each other, you’ll never be able to move on.”
I dropped my head forward and massaged my temples. I knew she was right. A part of me needed to hear what Abby had to say. I had begged her to tell me once, so why was I so unwilling to hear it now?
My father cleared his throat from behind us. “Ken went to go cut down two trees. Here are the stands you wanted, sweetheart.”
Pointing to the corner, Mom said, “Let’s put one there and one in the middle of the shop, like always.”
It felt as if something twisted in my chest while I stared at the dead center of the shop. Abby used to love decorating the tree we put in the middle of the floor. The first year after she left, I didn’t put up a tree at all, even though my mother had wanted to. I’d barely made it through that first season alone, truth be told. I’d walked around like a zombie. If it hadn’t been for my folks and my friends, I wasn’t sure I would have opened the store at all.
As I stared at the spot where my father placed the tree stand, my mother’s words filled my head again.
“You know Abby better than any of us. Does that sound like a woman who was in her right mind? To up and leave everyone and everything she loved?”
Bryce walked into the store and looked around until he spotted me. “Bishop, Willa and Aiden are here.”
“Thanks, Bryce,” I said, heading back out of the shop. Aiden was helping Willa out of the truck, then he reached into the back and pulled out Ben. I smiled, watching Aiden with his son. Willa’s first husband, Brian, was a deadbeat father who didn’t care less if Ben was around or not. Willa always said it was love at first sight between Aiden and Ben, and you could see it now just by looking at them.
As I headed their way, I smiled at Willa. She had a beautiful glow in her cheeks and she drew in a deep breath, settling her hand on her swollen stomach.
“Willa, you are the most beautiful woman in Boggy Creek,” I said with a wink.
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Forever the flirt, even with an almost eight-month-pregnant whale.”
Aiden scowled. “You are not a whale; you’re perfect in every way. Isn’t she, Ben? Mommy is beautiful, just like Uncle Bishop said.”
Ben laughed and then stretched out his arms for me. I swept him up and did a little airplane action before turning him to look at all the trees. “Ben, you get first pick of the trees this year, buddy.”
He squealed in delight and pointed to the farm. “Twees!”
“That’s right, buddy. Christmas trees.”
Laughing, he buried his face in my chest and that familiar pull of longing hit me once again.
“We still doing Thanksgiving night?” Willa asked.
I tore my eyes away from Ben. “Heck yeah, we are. That is one tradition that will never stop.”
Aiden smiled. “I’m glad to be back home for it.”
Ever since I’d bought Wonderland Farms, I had invited friends and family to come out for Thanksgiving night. They picked out their trees, and we sat around the firepit and drank hot cider or hot chocolate, roasted marshmallows, and enjoyed the stillness before the crazy set in on Black Friday, the day the farm officially opened.
Looking at Aiden, who had been one of my best friends for as long as I could remember, I said, “I’m glad you’re home, too, Aiden.”
To say I was proud of Aiden was an understatement. He’d battled his demons and figured out a way to help others fight theirs as well.
Aiden looked at Ben and Willa and then back at me. “So am I, dude. So am I.”
“We brought you the apple cider,” Willa said as she walked by, careful not to slip in the snow. “I tried something new with it this year.”
I stopped walking. “Wait! You know how much I love your cider, Willa. Why would you mess it up like that?”
She stopped right before she got to the entrance of the shop. Turning, she shot me a look that should have dropped me to my knees.
Aiden walked up to me and smirked, taking Ben out of my arms. “You f’ed up now, bro. You don’t ever tell a pregnant woman she messed something up. You should probably run.”
He swept past Willa and into the shop, where I heard my mother call out Ben’s name. I brought my gaze back to Willa, who stood with her arms folded above her belly. If she didn’t look like she was about to commit murder, I’d think it was cute. “Did I say mess up? I meant, I’m so excited to taste it.”
Her eyes softened, and she gave me a smug smile. “I thought that’s what you said. I usually use gala apples and the cider is sweet. This year I went with a blend of both sweet and tart. I think you’ll be happy.”
“Oh, I know I will,” I responded. “Gonna love it, I’m sure.”
A wide grin broke out on her face before she turned and walked into the shop, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Heading toward the shop, I whispered, “Women.”
Abby
The bell above the door chimed as I walked into The Coffee Pot. Not that I didn’t love being around my parents after being gone for so long, but I had needed to get out of the house this morning and just enjoy a quiet breakfast to myself. Tess glanced up and smiled when she saw me. I gave her a wave and then made my way to one of the booths. After taking off my gloves, coat, and hat, I slid in.
“Good morning, Abby darlin’.”
“Morning, Tess.”
She gave me another smile while she poured a cup of coffee for me. “It just warms my heart to see your pretty face again, and back in time for the holidays too.”
“Thank you, it feels good to be back home. I’ve missed your food.”
With a wink, she asked, “The normal?”
I never could understand how Tess managed to remember all the dishes that folks liked. It wasn’t just breakfast, either, it was every meal. No matter what time of the day, she remembered what you liked to order. “Yes, please.”
“I’ll get that going.”
She started to leave but then stopped and looked down at me. “It really is good to have you back in Boggy Creek, Abby.”
It was my heart’s turn to warm at the tenderness in both her eyes and her voice. “Thank you, Tess. I wish everyone felt that way.”
She winked. “They do, trust me. They do.” With that, she turned and walked away.
I looked down at my phone. I’d sent Bishop a text asking if we could talk this morning. He had yet to respond. I let out a frustrated sigh and reminded myself he deserved the time to be pissed. When he was ready to talk, he would let me know. At this rate, though, I’d be waiting until next spring.
When Greer had invited me to Kyle’s birthday dinner last week, then for drinks afterward, I’d declined the invite. The last thing I wanted to do was see Bishop with his new girlfriend, and I was positive he’d bring her. I had seen the two of them in Schmick’s Market yesterday. Jax was beautiful, and I could see why Bishop was attracted to her. I didn’t want them to see me, so I’d hid in the cereal aisle like the coward I was. I’d stared at the Cap’n Crunch for so long, I’d started to crave the damn stuff and ended up buying two boxes.
I’d managed to check out and was loading the groceries into my dad’s truck when I saw Bishop and Jax walk out of the market. He’d helped her load her groceries into her little BMW, then headed for his truck. They hadn’t left together, which I had thought was strange—but then again, what did I know anymore? I turned away and threw the last bag into the backseat, returned the cart, and hightailed it the hell out of there.
I needed to get used to seeing Bishop with her, but it still hurt like a bitch.
Pulling my gaze from my phone, I glanced around the restaurant. I saw a lot of familiar faces and a few that weren’t. Most likely tourists. The light dusting of snow from a few days ago had long since melted, but it was still cold outside.
My phone went off and I grabbed up. When I saw who the message was from, my heart sank a bit. But then it brightened when I read her text.
Greer: I’m planning a little welcome home dinner and slumber party for you tonight, so bring your PJs!
Laughing, I typed out my reply.
Me: Aren’t we a little old for slumber parties, Greer????
Her response was instant.
Greer: No. We are not. Bring your favorite bottle of wine. I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Willa and Brighton.
Me: I don’t mind at all. Who all will be there besides them?
Of course, I knew Willa Turner and Brighton Rogers from when I used to live in Boggy Creek. They were younger than us and we hadn’t hung out all that much, but I knew that Willa and Arabella had become closer friends after I left. She’d told me that her, Greer, Willa, and Candace met often for lunch. Brighton still lived in Boston, but she joined them whenever she was home.
I also knew Arabella’s feelings toward Brighton had changed since I’d last left. Brighton and Hunter’s little fling obviously bothered her, even if she’d tried to hide the fact when I’d asked her about it on our hike. But she’d finally admitted that she’d been insanely jealous of Brighton, and might still resent her a little for sleeping with Hunter.
Greer: Besides you, me, Willa, and Brighton, Arabella and Candace will be there.
That made me raise my brows. I hit Greer’s number.
“Hey! What are you up to?” she asked.
“I’m at The Coffee Pot.”
“Oh, wish I’d known, I would have joined you. What’s up?”
“Um, so…Arabella and Brighton.”
She's the One (Boggy Creek Valley Book 3) Page 11