Greer remained silent for a moment. “Ahh, so you heard about Brighton and Hunter.”
“Oh yes, from Arabella herself. I think there might be a bit of jealousy on Bella’s part. Will she come if she knows Brighton will be there?”
“I think so,” Greer said. “But I’ll be sure she knows Bree is coming. Willa and I have finally started to get Arabella out more, and I’d hate for her not to come. I know Brighton, and if she gets even a hint that Arabella would be uncomfortable, she won’t go. When she hooked up with Hunter, she didn’t really know the whole story about how they broke up. She had a crush on Hunter in high school, and I think she was just scratching an itch.”
“Okay, well, Willa will know for sure. I have to ask…when did Arabella start speaking her mind?”
“What do you mean?”
Glancing around the restaurant, I lowered my voice. “The other day, when Hunter tried to tell her he didn’t think it was such a good idea to go hiking, she pretty much told him to stick it. He called her ‘sweetheart’, and I swore something in her snapped right before my eyes.”
“What happened?” Greer whispered back.
I lowered my voice more. “She said, and I quote, ‘I’m not your sweetheart. You must have confused me with Brighton there for a moment.’”
Greer gasped. “Arabella said that?”
“Yep.”
“Our Arabella said that?”
I nodded and repeated myself, this time popping my p. “Yep. That’s why I’m not so sure about her and Brighton being in the same room together.”
“Wow.”
“Right? Hunter jerked his head back like she’d slapped the living shit out of him. I asked her about Brighton on our hike, and she told me they’d had a little fling. That’s what she called it.”
“Yeah, I don’t think it really amounted to much. It was a fling for sure. And, like I said, I think Bree just wanted to get it out of her system.”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me.
“Anyway, it’ll probably be good for them to be together so they can talk,” Greer said.
Chewing on my lip, I replied, “Hopefully. I just don’t want to see Arabella hurting.”
“I’ll call Willa right after I get off with you and get her thoughts. So, are you in for a welcome home slumber party?”
I had to admit, it sounded awfully nice to relax with my friends. “Yes! Count me in.”
Greer let out a whoop of happiness. “Great! I’ll send out a group text and let everyone know what time to be there. And inform Hudson he needs to leave tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting him, Greer. I can tell how happy you are.”
She sighed. “I am happy. Happier than I’ve ever been, Abby. I love him.”
Smiling, I replied, “Love does that to you.”
Greer was silent for a beat before she said, “Why don’t you come a few minutes early, so I can introduce you to Hudson?”
“Yes, I’d love to meet him.”
“Great, see you later then.”
“Sounds good, see you later,” I replied and hit End.
“Date?”
I jumped and nearly let out a scream at the sound of Bishop’s voice.
Looking up, I was momentarily silenced by his ice-blue gaze staring down at me. He wore a dark brown hat that made his eyes pop even more, leaving me breathless. I cleared my throat and smiled.
“No, Greer invited me to hang out with her and some friends tonight. She asked me to come early to meet Hudson.”
He lifted a brow. “Friends?”
“Willa, Brighton, Candace, and Arabella.”
With a slight nod, he said, “Girls’ night, sounds like.”
Before I could say anything, he slipped into the booth. Tess showed up like magic. Bishop turned the coffee cup over and looked up at her and winked. “Thanks, Tess.”
“Sure thing, sweetie,” she said, pouring him a cup of coffee. “Usual?”
Bishop replied, “That would be great.” He looked at me and motioned around the booth. “Do you mind if I join you for breakfast?”
My stomach dipped, and I barely managed a reply. “Of course not.” After Tess walked away, I started to ask how things were at the farm, but Bishop spoke first.
“I wanted to apologize.”
I felt my eyes go wide. “For what?”
He cupped his coffee cup with both hands as he turned it slowly in the saucer and stared down at the black liquid. “For treating you how I did when you came to the house.” His eyes swung up and met mine. “I’m still so angry with you, Abby.”
I nodded quickly. “I know you are, and you have every right to be.”
He exhaled and looked around the restaurant. I followed his gaze. No one was paying any attention to us. When Bishop looked back at me, I held my breath.
I loved him more than anyone else. How I could have ever let him go was beyond me. But with him sitting in the booth, talking to me without yelling, I felt a sliver of hope that we might at least be able to be friends again.
When he remained silent, I took the lead.
“I need you to know something, Bishop.”
“What’s that, Abs?”
His nickname made my chest tighten. “I never stopped loving you, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret leaving.”
Bishop stared at me for a few moments before he let his gaze fall to my mouth, just for a second. Then he focused his eyes back on mine. With a swift nod, he said, “We should talk if you’re, um…going to be living here.”
I thought my heart couldn’t break any more, but his words had just proven me wrong. I nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
Bishop looked around. “This probably isn’t the place to do it.”
I looked down at my coffee, then gave him a weary smile. “No, probably not.”
Tess walked over and set my plate of food in front of me. “Yours will be done in just a couple minutes, Bishop.”
“No worries, Tess,” Bishop said as he looked down at the plate in front of me. “Two pancakes, scrambled eggs, and three pieces of bacon. Do you still dip your pancakes in syrup?”
About that time, Tess placed a bowl and the syrup in front of me, then put Bishop’s breakfast down in front of him.
I laughed. “Yes, I still do.”
He smiled, and it was the first time it touched his eyes. “I always liked that little quirk about you.”
Shrugging, I replied, “I don’t like soggy pancakes.” He shook his head, picked up the pepper, and started to shake it over his two over-easy eggs with a side of fried breakfast potatoes and bacon. The same breakfast he’d been ordering here for as long as I’d known him.
“Did you enjoy your hike with Kyle the other day?” he asked.
I paused with my fork at my mouth. “Um, yeah, it was nice to spend time with Arabella, and I think it was good for her.”
All he did was nod.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve gone hiking; I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it. Or how sore I’d be the next day.” I paused for a moment. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the day Kyle had shared with Bishop and Hunter. “Did Kyle, um, mention anything about it?”
Bishop raised a brow. “No. He just said you and Arabella seemed to need the hike.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Yes, we certainly did. I’ve missed the view from the top of those mountains.”
He stared at me for a beat too long, then went back to eating.
“How are things going at the farm?” I asked. “Are you ready for opening day?”
“It’s busy.”
So we were back to short, clipped answers. Forcing a smile, I replied, “I’m sure it is.”
We ate in silence, neither one of us knowing what to make of this shared breakfast. It was clear Bishop wasn’t interested in small talk, and I wondered why he’d sat down and joined me for breakfast. What would Jax think? Would she be bothered that Bishop was having breakf
ast with his ex-wife? I tried to push her from my mind.
Bishop finally cleared his throat. “I guess I better get going.”
I reached across the table and placed my hand on his, and he instantly froze. “Bishop, when can we talk?”
He pulled his hand back and stared at it before meeting my questioning gaze. “The only day I have free is Thanksgiving.”
I frowned. “Are you not going to your parents’?” Or spending it with Jax and her daughter?
“They’re going to New York for a few days to visit with friends and watch the parade, so it’ll be a chicken potpie for me, then, of course, the big soft opening with friends.”
I opened my mouth to invite him to our house, but then snapped it shut.
He noticed and laughed. “Don’t tell me you were about to invite me over to your folks’ place.”
I shrugged and let out a weak chuckle.
“Stop by my place on Thanksgiving—we can talk then,” he said.
He dropped some money on the table and then turned and walked away. I closed my eyes and placed my hand over my heart. I hated the way he looked at me. I hated that I was the reason
he had that look of utter defeat in his eyes.
I looked at the two twenties sitting by his plate. He’d paid for both of us and then some.
Tess walked up to the booth. “What are you doing?”
I jerked my head up. “Excuse me?”
She slowly shook her head. “Slide your bum out of that booth, Abby Boyer, and go after him.”
“I…I don’t think he wants to talk to me, Tess.”
She lifted a single brow. “That’s why he ate breakfast with you?”
I looked down at our plates before grabbing my coat and purse. I slid out of the booth and started for the door. Stopping, I turned and hugged Tess. “I’ve missed you, Tess.”
She chuckled. “I’ve missed you, too, honey. Now go.”
Rushing out of The Coffee Pot, I stopped and looked both ways while I put my coat on. Bishop had gone right and was walking down Chestnut Street. Without even thinking, I went after him.
His grandfather’s old truck was parked a block away on the corner of High Street and Chestnut. It had started snowing while we were eating breakfast, so a light layer of white covered the bare tree branches and the sidewalks and street. It literally looked like a winter wonderland.
Bishop reached his truck, and I called out his name. “Bishop!”
He had opened the truck door but stopped, turning toward me. I started to jog. Right before I got to him, I slipped, and Bishop’s arm shot out and caught me.
I felt the familiar fire the moment he held me in his arms. When our eyes met, I swore I saw it burning in his. He felt the connection as well.
He let go of me and took a step back, nearly causing me to fall again. I steadied myself and fought to keep my heart from beating right out of my chest. “I’m sorry, and it kills me that you look at me like you hate me.”
Bishop closed his eyes. “I don’t hate you, Abs.”
“Bishop. I was just…I was so lost and confused.”
“And you think I wasn’t?”
I sniffed and wiped my nose with my sleeve. “I know you were…and I’m…I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
He looked away, fighting to keep his own emotions in check. At least that was something—he wasn’t staring at me with an emotionless expression anymore.
“I know it’s too late for us, Bishop, and you’re with someone else now.”
He jerked his head back to me.
“But…but…” I stammered.
“But what, Abby? What?” he yelled.
I brought my hand up to my mouth, trying like hell not to cry. I dropped it and decided to take Aiden’s advice. “I’ve never stopped loving you, and I’ll always love you, whether you choose to forgive me or not. But I don’t want to lose you as a friend, Bishop. These last two years without you have been pure hell. I promise I’ll leave you alone…” I had to stop and take a breath between my damn sobs. “But I still want to talk, and all I can wish for at this point is that we can at least be friends.”
God, I hated how weak and pathetic I sounded.
His eyes filled with tears, and for a moment I swore he was going to close the distance between us.
My heart hammered in my chest as we stood there and stared at each other. Bishop lifted his hand and pushed a loose strand of hair back behind my ear. Something in his eyes changed, and he used the back of his hand to wipe away my tears. “I’m not dating Jax anymore.”
I sucked in a breath. I gave him a questioning look, and Bishop ran his hand down his face and let out a short, sober laugh.
“I need to figure out a few things, and it isn’t fair to keep Jax waiting. So I told her I couldn’t see her anymore.”
All I could do was nod. I couldn’t deny his words made me happy—even if I didn’t deserve that happiness—but at the same time, I knew he was trying to deal with me being back in town.
“Listen, I really do need to go, Abs. I’ve got an appointment I need to get to.”
Taking a step back, I said, “O-okay. I’m…I’m sorry to have kept you.”
I spun on my heels and started to walk back toward Main Street.
“Abby?”
Stopping, I looked back at him.
“I never…” He shook his head when his voice cracked, looking away and clearing his throat. “I’ll see you Thursday.”
Before I could utter a single word, he got in his truck and drove off.
Bishop
Soft flakes of snow fell outside as I stared out the window.
“You seem somewhere else, Bishop.”
Sighing, I turned and looked at Callie. She had been my therapist for the last year. I hadn’t gone back to the first therapist I saw after we’d lost the baby. I was too pissed at her for telling me to give Abby space. Callie wasn’t like the other counselor. She didn’t play games, and she called me on my shit.
“Abby is back.”
“Back?” she asked.
“She’s moved back to Boggy Creek, and she has literally turned my life upside down. I broke up with Jax, I can’t sleep, my mind is constantly replaying the day of our divorce. She asked to talk to me before we walked into the courtroom that day, and I said I didn’t have anything to say to her. Did I ever tell you she cried during the whole divorce proceeding? Why would she cry, Callie?”
Callie tilted her head. “I don’t know; I’m not Abby, so I can’t answer that. Why do you think she cried?”
“I don’t know…but I’m starting to think she didn’t want to go through with it. The divorce, I mean.”
“Why would you say that? What’s changed since Abby’s been back that makes you think so?”
I looked up and met her gaze. “She stopped by my place and wanted to talk.” I dropped my head back and let out a groan before I went on. “I was so angry with her that I told her to leave. Of course, I made sure she knew I had a date with Jax that night.”
Callie wrote something down. “Did you feel better letting her know that bit of information?”
Swallowing hard, I replied, “No. I felt like shit, truth be told.”
“You wanted to hurt her then?”
Nodding, I replied, “Yes. I wanted her to know how I’ve felt the last two years.”
“What makes you think she hasn’t felt the same way? You said she cried during the divorce hearing. That sounds like a woman who wasn’t sure what was happening. She was possibly confused, lost.”
“What did you say?” I whispered.
“Which part?” she asked with a slight laugh. “We’ve talked a lot about how Abby might have felt those weeks and months after she lost the baby. But you won’t ever know the truth unless you speak with her about it.”
“My mother said the same thing. She mentioned how Abby wasn’t the type of person to up and leave everyone and everything she loved, and I can’t stop thinking about that. Why didn
’t I think of that then?”
“You were dealing with your own emotions at the time. Anger is a very strong emotion, and when someone’s in their own head, they don’t tend to make sense of other people’s actions, let alone their own.”
I nodded. “I’m not sure, but I think she might want to get back together.”
“Why do you think that?”
Shrugging, I replied, “She said she’s never stopped loving me and would always love me.”
Her brows rose and she wrote something down.
“She’s coming over Thursday, so we can talk.”
“That’s good.”
“I almost kissed her today. Then I almost told her that I’ve never stopped loving her.”
“What stopped you?”
Turning to look back out the window, I drew in a slow, deep breath before letting it all out. “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t want to give her that power over me again.”
“The power to hurt you?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“By Abby coming back to Boggy Creek, do you think she’s here to make peace with you and possibly her own past? Or do you think she’s here to hurt you again?”
“I think she’s here to make peace,” I said softly. “She’s not here to hurt me.”
Callie, who wasn’t that much older than me, let that float in the air for a bit before she spoke. “You know what I’m going to advise you to do, Bishop.”
“Talk to her.”
“You said she was coming over on Thanksgiving. For the traditional meet-up with your friends, or for a private talk?”
“Private, before the get together.”
“How do you feel about that?”
I laughed. “If I had a dime for every time you ask me how I feel about something…”
She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “You pay me to get you to talk about your feelings. That’s what we’re doing. And right now, you’re stalling because you don’t want to answer my question.”
I dropped my head again and sighed. “I feel…I don’t know how I feel, to be honest.” I stood and tossed my hands in the air as I started to pace. “I want to hear what she has to say. I’m scared of what she has to say. I’m worried I won’t be able to forgive her. All I want to do is turn back time and just forget these last two years ever happened. I want to be furious with her. I want to kiss her. I want her to know I’m mad, and that she can’t just show up out of the blue and think everything is going to be okay. It’s far from fucking okay. I want to tell her I love her. And I feel guilty.”
She's the One (Boggy Creek Valley Book 3) Page 12