A soft smile played across Abby’s face.
Christina cleared her throat. “Another thing we need to understand is that each partner will react to the loss of a pregnancy differently. Some are relieved it’s over, some grieve more deeply, while others keep their grief buried deep inside. There’s no right or wrong way.”
Abby looked at her. “My biggest fear is that it will happen again, and I don’t want to withdraw from Bishop like I did before. Was it normal for me to leave, even when deep down inside of me, I didn’t really want to leave it all?”
“Shame and blame often drive couples apart—for many different reasons, not just the loss of a child. When you add in the pain of your loss, the guilt, and the feeling of unworthiness, one of two things happen: a couple grows closer together, or they grow apart. There’s no set of rules for how a parent should behave or act after they suffer the loss of a pregnancy. Your fear is a legitimate fear, Abby. I won’t sit here and say that someday, when you become pregnant again, you’ll be free of that fear. You most likely won’t be. But I think you’ll have the tools to help you navigate those feelings. You’ll worry when the baby hasn’t moved for more than six hours, you’ll question every single thing you feel. It’s all normal. Even a mother who hasn’t experienced a loss will have the same fears.
“The thing you need to remember is, even though Bishop isn’t carrying the baby, he has the same fears. And then add in his worry for you as well. As you said when we first sat down, the grief will always be with you, but as time goes by, it gets easier. It doesn’t hurt as much. Share your thoughts and worries with one another. Don’t feel pressured to start trying for a baby right away, but also know it’s okay if you have the desire to want a baby now. What I’d like to see you both do is take time together and grieve your loss. Then, I want the two of you to simply be.”
“Be?” Abby asked.
“Be happy. Be together. Be spontaneous. Be flirtatious. Be with one another. Be in love.”
Be in love.
“You know, if you keep staring at her like that, everyone will know what you’re thinking,” Kyle said as he appeared next to me in the doorway.
I let out a soft breath. “I’m just so damn happy she’s back, Kyle. It almost doesn’t feel real.”
“I know, dude, and we’re all happy to see the two of you back together.”
Turning to look at one of my best friends, I grinned. “You and Hunter, that’s all that’s left.”
“Adam. Don’t forget about Adam.”
I rolled my eyes. “Did he tell you he’s thinking of moving to Boston?”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, he did.”
“So, he doesn’t count.”
I gave Kyle a quick glance and wondered what type of woman it would take to catch his eye.
Kyle chuckled. “I could hardly find a place to park out there. I had to drive up to your house and walk down. This place is hopping.”
“I know. We may run out of trees next weekend if the crowds keep up like this.”
“That wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
“Not at all; gives me more time to spend with Abby.”
At that moment, Abby looked up and our eyes met. A wide grin appeared on her face and she motioned for me to come over to the table.
“Kyle, I’m pretty sure Arabella needs help at her table.”
He mumbled under his breath, but I knew deep down he was more than happy to help.
I made my way over to the table and stood next to Abby. “Alright, where’s my help needed?”
Abby handed me the wire. “If you could help Andrew wire his branches together, I can start making bows.”
“Bows!” one little girl called out. “Can mine be green?”
“I want red!” Andrew stated.
Abby laughed. “I’ll make red, green, and white. Then you can pick.”
The rest of the kids started calling out what color bow they wanted. Abby chatted with each of them as she made bows, while I helped Andrew make his wreath. Every now and then I would glance over at her. She worked flawlessly with the kids, and I knew she was going to make an amazing mother. I couldn’t wait until the day I saw her holding our child in her arms.
I felt my eyes grow wet, and I blinked rapidly.
Someone tugged on my shirt. “Excuse me, sir?”
Glancing down, I looked into the sweetest pair of brown eyes. “What may I help you with, young lady?”
“My daddy said you grow all the Christmas trees.”
I nodded. “I do.”
She motioned for me to come closer, as if she had a secret to tell me. I leaned down and smiled. Cupping her hand to my ear, she whispered, “I like the s’mores more than the trees, but don’t tell Daddy. He likes the trees.”
Laughing, I stood and crossed my fingers over my heart. “Your secret is safe with me.”
She turned and scampered back over to her father, who held up his finished wreath and showed it to his daughter.
Abby walked up and slid her arm around my waist. “What was that all about?”
I smiled and looked down at her. Her hazel eyes caught the sparkle of the twinkly lights that were strung across the ceiling of the room. God, she was so damn beautiful. I wanted to bend her back and kiss the living shit out of her—and would have done it if there weren’t so many kids in the room.
“She wanted to tell me she liked the s’mores better than the trees.”
Abby giggled and watched as the father and daughter held up their wreaths and got their picture taken before they made their way out of the craft room and back into the main area of the barn.
“I’m exhausted,” Abby said, leaning her body into mine.
“Was this your last class?”
“Yes, thank goodness. I let Arabella talk me into doing this one. People were so sad when they found out we weren’t doing any more. When the kids look up at you with those sad puppy dog eyes, how can you say no?”
I laughed. “It’s simple, you say no.”
She shook her head. “Tell that to Arabella.”
“You two were up early this morning in the greenhouse. Are you sure you still want to have a Christmas Eve luncheon?”
“Yes! I’m so excited for it.”
I pulled her against me and wrapped my arms around her. “If it makes you happy, then I’m all for it. And you’re sure you don’t need help? I can hire someone to clean up the greenhouse.”
She shook her head. “Nope. We’ve got all the plants out already, and this morning we started giving everything a good cleaning. It almost looks brand new.”
I felt my smile slip some, but before I could say anything, Abby pressed her finger to my lips. “No more feeling guilty. We both promised.”
“You’re right,” I said before I kissed her on the nose. “Let’s clean up this room, then I’m taking you back up to the house, and we’re sitting in front of the fire.”
A sexy grin appeared on her face. She lowered her voice and asked, “Just sitting by the fire?”
Before I could reply with my naughty version of what we’d do by that fire, Andrew ran up to us. “Thank you, Ms. Abby, for helping me with my wreath!”
“You’re so welcome, but it was Mr. Bishop here who really helped you.”
Andrew looked up at me and offered a toothless smile. “Thanks!”
He pushed past us and into the main area of the barn. Arabella and Kyle walked up and joined us. When a mom and her two little girls looked like they might make their way into the craft room, Kyle shut the door, nearly in their faces.
“Oh, Kyle, we could have showed them how to make a wreath,” Arabella protested.
“No more wreath-making for me,” Kyle stated, shooting me a dirty look.
“You didn’t enjoy helping people make wreaths?” Abby asked.
He huffed. “Not when the older woman I was helping kept trying to cop a feel. At one point, she almost grabbed my junk!”
Arabella’s eyes went wide, and she gasped. “Wh
at?”
“Yeah,” Kyle stated. “I’m pretty sure my ass is going to have bruises where she kept pinching it.”
Both Abby and Arabella covered their mouths with their hands in an effort not to laugh. And both failed.
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, get it all out. This is why I’d rather spend time with Cat.”
“Your dog?” I asked.
“My partner. And yes. She’s the only female I can trust and rely on.”
We all stared at Kyle.
“What?” he asked, his eyes bouncing around to each of us. “Why are you guys looking at me like that?”
“When was the last time you went out on a date, Kyle?” Arabella asked.
He lifted a brow. “What are you trying to say, Arabella?”
She gave a halfhearted shrug, then lifted her hands. “I’m not one to judge; I’d rather spend time with my bees than go on a date. It’s just, you sound like someone who’s been…um…hurt by a woman.”
Kyle let out a gruff laugh. “As if. No, I’ve just come to the realization that women are too much of a pain. I’ll stick with K9s.”
About that time, my mother rapped on the door to the room before poking her head in. “Kyle, sweetheart, this lovely lady out here needs help with her bags and asked for your assistance. She said you helped her make her wreath.”
Kyle’s face went white as a ghost. Arabella pressed her mouth into a tight line to keep from laughing, while Abby tried, and failed again, to keep hers in.
Kyle grabbed Arabella and started to drag her behind him. “Why are you making me go?” she asked.
“Because for the next few minutes, or until that woman gets in her car and drives away, you’re my girlfriend.”
“What?” Arabella exclaimed. “Are you serious? Do not even try to kiss me, Kyle Larson.”
He huffed. “Like I’d want Hunter to kick my ass.”
I watched Kyle tug an arguing Arabella out of the craft room.
“I’ve got to see this,” Abby said as she followed them out.
My mother gave me a confused look. “Did I miss something?”
“Trust me, Mom. You don’t want to know.”
Abby
I stood back and wiped the sweat from my brow as I surveyed the greenhouse. Taking in the sparking-clean windows and floor, a smile slowly grew across my face. With all of the plants cleared out, Arabella and I had spent nearly a week washing the glass walls and then cleaning, buffing, and waxing the concrete floor.
“It looks like a totally different place,” Arabella said, standing next to me. “It’s going to be beautiful, Abby.”
“I think so. Especially if it snows. The tulle actually looks like snow!”
Arabella linked her arm in mine. “I know. I am so glad we decided to drape it from the ceiling.”
Kyle walked up behind us and sighed. “And I’m glad I found you two trying to drape it from the ceiling. You both would have broken your necks putting up all this white stuff.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked at him as he studied the flowing rows of tulle he’d helped us hang.
“It’s called tulle, Kyle. And we would have been fine. Although, I feel like you had a sixth sense that we needed your help,” I said with a smile in his direction.
He winked. “I would have to agree with you on that one. It was like I knew the two of you were back here about to fall to your deaths while secretly planning a wedding. Bishop and Hunter would never forgive me if I let something happen to you.”
Arabella opened her mouth to say something, then shut it when Cat came running up and dropped her tug toy at Kyle’s feet. He mindlessly picked it up and gave it a small toss. “You mean to tell me Bishop hasn’t been the least bit curious what you two have been up to back here?” he asked.
Arabella shook her head. “He thinks we’re decorating for the Christmas Eve luncheon.”
Kyle glanced up, taking in the ceiling again. “You know what I think we should do? Add lights along that tulle.”
Arabella and I exchanged a quick look and tried not to smile.
Fixing my gaze on the ceiling, I replied, “I think that’s a great idea.”
Kyle’s mind was apparently still working since he went on. “And, with all the clear glass in here, it really brings in the outside with the trees and snow. Willow had these tables she rented out once at an event at the apple orchard. They were clear glass, and the chairs were clear as well. I think you should ask her where she got them. That way, they won’t compete with the outside. Instead, it’ll reflect it and make it feel like one big open area.”
I was positive my mouth was hanging open as I stared at Kyle.
When neither of us replied to his suggestion, Kyle looked at me, then Arabella. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Who are you and what have you done with Kyle?” I asked, slowly shaking my head in amazement.
He folded his arms over his chest. “So just because I’m a guy, I can’t see the vision you’re going for?”
“No,” Arabella stated. “It’s because you’re Kyle. When did you start thinking like this?”
He frowned. “Excuse me, but I also have a romantic side. I simply choose not to show it.”
My brows shot up. “A…romantic side?”
“Yes, Abby,” he said with a note of agitation in his voice. “Just because I’m single and like the occasional hook-up, doesn’t mean I’m not a romantic. Someday I’d like to see a beautiful bride walk down an aisle toward me.”
Arabella and I exchanged another look before I walked in a circle and took in the greenhouse. “I think you’re right. We can put white lanterns on the tables.”
“With greenery around the bases,” Arabella added.
“Tree clippings. Lord knows we have enough of them,” I said, feeling my excitement grow even more.
“What about fake chandeliers?” Kyle added. “You could hang—” he looked up—“maybe three of them down along the center.”
“Fake chandeliers?” I asked.
He nodded. “My cousin used them at her wedding last summer. She got married in a barn that didn’t have electricity. They didn’t want to use candles, with it being a barn and all. They used chandeliers with battery-operated lights. I can call her and see where she got hers. She might even still have them.”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” Arabella said as she clapped her hands. “It’ll give off a romantic vibe for sure.”
Kyle beamed with pride. “I’ll call her right now.”
As he walked across to stand on the opposite side of the greenhouse, I made my way closer to Arabella. “What happened to Kyle?” I whispered. “Did I miss something when I was gone?”
She looked just as befuddled by this version of Kyle as I was. “Not that I know of. But then again, I’m not exactly a pillar of gossip.”
“I’ll ask Greer. Maybe she knows what in the world’s going on with her brother.”
“Not yet,” Arabella said. “He’s like the wedding planner from heaven. Let’s get all we can out of him, then we’ll question Greer.”
I laughed. “Good thinking.”
“Great news!” Kyle said, nearly skipping over to us. Cat was at his feet, obviously feeling his excitement. “My cousin still has the chandeliers, and she said you can use them.”
“Oh my gosh, really?” I threw myself into Kyle’s arms. Cat jumped up on me and barked while Kyle laughed. “Thank you so much, Kyle. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. What else do you need me to do before I head out to find Bishop?”
I took a look around. “I want to keep it simple, so I think just the lights up on the tulle and then the chandeliers. If you can help with that, then I’ll get the table information from Willa. Hopefully we can still get them since it’s so last minute. We won’t need many, though, for our family and close friends.”
“Are you doing a cake?” Kyle asked. “Please tell me you’re doing a cake. You know how much I love a good cake.”
>
Arabella chimed in on that one. “I already talked to Candace; she’s going to help with the cake. I can bake it, but there’s no way I can decorate it, and she has the talent for it.”
“Does Candace know it’s really a surprise wedding?” Kyle asked.
I nodded. “Yes, but she promised not to utter a word to anyone.”
Arabella pouted and crossed her arms in front of her. “It came at a price though. She’s making me go to Boston.”
Kyle lifted a brow in question. “Why?”
Rolling her eyes, Arabella said, “According to Candace, I’m much overdo for a makeover. She wants to have a spa day. Do you know what a spa day is in Candace’s world?”
Kyle shook his head as he chuckled. “I can only imagine.”
“It’s going to a spa, getting a facial, a massage with hot stones—hot stones! How does that sound like fun? Then a manicure and pedicure, then it’s off to the best hairdresser in Boston, according to Candace. She said, and I quote, ‘Someone needs to fix your hair.’” Arabella reached up and grabbed a strand of her blonde hair. “What’s wrong with my hair?”
Lifting his hands, Kyle said, “I’m not touching that question with a ten-foot pole. That’s like asking if an outfit makes you look big. Nope. Not answering that at all.”
I laughed. “You’re a smart man, Kyle Larson.”
He winked at me. “Thank you.”
Sighing, Arabella said, “I don’t want to go to Boston, but I’ll do it for Abby and Bishop, because they deserve this day.”
“It’ll be fun, Arabella.” Kyle leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She stiffened, but only for a moment. I was positive Kyle noticed, but he acted as if he hadn’t. “I’m going to head on out. I’ll text you when I get the chandeliers, Abby, and we can work out a time to finish decorating.”
I reached down and gave Cat a quick hug, then followed Kyle toward the door of the greenhouse. He reached for his jacket and slipped it on before he got to the door.
“Thank you, Kyle. For everything. You’ll never know how much this means to me.” Reaching up on my toes, I kissed him on the cheek. “Whoever lands you will be one very lucky woman.”
She's the One (Boggy Creek Valley Book 3) Page 22