A Long Time Coming (22 page)

“They’re scared.”

“Scared? Of what? I already
know the truth.”

“Yes, you do.”

“And I was held in the dark
all these years and now I want to know more. Like, what happened, and why my
dad…er…real dad couldn’t be there at all.” She had no idea where that man was.
Yet, did she care? No, not at all. Anyone who could walk away from his child
for almost nineteen years would never get the title of
dad.

“Yep, you do deserve answers,
honey. And your mom, I’m sure, will tell you…you’ve just gotta ask.” Dammit,
why did this lady have to be so sensible?

A knock sounded at the window
before she could respond, and Abigail jumped, turning to face a grinning but
confused looking David from the other side. The hand currently being held by
Mrs. A was squeezed, and then dropped.

“I love you, Abigail, just as
much as I love my own kids.” Oh no…not now. She wasn’t going to start a goodbye
yet. It wasn’t time, nowhere near close to it. Her throat tightened. It was a
wonder she could get air inside at all. “Just remember that when your kids are
big. And most importantly, you don’t have to physically be a parent to take on
the parenting title.”

Mrs. A’s breath hitched, just
when Abigail turned to look at her again. David pulled at the handle, hollering
‘
open the door’
through the glass. But she couldn’t do it just yet. She
wasn’t ready to let go. So she held up her finger, silently demanding another
minute at David. He took the hint, and backed away, surprisingly.

“He’s going to need you
sweetie, and he’s made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in my help
anymore, so—”

“He loves you…he’s just stubborn.
You know that better than I do.” Why was she pleading here? What was she
pleading for?

Laughing, Mrs. A turned to
face her, grinning as she wiped her tears away. “Ah, yes, that he is… But he
pushed
me
away, probably unknowing that it was finally time to step up
and be a man.” She shrugged, as if what she was saying wasn’t damn near
heartbreaking, “So I’m accepting it, thankful that he has you to take over for
me.”

Desperate to come across as a
non–replacement, but as simply someone who just loved a boy, Abigail spoke up,
and wrapped her hand over the tiny wrist that shook against the steering wheel.
“I can’t replace you. I don’t
want
to replace you. I could never fill
your shoes. You are his rock.” A sob fell from Abigail’s mouth just as Mrs. A
reached over and brushed her tears away.

“Aw, sweetie, that’s where
you’re so wrong.
You are.
I know that, David knows that.” No, she wasn’t
wrong. Mrs. A was the glue that held David together when he was almost broken.
“And I love you for saying that. But there comes a time in a mother’s life when
she knows it’s time to step away and let the real woman come into her son’s
life—the one who will make him a father, and make him happier than she could
ever wish for him to be.” She shrugged. Why did a simple shrug tear her up on
the inside? “I just have to do it a little sooner than most.”

Unspoken words lingered
between them as they shared the quietness of the moment. Mrs. A was the rock
needed to hold this family together, whether she believed it or not. How could
they ever be without her? She swallowed her final hiccup, but it burned her
throat so badly, that she didn’t know whether she had the ability to speak at
all anymore.

“Now, no more tears. It’s
messing up your makeup, and David would kill me if he knew I’d made you cry.”

“You didn’t, I just can’t help
it. Sometimes—”

She winked, interrupting her,
“Get out there. Show my son what he’s been missing all these years, would you?”

Yes, she would do just that.
“I…I love you Mrs. A.” Words she’d never really even spoken to her own mother
fell easily from her mouth.

“Ditto, kiddo.”

The simple phrase she used
with her own kids…she’d actually used them with her. Jesus, why did this moment
have to be so bittersweet? What did she do in life to deserve this family? This
sort of love?

Nothing. She was just lucky.
Damn, lucky…

Wow… How was it humanly
possible for this girl to get more beautiful every single time he saw her? Sexy
brown boots that hit her knees, leading up to some seriously hot jeans–clad
thighs that he wanted wrapped around him…an hour ago if he had a choice. Her
straight blond hair was pinned back along the sides giving him all sorts of
fantasies as to what he could do with that exposed neck of hers. Preferably
with his teeth first and then maybe his tongue after that… He shook his head
and leaned away from the fence to approach her. Jesus, she made him crazy. And
he loved every second of it.

His mom gave a wave from her
window, and he nodded, beyond humiliated at how this had all turned out. He
knew Abigail didn’t care about stuff like this, but he just wanted it all to be
perfect. Stupid JT, this was his fault. The guy had the whole thing messed up,
thinking the date was on Friday, instead of today… He was always on deaf mode
it seemed. Tonight he’d been working, and had no way to help him out when he’d
finally reached him ten minutes ago. But he did promise he’d make it up to him
down the road. Luckily his mom was available and could transport Abigail for
him. His mom though… shit, how much more embarrassing can things get? What was
he, fifteen again? He sure as hell felt like it, the closer Abigail neared him.
Turning needy and hardening at the sight of her body…

Yeah, apparently he should get
on with the license renewal thing. But getting behind the wheel of a car scared
the piss out of him—he had just kept that little–known fact to himself for the
past couple of years. The fear of getting behind the wheel, always worrying it
would lead to death the next time, just about consumed his life. He was
anxiety–ridden, he just hid it better than most.

“My God, are you safe in those
heels?” He teased, hobbling over to her side—completely without the crutches
this time.

She grinned, skillfully
walking her way over to him in said heels, looking like the devil and a
glorified angel, all wrapped up in one deliciously–shaped body. “Hey, don’t
start. You know I have a boot addiction.” He grinned harder. Yeah, he had a
slight addiction to her boots too. Imagining the black leather ones she always
wore, along with the nakedness of her body… Needless to say her addiction
didn’t bother him a damn bit.

Done with the fantasies, and
needing to experience the real thing, David yanked her curvy body into a tight
hug with one arm, careful not to smash the flower he’d brought with the other
one. Heaven…home…all things Abigail. She was his safe haven from all the bad.
He shut his eyes, inhaling her perfume, burying his nose deep into the curve of
her neck. God, did he love this girl.

“Besides,” she sighed, falling
into him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and mumbled gruffly into his
chest, “I know you’d catch me if I fell.”

He pressed his lower half
firmly against hers, and she sighed ever so slightly. Yeah, he’d do more than
catch her if she fell on the ground at this point.

“Come on,” he cleared his
throat, lifting a hand to cup the back of her warm neck. “The rains finally
stopped and there are no more animals around to steal your cheesecake. So it’s
safe to say we are officially alone now.” She shivered, yanking at the end of
his sweatshirt, until her hands were both stuffed in the front pocket of his
hoodie. She was trapped of her own accord. He pressed his mouth to her head,
kissing the smoothness that was her forehead.

As much as he would have loved
to just stay there—just like that—wrapped in the hold of all holds, he knew his
wooing
plan needed to get its ass in gear. His hands shook as he held
out the first yellow rose in front of them, suddenly nervous at the prospect of
telling her what it meant and why he chose this one in particular.

“It’s beautiful,” she gasped,
reaching for it, taking it into her free hand only to bring it to her nose and
inhale. Her eyes shut. She looked so angelic, so sweet that it was a struggle
to even breathe as he watched her.

“It means…” he was
sweating—literally sweating here. He could do this wooing thing. He’d practiced
with his mom, for Christ’s sake. But following through with it when it meant so
much, with the girl he was so in love with, was something entirely different,
and much more powerful. “It…it means a new beginning. Starting with friendship,
moving on to something beyond…” She stood frozen in place, not a word was on
her lips as she stared down at the flower. He shut his eyes and held his
breath. Shit. What had he done?

“David, I…” His breath was
still caught in his lungs, but he had to give her an out, especially if she
wasn’t up to being
wooed
tonight after all. His mom assured him that all
girls liked to be wooed, but Abigail was not like
all
girls, he’d tried
to explain that. God, if he fucked this up, then he was going to crawl into a
hole—let it suck him up completely.

“Abigail, you don’t have to
say any—”

“Yes, I do.” The demand in her
voice—the sudden sharpness to it—had him turning to face her fully. Her eyes
were bright and he swore, if he looked deeply enough, he could almost see her
soul. She was an open book to him, as he was to her. Vulnerable, terrified…
Wanting… Swallowing, he nodded her on, ready to hear whatever rejection or
acceptance she had for him.

“I love you. There…I said it.”

One side of his mouth tipped
up as he watched the nerves dance across her face. His own body slipped into a
state of relaxation he didn’t know he could reach. His shoulders fell, his
hands no longer shook. He studied every inch of her lips, stopping on her mouth
the longest. Her poor lips…they were already swollen for as much as she was
chewing on them. Abigail was beyond adorable. Not kittens and puppies adorable
though…
Abigail Zane
adorable. Not to mention Abigail Zane sexy, playful,
and his—most definitely his.

Tilting her chin up with his
thumb and forefinger, David met her gaze, definitely done with the avoidance
thing altogether, ready to let the inhibitions fly out the window—on behalf of
both of them this time.

“I love you more, Abs…”

“Good.” Her face was glowing.
How had he been so scared of saying this in the past? Sharing his feelings,
letting it all out there, telling her how he felt like this, was like he was
finally letting go of something he didn’t know he was holding. Saying those
words was almost a healing medicine to his soul.

Patting his cheek with her
suddenly–free–from–his–pocket fingers, she grinned up at him, looking every bit
as
free
as he felt. “So, big boy, whatcha got planned for us tonight,
hmm?” Well, seeing as though he was damn near delirious right then and there,
he really had no clue anymore himself what he wanted do beyond that moment. If
he could have just frozen the night, right then and there, he would have done
just that. Him… Abigail… Just beyond the beauty of the field where he once made
the most awesome memories of his life. Tonight though, he’d make some new
memories that went beyond scoring a touchdown…went beyond the high of the game
he’d loved so much growing up.

This…was something entirely
different.

“You’ll see.”

Giggles filled the air as he
pulled her by the hand through a tiny broken down piece of fence, and onward
through the football field that lay empty. The smell of wet grass intermingled
with Abigail’s perfume, and he grinned as he inhaled his two favorite smells.
He was going to go mad crazy from this happiness shit if he wasn’t too careful.

Clearing his throat, he
decided it was time to get his mind out of the gutter and on to the question
he’d been dying to ask ever since she pulled up with his mom. Maybe it wasn’t
exactly romantic, or woo–worthy, as his mom would call it, but it was
definitely unavoidable. She and his mom looked too serious for him
not
to
question what they’d been so secretive about in the car.

“You and Mom looked heavy in
conversation back there. What was that all about?”

She flinched, staring at the
ground beneath their feet. His brows dipped down as he questioned her again,
“Abs, come on, what are you not telling me here?” He pulled them to a stop,
right in the middle of the field, swinging her around to face him. The grass
was wet and it seeped into the material of his Converse. He shivered; the
sensation wasn’t exactly cold, just irritating, and a bit too ominous for his
liking.

“She knows…”

Eyes drawn together harder, he
growled his response, “About…?”

“The baby.”

“What? How…?”

Lips still swollen from her
teeth, she puckered them out as she answered, “Harley told her.”

He cringed, digging his
fingers into his hair. “How did Harley find… ah, fuck, for real Abigail?”

“I’m sorry David,” she
protested, eyes wide as she defended herself. “She figured it out on her own
when she found me puking in the bathroom at their apartment. I wasn’t going to
tell her, I swear. She just guessed. Kind of surprised the piss out of her when
I said it was yours though.”

Pulling her closer, David took
her hand in his. Their foreheads met, and he blew a breath over her lips,
fighting a small smile as he pictured his sister’s reaction. “It’s…fine,
really. I guess I’m just feeling pretty shitty knowing that my entire family
knew about my future before I did.”

Tears trickled down her
cheeks. God, he couldn’t take this version of Abigail. He reached for them,
drying them with his fingertips. He wasn’t mad at her, dammit. In fact, he was
glad
she’d gotten it off her chest with someone. That was too big a secret to
hold on to. It just pissed him off that they, the two of them together, hadn’t
been in the position where he would have known the truth before anyone else. He
should have been there right away, holding her hand as she got sick, or when
she read that pregnancy test and discovered the positive sign… Crap, had she
even been to the doctor yet?

Vowing to himself that he
would never miss another day of this, he gripped her hands in his tighter,
kissing her fingertips, making a secret promise to himself that he didn’t need
to share aloud yet. It’s not like he deserved to be a part of this anyways, but
he was really fucking trying here…trying to earn those firsts, no matter what
they might be anymore.

Needing to hear her voice, he
didn’t try to stop her when she spoke. “I love you, so much, David. I just
figured you’d be upset, so I was planning on waiting for the right moment to
break it to you. I’m sorry. I really and truly—”

He couldn’t take it. And he
did what he’d missed the hell out of all day. He found her lips with his and
made them swollen himself, kissing her with a fervent demand he couldn’t
contain if he tried.

Heat simmered between their
mouths, over and over, and he dropped her fingers to grab the back of her neck.
He pulled her closer, making it impossible for her to escape. But then her
hands found his chest, letting it be known, obviously, that she was in no way
ready to end this kiss any more than he was.

Minutes passed, and their
gasping chests rose and fell with wild abandon as they fell away from one
another. Damn, why was breathing so necessary at all? He could have kissed her
all night!

“David, I want…please…”

He shuddered at her plea,
knowing exactly what she wanted. He gripped her in his arms and hugged her to
his chest. He settled his chin upon her head, groaning as her body shook
against his. She was an obvious mess like he was, and as much as he wanted to
take her right there on that field—score a touchdown that in no way needed
balls made of pigskin to do so—he knew he couldn’t. He and his mom worked too
damn hard with this wooing shit, and he wasn’t about to waste it because his
other head was doing the controlling.

“I want you too, Abs. But I
want to show you something first.” She heaved a sigh that broke his heart, and
made him smile at the same time. Her disappointment was evident, but he hoped
it would be worth it in the end.

Leaning back to catch her lips
in one, final quick kiss, he spoke, articulating every word he could over her
mouth, “Don’t worry, Abs… You won’t be leaving my arms any time soon.”

Her face was flushed, her eyes
held heat that matched his own. If she kept looking at him like that, then he
might not be able to make it through dinner after all. Dammit!

“Promise?” She was breathless.
She was perfect.

“Always.”

Making out with this girl both
teased him and sufficed him at the same time. His mouth felt sated, but yet his
body always said something different altogether.

They made it to the bottom of
the bleachers without a second incident. He reached for her hand again, nodding
towards the announcer’s booth, grinning as she blinked up at him with confusion
written plainly in her eyes. “Are you ready?”

“For real… Up there?”

He shrugged one shoulder, loving
the way her eyes now lit up with excitement. Okay, so maybe the wooing thing
would be worth it after all. “Well, the ground’s too wet, and I knew where the
extra key to the box was, so…”