Finding Abigail (36 page)

Abby

P.S. I’m out
shopping with my new friend and she made me buy a pair of black pointy pumps. I
know you’d be proud.

I saved the
file then uploaded it to email, writing a quick message to Debbie from Steve.
“Do you mind waiting a little while, I want to check to see if she emails back.
I won’t wait long.”

“Of course I
don’t mind.” She handed me the letter I printed. I stuffed it into my bag. “But
you should delete that last file.”

“Oh right.” I
deleted it quickly along with the two emails.

“Are you going
to tell Noah? Especially since Sam and I know, it’s not fair to him.”

A feeling of
dread flared into my chest. Everything was going so well with Noah, and I was
afraid that this could threaten that. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I
know. I will soon. But with the fewer people that know, I can pretend it’s not
true.”

She frowned,
her eyes full of concern. “He’s going to be angry if you don’t tell him soon.”

“I will,
tonight. Maybe.”

She narrowed
her eyes at me, but stayed silent, picking up a book to look at. A few minutes
later a new message popped up. I opened the attachment and read:

Oh my god,
you bought a pair of heels? This new friend must be really great if she finally
got you dressing properly. I’m so happy that you’ve found someone perfect for
you. He sounds amazing. Don’t ever let someone treat you less than you deserve
again, do you hear me?

I can’t wait
to give this letter to your mom, but don’t worry, we’ll burn it after she reads
it. I feel like a spy. I love you, email me when you can.

Debbie

I printed it,
and then hit the delete button. “Are you ready?” I asked Kathy, who was reading
one of my books.

“I can’t
believe I’m reading
Wendy’s Wish
and sitting beside Abigail Watson. This
is so cool.”

My lips
twitched. “Don’t call me that in public, you saw that kid in the bookstore.”

“Well, next
time wear a hat or something, maybe some sunglasses.” We exited the library and
walked to her car.

Confession

When Kathy
dropped me off about six o’clock, I decided to go right over to Noah’s to see
if they were finished watching the game.

I was
pleasantly surprised to see the kitchen table set up with pretty dishes,
vanilla-scented candles and bright orange and yellow plump gerbera daisies. The
room smelled of flavorful meat and butter. Well, I certainly couldn’t tell him
now, he’d gone to all this trouble.

“How was
shopping?” Noah asked, coming out of his bedroom, looking oh so sexy in a black
denim shirt and jeans that hung low on his hips. His hair was tousled and
falling over his forehead.

“Great, I
bought lots of stuff.” Dropping my bags on the floor, I glanced at the table.
“Did you do this?”

“Of course I
did.”

“It’s
beautiful, thank you.” Leaving my discarded bags on the floor near the door, I
made my way over to him, stretching up to give him a quick kiss; he tasted of
beer.

He grinned,
caressing my cheek with his thumb. It was just a simple touch, but it sent a
tingle up my spine. “You’re welcome. Sit down, dinner is ready. I thought you’d
be home sooner.”

Now was the
perfect time to tell him. I was late because we had to wait for the computer to
send a message to Debbie. I could tell him now. “I got held up at the library.”
The rest was on the tip of my tongue...I just couldn’t voice it. “Mmm, what
smells so good?”
And I’m a coward.

“Stuffed pork
tenderloin, grilled asparagus, and a tossed salad.”

I sat down on
the chair he pulled out for me, and took a drink of wine, the dry fruity blend
making my tongue tingle. I hoped Kathy wouldn’t be upset with me for not
telling him, but I couldn’t ruin this lovely evening he had planned. I wasn’t
chickening out. I was doing it for him.

“How was the
naked shopping trip?” he asked with a smile that lit up his eyes, before taking
a drink of his beer.

Shaking away my
thoughts, I grinned at him, deciding to not dwell on the past and enjoy the
incredibly sexy man across from me. I picked up my fork and stabbed a piece of
pork. “Fun, I needed a girl day.”

With his elbow
on the table, he leaned forward, his chin on his hand. “These girl things you
do, is there some kind of freaky ritual involved?”

I laughed,
picking my napkin up. “Yes, but I can’t tell you, you’re a man, and men are the
enemy.”

“Come on, I
won’t tell anyone.”

I chewed the
bite in my mouth, swallowed, and took a sip of wine to wash it down. “I don’t
think so. How was your man day?”

He ran his
fingers up and down the beer bottle absently. “It was awesome. We scratched,
drank beer, watched sports.”

“You must have
been in heaven.”

“Close,” he
replied, taking the last of his pork. “You ready for dessert?”

I scraped up
the last of my food, and took the bite. He waited while I swallowed. “What is
it?”

“Me.” He jumped
out of his chair and rushed toward me, yanking me up and into his arms.

The sudden
movement took me off guard, taking my breath away. His body was hard against
mine, his arms wrapped tightly around me. “What, no cake?”

“Hey!” His brow
furrowed, looking offended. Then he grinned wickedly. “I have something better
in my bedroom.”

“Mmm, that
sounds very tasty.”

“You have no
idea.” He pulled me into his room, shoving me onto the bed. He bent down to
yank my pants off, throwing them on the floor.

“What’s the
rush?” I asked between laughter.

He paused as he
reached for my top. “I haven’t seen you all day. I’m going through withdrawal.”
He tugged the top off, leaving me in my red silk bra and matching panties. Now
he slowed down, giving me a gentle push, I fell onto the soft covers. He knelt
his knees on the foot of the bed and crawled forward, running his rough hands
along my body awaking all my nerve endings, creating multiple sensations as he
went.

He hovered
above me, his eyes full of yearning, his face serious. “I was lost before I met
you, and I didn’t even know it.” His raspy voice was a whisper, making me
shiver.

I sucked in a
breath, moved by his sweet words. I reached up to touch his face. Stubble had
started to grow, making his skin rough. He leaned into my hand, and I pulled
him toward me, at a loss for words. How could I express that he had changed my
life, brought me happiness when I believed there was no hope? How could I tell
him he was my everything? I couldn’t, there were no words to properly convey
how I felt. Instead, I would show him.

I kissed him,
softly at first, prolonging this feeling between us. But as his tongue grazed
mine, it sent a surge of need erupting inside me. I was desperate for his
touch. I broke the kiss, reaching out to undo the buttons of his shirt, he
helped, his fingers rushing. His eyes expressed the desperation I felt. While
he worked on his shirt, I moved to the zipper of his jeans and started to tug
them down.

Finally, with
all his clothes removed, I pulled him against me. The only thing between us was
my underwear. He kissed me hungrily, lapping at my tongue, tasting, teasing. It
wasn’t enough, I wanted more. I reached for him, pressing his body against
mine. He slowed, pulling away, so he could undo my bra and yank at my panties.
Now there was nothing between us, heated skin against heated skin. All I could
think was that I wanted him now. I hungered for his touch, he was the last drop
of water, and I was parched. As we filled each other’s every need, we lost
ourselves in the moment and in each other.

The next
morning I went to my place so I could shower and change, while he got
breakfast. We were headed for the barn for our weekly ride. “Hey, is that damn
tap still dripping?” Noah asked from the table where he was drinking his
coffee.

“Did you get
Mable’s?” I asked, ignoring his question.

“Of course.
After last night, I wanted to treat you.” He winked, his lips turning up in a
wicked grin.

My cheeks
heated as an image of last night flashed in my mind. “Thank you.” Taking my cup
off the table, I took a sip, savoring Mable’s flavorful blend. “And yes, the
damn tap’s still dripping.”

He stood up and
kissed me. “I’ll go take a look at it, see if I need to pick up any supplies
when we’re out.”

He slipped into
the bathroom while I sat down at the table, taking a Danish out of the bag he
left out. Just as I was about to take a bite, the door opened and Kathy rushed
in. “Hey, I can’t stay long, we’re going to Sam’s parents soon. But I wanted to
slip away and find out how Noah reacted when you told him your secret?” She
picked up my coffee and took a drink.

I glared at
her, my eyes wide, shaking my head, hoping she knew what I was thinking, and
shut up. Her brows knit together, as if to say, “What?”

She didn’t have
a chance to voice her question before Noah came out of the bathroom. Kathy’s
eyes widened, glancing at me, hesitantly. “Kathy, could you leave us alone? I
need to talk to Anna.” His voice was harsh, his eyes hard.

“Noah, I—” she
started to say, but stopped when she saw the scowl on his face. She rushed to
the door, mouthing “I’m sorry” to me before she slipped out.

My mind went
blank. This was it, I had to tell him. But what could I say? As my mind
scrambled, trying to think of how to explain, he slowly turned to face me. “How
could you tell her your secret and not me, after all the times I begged you?
You knew I wanted to help.” He paused, his eyes taking on a tortured look.
“Don’t you trust me?”

So many
emotions flooded through me, but guilt for putting that look in his eyes was
the strongest. “Yes, of course I do, more than anyone. But she found out, I
didn’t tell her.” There was desperation in my voice. He needed to know I didn’t
hurt him on purpose.

“Then tell me
now.”

I looked down
at my bare feet, unable to look him in the eye. I was afraid that after I let
it all out, things would change between us. I loved him so much, we had so much
fun together. Even the mention of Nick’s name would taint that.

When I
hesitated, anger flashed in his eyes. His hand flew out; on instinct I shrank
back, covering my face with my hands.

His hand froze
midair, and I could see now through my fingers that he was reaching for the
wall above me. His expression turned from anger to pain. “I wasn’t going to hit
you, how could you think that?”

I pulled my
hands from my face, and stood up, stepping around him, wandering over to the
window to look out, again avoiding his eyes.

“Who hurt you?”
he asked. “That’s why you’re here, right? You’re running from someone who abused
you? That’s why my grandmother told me to protect you.”

I didn’t speak,
trying to prolong the conversation as long as I could. I watched the wind whip
around the yard, creating a cyclone of colorful leaves, swirling in the air.
The trees themselves were swaying wildly in the brisk, unpredictable, autumn
weather.

He took a few
slow steps toward me, and gently touched my arms, as if I was suddenly
breakable. “Please,” he whispered. “Open up to me.”

I knew the
moment that I had dreaded since I met him had come. I could prolong it no more.
I closed my eyes and sighed, giving up, and then slipped away from him. He
watched me go into my room; his eyes were still on me when I returned, holding
a book. I took a seat on the couch, tapping the cushion beside me for him to
sit down. When he did, I handed him the paperback. He held it in his big hands,
and rubbed his thumb over the embossed stone fountain on the cover. “
Wendy’s
Wish
,” he read, his eyes shifting to mine. “What about it?”

“Turn it over.”

He did what I
asked and stared at my picture. “It’s you,” he said, gazing at me in confusion.

I took a deep
breath, resigned to tell the truth, and looked straight ahead. “My real name is
Abigail Watson. I lived in an apartment next to your grandmother. My parents’
names are James and Laura Watson. About a year ago, I went to a bar with my
sister Brenda and my best friend Debbie. I met a guy who I’d seen a few days
before, and we started dating.” I paused, my heart raced as I thought of my
next words. “Everything was going fine. I noticed that he had a temper a few
times and he was jealous, but other than that he seemed normal. He was
attentive, always complimented me, and gave me gifts. I thought I was lucky.” I
paused, taking a peek to see if he was still with me.

“I’m guessing
you were wrong,” he said, his voice low as he reached out and placed his hand
on my knee. Warmth seeped through my worn jeans giving me the strength I
needed.