Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
ABBY
“ T his is so sweet, thank you.” Mom enfolds me in a hug, and as the scent of her perfume teases my nose, nostalgia overtakes me. “I can’t wait to look through this.”
“What’s that you got, Brenda?” Dad asks, tearing his gaze away from the TV.
“It’s a photo book,” Mom says, standing and showing him the book I made for her, filled with childhood pictures of us. “Wasn’t that nice of Abby?”
Dad looks at me next, a pleasant, generic smile on his face. I can’t tell if he recognizes who I am. The days he does are getting farther and fewer between. “Very nice.”
His attention returns to the television, his only source of entertainment these days. He can’t focus enough to read books anymore.
“Never mind him.” Mom bats a hand in his direction, then wavers in place, holding her hands out to steady herself.
“You okay?” I ask, almost out of my seat to help her.
She regains her balance and sits next to me again. “I’m fine. Just light-headed for a moment. I haven’t slept well the past few nights.”
“I can come over later and stay up with Dad if you want to head to bed early.”
“No, no.” She pats my knee. “I’ll be fine. Only a little tired is all.”
“Okay.” I relax back into the couch cushions.
“Oh, while I have you, what’s your work schedule like the weekend of the twenty-seventh? I was hoping to book a hairdresser’s appointment but wanted to make sure you could stay with your father.”
I hate that she’s chained to the house so often. It’s too much trouble for her trying to take Dad out anywhere, other than necessary doctor’s appointments.
“Actually, I have plans that weekend.”
She idly flips through the photo book, pausing at a picture of the three of us at a zoo. I look to be about seven or eight years old. “Which day? Tanya’s available both days, so I can go on the one you’re free.”
Admittedly, it’s highly out of the ordinary for me to be busy an entire weekend, so I’m not surprised when she widens her eyes as I tell her, “I’ll be out of town.”
“Where are you going?”
I look down at my lap, my heart pounding out of nowhere. “Seattle. I’m visiting Grayson.”
She snaps the book shut and turns to me excitedly. Dad coughs and resettles in his recliner, but otherwise isn’t paying attention to us.
“Grayson, hmm?”
I can’t help the smile that creeps over my face. “Yeah.”
“As a friend? Or something more?”
“Something more. I don’t know what exactly,” I add when she opens her mouth to prod. “But more than friends.”
She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Well, that’s exciting. I hope you have a fun time.”
Oh, I think we’ll definitely have fun . But I’m not going to talk to my mom about that.
We chat some more and when it’s quarter to four, I tell her I need to leave. Grayson said he’d stop by my house again after lunch at his mom’s to say goodbye. A proper one this time.
Grayson is already in the driveway when I get there, leaning against the hood of his car.
“I thought you said four,” I say as I get out.
He offers me an easy smile as he approaches. “Just wanted to see you sooner.”
The near-constant butterflies in my stomach this weekend escape their cage to beat their wings madly. I love the romantic things he’s been saying.
“Did you want to come in?”
The look he gives me is pure devilry. “If I do, I might never leave.”
I smile, but inwardly think that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
He kisses me with a familiarity that has my toes curling, until I hear a sharp, “Abby Walsh!” that has me startling away.
Ruth Cooper is across the street in a lime green tracksuit that has my eyes watering, her hands on her hips in outrage.
Crap. I forgot she’s started walking the neighborhood this time of day.
“And—Grayson Taylor, is that you?”
He doesn’t seem nearly as flustered as I am. “Yes, ma’am.”
“What are you doing sucking face with my librarian? Haven’t you already made your annual visit?”
Sucking face? It was a simple kiss.
“It was great to see you, too, Ruth,” he calls out, waving a hand. He presses his free hand into the small of my back and guides me up the walkway toward my door. “On second thought,” he mutters, “let’s go inside.”
I bite my lip to hide my smile as I unlock the front door, especially when Ruth shouts, “Don’t think I’m going to keep this from your mother. I have her number.”
“I’m sure you do.” This is said as he closes the door behind us. Though I know I’ll hear about it the next time Ruth is at the library, I can’t help but revel in her shocked expression as he shuts her out.
I set my keys and purse on the front entryway table. “Looks like the ruse is still going for your mom.”
“It’s not a ruse,” he murmurs, pulling me in close to him. “It’s the real deal. At least, for me.”
My heartbeat picks up. “For me, too.” I wanted to bring something like this up, but I wasn’t sure how. “After you leave here today…”
“Mm-hmm?” His lips whisper over my neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
“And I come visit you in a couple of weeks…”
“Can’t wait for that.”
“What…” I’m distracted for a moment by his palms sliding over my backside. “What happens afterward?”
His touch doesn’t falter a bit. “I want to keep seeing you.”
Relief fills me. “I want that, too.”
“How do you feel about long distance?”
“If it’s with you, I’m willing to do anything,” I tell him honestly. “I want to be with you.”
His hand comes up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. “I’m sorry I had my head up my ass last time I was here. I was so focused on leaving and I didn’t know how you felt—”
I lay my fingers against his lips. “We’re together now. Let’s go from there.” I’m tired of rehashing the past. I want to focus on the future.
He gives me a lopsided grin. “So we’re together.”
I nod, biting my lip to keep my own goofy smile at bay.
“When I was talking to Kristen earlier, she called you my girlfriend and I…” He rubs at the back of his neck, uncharacteristically shy. “I liked the sound of it.”
“I like it, too.” I kiss him, reveling in the sweetness. “I want to be yours.”
He groans and returns my kiss, wrapping himself around me. “You can’t say stuff like that right before I’m supposed to leave.”
And without even needing to defend myself, he picks me up and carries me to the bedroom, where he stays much longer than he intended before finally returning to Seattle.
Grayson’s fingers intertwine with mine, his arm a deliciously heavy weight over my side. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
His voice is a deep rumble in my ear, and I sink further into him, my back to his front, one of his thighs wedged between my own. I don’t think I’ve ever been this comfortable. Then again, I’m still getting used to the post-coital stupor he puts me in.
“Me, too,” I say, snuggling deeper under the covers. “Though I’ve only seen one room so far.”
I feel the curve of his smile against my neck. “Well, it’s a very important room.”
Upon arrival at his condo tonight, I was immediately given a thorough introduction to his bed. There will be time for exploring his place later, though. We have the next three days to be together.
The last two weeks have been among the happiest and most miserable of my life. Grayson and I have been in constant contact, texting throughout the day and on video calls with each other at night, but even being practically glued to the hip with him virtually, it hasn’t replaced the visceral ache in my chest when I go to bed alone.
Tonight I can finally breathe easy. I’m here with Grayson. My boyfriend . I still can’t get over that. If I could tell teenage Abby where I am right now, she might pass out from sheer elation.
“How was the drive up?” he asks, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.
“Um…” To be honest, it sucked. I’ve never driven that far of a distance before and only plying myself with candy and a new audiobook made the trip somewhat bearable.
“Say no more,” he says before I can come up with a palatable answer. “I’ll make the drive to Crescent Pass from now on.”
“No, that’s not fair to you. We should do it equally.”
“Abby.” He squeezes my hand. “I don’t think you realize how much I’ve missed you. I’ll gladly do it if it means I get to see you.”
My heart dissolves into a puddle in my chest. I turn in his arms until I’m facing him, taking in his familiar features, the warmth of his gaze. “That’s sweet of you.”
He shakes his head, grinning. “It’s selfish. I’m a crabby bastard when I don’t get my Abby fix. Just ask Charlie.”
I match his grin. “Will I meet him this trip?”
Grayson said he’s been on the outs with him the last couple of weeks after some kind of blow up, but Charlie’s been trying to get back in his good graces.
“Yeah, we’re going to dinner with him and his girlfriend tomorrow night.”
“After the Space Needle?”
He nods. It was the one thing I asked to do this weekend, not knowing much else about the city.
“So what you’re saying is you made an itinerary?”
He groans. “Damn itineraries. I’ll never escape them, will I?”
“Hey, don’t completely write them off. Harper’s wedding week itinerary brought us together in a way.”
He considers my words. “You’re right. Itineraries are my new best friend. I’m making one every day.”
I grin, leaning in to kiss him, but I’m interrupted by my phone ringing.
“It’s nobody,” Grayson says, kissing my neck. “A telemarketer.”
“At nearly midnight?” I reach over to the bedside table where I put my phone earlier. I always answer it, half-worried it’s going to be something about my dad. “It’s a Kirkwood area code.”
“See? Not even local.”
I roll my eyes and answer. “Hello?”
“Hi, this is Dr. Chen from St. Mary’s. Is this Abby Walsh?”
“Yes,” I manage to say, my brain taking a moment to catch up. St. Mary’s is the closest hospital to Crescent Pass.
“Your mother Brenda is here. You’re listed as her emergency contact.”
There’s a sudden ringing in my ears. “Okay,” I say dumbly. What’s going on?
“She had a heart attack.”
I don’t hear anything else after that as the ringing intensifies. The next thing I know, my phone is on the bed, slipped from my grasp. I stare at it, my brain telling my hand to pick it up, to listen to what the doctor is saying, but I can’t. It’s like I’m paralyzed.
There’s something else in addition to that awful high-pitched ringing, but I can’t place it. Not until Grayson’s in my face, capturing my attention. He’s repeating my name, worry etched in his expression, but I’m unable to respond. Anything I try to say gets stuck in my throat.
He picks up the phone, his lips moving, but I can’t tell what he’s saying. There’s only this terrible pressure in my chest, weighing heavier and heavier, until I’m sure it’ll burst. I rub my hand over my heart, suddenly realizing my face is wet, that I’m crying. Am I having a heart attack, too? Is this what Mom felt like?
Oh my God, I didn’t even ask if she’s okay now, or if she… if she…
“Grayson,” I call out, my mouth working again. I look around frantically but he’s not in the bed anymore. Where did he go?
He pops his head out from the walk-in closet, pulling on a pair of jeans, the phone still pressed to his ear.
“Is Mom alive?”
He nods and I fall back against the pillows, unimaginable relief spreading through me. The ringing stops, my ears miraculously unblocked, and I focus on Grayson’s conversation with the doctor, asking about treatment and recovery, visiting hours—all the things I should be doing. He got a notepad and pen from somewhere and is writing everything down, but all I can think is how lucky I am he was here with me when I got this call.
I wipe away my tears and get out of bed, finding my clothes thrown haphazardly on the floor from earlier when Grayson stripped them off me. I fumble to get my bra on, and then Grayson’s there, helping me, my hands shaking too badly to do it myself.
“I should have been there,” I say, not sure if I’m talking to him or myself. “I wasn’t there for her, even though I always am. The one time I leave…”
“This isn’t your fault,” he murmurs, putting my shirt over my head. “We’ll get there as soon as we can.”
He pulls a duffel bag out from under the bed and brings it with him to the closet. I crane my neck to peek in, finding him packing his clothes into it. When he’s finished, he grabs my still unopened suitcase in the corner and carries them both out of the room.
“What are you doing?” I ask when he returns, not processing everything that’s happened in the last five minutes.
“I’m driving you back to Crescent Pass.”
I blink rapidly. “You’re coming with me?”
His brows furrow. “Of course I am.” He says it like it’s a given. Like it’s non-negotiable. “I’ll bring you to the hospital in the morning when visiting hours start, and I’ll stay at the house with your dad since someone will need to be with him.”
Tears leak out again, wetting my cheeks. He would do all that for me? Without me even having to ask?
I reach my arms out and he’s there, allowing me to cling to him, crying into his shirt. “I love you,” I sob, unable to keep it in any longer. Not when he’s everything I’ve ever wanted. What did I do to deserve this man?
He soothes his hand down my back, murmuring something, but I can’t hear it over my sobs. All I know is I’m never letting him go.