14. Abigail
FOURTEEN
ABIGAIL
I had to say, there was something nice about having a new man in my life. And I thought it was sweet how he nudged me awake with his sweet little paws. I opened my eyes as a soft meow spilled from his furry mouth.
“Well, good morning to you too.”
Mid-morning sun streamed in through the curtains. I glanced at the glowing red numbers on my nightstand. Oh, yeah, I’d overslept. Falling asleep next to Rex Montgomery wasn’t as easy as it had been the night before. I’d kept my body stiff at the edge of the bed so as not to accidentally touch him. Any part of him. He hadn’t said much to me last night, and that had been fine by me.
I rolled over and found the other half of my bed empty. I yawned and sat up as Winston jumped onto the edge of my headboard in front of the window and walked along it like a balance beam.
The lawn mower hummed beyond the single pane of glass. Who was mowing the lawn? I pushed the curtains aside and squinted in the light. Rex pushed the mower along the fence’s perimeter with a tight grip. His tanned, rounded shoulders popped in his heather-gray tank top. He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand as I wrinkled mine. I hadn’t asked him to mow my weeded grass.
Winston’s tail brushed the side of my face, pulling my attention back to him. He sprang off the bed and went to the door, crying to be let out.
“You must be hungry,” I said, and he meowed a reply. I climbed out of bed and dressed in my day-old jeans and T-shirt and grabbed a cardigan before heading out. Containing a slew of new messages and emails I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with right now, my phone got stuffed in my back pocket, and I cursed the state of women’s jeans when half of it stuck out the top. The moment I opened the door, Winston zipped down the hall at the same time as a loud cackle cascaded against my walls. I froze. There was more laughter. Female. And definitely more than one.
Who was at my house?
Padding downstairs, I followed the sound of mingled conversation and laughter to my kitchen, where I found Blair holding court with what seemed like a hundred other women but was probably eleven. The back door was propped open, and a few of the women moved to the back patio, fruity drinks dangling from their fingers.
“Oh, Abigail!” Blair said as she poured another drink and handed it to a waiting woman. “You’re finally awake. All my bridesmaids have been dying to meet the woman who came after me when I broke it off with Rex. ”
“Bridesmaids?”
“All eleven of them! My bestest fwiends in the whole world,” she added, using high-pitched babytalk, which made me want to throw up a little.
I forced a smile. “All eleven of them…at my house.”
“We’ve catered a lunch,” Blair explained. “Maybe you should take notes if you want to host events in the future. You know, so you can learn how to properly treat your guests?”
“Ha,” I replied, which was all I could manage while three stick-thin women wearing matching “brIDE TRIBE” T-shirts came tumbling through the back door.
“Oh, he is yummy,” the first woman said, flicking her glossy dark brown hair over her shoulder. She looked at Blair. “Not as delicious as Donny, of course.”
Blair shrugged, falsely demure. “You said it, Tammy.”
I moved to the pantry and took Winston’s food off the top shelf. There was no sign of the cat in here—too many people—so I grabbed his food and water bowls and carried them out to the living room. The clatter of his food against the metal bowl made his head appear from under the sofa, his eyes darting to the doorway.
“And those shoulders!” one of the bridesmaids was gushing. “Are you sure he isn’t single?”
“He’s dating Abigail, believe it or not,” Blair replied, her voice pitched to carry. “What he sees in her, I have no idea.”
Winston slinked closer, looking tense.
“I know,” I told him, putting an extra few bits of food into his bowl in consolation. “But they’ll be gone soon.”
He glared at me and turned to his breakfast .
“Not to be rude or anything,” another female voice said in the kitchen, “but is she really in the same league as him?”
Bristling, I considered turning left instead of right and heading to Sophie’s café for breakfast. She’d be there with a kind smile and a cookie as big as my head, and everything would feel a little bit better.
But then Blair laughed and said, “What do you think, Stace? I mean, look at her house. I hope he doesn’t marry her, because I couldn’t bear the thought of having to invite her to family events. Could you imagine the Photoshop I’d have to do on the pictures?”
Grinding my teeth, I swiveled my head toward the right. This was my house, dammit! I would not let these people run me out of it!
Bracing myself, I headed back into the kitchen. The mower sounded strange, more high-pitched than usual, and I glanced out the window to make sure it wouldn’t explode in Rex’s face, or something—and saw him swinging a weedwhacker against my fence line. Now, where had he gotten that ? I definitely didn’t own one.
“We were just saying how lucky you are to be dating such a hunk,” the dark-haired bridesmaid said to me, smiling. She looked perfectly genuine, and I knew she wasn’t.
I smiled right back at her. “We’re happy.” I walked to the counter and started the coffee machine. They were all drinking alcohol, but in my frame of mind, I thought it wiser to abstain. Otherwise, one more insult to me or my home might end up with someone getting a serious smackdown.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee made me relax slightly. I grabbed my favorite mug, and my butt buzzed. Grabbing my phone to check it, I smiled at the notification from my bank telling me another commission had just come through.
A thrill went through me. No matter how many times I did it, I loved making a sale. It made me feel like I could actually do something right. And today, that reminder of my success was helping me get through the Bride Tribe invasion…until Blair interrupted my moment of serenity with another one of her jabs: “What I’ve been wondering,” she started, blinking innocently, “is whether the two of you really are that happy, Abigail.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “When Rex and I were together, he couldn’t keep his hands off me. I haven’t seen him give you so much as a peck on the cheek.”
I shrugged to hide the way her comment made me want to bristle. “We’re not really into PDA so much.”
“Oh, when we were dating, it wasn’t a conscious choice. He would just grab and touch and stroke anytime I was within arm’s reach!”
“That’s how Xander is with me,” one of the other bridesmaids said, a blonde with chin-length hair, nodding before looking at me sympathetically. “But honestly, sometimes it’s just too much to be wanted that badly. I’m actually a little jealous. I wish my boyfriend would give me a minute, but it’s just non-stop!”
“Oh, I know what you mean,” Blair tittered. “You just know your man is craving you, day and night, right, ladies?”
Heads bobbled in agreement.
I dumped a load of sugar in my coffee, seething, then turned and said, “I’m secure enough not to need public displays of affection to know that my man wants me.”
“Oh, it’s not about being secure,” Blair said, frowning as if she was breaking terrible news. “When a man wants you that bad, he just can’t help himself.”
I realized my fist was clenching around my mug. I forced a smile. “You’re lucky to have that, Blair.”
“Aren’t I? I mean, Rex was something special, though.” Her eyes took on an interested glint. “Tell me, Abigail, does Rex still do that thing with his tongue?”
A throat cleared, and we all turned to the door, where Rex stood in sweaty, muscled glory. His skin was red with exertion, and he flicked his gaze between Blair and me before saying, “You got any yard waste bags? If I leave all the grass trimmings on your lawn it might kill the grass underneath, and your compost is too full to take them all.”
“Great idea,” I said, slamming my mug on the counter so hard the coffee sloshed over the edge and burned my fingers. I hissed, then yanked open the drawer where I kept my garbage bags—the closest thing I had to a yard waste bag (I did not actually know the difference). “I’ll help,” I told Rex, grabbing the whole roll and shouldering my way outside.
Half a dozen bridesmaids were lounging on my covered porch, and my shoulders hiked up near my ears at the sight. This was my sanctuary they were desecrating. Not wanting to make a scene, I reminded myself that this was happening because I had to prove to my brother—and everyone else—that I could handle myself. I would not fly off the handle. There would be no more jail time for Abigail Stone. No sir-ee.
I tore a garbage bag off the roll and flicked it open, then bent over to grab a handful of grass clippings. They smelled earthy and fresh, but even one of the best smells in the world couldn’t make me feel better. I glared at the clippings, thinking of Rex in that tank top. Did he have to go and be so nice? Did he have to swan around showing off his muscles in front of Blair?
“Abigail,” Rex said, catching my elbow as I reached for a pile of clippings. “Hey. Abigail. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Can you slow down?”
“We need to get these clippings off the lawn before the grass dies. You said it yourself.”
“It’s not going to die in the next ten minutes.”
I stood up and faced him. “What?”
The sun caressed the planes of his face and glinted gold off his dark hair. He had stubble this morning, as if he hadn’t bothered to shave. Sweat dotted the middle of his chest, and the sight of it made me feel resentful. Why did he have to be all manly and gorgeous all the time? Even dripping in sweat, he was hot! It wasn’t fair.
His shoulders dropped. “Look, I know you’re not happy with me right now.”
“I’m not happy with a lot of things right now.”
He took a step toward me. “I really, really appreciate you doing this for me, Abigail. I hope you understand that. I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said yesterday when we were out here…” He trailed off, shoving a hand through his hair.
I kicked at a clump of grass. It was nice that he acknowledged that I was actually doing him a big favor.
“Look, you were right,” he finally said. “Donny is old enough to handle his own shit, but I’ve been too used to saving him from every disaster. If I could’ve saved his knee by taking the injury on myself, I probably would’ve done it. But he’s a grown man, and it’s time I started treating him like one. ”
I glanced up to meet his gaze. “We wouldn’t be in this situation if you’d had the guts to tell him that a few days ago.”
“I know,” Rex replied, but his gaze shifted away from mine. He was hiding something.
A memory twigged. Yesterday, Blair had made a comment about the wedding’s RSVP. I took a step closer. “Hold on a minute,” I said quietly, a crazy thought entering my mind. It couldn’t be true…but how else could I explain Blair’s comment? I stared at Rex and demanded, “It was more than a few days, wasn’t it? You told them you were dating me when you RSVP’d to the wedding, didn’t you?”
Rex’s nose wrinkled, and after a long moment, his eyes dragged back to mine. “I can explain.”
My jaw dropped. “You told them you were dating someone, or you told them you were dating me?”
“It just came out!”
“‘It just came out?’” I hissed back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’d just seen you at Sullivan’s earlier that day, and when Donny asked me who my plus-one was, I just… I just said your name, okay? It wasn’t… I’m not… It isn’t…”
The porch door swung open, and Blair’s perfectly styled blond head poked out. “Trouble in paradise?” she asked innocently. “Is everything okay with you two lovebirds?”
At this rate, I’d have to go to the dentist and get a mouthguard, because my teeth grinding was out of control. I waved the garbage bag at her. “We’re discussing lawn maintenance and have differing opinions about the compost.”
She didn’t believe me, obviously, but she shrugged and went back inside. Through the windows on the enclosed porch, I could see the entire wedding party staring at us through the glass.
“We have an audience,” I pointed out.
Rex flicked a quick glance over his shoulder, then turned back to face me. “After this is over, I’ll be firmer with Donny. I have you to thank for that, Abigail.”
“That’s great,” I said. “After this is over, I’m going to book a trip to an all-inclusive resort and drink so many margaritas my tongue will shrivel up from all the salted rims.”
Rex huffed and caught my arm when I moved toward another pile of grass clippings. “The other thing I wanted to tell you is I’m sorry.”
My heart clanged. I paused. “For what?”
“For yesterday, when Gabe was here. We were rude to you. I can see how he doesn’t believe you can handle yourself, but I shouldn’t have gone along with it. I should’ve stood up for you instead.”
Heat rose up my neck. He’d read me so easily. What else could he tell just by looking at me?
“You’re a capable, intelligent woman, Abigail. I never want you to think I don’t believe that.” Oh, hell. I was going to cry. Rex knew it. He moved to block our audience’s view of me, which I simultaneously appreciated and resented. “Can you forgive me?”
I folded my arms, thinking it was strange for a man to be asking for my forgiveness. I wasn’t used to it. I didn’t know what to think, so I said, “Sure.”
“Then we’re good?” he asked. I nodded, and he glanced back over his shoulder. “What was Blair talking about when I walked in? ”
I waved a hand, staring at a spot over his shoulder. “Just how you were all over her when you were together. Couldn’t keep your hands to yourself, apparently. She was wondering why you’re not that way with me.”
Rex’s fingers touched my chin, angling it slightly so I had no choice but to meet his eyes. He looked soft and teasing and dangerous, as if there was some hidden reserve of mischief inside him that was begging to be cracked open.
I studied his expression, tilting my head back. “Is the whole good-guy thing an act, Rex?”
He shook his head, the corner of his lips tugging. “No. But it’s not all I am.”
“Oh?”
He turned slightly, tilting his head toward the house. “You want to give them all something to talk about?”
“Like what?”
He stepped closer, his hand sliding against my jaw while his other hand curved around my waist. Our chests pressed together, and Rex’s eyes danced. “Like this,” he said—and he kissed me.
And I mean really kissed me.