Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
JUDE
“I see you invited the runaway bride to Second Sunday,” Finn remarks, plopping down beside me as I relax on the back patio of my parents’ house.
“I didn’t invite her.” I take a long swallow of my beer and turn toward my brother. “That was all Mom’s doing. I walked into the house after my run yesterday morning to find her at my kitchen table, drinking coffee and having banana bread with Abbey. For a minute, I thought I walked into the wrong house.” I roll my eyes, feigning irritation.
But when I steal a glance across the expansive back yard as Abbey helps Dylan with my niece and nephew, I can’t ignore the warmth that spreads through me. We only arrived a short while ago, yet Abbey’s already charmed everyone, as if she’s known these people her whole life instead of just a few minutes.
“She’s a cool chic,” Finn offers, his gaze trained on her as Jeremiah toddles toward her.
At a little more than a year old, he stumbles a bit on his feet, but Abbey manages to catch him before he falls. After giving him a reassuring hug, she sets him back down to continue playing.
“Good with kids, too,” he adds.
“Who are we talking about?” Beckham interjects, taking a seat in the chair opposite us. “The runaway bride?”
“Who else?” Finn replies with a chuckle. “This is the most exciting thing to happen to this family since you surprised all of us by announcing your plans to marry Haley. About time you pulled your head out of your ass.”
Beckham brings his glass of wine up to his lips, trying to hide his smile, but he fails miserably. His marriage to Haley may have started as a business arrangement, but there’s no denying it’s real now. Hell, it was real from the beginning. It just took the two of them a little longer to admit it.
“I knew there was something going on when I dropped by the taproom a few weeks ago and he was dismissive about his new employee,” Beckham tells Finn, as if I’m not even here. “I found it strange he’d hire someone who didn’t even know how to change a tap.”
“She needed a job,” I argue in my defense.
“And a place to stay?” Finn arches a brow.
“It’s just temporary until she finds something else.
“Really?” He grins mischievously.
“She’s my employee. And roommate. So whatever ideas you have, get them out of your head right now.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I asked her to dinner,” Finn retorts with a gleam in his eye.
“Don’t even fucking think about it,” I growl, my response coming out harsher than I intended.
“That’s what I thought.” He settles back into the couch and takes another long sip of his beer.
“This is good for you,” Beckham offers after a beat.
“Not you, too,” I groan. “Dylan said the same thing.”
“She’s right. It’s time you live your life again.”
I part my lips, about to argue that I have been living my life. But what’s the point? My brothers know me well enough to see through my lies.
“I know,” I say with a heavy sigh, glancing toward Abbey once more, her infectious laughter like a balm to the chaos of my life.
“You’re smiling.” Finn nudges me.
I bring my beer bottle up to my mouth. “Shut up.”
Thankfully, Mom calls us all to dinner before my brothers can tease me any further, and we all head inside. Somehow, Abbey ends up between my mom and Dylan, seamlessly blending into our family dynamic as they talk about anything that pops into their heads. Every now and then, I catch Abbey looking my way, and it sends a thrill down my spine I’m not ready to deal with.
“So, Dylan, what happened to that guy you were seeing?” Finn asks around a mouthful of lasagna, one of my mother’s specialties. “The one you met at the gym?”
“We went out once. That’s all.” Her response is dismissive as she stabs a piece of lettuce with her fork.
“No second date?” Beckham jumps in, grinning slyly. “Is it because that’s all it took for you to realize his muscles were bigger than his brain?”
“Ass.” She chucks a dinner roll at him, but he reacts quickly and catches it.
“Did he speak in full sentences or just in grunts?” I chime in. “Or worse, in motivational sayings?”
“I can only imagine how things would be in the bedroom,” Finn says softly so the kids can’t overhear.
Thankfully, they seem to be in their own little world. Maggie, Beckham’s stepdaughter, is talking animatedly about something that happened during preschool. Even though Presley doesn’t talk, she still responds with facial expressions and body language. And Maggie is somehow able to figure out what she’s saying.
“‘No excuses. Do the work,’” Finn jokes in a strained voice, making a face to mimic lifting weights.
Or suffering from severe constipation.
“‘When you feel like quitting, think about why you started,’” Beckham grunts, struggling to reel in his laughter.
“‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you,’” I offer, stealing a glimpse at Abbey, who seems to be observing our banter with interest.
“‘If it’s easy, you’re doing it wrong,’” Hayden, the oldest of us, pipes up, unexpectedly joining in on the fun.
I smile at my brother’s rare moment of humor. Lately, he’s been distant, even during these monthly family dinners our mom hosts. I can’t blame him. He just lost his wife.
But it’s nice to hear him joke again, even if it’s fleeting.
Those fleeting moments can be a big step.
They were for me all those years ago.
They still are.
“It’s official. I hate all of you,” Dylan says with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
I chuckle, sipping on my beer. “We’re just looking out for you, Dyl. We’ve got high standards for the guys who want to date our baby sister.”
“You mean impossible standards,” she fires back, stealing a glance out the window at the Ward’s house next door with a hint of longing.
She’ll never admit it, but she had a huge crush on Archer Ward in high school, the typical story of the bookworm being in love with the star hockey player. Thankfully, she kept her distance, considering how dysfunctional that family was back then. He left the day after he graduated high school and hasn’t been home since. He has no reason to now that he’s one of the biggest names in hockey.
“Speaking of siblings…” Finn’s voice cuts through. “Do you have any brothers or sisters, Abbey?”
It’s an innocent question, one most people wouldn’t think twice about.
But her family is obviously a touchy subject for her.
I attempt to interject and change the topic, but Abbey answers before I have a chance.
“A few half-siblings, with another one on the way.”
“That’s lovely,” my mom says as she takes a sip of wine. “Do you see them often?”
“I haven’t seen the oldest one since I was eighteen. And I’ve never met the twins.”
“Oh.” Mom straightens in her seat, picking up on the tension in Abbey’s voice.
“Abbey, it’s okay if you—” I begin, but she cuts me off.
“I don’t have a great relationship with my dad. I didn’t even know him until I was fifteen, which is when my mom dropped me off and said I was his problem now. So while I technically have siblings, I don’t have anything remotely close to all of this.” She gestures around the table with a wistful look. “You’re very lucky.”
We all exchange glances. We may get on each other’s nerves. May argue. May want to throttle each other. But hearing about Abbey’s rocky family dynamic puts things into perspective.
“If you ask me, it’s their loss,” Mom says softly, placing a hand on top of Abbey’s. “You’re always welcome here, sweetie. Consider yourself an honorary Lawrence.”
Abbey’s mouth pinches into a tight line, like she’s trying to hold back her emotions. My gaze lingers on her, noticing the slight shimmer in her eyes and the way her body seems to relax in the comforting atmosphere of our family home.
As if this is precisely where she belongs.
“Stop by for a chat anytime,” Mom tells Abbey as she walks us to the front door after dinner. She wraps her in a tight hug, the two of them embracing in a way that makes me think they’ve known each other for years. Not mere days.
Even Hayden’s warmed up to her, which isn’t easy to pull off.
“And you better stop by the salon to see me. I’d love to get my hands on this gorgeous hair of yours.” She pulls back, lifting one of Abbey’s curls.
“I definitely will,” she responds with a smile. “Thanks again for having me, Danielle.”
“Of course.” She gives Abbey one last squeeze, then turns my way.
“Dinner was delicious, Mom.” I lean down and kiss her cheek. “Thanks for everything.”
“Anytime.” She wraps me in her embrace, then whispers, “I like her.”
I want to tell her it’s not like that between us, but it’s not worth it. My mom won’t listen anyway.
“I’ll see you later on.”
After I say goodbye to the rest of my siblings, as well as my niece, nephew, and Beckham’s stepdaughter, I turn toward Abbey. “Ready?”
“Sure.”
The car is quiet as I drive the short distance toward the historic downtown area, the hum of the engine the only noise between us. Now that we’re alone, I can’t stop thinking about our dinner conversation.
“What you said…,” I begin cautiously, “about your mom leaving you with your father.” I chance a look her way, trying to gauge her reaction. “I didn’t realize it was like that.”
She blows out an anxious laugh. “In retrospect, tonight probably wasn’t the best time to bring it up.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I say dismissively. “If you haven’t figured it out by now, my family is extremely laid back.”
“They’re some of the best people I’ve ever met. Which is pretty pathetic, considering I just met most of them tonight. But still. They’re all great, Jude. Like really fucking incredible. I guess I just wanted to make sure you realize how lucky you are to have each other. Not many people have that.”
“I know. I may fantasize about strangling my brothers on occasion, but they’re the first people I call when I need help. Mom and Dylan, too.”
She gives me a small smile, then settles back into her seat, allowing another silence to fall between us as I drive along the mostly empty streets.
“My mom was really young when she had me,” she announces when I pull into the driveway of my townhouse and turn off the engine. “Only fifteen, so she always saw me as a mistake. I always felt like I was more of a burden than anything else. She loved to remind me of everything she missed out on because she was raising me.”
I form my hands into fists, my jaw ticking, hating she had to go through that. “That’s not on you.”
She nods, though I sense she doesn’t truly believe it. I wonder how long she’s been blaming herself for her parents’ actions. Probably her entire life.
“It got worse when she met this guy. He…” She pauses, fidgeting with her hands.
“He what?” I grind out, my muscles becoming even more tense. “Did he…hurt you?”
“Not like that. It never got that far.”
“That far ?” I shoot back incredulously, ready to demand she give me his address so I can hunt him down and give him a piece of my mind.
“He made me uncomfortable.”
“Did you go to your mom?”
“She didn’t want to hear it. Accused me of trying to ruin her life yet again. So instead of sending him away, she packed my bags and dropped me off at my dad’s. I haven’t heard from her since.”
A heavy silence hangs between us, the kind that feels like it could break something if I push too hard. I keep my eyes focused ahead, trying to process everything she just told me. Based on the few things she’s already shared, I sensed she’d been through some stuff, but this? This is a whole other level.
It makes me see her in a way I hadn’t before.
“You deserve better than that,” I say quietly, finally managing to get the words out.
Abbey’s piercing stare softens as she looks at me, an invisible tether pulling me closer to her, like a moth to a flame.
My heart rate picks up as my eyes trace over her plump pink lips. They look so soft and perfect, enticingly close to mine. What would it feel like to have them move against mine? To taste her sweetness? To hear her whimper my name?
I’ve imagined it more times than I care to admit, the idea of losing control with her consuming me more and more each day.
Maybe this is what I need so I can finally get her out of my system. Then I can go on without constantly being haunted by her.
But I have a feeling there’s no getting Abbey Rhodes out of my system. She’s the worst kind of danger, the kind that seeps into your heart and soul until you no longer remember what life was like before her.
“Want to go do something?” I blurt out, pulling away before I cross the line I swore I wouldn’t.
She blinks, obviously confused by the wide swing of my emotions.
So am I.
“Do something?” She furrows her brow.
“Why not? It’s still early.”
Plus, I sense Abbey could use a distraction right now.
Or maybe I could use a distraction and, for reasons I don’t quite understand, I want to spend more time with her, just the two of us.
“Is there anywhere open this late on a Sunday?”
“A few places.” I crank the ignition once more.
“What did you have in mind?”
I put my truck in reverse and back out of the driveway. “You’ll see.”