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My heart won’t quit hammering. From the minute she got out of that car this afternoon, my heart has been hammering like a jackhammer. And when I saw that missing person’s poster on Chase’s phone, I thought I was going to come out of my skin.
“How am I supposed to help her, when I don’t even know what’s going on? I can’t protect her like this. What else is she hiding from me, for fuck’s sake?”
She told me that she had secrets. She never lied about that, but I thought that over the past couple of months, we’d worked our way through them.
We’ve been living like a motherfuckingfamilyfor weeks. I have house plans, and the septic has already been dug and set where I plan to build her a house, for the love of God.
Everything I’ve done has been with her in mind, and she’s beenlying.
“Sure, she was scared,” I concede as I pull an apple out of a barrel and hold it out for the horse to munch on. “And I get that she could have some trust issues with the past that she has. But Jesus Christ, this isme.I’m supposed to be her safe place. I’m supposed to be the one that she can count on for anything.
“I thought she was that for me, and now I don’t know. I felt so guilty over that stupid commercial, and now my whole fucking world has fallen apart.” I lean my forehead on Blackjack’s neck and take a breath. “She talked about leaving, and I can’t have that happen. Because as fucking pissed off as I am right now, I love her. I can’t do this life without her. We’ll figure the crazy lady out because she isnotleaving.”
I hear footsteps behind me, and hope fills me that it might be Abbi, but when I spin around, I find Rem, Ryan, Chase, and Millie watching me.
“I know,” I say before they can speak. “I shouldn’t have walked out, but I was about to say some shit that I couldn’t take back, and I needed a minute.”
“I get it,” Millie says. “As long as you’re not going to do something stupid and give up on her or something.”
“No. I don’t think that’s possible. She’s my heart, beating outside of my chest.”
I look at the four of them and shove my hands into my pockets.
“I’ve already figured out who thisJanetperson is,” Ryan informs me. “It’ll be taken care of.”
“You’re kind of scary, Ry.”
“I know.” He doesn’t smile at me.
“If she’d just said something a year ago, it would all be over by now,” Chase says, shaking his head.
“She doesn’t trust people very easily. Even when she loves them,” Remington replies. “And, with all of the shit she’s been through, I can see why. We’ll just have to keep showing her why shecantrust us.”
“How is she?” I ask, kicking a rock. “Is she okay? Is she crying? Shit, I should get back in there.”
“She’s gone,” Millie replies. “She scooped up Daisy and left.”
“What the fuck do you mean,she’s gone?”
“She’s pretty insistent that she doesn’t want us to help her,” Ryan says. “She says that she won’t bring that mess here, so she’s planning to skip town with Daisy and run.”
“And youlet her go?” I stare at Chase. “You fucking let her go?”
“She hasn’t done anything wrong,” he replies. “The missing person’s bulletin is trash. So, she changed a name here and there; it’s not illegal. She is free to go wherever she pleases.”
“Fuck that.” I push through them, ready to go to war to make sure Abbi doesnotleave. “I have to go get her.”
“Good luck,” Millie calls after me.
“I’ll be behind you,” Chase adds. “I have to stop at the station and then get Abbi’s official statement so I can resolve the missing child bulletin that was sent here.”
I’ve never driven into town so fast, and I curse a blue streak when I get stopped at a red light in town, but then I’m off and running again and pull into Abbi’s driveway behind her SUV.
I ring the doorbell, but no one answers.
“Come on, Blue Eyes,” I call out. “Answer this door!”
Still nothing, so I unlock it and walk right in.
