AllFreeNovel
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I smile tightly. “Yes. Until me.”
Dad sighs and looks down at our feet. “That’s his story to tell. But I will share that his daddy was in a bad place for a long time.”
“Before he went to prison.”
“Right. Poor man lost everything, and Abel had a front seat to the unraveling. Makes sense when you think about it, Abel seeing that and coming to the conclusion that life is long and sad, and it’s better if he lives it alone so he doesn’t hurt anyone the way he was hurt.”
My throat feels thick. “That’s... really freaking tragic.”
“It is. For so long I’ve been worried Abel would end up sadbecausehe tries so hard not to cause anyone harm. He kept himself closed off, and that was the real tragedy.” Dad lifts an eyebrow. “I wonder how you opened him up?”
“Great question.”But really, how do I open this man up?
How the hell do I convince Abel that just because his dad’s life fell apart doesn’t mean Abel’s will too?
I feel like I have to show him that letting me in is worth the risk. That being vulnerable doesn’t end in total destruction, but in dreams coming true.
I resist the urge to laugh again. Wasn’t I just telling myselflast nightI would keep my heart out of the equation? That I could sleep with Abel and leave it at that?
But here I am, tossing my heart into the ring like I don’t have everything to lose. Like I’m not chasing after yet another emotionally unavailable man.
I am a glutton for punishment. Then again, maybe that’spart of the reason why sex with Abel is so seamless. So freakinggood. We both like the hurt.
This could very well be my one and only chance to be with Abel the way I truly want to be with him. Not as his fake wife. Not as a hookup. But as a true partner, a soulmate.
Nothing, not a tragic past, not even a legitimate fear of the future, is worth passing up the chance to be with your person. To be loved for who you are. And yes, to create a family of your own, whatever that looks like.
Abel cannot miss out on all that. I won’t allow it. I love him too much. And I won’t allow my own feelings to be shortchanged, because I’m trying to love myself too. It might be embarrassing to put myself out there, it will be hard to convince Abel that love is real and it’s worth taking a chance on. But I have to do it.
I will do it. I just have to figure out how.
First, though, I need to put out this fire with my brother.
“What should I do about Tuck?” I ask. “Do I give him space? Do I call him?”
Dad takes a deep breath. Thinks for a minute. “I think your brother needs some time. Reach out to him, let him know you’re thinking about him. Ultimately, I think you win him over by proving him wrong. Let him see how happy you and Abel make each other. He can’t stay mad forever if he sees y’all are meant to be. Tuck will come around, sweetie. I promise.”
twenty-five
. . .
Abel
All That She Wants
Jen is stillout when Riley shows up at my door.
Coffee in hand, I let him in, not bothering to say hello.
Seeing my bruised face, he winces. “Fuck. I’m sorry.”
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I turn around and pad back to the kitchen. Riley follows.
“I’m sorry,” he repeats. “I had to tell him, Abel. That’s a secret I didn’t feel comfortable keeping. And someone at work asked me about you and Jen, which means people already know something’s up. I wanted Tuck to hear the news from someone he knew.”
I fall onto a stool and sip my coffee. Don’t bother offering him any. “That was our news to share. Mine and Jen’s.”
He gives me a tight smile. “Don’t worry. Y’all still get to share the fact that it’s all fake and you lied to his face.”
