I may be struggling with my relationship with my sister, but I didn’t want my son to have an antagonistic relationship with his aunt. Abigail and I may be in a sticky situation right now, but that didn’t mean it would be that way forever. We’d lived through so many trials together—this was just another one to put in the books.
I had faith that we would get through this and back to our normal relationship—whatever normal was for us now.
My entire body stiffened when I heard female voices grow louder and stop right outside the front door. My heart started to pound and my cheeks warmed as the locks disengaged and the door was swung open. I wasn’t sure where to look, so I kept my focus on the wood grain of the tabletop in front of me. From the corner of my eye, I saw four figures enter.
Abigail led the way, and Emery followed behind while holding the hand of a less-than-enthused Timothy. A tall man I had never seen before took up the rear and shut the door behind him once they had all entered.
The conversation that had been so loud in the hallway had fallen silent. The only noise in the apartment came from the tablet that Timothy was holding.
I knew I couldn’t stare at the table any longer, so I slowly brought my gaze up to meet Abigail’s. She was standing a few feet off, her focus trained on me.
“Hey, Abi,” I said. The silence around us was deafening and I was desperate to get this interaction over with.
Abigail didn’t respond. She just tightened her lips and folded her arms as she continued to stare at me. Emery shifted her weight, drawing my attention.
“I think we’ll head out and get some ice cream,” she said as she wrapped her arm around Timothy’s shoulder and started steering him toward the door. The man who had come in with them moved to open the door so they could pass through.
“Have you guys gone to Gelato Grove?” Bash piped up. He was walking toward Emery and crew. He paused as he kissed Abigail on the cheek and whispered something before turning his attention back to Emery.
Emery shook her head. “Gelato Grove?” she asked.
He nodded. “It’s fantastic. I’ll drive.”
The sound of the front door shutting echoed in the otherwise silent apartment. The murmur of their voices slowly faded until it disappeared altogether. With them gone, I became acutely aware of Abigail’s presence. She was still standing there, as frozen as I was.
Not wanting to prolong this, I turned to face her fully. “I know?—”
She closed the gap between us and threw her arms around me. I blinked, startled by her reaction. I’d come to this conversation ready for battle. I had not expected this response.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” Abigail whispered. Her words were followed by a soft sob.
Tears brimmed my eyes as I pulled back. When I saw Abigail was crying, it made more tears collect on my eyelids. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
Abigail shook her head. “I’m the sorry one. I should have never said those things to you.” She took in a shaky breath as she reached out and grabbed the nearby chair so she could sit down.
I slid the napkin holder closer to us. We both took a napkin and dabbed our cheeks.
“I guess I was just so terrified that I was going to lose you again. My protection became controlling.” She shook her head. “I never wanted you to leave.”
I nodded as I reached out and patted her hand. “I know that. You had good intentions.” I paused. “Plus, you’re living with what happened in the past.” I gave her a soft smile when her expression contorted into one of pain. “It was hard.”
Sure, it had taken us a while, but addressing what had happened during my postpartum depression had been part of my healing journey. And we’d promised to move on, but I knew that one conversation couldn’t heal the wounds the situation had caused. I knew that what Abigail went through was going to have lasting effects on my sister whether she wanted to admit that or not.
“I should have never reacted like that.” Abigail’s voice was barely a whisper now. Her shoulders were slumped and her lips downturned. A tear slipped down her cheek, so I found a dry spot on my napkin and caught it.
“You were doing what you thought was right. You were trying to protect me.”
She glanced up at me before she started to shake her head. “I was trying to protect myself. I just…” Her voice broke. She paused and then swallowed. “I didn’t want to see you slip away again, and yet, all that did was push you to leave.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t push me to leave. I would have gone with Liam either way.” My voice dropped below a whisper as I spoke his name. My heart squeezed at his memory.
I was never going to get over that man. I wanted my love for him to be replaced by anger. I wanted to hate him with every fiber of my being, but I was struggling. No matter how much he hurt me, I feared I was going to love him the rest of my life.
Liam Carmichael had changed me.
Forever.
“Liam?” Abigail asked, drawing my attention back to her. Then she paused and looked around as if she were expecting him to step out from the shadows. “Where is he—what happened?” She turned back to me with her eyebrows knit together.
