He kissed her fingertip. “The future it is. And speaking of the future, you slept through lunch, you must be hungry, I’ll cook us dinner.”
“I’ll help.”
“No, you’ll rest.” Lifting her easily, he stood her in front of him then scooped her up into his arms and laid her down on the couch. Fluffing up some pillows, he put them behind her and then grabbed the throw and spread it out over her. “What?” he asked when he saw her watching him with a bemused smile.
“You’re such a mother hen. It always makes me smile, you’re such a big guy, so tough, so strong, and yet you’re so sweet and gentle when you want to be, I just like it, it makes me feel safe.”
“Because you are safe with me,” he said, stooping to touch his lips to her forehead. “I would do anything to keep you safe, Abby, including giving my life for yours or killing anyone who is a threat to you.”
Abby shivered at his deadly tone but she didn’t break eye contact. “Does it make me a bad person that when you say that I only feel safer?”
“No, because you know I would only kill someone who deserved it. We will find who kidnapped you, Abby, and if he comes after you again I won’t hesitate to take him out.” Taking out Abigail’s abductor would give him more pleasure than it should, but unlike Abby, he wasn’t worried about whether that made him a bad person or not. “Spaghetti and meatballs okay for dinner?”
“Sure,” Abigail agreed, settling back against the couch.
Leaving her to rest, Spider went to the kitchen and set a pot of water on the stove to boil while he grabbed a packet of spaghetti from the cupboard and frozen meatballs from the freezer. While they’d been in the safehouse he’d given Caroline a list of some of Abigail’s favorite foods and asked her to stock up the place. Abby could be a picky eater, but he knew pasta was one of her favorites so he’d made sure there was plenty there to keep her going for a while. The less she was out and about right now the better, as they had no idea if her kidnapper was keeping track of her.
Once the pasta was in the pot and the meatballs were heating on the stove, he set the table and filled two glasses with sparkling apple cider, another of Abigail’s favorites. Using the good china, he went all out, lighting candles and setting the flowers he’d brought her in a vase.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s our first date, it has to be special,” he replied.
“I’m wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt,” Abigail said, making a face. “That isn’t really date attire. Plus my hair is a mess and I’m not wearing any makeup.”
“You look perfect, I don’t care what you’re wearing and you’re so pretty you don’t need makeup,” he told her completely honestly.
Abigail rolled her eyes but her cheeks turned pink, and he knew that she was pleased with the compliment.
Ridiculously pleased to have made her happy with a few simple words, Spider returned to the kitchen and busied himself with dishing up the meal. When he turned around to carry the plates to the table and ask Abby if she needed help getting up he found her standing by the table. She must have slipped quickly through to her bedroom because the t-shirt and yoga pants were gone, in their place was a pretty purple sundress, and she had taken her hair out of the messy bun and twisted it up with a sparkly clip.
“Should I take it from your expression that you approve?” she asked with a sweet smile.
“Yeah, you should,” he said, viciously stamping down his libido before it could ruin the evening. She’d said she wasn’t ready and he respected that. Not only had she just been saved after more than a year as a captive, but she had just learned some heavy stuff about him and her family, she needed time to process everything.
“Good,” she said, seemingly satisfied, and he wondered if her self-confidence had taken a battering with everything she’d been through.
“Let’s eat,” he said, carrying the food to the table then holding out her chair for her.
She smiled, and he couldn’t help but stare at her lips, she had obviously put on a little gloss because they shimmered seductively.
How could he look at those lips and not kiss them?
Picking up a piece of spaghetti he held out one end to her. Abigail frowned in confusion before breaking into a grin.
“Lady and the Tramp.” She giggled.
He just grinned back, knowing her penchant for all things Disney he knew it was a surefire way to bring a smile to her face.
Abigail put one end of the piece of spaghetti in her mouth and he took the other. His eyes met hers and didn’t break the connection as their mouths slowly came to meet each other in the middle. When they kissed, another open wound from his messed up childhood scarred over.
Chapter 9
June 22nd
2:40 P.M.
“I have a surprise for you.”
Abigail looked up from her book to see Ryder smiling down at her. He’d been busy this morning, making phone calls, and she assumed it had something to do with her abduction although he hadn’t specifically mentioned it. He hadn’t taken a break for lunch so she’d made sandwiches and given him one then taken a nap after she’d eaten. Now she was reading and hoping that Ryder would be done soon because she missed him.
It was silly because he was only in her living room, and yet she missed him. They’d lost so much time and while she was trying not to be too angry with her father—especially since she couldn’t get any resolution by being able to yell at him—it was hard. Her anger toward Ryder had mostly gone when she learned of his awful past and the heavy burden he had carried all these years, and now she just wanted to move forward.
“A surprise?” she asked, setting her book on her nightstand.
“Yep. Let’s go.” He reached for her hand and pulled her off the bed, towing her behind him toward the door.
“I’m wearing sweats,” she protested, trying to pull against him which was like trying to pull against a truck.
“It’s fine,” he assured her as he led her through the apartment and out the front door. Ryder nodded to Eric who was in his car on the street outside her place as he bundled her quickly into his car.
She hadn’t spoken to her brother yet, wasn’t sure she was ready too, their father might be gone but Eric was still here, and she was worried if she talked to him now she’d be doing a lot more yelling than actual discussion. She hated what Eric had done both to her and to his supposed best friend, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to forgive him just yet.
“So, where are we going?” Abigail asked as she looked away from Eric’s car.
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“I guess in the time we’ve been apart you forgot that I hate surprises,” she grumbled, but she was actually a little excited. This was the first time she had gone out since returning home, and while she was nervous about large crowds it was nice to get out and do something normal. And she knew that wherever Ryder was taking her would be safe, he was as concerned about her safety as she was, perhaps even more.
“Trust me, you’ll like this one,” he promised.