“How long did it take your sister to come back to herself? A month? Six? Two fucking years?” I nearly shouted.
He flinched, looked down at the ground, and kicked at something.
I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Sorry. I’m just a little on edge. Thank you, Ken. I appreciate you trying.”
He lifted his gaze to meet mine. He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it. He looked at the firepit. “I’ll get back to work on this.”
I nodded and watched as he walked back over to the pit. Turning, I looked back up the hill that led to my house and saw that Abby was on her way up the long drive.
By the time I pulled up to my place, Abby was sitting on the front porch steps. I looked away and focused on parking my truck next to her car. The same damn car she’d been in when she drove away from the farm. From me. From the promise she’d made.
Opening the truck door, I slipped out and then slammed it. When I rounded the back of my truck, Abby stood, and it felt like someone had sucker punched me right in the gut.
She was even more beautiful than I remembered. And I had memorized every inch of her years ago. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and I could practically see her hazel eyes sparkle as I made my way toward her.
She was fiddling with something in her hands, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“Bishop,” she said softly when I came to a stop at the bottom of the steps. Our eyes locked, and I had to fight like hell not to react to the tears building in hers.
She was the one who left you, remember that.
I focused on making my voice as cold and distant as I could. “What brings you back to Boggy Creek, Abby?”
The small smile faded, and she took a step back while I walked up the steps. “I tried calling you.”
I passed her and headed to the front door, trying like hell to ignore the scent of roses and vanilla coming from her. Opening the door, I said, “I’ve been busy. Opening day isn’t that far off.”
When she didn’t say anything, I looked back at her.
She was looking out over the hills and quickly wiped away a tear. I felt like an asshole, but at the same time, I was so fucking pissed off. Why, of all times, did she have to show up now? When I was finally fucking ready to move on?
Or was I?
“It’s cold, and you don’t even have a coat on. Come inside,” I said, letting the screen door slam behind me.
It took a few moments before I heard the squeak of the door and then a soft click.
I took off my coat and tossed it onto a chair as I made my way through the house and into the kitchen. The sound of Abby’s boots on the wood floors told me she was walking slowly behind me.
Without thinking, I glanced back. She was looking around, her mouth pressed into a tight line with her hand over her stomach. For a moment, I felt a rush of sickness as I thought about what Ken had said. How his sister would hold her stomach.
Turning my head around, I tried not to let my breathing pick up. What if Abby was here to tell me she was with someone? That she was pregnant again?
Fresh anger filled my veins, and I nearly jerked the door off the refrigerator. I grabbed a beer, shut the door, and popped the lid with the bottle opener that was on the side of the island. I didn’t even care that it was only nine in the goddamn morning.
“Whatever you’re here to tell me, just do it and get it over with,” I said.
Hurt and something like regret washed over her face. “I’m, um…not here to tell you anything. Well, I mean, I am. I…I…did want to talk you.” A nervous laugh slipped out from those soft pink lips of hers, and I let my gaze drop to her mouth. I quickly looked back up into her hazel eyes. That was another fucking mistake. They looked red, as if she’d been crying more than just the few tears I’d already noticed.
“Do you want a beer?” I asked.
Her brows lifted some and she glanced at the clock on the wall. Turning back to me, she nodded. “Yeah. A beer would be great.”
When I turned away from her, I closed my eyes and let out a relieved breath. If she was pregnant, she wouldn’t be drinking beer.
Once I’d opened it for her, I handed it over and motioned for her to sit on one of the kitchen island chairs.
She stared at the beer, then glanced around the kitchen. She took a long pull from the bottle before her gaze met mine.
On a frustrated exhale, I said, “I’m kind of busy, Abby. I have a lot of work to do, and I’ve got plans later.”
She swallowed hard, and I noticed her hand shook when she lifted her beer again and took a smaller drink. She set it down, then cleared her throat. “I went over this in my mind for so long, and now I don’t really know where to start.”
“How about you tell me why now? Why the fuck now have you come back when I’ve finally moved on?”
Her eyes went wide as saucers. “M-moved on?”
I let out a laugh that sounded evil. “Don’t play fucking games. You never were good at it. Who told you? Crystal? Pete? Arabella or Greer?”
“Told me what, Bishop?”
I slammed the beer bottle onto the counter so hard, I was honestly surprised it didn’t break. “Don’t act stupid!”
She jumped, then swiftly stood. “What do you want me to say?” Her voice cracked as she fought to hold back more tears.
I frowned. “You don’t know about Jax?”
The way her head jerked back, you’d have thought I slapped her. “Not until yesterday, when I saw Greer and Arabella and told them I came back to tell you…” Her voice trailed off.
“What was so important you had to come back to Boggy Creek to tell me? Did you meet someone, Abby? Are you engaged?” I felt the anger building more and more, and with it, my voice grew louder. “Or, I don’t know, maybe you’re fucking someone and felt guilty because you didn’t give two shits about your husband when you ran away like a goddamn coward? Is that what you came back to tell me?”
She wiped at her tears. “Stop it, Bishop. I know you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be, but please don’t be cruel.”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Cruel? Do you want to know what’s cruel, Abby? Your wife lying to you. Telling you she loves you and will never leave. Withdrawing from you when all you wanted to do was protect her, love her. Take care of her.”
Tears streamed down her face while I spoke. Something inside of me broke, and I couldn’t stop the words from pouring out.
“Cruel is having the only woman you’ve ever loved leave you and divorce you for no fucking reason. Cruel is calling and texting and begging for some sort of explanation, only to have you tell me you can’t talk, or start crying and still not give me any goddamn answers! Don’t talk to me about being cruel, Abby!”
Her hand flew to her mouth as she tried to hold back her sobs. After a few moments, she took in a few shaky breaths. “I know…I know I hurt you, and I’m so sorry, Bishop. God, I’m so sorry! I never meant to hurt you so much. I was just…I was so scared and confused. It was a mistake, I know that. I’m so sorry I left!”
“Your sorry is a little too late, Abby.” Her head snapped up and our eyes met. God, I had the urge to pull her to me, even though I wanted to push her out the door at the same time. I sighed deeply. “You don’t have to feel guilty, Abs. Go on back to whoever you’re with now and just forget about me and Boggy Creek.”