Page 75 of Trust Me With Forever

But before I could say anything to him, Aunt Lori produced a whiteboard from who knew where and proceeded to write down everyone in town that was on our side, the allies my family had, and ways we could fight back. Everything from Sabrina’s take on messaging for PR to when Nolan would have background information, to even Zane’s tactical predictions of what might happen next was talked about.

The more they talked, the lighter I felt. Oh, I still had an uphill battle to face, but my friends and family had my back. And just knowing that made it all a little less awful.

Chapter Thirty

Rafe

West:Keep me updated on anything new.

Me:As long as Abby says yes, then I will.

West:Good answer. And…

Me:And what?

West:And let’s meet for drinks soon. I have things to say.

Me (typed but deleted):Will we both need ice packs by the end of it?

Me (actual reply instead):Sure. I’ll text you tomorrow with some times. I haven’t been to The Watering Hole in a while.

West:This time I’m going to kick your ass at pool.

Me:Keep talking. We know I’m the town champ.

West: I look forward to your loss.

It was hours later when I finally drove us home. Abby sat staring out the window, and I remained quiet. The last few days had been overwhelming for her, and she probably needed some downtime.

Even if I burned to ask why she’d thanked me earlier, right after she’d explained everything to her family.

It’d been strange to be a part of the chaos, yet still a little apart. That was on me, of course. Abby’s family had tried to include me when possible. And yet, my guilt about not being married for real had kept me from truly enjoying myself or joining the group.

And when Aunt Lori had suggested our trip had changed things between us? I’d wanted to shout, “Yes!” Because for me, it had.

While holding my wife on the hill overlooking the Peak District, it’d become crystal clear what I wanted for the next stage of my life—Abby. To love her and treasure her and always be there for her. To finally have a family and start living the life my parents would’ve wanted.

Months of my sister suggesting I needed to realize our parents would want us to be happy and not forever grieving had started to sink in.

However, while I might be ready to pursue Abby, she’d only just started to trust me. And only a little.

We were a long way from being a couple in love.

Not that I was giving up. Watching Abby share everything with her family, afraid but confident, had shifted my feelings even more. And by the end of the night, when she’d laughed with her friends at dinner as her brothers tossed rolls at each other? I’d all but fallen for her.

It wouldn’t take much more to push me over the edge.

I was deep in thought about how to take down her ex as quickly as possible so I could focus on making her happy when Abby asked, “Was my family too much for you?”

I glanced at her and then back to the road. “Hmm? Why do you ask that?”

“Well, you were pretty quiet tonight. I wanted to rescue you, but people kept talking to me.”

The corner of my mouth kicked up. “I needed to be rescued?”

“Hey, pretty much anyone new to my family needs rescued at some point. Sabrina took a little while to feel comfortable, more than Katie and Emmy, who were already used to us all. But Sabrina was even more of an outsider in the beginning than you. And now look at her—secretly tossing green beans at Zach when he wasn’t looking.”

I chuckled. “Seeing it land in his hair and staying there, without him ever noticing, was pretty funny.”

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