Page 22 of Forever His This Christmas

“I’d suggest you walk away right now,” Corey warned, and she stepped out of his hold not about to let him fight her battles. She wasn’t that sort of person. She didn’t need to be protected from Colin.

“Why don’t you get a life Colin? For fuck’s sake, it’s been eleven years and you’restillworking for my parents. Haven’t you figured it out yet? I’m never coming back here and I’m especially never coming back toyou. I’ve moved far beyond you and this place. So, grow a pair and grow up. Stop taking handouts because my mother felt sorry for you. I mean seriously, people ask why I’m still single but you’re the one that’s still in the same place acting like a sore loser because his high school girlfriend dumped him. If you were such a catch, how come you’re still single?” she added smartly.

“Once a slut always a slut,” Colin said, and she shook her head not even caring about the words.

“Once a loser always a loser, especially a sore loser. I’d rather be a slut than a loser any day though. At least being a slut lets you have fun, being a loser simply makes you pathetic. I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks of me. I’m the only one that has to live with my choices and there’s not a single thing I regret choosing to do. I live my life for me and no one else,” she stated before walking away from him, taking Corey’s hand as she moved towards the bar to get another drink.

“No regrets about coming here then?” Corey asked, sliding his arms around her and onto the bar as they waited for their drinks.

She leaned her head back against his chest and shook her head. “No, I think for once it was the right decision. After all, my mother’s happy that I’ve got such a stable guy in my life. I shouldn’t have to deal with her nagging and questions for the next few months.”

“Next few months?” Corey asked with a smile against the top of her head. “Does that mean you think you can see us as something more than a day-by-day thing?”

“Week-by-week maybe, long-term…I can’t tell you right now,” she admitted, and he nodded knowing that he’d have to becontent with that for now. He would figure out why she refused to let anyone in and then he’d show her that he was the man for her. He simply would have to allow her the time to figure it out.

Chapter 7

Lisa bolted up in bed hearing the ringtone on her phone go off, it wasn’t her normal one and she scrambled to answer it as her heart pounded with worry thanks to the late hour.

“Hello?” she said pulling on the dress shirt Corey had worn that day as she grabbed it off the floor.

“Lisa, I’m so sorry about the time but I can’t find Abby anywhere. I let her stay at a friend’s this weekend and expected her back tonight,” Diane, her mom’s cousin, said frantically. “Nine rolled around and she wasn’t home, so I called Becca to see if she was staying the night again. She hadn’t seen her since Thursday after school. It was their last day and Abby begged to stay with Becca for a girls’ night. I called all of her friends, but she didn’t stay with any of them this weekend…”

“What?” Lisa said as her stomach tightened in worry at the pure panic in Diane’s voice. “You’re positive you tried all of her friends?” she asked, grabbing a pair of her workout pants from the dresser as she moved into the bathroom when Corey stirred hearing her voice. Her breathing began to race, and she did her best to not let it get the best of her.

“I’ve tried all of them and her cell phone. She’s not answering.”

“Okay, let me try her, see if you can find her computer. If she left it that means she didn’t plan to be gone long. If it’s there, see if you can find any history of who she’s been chatting with—I’ll check her Facebook page to make sure there’s nothing out there. We’ll find her Diane—we have to,” she stated hanging up as she tried to call Abby. It went to voicemail, and she left her a frantic message. “Abby, call me the second you get this message. What is going on? Diane’s worried and I’m freaking out over here. Call me sweetie, I need to know you’re safe.”

She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and opened the bathroom door, gasping in surprise finding Corey there. “Jesus Christ Corey, don’t do that.”

“Sorry, baby, it’s three a.m. what are you doing up, dressed?”

“I have to go,” she replied moving past him towards the bedroom door. “Something came up and I need to go check on it.”

“What the hell is so important that you have to leave at three in the morning?” he asked, moving over to stand in front of the door.

“It’s nothing to do with you so move—I have to go,” she stated trying to contain her worst fears from manifesting themselves into reality.

“Nothing to do with me? Dammit Lisa, if you’re leaving the house—our home—at three a.m. then it absolutely has something to do with me. Fuck baby, it’s been five and a half months since Christmas, why can’t you admit that there are things that I’m entitled to know, especially when you get a phone call at three a.m. that has you racing out of bed.”

“It’s not our home; it’s your house Corey. My house is across town, and I need to go check on something. I’ll call you later,” she added moving past him and downstairs to grab her purse.

It took her two tries to get the keys into the ignition of her car, but she finally managed and drove to her apartment asquickly as she could. Her fears and thoughts of what happened to Abby had tripled during that drive and she could barely breathe again by the time she got into her apartment.

She headed towards the computer to pull up Abby’s page, turning around in surprise when she heard a noise.

“Abby?!” she gasped, moving over to her quickly, pulling her into her arms with a hug as she checked her over to make sure she was really there.

“Hi, I guess Diane called you?” Abby asked and she nodded, walking her to the couch as she felt her body try to collapse as relief flooded her.

“What were you thinking Abby? How did you get here?”

“I took the bus. Where were you all night?” Abby added, taking in her appearance.

“Where wasI? Abby, I’m an adult, what I was doing isn’t the question. What you were thinking is! Why did you run away?”

“I don’t want to live with Diane anymore. I want to be with you, but I guess you’d rather be with the boyfriend huh?” Abby whined as her face fell.

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