Page 42 of Forever His This Christmas

“Only I couldn’t stay away from you and found you in Chicago last month…bringing us all here.”

“Something like that,” she said with a shrug.

“Don’t do that Lisa, please don’t start putting walls back up around us,” he said staring at her. “What haven’t you said then? The night in the bar, the bartender thought you were missing someone; it was me, wasn’t it? You never wanted to break up; you just didn’t want to deal with this scene, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I was missing you. Have been missing you from the moment I pushed you away. Not even a month in Europe being hit on by dozens of men could make me stop missing you. I forced myself to stop thinking about you because I had this giant piece of my heart that was missing, and I hated that you could do that to me. I wanted to call you, just to hear your voice, and when Gerald found me in Chicago and said you looked like hell, I wanted to go back and have you hold me again.”

“Gerald found you in Chicago?” Kirby asked, looking at him in surprise. “You said you didn’t.”

“When did you go to Chicago?” their father added.

“I found her, but she was her normal ‘don’t bother me, I’ve made my life my way, my decisions, so go to hell.’ I told her to call Mom and let her know she was at least alive and then went home so I didn’t strangle the ungrateful brat.”

“Stop calling her names,” Abby said glaring at him. “You have no idea what’s she’s done with her life, so just stop it.”

“It’s okay sweetie,” she told Abby as her daughter came over to stand beside her.

“No, it’s not. I don’t care how old you were. I’d rather have you as my mom than half the others I’ve seen and met. You were always there for me. You’ve always told me the truth no matter how much you didn’t want to and after what happened with David and the rest…it’s not okay.”

“Who is David and what is she talking about?” her father questioned.

“Her name is Abby, not she, and it’s none of your business,” Lisa replied.

“Is David her father?” Gerald asked.

“No.”

“Who is then?” he continued.

“No one is,” she said as her back straightened further.

“You sleep with someone, get pregnant and then don’t tell them they have a daughter for thirteen years…we want to know who and why,” her father demanded.

Lisa tried to bite back the words, but they’d been her defense for so long, she couldn’t, “Go to hell.”

“Who is David and what has been going on?” Corey asked her gently, giving Abby a smile.

“David is Jazz’s father—she’s Abby’s best friend in Chicago. David and I had a disagreement, and Abby went over to Jazz’s to give him a piece of her mind. As she left…” Lisa stopped, trying to forget the terror and horror of that day. “As she left to get onthe bus, she rounded a corner and a car trying to get away from the police chasing them jumped the curb and hit her.”

“Oh my god,” her mother gasped as Lisa dropped a kiss onto Abby’s forehead.

“I’m fine; I’m back in one piece. I got the cast off my leg Friday,” Abby said with a smile. “Honestly, I’m fine. I don’t really remember it happening, just waking up in the hospital and Mom being there with me. She’s the best medicine in the world for me.”

“I love you sweetie, so much,” Lisa said cupping her cheek as she gave her a smile.

“So we can see—but you still haven’t told us the name of the jerk who got you pregnant,” Ashton said, and she closed her eyes with a huge sigh. “Who’s her father?”

Chapter 14

“She doesn’t have one,” Lisa stated. “He was just some guy passing through town.”

“He was a guest at the resort?” Gerald asked.

“It doesn’t matter!” she said, getting angry. “Just let it go, she doesn’t have one and that’s it.”

“Or is it that you don’t know who it is because you were, as always, a party girl not giving a damn about consequences?” he questioned. “That’s it, isn’t it? You have no idea who he is. He could be one of how many Lisa?”

“Shut up Gerald.”

---