Page 49 of Forever His This Christmas

“Mmm, Corey…”

“I love hearing that little catch in your voice,” he whispered as he tumbled her down onto the bed. “I absolutely love it and you.”

“Show me,” she replied letting her last guard down sure things would work out better than they had been, before falling asleep curled up against him again.

***

Corey heard a light knock on the door and moved away from the bed where he sat watching Lisa sleep. She was beautiful and still hurting more than she should, but he would make sure she didn’t hurt any longer. He loved her far too much to let her hurt and they were about to begin a real life together, a life with her daughter and their child. He wouldn’t let anything disrupt that.

He opened the door and smiled seeing Abby behind it. “Good morning.”

“Morning…is Mom…”

“She’s sleeping still, she had a hard time with it last night,” he told her letting her come into the room to see for herself that her mom was fine. It honestly wasn’t that strange to think of Lisa as a mother. She’d shown everyone just how much she loved and did to protect Abby last night and he wouldn’t begin to hurt either of them. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt Abby because it would hurt Lisa and that would kill him.

“I’m kind of surprised you’re still here despite what I told Mom,” Abby admitted moving over to the window seat to look out at the covered ground.

“Why?” he asked, wanting her to trust him as much as he wanted and needed Lisa to believe in his words and actions.

“What happened to her—us, it’s not exactly the life you probably want.”

“Abby, all I want is your mom. All I’ve ever wanted was your mom and you’re part of that, you’re part of her which means I want you too. I was shocked and angry about what she’d been through, but I never even began to contemplate leaving her, or you,” he said sitting down next to her lifting her chin so she could see he was telling the truth. “I saw you stand up for your mom last night and I knew I’d do the same for you. When Lisa got mad at the others for yelling at you, I got mad at them with her. You’ve done nothing wrong, neither has your mom. I will love her for the rest of our lives, and I’ll love you for all of that time too.”

“Why? I mean…” Abby said not understanding how he could want her.

“I don’t know you very well, you don’t deserve to have someone love you, you’re afraid to let someone in because of everything you’ve learned?” Corey guessed and she shrugged so much like Lisa that it made his heart ache. “Don’t do that, don’t hide what you’re feeling Abby. It’s alright to express it. It’s alright to feel it no matter how much it’s not true it’s still alright to feel it. Your mom and I, we’re not going to leave you behind. I would never ask your mom to do that, and I will protect both of you from everyone and everything that I can.”

“You’re really going to stay? You’re really going to love my mom forever?” Abby asked biting her bottom lip.

“Yes, I really am, and yes, you’re really part of that too. I’m going to be your father, and if anyone ever thinks of hurting you, if anyone ever tried to hurt you the way they hurt your mom I would tear them limb from limb,” Corey promised pulling her towards him for a hug. Abby resisted for a moment beforewrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder, letting out tears he knew she’d been holding in for herself and her mom. He lifted her onto his lap, cradling her like a baby, his baby girl because she already was his, just as Lisa was his. “Shh, it’s okay Abby. I promise you and your mom will always be safe. I will always love you both.”

Abby finally calmed down and he continued to hold her as new feelings he’d never known possible to have surrounded him and pulled at his heart.

“You really mean it…you really want us both?” Abby asked him and he pressed a kiss onto the top of her head.

“Yes, Abby, I really want you both. I told your mom the same thing last night before asking her to marry me. She said yes after I promised I wanted to love you both, that you’re a package deal that I never want to give up,” Corey assured her smiling when she relaxed against him completely. “Your mom has been my world since we met and you being part of that simply expanded it. You’re both my girls and I will always be here for you.”

“You proposed? Please tell me she said yes,” Abby said, and he nodded. “I don’t even care if we have to move back to New York. I just want her to be happy and I know she is, especially knowing…”

Abby stopped and Corey knew she’d done it to keep herself from revealing that Lisa was pregnant.

“Especially with her being pregnant?” he stated, smiling at her when her eyes grew a bit bigger. “She told me after I proposed. I knew something had prompted her to take a chance, to stop hiding and running, I just didn’t know what it was. I thought your accident and then us meeting back prompted it but even with that she’d left a lot of time for it to materialize.”

“You’re happy about the baby? You’re not mad that it was the catalyst that put us all here?”

“Not at all, I wanted to marry your mom and have a family with her last year when we’d barely been together. Now I want nothing more than to protect our family, all of you, and I will. No one here will hurt you, Abby. They’ll have to go through me first.”

“Plus Mom and Aunt Diane,” Abby reminded him making him laugh lightly.

“Yes, but the difference is I’ll be in front of you and her. I know your mom has trouble with other people making choices for her, but I could never step aside when I know she’s hurting or in pain. You are both stuck with me because this time I will never step aside. I will never leave or let you all leave me.”

“Mom never wanted to; she was so miserable the entire time without you. I thought Paris would cheer her up but not even being there could bring some light to her eyes. I thought about getting in touch with you but if Mom found out she’d flip.”

“She was worried about you, about someone hurting you if I went off the deep end and came back here to murder that bastard. If he ever comes near you or your mom, threatens either of you I will, no matter what your mom thinks is best. When it comes to him, she’s still a terrified fifteen-year-old girl, no matter how much she grew and toughened herself that’s one thing that will never change.”

“I know, but it means we have to be stronger for her, right?” Abby stated and he nodded. “I’m not scared of him, not the way Mom is. I don’t ever want to see him, but I’m not scared of him the same way. I hate him. I want him to die so Mom never has to be scared or worried again.”

“So do I,” Corey admitted. “It’s your mom’s choice to tell the police though, we can’t do that for her, but we can support her decision no matter what it is.”

---