Page 7 of Everything We Left Unsaid

Jacob

Present day

“I want to get to know her.” Abby’s gaze snaps to mine, a look of surprise washing over her features. Her grandmother whisked Chloe away to her room so we could talk, and I need to take this opportunity to get everything out in the open. “Regardless of what’s happened between us,” I continue before she can shoot me down, “she’s still my child and I have a right to be in her life.” She chews on her bottom lip, contemplating my request. She wants to say no, I can see it in her eyes, but she won’t. If I wanted to, I could push the issue and take her to court, and she knows it. That’s not a battle she wants to wage, so she gives in.

“Okay. How do you propose we do this? You live five hours away. Are

you-”

“I’m here for a week.” I don’t mean to, but I cut her off. I only have seven days until I have to be back in Arlington, and I need to make the most of my time here. What happens after that... Well, we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there. “I’d like to see her every day for at least a few hours.” Her eyes bulge and her spine stiffens. She wasn’t expecting that. She looks as if she’s about to protest, but I stop her. “I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.” She winces, and I feel bad for saying it. It’s a low blow but it’s the truth. She kept me from Chloe for too long already. I don’t think I’m asking too much here.

“You can’t take her anywhere,” she begins, the panic already taking hold as she grapples for control. “You have to come here and either me or my grandmother has to be present.” She’s attempting to set the ground rules, and I can respect that.

“That’s fine,” I agree easily. “I can work with that.” Her requests seem reasonable.

“You can’t feed her a bunch of junk food. And she can’t watch anything with cuss words in it.”

I pinch my lips together to suppress my smile. She’s flustered and it’s so damn cute. For a moment, I catch a glimpse of the old Abby. The one who was anxious and shy, but who melted into my touch and let me see her at her most vulnerable. The thought of what we once had, of what we lost, causes a tightness in my chest and the smile falls from my lips. I nod my head in agreement, suddenly unable to speak past the lump in my throat.

“I’ll be home around five o’clock tomorrow. You can come then.”

“Alright.” I don’t really want to wait that long, but what choice do I have?

“Then we can work something out for the rest of the week.”

My mouth opens to speak, but a knock at the door has both our heads turning in that direction. I glance back at Abby, her wide eyes trained on the door.

“Shit,” she mutters under her breath. “Um, give me just a minute,” she requests nervously. I nod and watch as she makes her way to the door and opens it. “Hey,” she says in that breathy voice I once craved.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I’m instantly on high alert. Who else could she be using that voice for?

A deep, masculine rumble confirms my fears. “Hey yourself.” I can practically hear his smile, and it feels like a knife in my gut. She’s moved on, and knowing that kills me. I know I have no right to feel that way. It’s been over two years since I saw her or heard her voice. I knew there was a chance she’d been with somebody else, maybe even fallen in love with somebody else. But until this moment, that idea was nothing more than an abstract possibility.

“You ready to go?” the mystery man asks, and I find myself leaning in, trying to catch a glimpse of him, but the door blocks my view.

“Um…” she stammers again, her voice laced with nervousness. “This isn’t a good time.”

“Hey, what’s going on?” he asks, his tone soothing, concerned. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah... No... I…” she begins shakily.

“Abby, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

All I can see is her back, but it disappears as a hand slips around it and pulls her into an embrace. Without thinking, I close the gap between us in three long strides. He’s still hidden by the door, but I’m close enough to be heard when I clear my throat. Abby jumps out of his arms, startled, as if she’s been caught doing something wrong. Maybe it feels wrong to her. Maybe she knows I’m the only one who should have his arms wrapped around her. I shake my head, ridding myself of those dangerous thoughts. I can’t lose focus and forget what’s happened between us, what she’s kept from me.

Abby steps back and opens the door wide, finally revealing the man on the other side. His eyes widen at the sight of me standing behind her, my body closer to hers than it should be, that possessiveness I once felt in her presence returning. His gaze lands on her a moment before meeting mine again, the question clearly written in his expression.

“Gavin,” she says, but his eyes stay locked on me. “This is Jacob.”

We assess each other across the threshold. His hazel eyes never leave my face, but I can tell he’s sizing me up, wondering what Abby sees in me. I know, because I’m doing the same thing to him. His dark brown hair and thick beard are nothing impressive. He looks like every other lumberjack wanna-be these days. The sleeves of his button-down are rolled up to his elbows like he just came from work. His dress pants are perfectly pressed, his shoes shiny and unblemished. A desk job. At least I get to work with my hands sometimes.

“He’s Chloe’s father.” Abby’s voice is small and hesitant. It takes him a moment, but his eyes slowly move back to her, his reaction delayed by shock. “He…he’s back.” A muscle in his jaw ticks, the first sign of irritation. He knows who I am. She’s told him about me. Good. She turns to me, seemingly unaware of the turmoil her announcement caused.

“Jacob, this is Gavin.” She glances up at me sheepishly and I feel a little triumphant. She doesn’t introduce him as her boyfriend, and that pleases me more than it should.

I grin and throw my hand out for a shake. “Good to meet you.” His stunned expression at my courteous greeting has my grin expanding. He schools his features before Abby returns her attention to him.

“You too,” he responds robotically.

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