Page 89 of Faking It with the Firefighter

“Well, I could certainly use one right now. I don’t know why they arrested me,” Tammy said, glancing at her manicure.

Travis moved toward the women’s cell. “Sure, honey. And what about you, Abs? Need some help getting bailed out again?”

Abigail’s mouth tightened as she glanced at me before glaring at her ex. “Don’t act like the reason you came down here was to do me a favor.”

He scoffed. “What? Can’t a friend help out another friend?”

I watched the exchange, feeling my limbs fill with blood and the urge to get him away from her, even if they were already separated by metal bars. Abigail glanced my way again. “We’re not friends. And I’ll be damned if I ever accept a favor from you.” She was saying it to him, but she was glaring at me.

“I didn’t kiss her, Abigail,” I said. “I’m not in love with her.”

“Well, you sure as hell aren’t in love with me,” she snapped back. “Otherwise you would’ve cared more about how I felt allday today instead of running around trying to be the fucking hero.”

I sat back against the concrete wall, a pit forming in my stomach. I’d let her down. Just like her brother, and her dad, and her ex. I could pretend that I was the best of the best, that I was some self-sacrificing guy, but I couldn’t even manage to stand up for the woman who had made me believe in love again.

So what kind of guy was I, really?

Maybe I was just like my mom, who cared only about appearances. Just like my dad, who blamed everyone around him for his problems. Just like my brother, who blamed everyone else when things went wrong.

“Well, as fun as this is, I’m on the clock. Enjoy getting out of this one alone, darling,” Travis told Abigail with a sneer.

“She’s not alone, you asshole.” Charlie Washington Reeves, Esquire stood in the entryway with her hand on her hip and Sophie by her side. A wave of relief washed over me. If I couldn’t be the one to get her out of here, at least her best friends could.

An officer entered right behind them and walked toward the cell. “Abigail Stone, you’re being released on bail,” the policewoman said and opened the door.

Tammy stood up. “What about me?”

“What about you?” the officer replied with a raised eyebrow. “No one’s come for you, ma’am. You need to stay put.”

“I’m sure Blair’s on her way.”

“You mean that social media bride? Yeah, she was here earlier to give a statement. But she left a while ago.”

Tammy gaped at the news and sat right back down asAbigail was released. Her friends wrapped their arms around Abigail as if to protect her from the world.

“Are you all right?” Sophie asked quietly.

“Fine. I just want to go home,” Abigail said with her head lowered. Sophie gave Abigail’s back a comforting rub as she put her arm around her to leave.

I stood up and wrapped both hands around the bars. My throat was tight. Abigail was going to leave…and it felt very final.

Abigail was angry, and for most things, her anger blew over quickly. It’s why she booked the vineyard for Blair, even though Blair was awful to her. It’s the reason she’d invited me into her bed—and her heart. She was impulsive, and she forgave quickly.

But I knew that wasn’t what would happen with me. I could see that beyond those thick walls she was trying to rebuild, Abigail was wounded. I’d hurt her.

And she wouldn’t forgive me.

“Abigail, wait.”

She stopped and looked back. The moment hung between us, and I needed to find the right words. I needed to make her understand that I wasn’t worthy of her, but I would try. Ididlove her. If only she’d let me.

My knuckles went white as I squeezed the bars, and I croaked, “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

She watched me for a long moment. Her eyes, brown and guarded, never left mine. A glimmer of hope shone through me as the silence stretched, because Abigail was forgiving and mercurial and amazing. And she was mine. She’d let me make this up to her. Even if it was all my fault.

Butthen she snorted. “Yeah, it is.” She turned her back and left me to rot.

I listened to her footsteps fade until I couldn’t hear them anymore. Leaning my head against the bars, I fought the tears that threatened to fall. I could fix this. Ihadto fix this.

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