Page 25 of Don't You Dare Marry Me

Nicola nodded and held her sister’s hand tightly. She would give up the whole world to make sure that her sister was happy and healthy. Nothing else mattered.

ten

“Where is she?” Abagail asked Cal, the phone pressed to her ear. She’d fallen asleep waiting for Nicola to come back the night before, thinking that when she saw the notification that Cal was back that Nicola had also returned.

This morning proved that to be a false assumption.

“She’s not home?” Cal asked right back. It was his day off, and Abagail hated calling him while he was at home, but she really needed to know where Nicola had gotten off to.

“No.” Abagail crossed her arms, looking at the fridge where her personal chef had left her meals for the weekend.

“Then I don’t know where she is.” Abagail could have strangled the man. He was so private, but his loyalty should be to her and not to Nicola.

Abagail sighed heavily. “Fine. But if she’s not back on Monday, I’ll know who to blame.”

She knew that was overstepping, but she was incredibly frustrated. And Cal had been working for her for nearly a decade at this point, he knew what to expect when it came to her. Abagail brushed her fingers over the back of her head and glared at the fridge. She wasn’t even a little hungry.

This wasn’t the kind of drama she wanted in her life. Drama tended to follow young people around like a shadow—then again, there were some middle aged and older people who also suffered from the same problem. Abagail sipped her coffee in the middle of the kitchen, her shoulders tense and her face pinched up tightly.

She wasn’t ready for today, and Nicola being gone without a trace right now wasn’t helping the nerves that were already raging through her body. Elia had texted that she’d left the school already. Which meant that Abagail was going to be stuck waiting for the text or the knock on the door that she was here. Which should be any time now. And that long wait had been anything but pleasant.

Still, Abagail knew they needed to have a talk.

She’d seriously fucked everything up, and it was time she started to put the pieces back together. She scoffed at herself. Perhaps she wasn’t entirely without drama of her own either. Unfortunately, Abagail had no one to talk to except for Elia. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost all her other friends as they’d moved into mere acquaintances.

The bustle around the house told her immediately that Elia was there. Abagail set her coffee onto the steel counter in the kitchen. She was going to have to face her mistakes now, she was going to have to grovel and make it clear that she supported Elia andKamryn. She sneered slightly at the name. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Kam, but she was not happy about the two of them being together. And she was going to have to cover up as much of her disgust at the two of them together as she could so that they could get through today and maybe still be friends tomorrow.

Sighing heavily, Abagail shook out her hands at her sides and started toward the main sitting room that Elia and she always loved, the one with walls lined with bookshelves and sunlight that poured in during the early morning hours.

She had to get her ass in gear now.

She had to move.

Abagail stepped out of the kitchen, her shoulders square, her chin high, and her entire body ready for battle. When she saw Elia standing by the front door, pulling her wool jacket off, her heart skipped a few beats. She’d loved Elia for years, but she’d never dared to think that maybe Elia would love her back—not in that way.

“Morning,” Elia said, her lips pulling into a tight smile. The gray hairs around her temples were more prominent than they had been when they’d seen each other at Christmas, and Abagail had only fucked it up even more at New Year’s when she’d gotten drunk and full-on confessed all her love.

“Morning,” Abagail said tersely.

Normally, she’d reach in and give Elia a half hug, maybe even kiss her cheek. But today she kept her distance, and her skin tingled from the lack of contact between the two of them. With her things stowed, Abagail led the way to the library and sat down in one of the lounging chairs there. Elia took the one immediately opposite her.

The silence was so damn loud.

Abagail had no clue where to even start this conversation. She was honestly surprised that Elia had even agreed to meet with her, especially so quickly. Maybe not all hope was lost that their friendship could be saved. But it had been nearly five months since they’d seen each other last, and that didn’t add any hope to Abagail’s already slim store of it.

They had coffee brought to them, with small bits of muffin and fruit on the tray as well. Abagail’s stomach was swimming with nerves and she was fairly certain she wouldn’t be able to eat anything. Even the coffee tried to churn her stomach. Elia, however, seemed to be perfectly calm.

Damn her for always being able to control her bigger emotions.

Abagail envied that. She was always the one who was prone to snapping and yelling. Elia, however, was the picture of perfection—always reacting exactly like she was supposed to.

“We do need to actually talk for this to be resolved,” Elia said, her voice carrying through the room before she swallowed a sip of her coffee. Her lips pressed together hard, and Abagail followed the line of Elia’s throat as it moved while she drank.

“Yes, we do.” Abagail mimicked Elia’s pose and forced herself to drink as well. This was going to be a long morning. She could already tell that.

“I’m with Kam.”

“I know.” Abagail set the cup onto the table, crossing her legs and pointing her toes into the floor as her entire body tensed. “I have no issues with Kam.”

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