Page 13 of Abigail
“Yes, baby we are going to eat. Give me a moment to say goodbye to Robert and his friends then we will get a table,” Abigail informs her daughter. That doesn’t sit well with Straw. It’s probably asking too much of Abigail, but he wants her, Ellie, and the babysitter to join them for lunch too. Before he can approach the subject, Charlotte and Emma beat him to it.
“Would you all like to have lunch with us? I know the boys would like to spend a little more time with Ellie,” Charlotte asks Abigail as the hostess begins to lead their group to the tables Hawk has requested. Surprise lights up Abigail’s face. She seems shocked to have been invited to lunch with the group.
“Um…we don’t want to intrude,” Abigail answers, shifting on her feet as if she wished she were anywhere else on the planet.
“You aren’t intruding. We’re inviting you,” Emma declares, and the other women agree eagerly. Emma places her hand on Abigail’s upper back as if to encourage her to walk with them toward their tables. Abigail appears to be uncomfortable. Straw wants to ease her discomfort but isn’t sure what to do.
“Well, Robert has already invited us to dinner tonight, so I don’t want to impose on your group too much, but I do appreciate the invitation. It’s clear the children are enjoying themselves,” Abigail says as she looks over at the kids happily playing in the floor. The boys are giving the little girl a lesson in dinosaur fighting. Straw laughs as Ellie’s triceratops gets the best of Joshua’s T-Rex. He decides to interject his opinion on the matter of them joining them for lunch. Afterall the more time he can spend with Abigail, the better in his opinion.
“Just have lunch with us.” Straw leans in to whisper in her left ear. He has managed to slide up to her side unnoticed. She startles at his request. Abigail shivers and goosebumps erupt on her bare arm. It’s a huge turn on for Straw to see her reaction to his nearness. He has to fight his dick to keep it under control. Now is not the time to be sporting a boner in such a public place. He wonders if his whispered request is a turn on for her too. He studies her closely and can see she is about to come up with an excuse when he sees Ellie dart across the restaurant to follow the twins to their table. “Looks like Ellie has decided for you.” Straw smirks triumphantly knowing he has won this battle with the help of a four-year-old, but he’s not knocking it. He’ll take all the help he can get if it helps him convince the beautiful Abigail to spend more time with him. Abigail rolls her eyes but allows him to guide her toward the group of tables. To his surprise and delight she doesn’t shrug off his hand that instinctively lands on her lower back as they walk side by side through the restaurant. Sara follows close behind.
Straw is determined that Abigail will enjoy spending her lunch with him, his team, and their families. He is pretty sure that Abigail hasn’t ever had a real family, or at least not in recent years with her being on the run. Certainly not one like his huge family group. He’s always known he could depend on his brothers in arms, but now that they’ve begun adding women to the mix it’s only gotten better. Even though those women can be nosey and try the men’s patience at times. He finds it hard to remember what it was like before the women became a part of their tribe. Straw knows he shouldn’t be thinking about Abigail being the next woman to join them, but he can’t help himself. His heart is drawn to this woman and has been for the last four years after seeing her on the news. Sitting at her side, watching her interact with his friends, he decides that fighting against his attraction and his heart’s desire to make her his is a futile effort. It’s time to put his energy into helping Abigail out of whatever trouble led her to leaving South Carolina four years ago. Then he will convince her she should come back to North Carolina with him. It’s not going to be easy, but he’s not going to let anything stop him from achieving his goals. Not even his shit DNA or his lack of experience in having a relationship. Abigail is worth the effort.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Abigail has reluctantly allowed herself to be drawn into lunch with this large military family. She learns they are a group of Marines from North Carolina. While she’s been terrified of being around any male associated with the military in any fashion, especially the Navy, she finds that this group of Marines and their wives/girlfriends are nothing like her past experiences. She’s nervous as hell when they take their seats, and the waiter takes their order.
Over the course of lunch, Abigail learns all the men have odd nicknames. It’s hard to keep them all straight. Deadeye or Warren, as his wife calls him, is with a meek woman named Elise. She is just as nice and friendly as the other women but not nearly as talkative as Charlotte and Emma. Abigail remembers hearing about her on the news a couple of years ago. She’d been held captive in Syria by ISIS. It seems that these men were the ones to free her from their clutches. Elise mentions she met Deadeye during her captivity. She shares that Ace and Daisy had met on that same mission. Ace and Daisy are a surprising couple. Daisy seems to be entirely too independent to be with an Alpha male like Ace. He is brooding and domineering, but with Daisy he is tender and sweet. She doesn’t seem to let him dominate her, but she definitely looks to him for support. They have a beautiful baby boy, Maxton. He’s about a year old, and absolutely adorable like Charlotte and Hawk’s little girl, Lilly.
However, fifty-five minutes later, Abigail is surprised she has had such a good time. She has gotten to know the group some by listening to their banter. The women seem to love to tease each other and the men, but nothing is rude or too embarrassing. Just good-natured teasing amongst friends. Charlotte and Hawk seem like the perfect couple. It is plain to see the love they share with one another and their children. Abigail is surprised to learn they have three adult children from previous marriages, as well as the three small children that are with them.
Apparently, Hawk found Charlotte while on a mission in another country. They’d fallen in love. Despite both having grown children from previous relationships, they have three children together. Abi knows there’s a bigger story behind it all that they didn’t have time to tell during lunch. This group of men are obviously special forces. The way they conduct themselves and things they allude to as they recall stories from their time in service make it clear they aren’t just regular military. They’re too closely interconnected, and it’s easy to see the men can be deadly when needed.
The final couple is Wallace and Emma. Abigail really likes Emma. From the first moment they meet, Emma seems to draw Abigail into her warm embrace of friendship. The woman is friendly, patient, and kind. She’s also so very good with the children. Abigail watches as she helps the children cut up their meat and opens their straws for them. She helps Ellie, too. Ellie seems to be in awe of Emma. Ellie asks Emma all kinds of questions about asthma and inhalers when she sees Emma using one during lunch. Emma has to be the kindest person Abigail has ever met. She doesn’t get annoyed with all of Ellie’s constant questions. Ellie can be a handful when she gets her mind on something. The child can talk non-stop for hours.
Abigail is struck by how attentive Wallace is to Emma and her needs. He asks her several times if she is doing all right after the inhaler. He even asks if she needs to go up to their room to take a nebulizer treatment. Abigail wonders if what she is seeing is real. Could these men actually act this way all the time? She has to believe it’s real, because she doesn’t see any of the signs of abuse or mistreatment in the women like she’s seen and exhibited herself over the years. That realization is almost too much to comprehend. She’s never been around people like this. All the relationships she’d ever seen or been in were violent and controlling. These men don’t seem to be that way at all. They speak kindly to the women and children. They have patience in spades, not mention their exceptional manners. Abigail had noticed the men had held out the women’s chairs until they were comfortably seated. They all stand if one of the women gets up from the table and insist on the women and children ordering their food first. It’s shocking as hell. She feels like she’s fallen into the damn twilight zone.
Even the unattached men are kind and respectful to the women. Abigail notices that one of the men is especially attentive to Charlotte’s friend Lisa, although the woman seems as uncomfortable with the attention as Abigail has been from Robert’s. It makes her wonder if Lisa’s life and upbringing more closely match her own. Abigail speaks with Lisa a few times, but it becomes clear to her that Lisa isn’t interested in bonding with her like to the other women seem to want to do, or maybe it’s because she’s distracted from the attention of the man they call Hack.
Straw seems to be just as kind and caring as the rest of the men. He has seated himself beside her after holding her chair. He has been attentive to her every need. He’s gone out of his way to make her feel comfortable among strangers. He’s taken every opportunity to engage her in conversation without being too pushy or nosey. He asks her questions about her job, Ellie, and living in San Diego. He hasn’t pushed her for a lot of personal information like what brought her to live in San Diego and Abigail is thankful he’s not prying into her past, like where she’s from or about her parents or siblings. Abigail has enjoyed herself more than she could have ever expected. The group has also drawn Sara in their conversations, asking her about school and her future plans. It has been so relaxing Abi can’t believe it’s time to head back to work already.
“Okay, Ellie, it’s time to go. Momma has to get back to work.” Abigail moves to get up. Robert jumps up to scoot her chair out for her. Abigail smiles at him over her shoulder. She is surprised. Men she’s dated in the past have never done that for her.Wait, we aren’t dating. I need to remember that.Just because he’s asked me to dinner doesn’t mean we are a couple. Ellie’s protest about having to leave brings her back into the moment.
“I don’t want to go. Please Momma, can’t we stay a little longer. I’m watching Blaze with Joshua and Jessie,” Ellie whines. She has planted herself between the twins, and they have a tablet propped up on the table where they can watch the show together. Abigail rolls her eyes at the child’s plea. Ellie makes friends so easily. She never meets a stranger, and that often worries Abigail for the little girl’s future. Her trusting nature and friendly personality could get her in trouble someday, but Abigail doesn’t want to dampen her happy-go-lucky attitude. The realities of just how awful people can be will come soon enough and while Abi wants to protect her daughter, she’s too young to be worrying about that right now. They’ve had the stranger danger talks, and Ellie knows to not talk to or go with a stranger, so for now that will have to be enough.
Sara looks up at Abigail. “Um…I would like to stay, too. Emma is telling me about being a nurse and working with the Red Cross. It’s really interesting,” Sara says eagerly. “They’re going swimming in the pool later. She invited us to join them, if you don’t mind,” Sara concludes. She gives Abigail an expectant pleading look.
Before Abigail can protest, Charlotte pipes up. “Please, let them stay. I promise I will keep a close eye on them. The boys are never this still. Ellie seems to be a good influence on them.” She laughs musically and continues, “I will make them wait an hour or so before swimming and it will be nice to have Sara to show us around.” Charlotte’s daughter, Lilly is sleeping peacefully in a baby carrier nearby. Charlotte is gently rocking it. Abigail can’t believe that she actually feels comfortable enough with these strangers to allow her daughter and Sara to stay with them while she returns to work, but she actually does. The women have all drawn her in and made her feel so welcome she can’t find a reason to say no. They are in the hotel where everyone knows Ellie and Sara. Abigail has brought them with her every weekend she’s worked for the last year. All of the staff know that Ellie nor Sara are to leave the hotel without Abigail being with them, so it makes the decision a little easier.
“All right, but if they get to be too much, send them back to the front desk. I won’t get off work until after five.” Abigail motions to their waiter. When he comes near, Abi tells him she needs her ticket so she can pay for the girls’ lunch. She glances at her watch and winces. If he doesn’t hurry, she will be late getting back, and Brent will go off again.
“It’s already been paid, Abigail.” The waiter looks at her with a confused expression.
“What? Who paid for it?” Abi questions the waiter. His gaze lands on someone behind her. Abigail looks up and over her right shoulder at Robert. She whirls on him. If he thinks buying their lunch, will convince her to sleep with him after dinner tonight he is sadly mistaken. Abi glares at him.
“Why did you do that?” Abi demands the anger in her voice easy to hear. Maybe she’s been naïve about this man after all. It might seem like an overreaction to some, but Abigail has been the victim of manipulation most of her life. She’s come to expect it as the norm not the exception. Straw raises his hands up as if surrendering to her.
“A woman, any woman, eating with me will not be paying for her meal. I’m sorry if that bothers you, but that is just how I roll. That’s how it will be when you’re with me,” Robert replies calmly. She continues to study him, and as if he can read her mind, he shocks her with his next words. “I am not expecting anything in return, Abigail, if that’s what has you so riled up. That is not the kind of man I am.” Robert looks into her eyes, and all she sees is sincerity. She doesn’t see any sign of deception. She nods and then finds her voice.
“Okay, well, thanks. I really do have to go. Brent will be wanting to get back to his Facebooking, or Candy Crush.” Abigail shakes her head at Brent’s ridiculousness. She leans down and gives Ellie a kiss on the cheek. She pats Sara on the shoulder. “Don’t let Ellie drive everyone crazy, okay?” Sara gives her a smile and nod before turning back to her conversation with Emma. Abigail waves her good-bye to the group and makes her way out the restaurant. She is half way back to the front desk when she realizes Robert is right behind her. She stumbles at the shock of seeing him right on her heels. He quickly reaches out and takes her elbow in his large warm hand to steady her.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Abigail stammers demandingly. The last thing she needs is the man touching her. Even just that innocent touch is causing her libido to reawaken from its hibernation.
“Keeping you from face planting,” Robert deadpans before a grin spreads across his handsome face. She rolls her eyes. A frustrated sigh escaping her.
“You know what I mean. Why are you following me?” Robert is still grinning at her. She doesn’t see anything at all funny with this situation.
“I’m walking you back to work, sweetheart. Brent and I need to have a little talk about his behavior this morning. It seems he has short term memory loss,” Robert informs her. “Besides, the hotel is really crowded today. There are a lot of people in here. I want to make sure you are safe. While I hate to think that my fellow soldiers would be rude to you, I know that not all men are respectful of women. Some men let their size and abilities go to their head. They like throwing their weight around to control people, namely women. I want to spare you that. If you are with a man, they will think twice about harassing you.”
