Page 257 of His Virgin Romance Series

CHAPTER39

Ryder

“Where’s Abby?”I asked as I stepped into the house.

Devon and a few of the other guys were playing darts in the living room, and he looked up when he saw me. “Uh… I think she said she was going for a walk.”

I glanced at the staircase, and I noticed a bag there that I had seen in Abby’s room before. I knew I shouldn’t have asked, but I couldn’t help myself.

“Whose bag is that?” I asked.

“Abby’s,” Devon replied, turning his attention back to the dart game.

I wondered if he was being purposefully evasive, or if he was really just that involved in the dart game. I decided to leave it at that.

“Do you know where?” I asked instead.

“Where what?” Red asked.

I sighed in frustration. “Do you know where Abby went for her walk?”

“Just up the hill, I think,” Red replied.

I turned and headed in the direction of my childhood home. I was pretty sure that was where she was headed. It was nice and lonely; the boys didn’t often go down there out of respect for my parents’ memories, and it was a special spot for the both of us. We had formed a stronger connection while we had walked through the empty rooms of that house.

As I came up along the slightly slanting hill, I saw Abby at the top, staring down at the house. Again, I had the feeling that she was some ethereal being that didn’t really belong to this world, much less my world. She was wearing a subtle yellow dress with a flowing skirt that blew softly in the wind. It created a beautiful contrast against the brightness of her auburn hair that held bright streaks of red where the sunlight fell.

Her back was to me, so I couldn’t see her face, but I imagined she looked sad. That was how she had looked the last week after she had made her decision to move to Maine. She and Devon had planned everything between them, and they were planning on heading out early tomorrow morning. Devon would stay with Abby for a few weeks till she got settled in, and then he would head back.

Abby and I had spent the last week spending as much time together as possible. We had fucked often and passionately, and we had spent hours talking late into the night, but never about her impending departure. It was always about something unrelated, something safe and removed from the act of leaving.

Several times during the week, I had come close to telling her to just scrap her plans and stay here with me. It was completely out of character and strange for me to even think that I’d come to this point in my life, but I could no longer deny the fact that Abby had changed me. I was no longer the hardened man I used to be. I was no longer jaded and cynical and uninterested in long-term relationships. Suddenly, I wanted so much more than the life I was living.

That alone was hard for me to believe. I had never imagined I would ever reach a point when I was unhappy with my life. I had always thought of myself as lucky… to be free and independent and removed from the restraints and judgments of society. But now I realized that there were parts that were worth the fight, and it took Abby’s entrance into my life to make me see it.

Abby was so wrapped up in thought that she didn’t hear me coming until I came to stand beside her. She gave a start of surprise, then when she realized who it was, she smiled.

“I didn’t hear you coming.”

“You were busy thinking.”

“True,” Abby nodded. “Lots to think about.”

“Really?” I asked. “I thought everything was sorted out for you. You have your fresh start.”

“Right,” Abby nodded, but she seemed uncertain.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No,” Abby replied, a little too quickly. “No… nothing’s wrong.”

“You’ve been a little… different all week,” I pointed out.

“Have I?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I could say the same thing about you.”

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