Page 77 of Never Left You

“Abi…”

“No more holding back with each other. There’s more that needs to be said. I know, but…” I inhaled. “I can feel this too.”

“You held me that night. The night I jumped from the horse before the eight seconds was up.” I nodded as he spoke, remembering the way my heart felt when I saw him fly through the air. All I wanted to do was wrap him in my arms. “I’ve wanted you in my arms every moment after that, and I’ve wanted to kiss you numerous times. This…whatever this can be…”

“I think I want it,” I finished for him. “But again…”

“No holding back,” he finished for me, his fingers tracing my jaw.

This was happening. Him. Me. Us. Nothing left between us as both of our walls came crashing down.

Twenty-Four

Cash

IcouldstillfeelAbi’s lips on mine, even hours later. I lay in my bed, my eyes focused on the ceiling, my mind running through the entire night. The dinner, the dance, the kiss, the confessions. She was feeling this, too. Butterflies, she called them. The same knots I had in my stomach were twirling in hers—and she wanted to go for it.

She wanted me as much as I wanted her.

The conversation we started wasn’t over. As she said, five years of miscommunication. There were still so many things we needed to sift through in order to make it truly work, but Iwanted this. I wanted to have her, fully…not halfway, and if that meant opening up then fuck it. I was going to open up.

The one thing that sat unsettled in my stomach was the phone calls and text messages she claimed to have sent in the past five years. I told her she could call me, that I would answer. But I never received anything.

Grabbing my phone from the charger, I thumbed through my missed calls, then my texts. Nothing. Absolutely nothing from Abi’s number or even an unknown number. That’s didn’t make sense. I would text her before, and nothing had changed on my end.

Taking a gamble, I went to my settings and clicked on something I never had before.Blocked Contacts.

Being on the road constantly, talking to as many people as I had, I never blocked anyone. Not even Carolyn. But fear rose as soon as I saw the only name on the list.

Abi Acosta

“Fuck.” I shot up, quickly tapping her name to unblock her. No wonder why I wasn’t getting anything—but how?

A quick Google search told me I wouldn’t get any texts, but voicemails may still come through.

I left so many voicemails of me sobbing…

A moment went by, but then notifications came through, and there they were. Messages from the last few weeks blew up my phone.

Missed Call: Abi Acosta

Voicemail: Abi Acosta

Missed….missed…voicemail…missed.

She had called me.

Not wasting a single moment, I opened the first voicemail…which according to my phone was left when Stetson went missing. Abi’s voice filled the dark space.

“Cash. Come on. You told me I could call you. Stetson. He’s…he’s….he went riding with Rhett and Rhett’s back but not Stetson, and Cash, I’m scared. I’m trying not to want you here in this moment, especially since you said I could call you and text you and you haven’t answered a single one but…Stetson is missing, and I don’t know what to do. He knows the land…I shouldn’t be as worried as I am…but…dammit Cash, answer your fucking phone! Please.”

“It’s been over an hour, and I can’t find him. If you get this, please come to the ranch. I…God I hate to admit this…I need you here.”

“Cash…I just…wait…you’re calling Lachlan…”

Her voice died down and the room fell silent.

I didn’t sleep.

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