Page 17 of Unsaid Things

Chapter Eight

Lance sat on the couch in the family room watching ESPN with his dad, bored and irritated with listening to his dad’s intermittent commentary. How much longer would Abby be gone? He was glad his sisters were intent on getting to know her. He knew they’d have the best chance to get to know her without him there, but he still missed her. His dad’s ongoing silence on anything other than cars and football made it hard to be in the same room with him. If not for those two subjects, they wouldn’t have anything to talk about. And both of those were rife with subtle and not-so-subtle digs.

How he’d left to go play football, but maybe he’d have been able to go pro if he’d stayed in Texas. Rolling his eyes, he didn’t even acknowledge that one. He hadn’t wanted to go pro. He liked football, he enjoyed being on a team and had fun playing. And he really liked how it paid for most of his education. But pro? No thanks.

How he probably didn’t know his way around an engine anymore. He bit his tongue on that one. Could he disassemble and reassemble an engine in his sleep anymore? No. But he didn’t need to. He knew enough to keep his and Abby’s cars in good working order. That was enough.

How he’d abandoned his family for some girl. He’d sat up straight at that one, ready to tell his dad to shove it. But Abby’s name popping up on the screen of his phone stopped him. Instead of arguing with his dad, he swiped his thumb across the screen, stood up and left the room.

“Hey, sweetheart. I was just thinking about you.”

“Hey. Can you come get me?”

The blood froze in Lance’s veins. Why would she want him to come pick her up early? Had his sisters done something to upset her? They’d seemed to get along okay last night. “What happened?”

“I just got off the phone with my brother. He’s at the house, and I need to go. I need to go home.”

Relief swept through him, new worry close on its heels. At least it wasn’t his sisters causing problems. “Wait, what? Your brother? He called you?”

“No.” He knew she was probably shaking her head, even though he couldn’t see her. That brought a smile to his face, a rush of affection blooming in his chest. “No, he’s at my mom’s. Megan and Chris went over there today because Mom wouldn’t answer her phone and found him there. She called a few minutes ago to let me know. When I called Mom, he answered and wouldn’t let me talk to her. I’m worried.” She paused. He could tell she wanted to say more, but didn’t know what.

Grabbing his mom’s keys and a light jacket, he found his mom in the office. “Hang on a sec, Abby.” He pulled the phone away from his face. “Hey, I need to go get Abby from Marissa’s. I’m taking your car, okay?”

His mom turned, her dark brows scrunched together, concern on her face. “What’s wrong? Isn’t she having a nice time with the girls?”

Lance shook his head. “Her brother’s home, and they’re having a family crisis of some kind. She just called and asked me to come get her.”

“Oh. Abby mentioned her brother at lunch. I thought he was out of the picture.”

“Yeah. That’s kind of the crisis. He just showed up out of nowhere today. I don’t know more than that. I’ll be back soon. I’ll fill you in when I can.”

She nodded, and he jogged out to the garage, hitting the opener as he went out the door. “Alright, I’m back. I’m on my way. What are you thinking?”

“I hate to do this, Lance, but I’m really worried. I need to go home. Like tonight. Or tomorrow. As soon as I can.”

Lance swallowed, not answering for a minute. She wanted to leave? Shit. Okay, they could still have a nice Christmas at home, right? It wouldn’t be the same, but they’d be together.

“Lance?”

“Yeah, sorry. Just backing out of the driveway. I’ll be there in a few, and we’ll figure out rearranging our tickets.”

“Just mine. I don’t want you to miss out on Christmas with your family. I know you’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

He’d been looking forward to spending Christmas withherand his family. And his planned proposal on Christmas morning. And how everyone would react when they saw her ring. And how loved and part of the family she’d feel with all the women in his family squealing and fussing over her. He’d been envisioning it for weeks. The way Gabby would clap and squeal, his mom hugging them both one after the other, Marissa pulling up ideas on Pinterest for wedding dresses and decorating ideas. That’s what he’d been looking forward to. Now it wouldn’t happen. Even if he went home with her, that vision was dead before it even had a chance.

He cleared his throat. “We’ll talk about it when I get you. See you soon.”

“Okay. I’m sorry, Lance. I really am. I know—“

“Don’t apologize, Abby. I’m not mad at you. I get it. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Lance ended the call, his hands clenching the steering wheel as he drove to pick Abby up from his sister’s apartment, the roads familiar even though it had been a year since he’d been here for a visit. He parked as close to Marissa’s stairs as he could, taking them two at a time to get to her apartment.

Marissa answered his knock, Abby right behind her. “You didn’t have to come up. I would’ve come down if you’d texted me.”

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