Page 27 of Unsaid Things

Chapter Twelve

Lance decided that this was the worst Christmas on record. Not because his family was horrible or he got coal in his stocking. No, his parents were awesome, even his dad after their chat at the shop. He’d told his mom the night before that he’d be leaving after they exchanged gifts in the morning. She’d hugged him and said, “Oh good! Of course you should go. I’m surprised you didn’t go with her today. I figured they must not’ve had room for you on the flight.” He’d also let her know he planned to propose, which had made her hug him again and say, “I’m so happy for you!”

Marissa gave him a hard time, but in the teasing way they had where they always gave each other shit. She had pulled him aside at one point and told him how much she liked Abby. Gabby was just sad that they were both leaving early.

No, what made it the worst Christmas was that two thousand miles separated him from Abby, and he couldn’t do anything to help her. He felt her absence like the phantom ache of a missing limb. She’d texted that Chris and Megan were going with her to her mom’s house this morning, but he hadn’t heard back from her yet. And his plane boarded in a few minutes, so he wouldn’t be able to communicate with her for a while.

Shit. He still hadn’t told her he was coming back today, wanting it to be a surprise. But would she be upset if he didn’t answer her for a few hours? Hopefully she’d text him or call him before he had to turn off his phone.

He texted Chris for an update.Abby’s still inside. Megan and I are waiting in the yard. They’re talking, not yelling. Don’t worry, I’ll intervene if it sounds like things go bad.

While Lance was relieved that Chris had gone, he hated that he couldn’t be there. He should’ve insisted on going home with her yesterday. This was so stupid.

He took a deep breath, trying to quell his frustration before it morphed into anger. He’d be home tonight, and the next time Abby went to visit her mom he’d be there too. There was no way in hell he’d let her go by herself, no matter what she said. Not after this. Not with the way he felt right now. He couldn’t take it.

Finally, just before the gate agent called the final group to board, his phone rang in his hand. “Sweetheart? Hey. How’s it going?”

She blew out a breath over the phone. “Meh. Not great. I still don’t know what’s going on with my brother, but Mom seems to be okay.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. I miss you, though. I wish you were here.”

“Me too.”

“Could you—“ She hesitated. He waited, and was rewarded for his patience. “Could you come home early, do you think?” Her next words came out in a rush. “I know you wanted to spend time with your family, and I’m still afraid they’ll hate me for leaving early and making you cut your trip short, but I’m worried, and I hate this, and I really want you here.”

Lance smiled, almost telling her not to worry, that he’d be home tonight. He still wanted to surprise her. But then her words from when he’d surprised her by just showing up in August came back to him.“I would’ve liked it better if you’d told me.”So he took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Um, well, I already changed my ticket. I’m about to get on a plane in Dallas. I’ll be back tonight.”

The gate agent came over the loudspeaker with the final call for boarding. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and made his way to the gate while Abby processed his words in stunned silence.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

He mouthed a thank you to the gate agent while she scanned his boarding pass, and he started down the jetway. “I didn’t want to fight about it. I know you wanted to deal with your family on your own, but worrying about you up there alone, with God knows what going on, is torture. I can’t handle it. So I changed my flight and figured I’d surprise you.”

“I hate surprises.”

“I know. That’s why I’m telling you. You sound stressed, and as much as I love surprising you, I figured you’d rather know I’ll be there tonight.”

“I’m so glad you’re coming home.”

“Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”

He found his seat, the middle one, and since he’d waited so long to get on, the overhead bin had no room for his backpack. Resigning himself to an uncomfortable flight, he settled into his seat. “Listen, I’m on the plane now, so I’ve got to go. I’ll let you know once I’m in Seattle, and I’ll see you tonight.”

“Text me your flight information when you get to Seattle. I want to meet you at the airport.”

“You don’t have to do that. My car’s there, right? I can just drive home.”

“Yeah, it is. I know. I don’t care. I don’t want to wait any longer to see you than I have to. Megan’ll give me a ride to the airport. I’ll see you when you get here.”

His relief at her positive reaction made it so he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “Okay. I can’t wait to see you either. I’ll text you my flight info, and I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Good. Okay.” She sniffled.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

Another sniff. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Her voice sounded wavery, and that dimmed his happiness.

---