Page 55 of Unsaid Things

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Abby. Look at me.” He waited until her eyes found his again, that fire gone, now replaced by wariness. He hated seeing that look directed at him. “What did you tell him?”

Her breath hitched while she stared at him, but she didn’t look away, her hand rising to roll her lower lip between her thumb and first finger. When her answer came out, it was the same hoarse whisper as before. “I told him I wouldn’t give him any more money. That he needed to leave and not come back this time.”

She watched him stand from the couch, a pair of tears spilling from her eyes. “You told him you wouldn’t give him more money? Meaning you gave him money before?”

She nodded, more tears coming now, her shoulders hunched like she was trying to shrink into herself.

The fact that he was pretty sure of her answer made it easy to stay calm. “So your mom didn’t need money for medical tests last month?”

She shook her head, burying her face in her hands.

He pulled her to him again, but she didn’t cling to him like she had before. She held herself stiffly, unwilling to accept his comfort. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Why tell me your mom needed it for medical stuff?”

She shook her head, her voice coming out muffled from her hands. “I panicked.”

He pulled back so he could look down at her, but she kept her face down so all he could see was the knot of hair on the back of her head. “Why?”

She shook her head again, but didn’t say anything.

Rubbing his hands up her arms, he gripped her shoulders and gave her a shake. Not hard, just enough to get her attention, get her to look at him. “Talk to me, Abby. Why did you lie? Why does your brother need money?”

Her eyes were pained when they met his. “Gambling debts. He came to me at school like I told you and told me he needed four thousand dollars or some guys that he owed money to were going to hurt him. I—“ She looked away and swallowed. “He said that’s why he came back. That he owed money to people in Arizona, and he came here to get away. But then he got in over his head here, too.” Her eyes flicked to him and away again, like she couldn’t bear to look at him while she spilled the truth that she’d been holding in for weeks. “When you gave him that cash the day he came here, he figured I could get the money from you. But I couldn’t ask you for money for him. Not for that. Not forhim. But I couldn’t let him get hurt, either. Not when I knew I could help him, that I had the money he needed in my account.”

“So you decided to give him the money and let me pay for the rent.”

She nodded, misery lining her features. “You’ve wanted to since we got this place. I could help my brother and give you what you wanted. I told him that was it. I wouldn’t give him anything else after that, and that he needed to stop gambling and get a job and move out of Mom’s house.” She lifted one shoulder, wiped her cheek on it, and sniffed. “I thought—well, I hoped that he would take the money and leave again. Like he did before. And like he did in Arizona, you know? Just bail.” She shook her head. “He didn’t, though.”

Lance grunted, his hands still rubbing her arms. She kept talking as long as he did that. Every time he stopped, she paused, and resumed when he did.

“What did he need today?” He kept his voice low, just above a whisper, not wanting to shock her out of whatever state of mind she was in that allowed her to tell him everything by speaking too loud.

Her mouth twisted. “More. He only paid them part of the money and used the rest to gamble more. Now he’s in even deeper.” Shaking her head, she met his eyes again. “I told him to leave and not come back. Not to even call. That we all had enough problems without him adding to them.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she leaned into him, allowing him to hug her, like the confession had wrung out the strength that had kept her on her own feet this whole time. He waited, letting her settle into him again, before he asked again the question that had been gnawing at him since he figured out she was lying. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me, Abby? Why lie?”

Her head moved against him. “It’s embarrassing. Don’t you see that? I was mortified. My whole family is embarrassing, my whole history. You have the picture-perfect family. And mine is a mess—a non-functioning mom, a deadbeat dad, and a gambling addict brother. How could I tell you that?”

“Just like that, Abby. You just tell me.” He managed to keep his voice low, but it came out tight and angry. She stiffened and pulled away, but he wouldn’t let her go, his hand tipping her face up so she would look him in the eye. “Dammit, Abby, I’m in this with you. I’m here. We’re together.”

But she shook her head, dislodging his hand. “We’re not married, Lance. We’re not even engaged. My problems aren’t your problems.”

“Like hell they aren’t!” His fingers tightened on her shoulders. She squirmed in his grip, and he let her go. “Like hell they aren’t. Your problemsaremy problems. I don’t care about your family. I care about you. I love you. I want to help you. But how can I when you won’t let me in? When you won’t tell me the truth about what’s going on?”

“Lance, you don’t—“

“Yes I do.” He pointed a finger at her. “You get to listen to me this time. I’ve seen through all your distancing techniques from the beginning, let you have your walls, hoping you’d let me in. I got past the initial barriers, and you threw more up. You keep putting them up, and I’ll keep tearing them down. Even if we’re not engaged, don’t try to tell me that we haven’t made each other promises. I’ve made promises. I promised to take care of you, to love you, to give you what you need. The rest of it is just paperwork. I’m in this. I’m here. Are you?”

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