She better not fucking say it.
“— I love you too. It’s possible to love two people at once.”
I felt her before I even saw her. I turned to the right and saw her sitting on the bench underneath the window. All that separated us was glass. She stared at me, smiled. Guilt ate at me for talking to another woman even if I wasn’t saying anything that would be considered cheating. I only ever wanted to talk to Abigail. She waved at me, her long tendrils of brown hair plopped on top of her head in that purple scrunchie again. Even from here, I could tell they were wet. She must have showered.
Damn it. I missed it.
“Hello? Logan? Logan?”
I sighed, never taking my eyes off Abigail. “You don’t love me. You never have. Now that I’ve moved on from you, you don’t like it, and you feel trapped with Cortez. That’s your problem to figure out, Maria. It isn’t mine. We have never been together, so this should be easy.”
“Easy? I never said anything to you because Lucy said I wasn’t allowed to date you, but I wanted you, Logan. Don’t do this. We could be good together.”
No, we wouldn’t. She was scared of giving herself over completely to Cortez. Maria never got close to people. Lucy and I were the only ones that truly got to know her. Life moved on. I had to do what was best for me.
“Sorry, Maria, but I’m happy, and I want you to be happy for me. It isn’t fair to Cortez that you’re doing this. You either need to be with him or without him. Kind of loving him when he really loves you, it’s cruel.” Maria was a good person, but she had no idea how to handle feelings of the heart. She got confused and scared. She wanted to hold onto to me with both hands but kept me at arms-length, which was exactly what she did to Cortez too. She couldn’t live like that; it would only hurt her in the end.
“I’m not going to give up on you,” she said. “I’ll break up with Gabriel.” I heard the desperate plea in her tone, begging me not to move on, but it was too late.
I moved on the moment I saw Abigail in my bedroom.
“I’m not breaking up with Abigail. I love her. Stay with Cortez; he’ll be good for you.” I hung up the phone before she could say anything else. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Maria, but the truth had to be said.
My cell vibrated in my hand, and when I looked down, it was Maria again.
This isn’t over between us. It can’t be.
I held the message down and deleted it. Another thing about Maria, she didn’t take rejection well, even when more than half the time she did the rejecting. It took me a long time to understand that I never loved her. I was in love with the idea of her, and the moment I met Abigail, it all became clear.
Crystal fucking clear.
I stood up and brushed my ass off, knowing it was pointless since I was about to get dirty from working. She still sat in the window, and I waved my hand at her, telling her to come here right when Godrick’s Land Rover pulled into the driveway.
Abigail paused, wondering if she could still come out, but I wasn’t about to hide her like some dirty secret.
“Who’s that?” Godrick asked, slamming the driver’s side door.
All the guys stopped what they were doing and stood straight, dusting their hands off on their pants, and walking over to greet him.
“You know the crew,” I said.
“You know damn well; I’m not talking about their ugly mugs.”
“Hey,” Mark pouted. “I take offense.”
“You should. You’re ugly,” Sam snickered at his own joke.
The inner garage door opened and out came the most beautiful girl in the world. Abigail closed the door, and everyone turned to look at her. She paused, wide-eyed, and afraid.
“I meant, her.” Godrick grinned at me. “Lucy doesn’t know about her. She’s going to kill you.”
“She’ll know soon enough. Come on, Abigail,” I urged her to come to me, and she took a small step in her new converse shoes. She didn’t have on a stitch of makeup. The black yoga pants stuck to her legs like a second skin, hugging all the right places, and it made my mouth water. I wanted to peel those suckers right off her and kiss every inch of her. I bet she would mewl and wiggle under me if kissed the soft spot of her hips, right beside her pussy.
With timid steps, she came forward, pulling on the pink-long sleeve hoody she wore. The guys parted to give her room, and I grinned, holding out my hand for her to take. She had to feel everyone’s eyes on her because her cheeks blushed, and she looked down, slipping her hand in mine. I tugged her to my side and kissed the top of her head. She smelled good, like coconuts, and I wanted to take her to the beach to see her reaction of the ocean. I wanted to experience her toes touching the sand for the first time. She’d understand then why coconut reminded me of the sea.
“Abigail, this is Godrick Stoneridge, my boss,” I introduced him first, and he held out his hand.
“Also his brother-in-law,” he said, waiting for her to shake his hand. Shit, he didn’t know about her memory.