“I knew it would. She never understood how deep her feelings went for you until the option of you was taken away.”
“Her feelings for you run deeper,” I said, wanting him to know the truth.
He smiled and nodded; his shone the truth. He believed me. “I know, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t hard to see the woman you love, love someone else. Anyway, I need to talk to you and Abigail. My name is Officer Gabriel Cortez,” he reached out to shake her hand, but my girl was behind me, wanting to shield herself from everyone. I never should have brought her here. She hadn’t spoken one word, and I wondered if I had pushed her too far.
Abigail peeked from around my shoulder, and Lucy pushed her forward. “Don’t be afraid. He is a big teddy bear. Now that Maria is gone, you have nothing to worry about. I’m sorry about that. I should have kicked her out.”
“You should have,” I grumbled.
“Well, whatever happened needed to happen, that’s all I’m going to say. You were homeless?” Lucy had pity in her eyes. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m glad you met my brother.”
Abigail glanced away, cheeks on fire from all the attention. Her palm sweated in mine. She really hated this.
“I can talk to you guys in private if you want? Considering the nature of what I have to say.” Cortez said. “Maybe we should sit down.”
“It’s fine,” Abigail finally spoke, words slurring a bit. “Everyone needs to know. It is something I don’t want to explain again. I have a feeling I know what you want to talk about.”
“Well, this sounds like it needs a bottle or three of wine. Let’s go into the living room. I have a few bottles in the cooler.” Lucy grabbed a few more wine glasses, and Cortez turned around and sat in the red chair, waiting for us.
Abigail and I shared a look. She was scared, and I was nervous for her because there was only so much I could protect her from. Whatever Cortez dug up, I had a feeling it wasn’t good.
Chapter Sixteen
Abigail
I wanted this day to be over.
I didn’t want to talk about what happened in my past.
And I wanted to kick myself for not saying something to Maria, but it all happened so fast, and Logan got so mad, pushing me behind him that I barely had time to think. I never had to deal with something like that before. I was stunned that someone could hate me without even knowing me. She came to so many assumptions and judged me, and now that all of my dirty laundry was in the air, I couldn’t help but wonder if Lucy thought about me like that too.
I didn’t belong here.
We all sat down in the living room, and with the tension, I still admired how beautiful their home was. High ceiling made of wood, large beams that ran from the top to the floor, a chandelier, and then the floor to ceiling windows that had a view of the city in the distance. It was gorgeous.
And the couch was so comfortable. It was black suede or velvet; I wasn’t sure. Logan sat right next to me, tossing an arm around my neck. His arm laid across the back of the couch, and his thumb lazily stroked my shoulder. It was that simple gesture that made me feel loved.
Made me feel strong and protected.
I’d be okay.
Godrick sat on the other side of the sectional, and after Lucy poured all of our drinks, she sat down next to her husband, tucking her feet up and under her. Cortez cleared his throat and pulled out a thick file, and the weight of it made it slap against the coffee table.
“Woah. Are you a criminal? Did you escape prison? Tell me everything,” Lucy said with a big smile on her face.
I giggled and shook my head, but then stopped staring at Officer Cortez unsure because I didn’t know. “Am I?”
He snorted. “No. You aren’t a
criminal.” But then his face took on a more serious expression. He had brown eyes, like me, only they were a shade lighter, and as he looked at me, I saw how he didn’t want to ask but had to. “I shouldn’t have done a background check on you, but Abigail, I’m glad I did. I read through your file, and you had a head injury, right? You can’t remember anything from a year ago?”
“Bits. More like feelings,” I said.
“How do you feel when you think of it?”
The cold dread filled my bones. “Sick. Something bad happened.”
Officer Cortez nodded and brought his fist up to clear his throat. “It did.” He placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, his bicep bulging from supporting his weight. He was very much a cop. I saw it now. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about this on private?”