Finding Abigail (39 page)

I buried my
head in my pillow, wishing I could get the dream back. I was in my own bed. My
depression over my family was taking on a new high and I didn’t want Noah to
suffer, so I chose to stay at home until tomorrow when his family would be
here.

I was very
excited to see Sylvia for more than one reason. I wanted Debbie to open a P.O.
box so Sylvia could put my presents for my family in there. I had already
written Debbie about it and just needed to give the presents to Sylvia to deliver.
They would be late but I was sure they wouldn’t care.

I was still in
bed when I heard the front door, and Noah yell for me. “I’m in here,” I yelled
back.

He stood
leaning against the bedroom door frame, wearing his trademark jeans and a gray
knit sweater. He looked cozy enough to snuggle in front of a fire place sipping
hot chocolate. “That’s it. We’re getting out of here. You’ve been moping around
for days. I’m taking you for a drive.”

“Where?”

“We’re going to
Bellen Hill.”

“That’s three
hours from here, why are we going there.”

His eyes shone
with secrets, his lips turned up at the edges. “To make a phone call.”

I pointed
toward the living room where I had left the portable phone. “Um… I don’t know
if you realize this, but there’s one in there.”

He smirked,
looking very full of himself. “We’re calling your family, to wish them a Merry
Christmas. There’s a very large insurance company in the city and a friend from
college works there, he said we could use his office phone.”

I suddenly felt
excited and nervous at the same time, as I sat up in bed. “You mean if Nick
happened to check Brenda’s phone records it wouldn’t look unusual for her to
get a call from an insurance company?”

He nodded. “And
the building has sixty floors. It wouldn’t be easy to track down the phone we
called from.”

Jumping up, I
rushed into his arms, breathing in his spicy scent. Grabbing his face, I
squeezed his cheeks. “You are a genius,” I said, kissing his lips. “I have to
hurry and have a shower. What am I going to wear?” I asked, suddenly anxious.

He laughed.
“They’re not going to see what you look like.”

“I’ll know,” I
called over my shoulder as I rushed into the shower. My mood had improved
immensely, all thanks to Noah.
God, I love that man
.

We left half an
hour later, wanting to make it there before then end of the work day. We made
good time, considering Noah drove the exact speed limit worried about getting
pulled over. He was overprotective of me ever since he found out my secret. I
secretly loved the extra attention. It made me feel treasured.

We pulled into
the insurance company’s parking lot and I looked up. The building was
enormously high, all gray concrete and windows. Noah was right; it wouldn’t be
easy to trace a call here.

We rode the
elevator up to the forty-ninth floor and followed the secretary’s directions to
Mike’s office. Mike was around thirty with thinning black hair. His eyes were
an olive green, and surrounded by long, thick lashes Debbie would kill for. He
greeted us each with a strong handshake and explained that we would have his
office to ourselves, because he was just leaving for lunch. We thanked him and
wished him a Merry Christmas, expecting to be gone before he got back.

I sat down on
the office chair with Noah hovering above me. I was so excited, I felt like
spinning around in the chair. A childish thought, I know, but since my dream,
and Noah’s idea this morning, I’d been giddy as a school girl. I took a deep
breath and began to dial, hoping they would be home. It rang three times, and I
was about to hang up when I heard my sister’s voice. “Hello,” she said sounding
winded.

“Hi, Brenda,” I
said cheerfully.

“Abby!” she
shrieked. “I’m so glad to hear your voice, but you shouldn’t be calling.”

“It’s okay. I’m
not calling from home. But we won’t stay on long. How are you?”

“I’m great, the
kids are great. Mom’s great, but we miss you so much.” I felt tears run down my
cheeks, but I didn’t care, I was so happy to be talking to my sister.

“Did Brian
check your phone for bugs like Debbie said he would?”

“Yeah, there
was nothing that he could see, but he did say he thought Nick was checking our
phone records.”

“I figured as
much. But it’s okay. I’m somewhere he can’t trace.”

She sniffed,
telling me she had been crying like I was. “Good, because there’s someone here
who is dying to talk to you.”

“Okay. I love
you and have a good Christmas.”

“I love you
too, Abby. Be safe.”

I heard some
muffled noises that sounded like the phone being handed over. “Abby?” my mother
asked, crying. Her voice washed over me like a hug, bringing back many memories
that made me so happy.

“Yes, Mom, it’s
me,” I whispered, unable to get the words out.

“Oh, honey, I
miss you so much.”

“I miss you
too,” I managed to squeak out. I was crying so hard I could hardly speak. I was
shaking. My body was filled with months’ worth of emotion. I felt Noah rub my
back gently, calming me down.

“I got your
letters, sweetie. I’m so happy you’ve found someone who treats you right. You
deserve it.”

I sighed,
trying to calm down. “You have no idea. It was his idea to come here today. He
thought of a plan to make this call. By the way would you like some more
insurance?” I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out.

“Is that where
you are? An insurance company?”

“Yes. Noah
thought of it, there’s no way a call from an insurance company will be
noticed.”

“He sounds
smart and thoughtful. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“Oh, Mom, me
too. You’ll love him.”

“It’s about
time somebody worthwhile realized how special you are.”

Noah’s hand
moved to my shoulder, rubbing softly. “Mom, I wanted to call to wish you Merry
Christmas. I’m going to send gifts somehow, and Debbie is going to pick them
up. They’ll be late, but I didn’t think you’d care.”

She made a
sound that sounded like something between a sob and a laugh. “All we need is
for you to be happy, and safe.”

“I am, Mom.”

“I’m so glad,
honey. I’ve taken up too much of your time. Justin and Haley want to talk to
you.”

“Okay, I love
you, Mom.”

Noah moved away
to look out the window. It was starting to snow.

“Oh, baby, I
love you too.”

Muffled sounds
erupted again. “Hi, Aunt Abby,” I heard the kids say together.

“Hi guys, how
are you?”

“Good, we miss
you,” Justin replied.

“I miss you
too, buddy. Is Santa coming soon?”

“Yes, I asked
Santa to bring you home,” Haley announced, which tore at my heart even more.

I took a deep
breath, fighting the tears that threatened again. “Oh, baby, he can’t do that
this year, but he told me to call you instead.”

“He did?” Her
voice was shrill and filled with excitement.

“He sure did,
and he said he was going to bring you lots of toys, and you’ll see me some time
soon, okay?”

“Okay, Aunt
Abby, Merry Christmas.”

“Merry
Christmas, Haley.”

“Aunt Abby,
when are you coming home?” Justin asked after Haley hung up. His voice sounded
different; had he grown in just seven months?

“Sweetie, I
don’t know. But as soon as I can I’ll be there.”

“Okay, I love
you.”

“I love you
too.” I hung up soon after, emotionally exhausted.

“Let’s go
home,” Noah said, taking my hand and leading me out of the office.

“Thank you, so
much.” We were back in his Jeep and I was leaning on his shoulder, spent from
all I had been through. Noah announced that he had to make a stop but I didn’t
see where. I had fallen asleep shortly after we left the insurance company.

“Anna, wake
up.” He nudged me, pulling me out of a very sound sleep.

I sat up and
looked around. We were still in the car, but no longer moving. We were parked
in front of a Christmas tree lot outside of Shimmer Lake. The snow had picked
up and now big fat flakes were drifting slowly down to the ground, covering it
in a white soft blanket. It was the perfect whether for tree shopping. We both
climbed out and wandered around until we agreed on one. It was the biggest tree
we could find. After Noah strapped it to the roof of the Jeep, we were on our
way.

We stayed up
late decorating it with his parents’ old decorations. He wanted the place to
look festive for his family when they arrived tomorrow.

Once it was
decorated, I sat down and watched the lights twinkle. Christmas music filtered
out of the speakers as I munched on the red and green candy I had out in fancy
crystal dishes.

Noah strolled
over and dug through the candy, picking up a handful. He popped a couple in his
mouth and fell into the sofa beside me. He spotted a stack of books piled on
the coffee table. I had purchased them for his niece last time I was out
shopping with Kathy. He picked them up and leaned back.

He flipped
through them. “Yours?”

“Yeah, I signed
them, although I know she won’t care.” I glanced at the one in his hand. “You
know how I came up with that one?”

He held the
book in question up between us. “
I Love You To Pieces
?” He read it with
a raised eyebrow.

I smiled,
feeling much better after my phone conversation. A weight had been lifted, and
I no longer felt depressed. “My mom used to say that to us all the time. But
especially at night. She’d tuck us in and then whisper, “I love you to pieces.”
One night I added, “And I hope you never die.”

“A little
morbid, isn’t it?”

“Definitely.
But I was a kid and my mom never said anything. It became something we did.
She’d say the first part and then I’d add mine. It got so that I couldn’t go to
sleep without saying it. Up until my teenage years. My mom stopped tucking me
in and it used to drive me crazy not uttering those words.”

He chuckled
softly, burying his face in my hair. “I love you to pieces,” he whispered.

“And I hope you
never die.” My voice came out in a gasp as he nuzzled on my neck.

The next
morning we got up early moving my things into his place. I wanted his family to
feel at home so I took all my belongings, although it wasn’t like I had that
much here.

“You know, your
things fit in my house just fine. Why don’t you move in?”

I was stacking
my books onto his shelf in the bedroom, but at his words, I dropped one onto my
toe. It just happened to be a hardcover. “No,” I blurted out without thinking,
partly due to the sting of pain in my big toe.

“
Okay
.
Sorry I brought it up.” He was obviously hurt by my reaction.

I finished
stacking the last book and made my way over to him, where he sat on the edge of
the bed. “I’m sorry, Noah, but I’m not ready for that step. Nick was never
abusive until he moved in.” His eyes sparked with anger at the comparison and
he opened his mouth to protest. I held my hand up to stop him. “I know you
would never hurt me, but the idea of living with someone brings it all back.
Besides, we basically live together now.”

His eyes
softened as he tugged me onto his lap. “I’m sorry. I won’t rush you, but when
you’re ready let me know, okay?”

I kissed his
whiskered cheek, breathing in his scent. “I will. Now, your family will be here
soon, and I really want to start on those cookies.” I stood up, pulling him
with me. He followed me out to the kitchen.

“While you do
that, I’m going to run to the grocery to get some booze, and something for
supper. My mom said they’ll handle Christmas dinner.”

I was busy
pulling out the ingredients for the cookies. I loaded everything onto the
counter next to the bowl I had waiting. “Don’t be long. I don’t want to be
alone when they get here.” I scooped the flour into a measuring cup, scraping
the excess off with the edge of a butter knife.

“I thought you
couldn’t cook.”

“I can’t. I
can’t even bake anything except for chocolate chip cookies, and brownies which
I’m also making, and that’s all I got.”

“I’m sure
they’ll be great.” He gave me a kiss before disappearing out the door.

A Family Christmas

The smell of
chocolate wafted around the room as I took out the last batch of brownies. I
set them to cool on the stove and began stacking the cookies into a container.
They were done, and I admit, tasted pretty good. I had to try them, didn’t I? I
couldn’t risk poisoning anybody, which my cooking usually did—sort of. And just
to make sure—I tried three.