by E. L. Todd
“I don’t know what to say…”
“There’s nothing to say.” He reached across the table and touched her hand. “I used to be lonely and empty. I’d spend my nights with strangers, and it would dull the pain for the moment. And now that I have you, I don’t feel that way anymore. I don’t want to be with strangers anymore. But I also know that I needed to experience that to understand what I really want. Unfortunately, you’re in the phase I used to be in. There’s nothing I can do to change that. I’ll just have to wait. And I will.” He pulled his hand away.
“I—wow.”
He stared at her face and drank from his glass.
“You said you weren’t in love with me.”
“I never said I was.”
“But…how can you say all of that and not be in love with me?”
He drank from his glass and didn’t speak.
“Abby?”
She turned to see Toby standing next to her. Her heart immediately moved into her throat. She didn’t see him when she walked in, or see him enter the bar. Now she was frozen to the spot, unsure what to do. She planned on talking to him about Fernan, but not at this very moment. “Hi…”
He glanced at Fernan then turned back to her. “What are you doing?”
Fernan watched their interaction. “I’m taking my assistant out for a drink.”
“Oh yeah,” Abby said. “This is my boss.”
Toby eyed him. “Nice to meet you,” he said with absolutely no emotion. He didn’t extend his hand to shake his. Fernan didn’t either, which was odd since he was always so polite.
Abby felt uncomfortable, really uncomfortable. “Well, it was nice seeing you.”
“That’s it?” he asked.
“What?” she said.
“You aren’t going to embrace me or anything?” The fire was in his eyes, the jealousy evident.
She stood up then leaned closer to him. “Knock it off,” she whispered.
“Who goes out to a bar with their boss after work?” He stared her down. “Are you fucking him?”
She pulled him aside. “Keep your voice down.”
“No,” he snapped. “Baby, be honest with me.”
“This isn’t how I wanted this conversation to go,” she said with a sigh.
“What? What the hell does that mean?”
“I said I didn’t want a relationship with you. I said that many, many times,” she said firmly.
His eyes widened. “You are sleeping with him.”
She didn’t answer but she didn’t need to.
He stepped back, his mouth closed.
“I was going to tell you…”
“Fuck you, Abby.”
The words stung. “Toby, I told you I didn’t want anything serious. I made that clear but you continued to pursue me.”
“You could have told me you had a boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she snapped.
“But I bet he doesn’t know about me.”
“He does know about you,” she said.
Toby glanced at him then turned away. “Goodbye, Abby.”
She wanted to grab him and hold him back, but she didn’t. He had the right to leave if he wanted to. Even though she did nothing wrong, she still felt horrible for hurting Toby. As much as she tried to convince herself that she didn’t care for him, she knew she did.
He stormed out of the bar without looking back. After the door swung closed, she returned to her seat across from Fernan.
He watched her. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you aren’t,” she said with a sigh.
He shrugged. “I’m glad I have you all to myself again. But I am sad that you’re sad—honestly. But this just proves my point. I’ll be patient with you as long as you need. I’m the guy for you. No one else ever will be.”
She stared at the table then fidgeted with her hands. Her heart hung heavily in her chest, aching and bleeding.
“You made it clear what you wanted from him, right?”
She nodded.
“Then it’s his loss. You did nothing wrong, Abby. People sleep around all the time. They don’t have to put their entire personal life on display. It’s okay to be private.”
“Then why do I feel like shit?”
He rubbed his chin then rested his hand on the table. “Because you care about people, which is very rare in people nowadays. But he’ll come around.”
“And if he doesn’t?” she asked.
He drank from his glass then grabbed her hand. He rubbed the top of her knuckles his thumb. “Then it’s his loss.” The look in his eyes gave her comfort, however subtle it was. “And now I get what I want.”
The Next Installment of the Southern Love Series
Abby’s Plight
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Also by E. L. Todd
Southern Love Series
Then Came Alexandra
Then Came Indecision
Then Came Absolution
Then Came Abby
Abby’s Plight
Forever and Always Series
Only For You
Forever and Always
Edge of Love
Force of Love
Fight for Love
Lover’s Roulette
Happily Ever After
Hawaiian Crush Series
Connected by the Sea
Breaking Through the Waves
Connected by the Tide
Taking the Plunge
Riding the Surf
Caught in the Undertow
Alpha Series
Sadie
Elisa
Layla
Janet
Cassie
Soul Saga Series
Soul Catcher
Soul Binder
Soul Relenter
Essence Series
Flight of Life
Tale of Life
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