I can’t believe it; Cash will be at the airport an hour after I get off work. I’m glad the airport is only a half hour away. I’ve been a bundle of nerves all day. We planned for him to stay ten days here and I was able to get some personal time at work, but I need to work a half day tomorrow since it’s a teacher’s in-service day. We’re going to talk about the wedding, ship some of my things to his place, and spend some much needed time together. Skype, texting and talking on the phone just isn’t enough for us anymore. I glance at my phone and see that I have new messages.
Cash: I can’t wait until you’re in my arms
Sarah: T-minus five hours, are you nervous yet?
Max: What are we doing tonight? Are we taking Cash to the diner for our weekly dinner with the ‘rents?
Fuck! I forgot it was the weekly dinner. I wonder if I can get out of it. I look at down at my ring finger. I still have the bread tie on.
Me: Max, do you think I can get out of it? I don’t want to subject him to that.
Me: I’m so nervous, Sarah, but I can’t wait to see him.
Me: Sweetheart, I can’t wait to see you. I NEED to be in your arms.
Max: You know that mom won’t let that happen. You can leave him at the house, so he doesn’t have to be subjected to them.
Me: UGH! I’ll ask him what he wants to do.
I thought the day would never end. I got into my car and headed to the airport. I pull into the lot and go inside to check what gate he’s going to be at. I send him a text to let him know I’ve arrived. The boards tell me what gate he’ll be at, and I walk over to it. I’m wearing a pink dress shirt and a denim skirt that comes to just above my knee. I even took extra time this morning to work on my hair. I wanted to look perfect for him.
Someone comes up behind me and speaks quietly in my ear. “Do you have the time? I’m meeting my girl, and I think she’s late.” I spin around, and Cash is standing there with a huge grin on his face. I squeal and hug him tight. Our lips find each other in a desperate attempt to reconnect. People yell at us to get a room, but we ignore them.
“I missed you too. I can’t believe you’re here. Ready to go?” I ask him as I kiss his neck. He groans as I lick his ear.
“Abby,” he whispers in my ear. “I haven’t had sex in six weeks because my girl wasn’t around. I have a permanent hard-on. You keep doing that, and I’m taking you right here.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not wearing any panties.” I walk away from him.
“You’re killing me! Get your ass over here!” he yells as he runs to catch up with me as I sashay my hips. He catches up with me and smacks my ass. I yelp and get in the car.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I have a slight problem, though. Tonight is my weekly dinner with my parents.” I inform him. “I don’t want to subject you to them so you can stay at the house or even go to the diner, but sit at a different table.”
“I would like to meet them.” I frown at his declaration. Our relationship is doomed. We get back to my place, “What time do we have to leave for dinner with your parents?”
“We’ll leave once Max gets here. Please promise that you will still love me after meeting my parents.” My parents always make me feel like I’m nothing and deserve to be alone for the rest of my life.
“Abby, look at me. I’m not marrying them. Max is the only opinion that I care about, and I think he likes me.”
“Not really, but I will tolerate you,” Max says with a laugh as he comes over to shake hands with Cash. “Hey, squirt, you okay?” he asks.
“Cash is going to meet mom and dad,” I inform him.
“Abby, you need to stop worrying. I keep telling you that their opinions don’t matter. Now are you ready to go?”
“Is Sarah coming with us?” Cash asks.
“She usually goes with her parents, but her car is still here,” I say as I walk to the bottom of the steps. “Sarah!”
“Yeah?” She comes to the top of the stairs in sweatpants and a t-shirt.
“Are you not going out with your parents?”
“No, they’re having dinner with some friends.”
“Get changed, and you can join us,” I tell her. She starts to argue with me, and I give her a ‘don’t mess with me look.’ She sighs and gives in, going back into her room. “She’s changing and will be right down.” Max leaves Cash and me alone, heading up the stairs.
“I want to take you right here and now,” he growls as he kisses me. I moan into his mouth.
“I want you so bad. I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited that you were going to be here; touching me.” I guide his hands up my skirt.
“Abby,” Cash warns me, his eyes begging me to behave. I lift my hands in surrender, and he backs away towards the sink adjust himself. I love this man and the effect that I have on him.
CASH
I’m turned on right now since the first second I saw Abby standing in the airport. My seat in first class allowed me to be one of the first to deplane. I knew I had to do something to surprise her when I saw her walk in and crane her neck looking for me. I have in my bag the engagement ring I can’t wait to put on her finger. She’s so good at teasing me and that my cock is straining against my jeans. I need to do something, anything, but my hands are tied as we’re heading to dinner with her parents. I laugh at the innocent look on her face; she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
Max comes back down with Sarah. Sarah embraces me. “I’m so glad you are here.”
“Me too. I missed you guys.” I tell her as I watch Abby and Max, who appear to be locked in an intense conversation.
“She’s been so sad without you. I’m just glad that you’re back. I don’t know if she can go another six weeks.” Sarah expresses her concern before turning to see what I’m looking at. “I wonder what that’s about. Do you know what’s going on?”
“No, but I know she’s nervous about me meeting her parents. She’s worried that I’m going to change my mind about her once I meet them.”
“They can be pretty rough. You might have to keep reassuring her,” she says. There’s something in her eyes that I can’t quite put my finger on.
“Let’s go. We don’t want to keep them waiting.” Max says as he starts heading out the door. I squeeze Abby’s hand. Max drives us to the diner, and we talk about the work, Shawn, and how they are going to show me all of their favorite things to do while I’m in town. Abby’s looking out the window, not talking. I squeeze her thigh, and she gives me a weak smile.
“Do you want me to get a booth by myself? Will that make you more comfortable?” I ask her.
“Thank you for that but no.” It’s another ten minutes before we turn into the parking lot. It’s a cute diner, but my much smaller than I expected. We walk inside together, and Abby and Max ask us to wait while they look for their parents.
“I wouldn’t mention the engagement,” Sarah suggests as she checks her phone.
“Are you afraid of them too?” I ask curiously.
“Yes. They are so mean to Abby for some reason. She didn’t go to her high school graduation or any parties. She wasn’t allowed to. It pissed me off because she was eighteen. We got jobs near the campus, so we were able to move in with Max early. After that, she finally started coming out of her shell.” Sarah gives me more insight as to what Abby went through growing up.
“They’re mad today, and Max is trying to calm them down.”
“Why are they mad?”
“Max told them that we had two other people joining us, and when he told them one was my boyfriend, they started yelling.” Her eyes hold nothing but sadness when she looks at me. I pull her into my arms.
“I’m sorry, my love. I’ll call a cab and head back to your place while you spend this time with your parents.”
“No, we’ll go home together. If my parents want to act like this, then they don’t get to see me either,” she kisses me.
“It’s about damn time,” Max says behind her. “They’
re big babies tonight. Why don’t we go to Applebee’s for dinner?”
Everyone agrees, and we move towards the exit.
“Stop right there!” Someone demands. We all turn around to see who stopped us.
“What?” Max asks his father. “We’re leaving because you don’t want the extra people here. Have a good night, Dad.”
“What, is Abigail’s boyfriend so ugly that she’s ashamed to show us?” I’m already outside holding the door open for everyone but hear the commotion, so I step back in the diner to shield the girls from the scene Mr. Stephens was making. Max looks at me and nods.
“Cash Hawthorne, sir.” I hold out my hand to shake his, but he’s trying to size me up.
“Sir? You attempting to show some respect?” He looks me up and down, “Or are trying to show how big your dick is?” Abby gasps behind me.
“My mom raised me to show respect to everyone I meet, especially the elders,” I smirk at him. Abby slips her hand into my belt loop; I cover it with mine to show her some reassurance.
“Why don’t you guys come in for dinner and I can talk to Cash. What kind of name is that? Were your parents hippies?” he asks as he slaps me on the shoulder. This guy is starting to piss me off. I stop to stare at him.
“Don’t speak of my parents,” I warn him. Abby grabs my hand, and I kiss her forehead. I noticed the look her dad gave me and then her. Jack Stephens’s eyes were going from disgust to shock, and then anger. I can’t get a read on this guy. I pull out the chair for Abby. Sarah sits next to her, and I sit on the other side. A waitress takes our drink orders. We are joined by Maggie, who eyes everyone while she sits next to her husband.
“Hello, I’m sorry I’m late. I’m trying to work out the new schedule. I had to hire a few new waitresses since I had one quit.” She glares at Abby until she slouches down.
“I’m Cash Hawthorne. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” I tell her.
“Hello. Abby sits up straight, stop slouching.” She tsks and I roll my eyes. Max starts to laugh and hides it behind a cough. We eat in silence, and I can tell that Abby is crawling out of her skin. I yawn and apologize.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night and had an early morning appointment before catching the plane. I hate to be rude but do you think we could call it a night?” I look at Abby, and she nods.
“I’m getting tired too. Max, would you mind giving us a ride back since you drove?” Abby asks, pleading with her eyes.
“What? You guys too good to spend time with your parents?” Abby’s dad is relentless.
“Dad, everyone is getting tired. We’ll see you next week, okay?” Max slaps his father on the shoulder. He bends down to kiss his mom on the cheek. Abby hugs her dad, and says something to her, quiet only for her to hear. Whatever he said made her, even more, withdrawn than before dinner. She pulls her hand away when I try to hold it, climbing in the truck. The car ride home is spent in stony silence. We get to the house, and she sprints to the door. I’m not even out of the truck when she slams the door.
“What the fuck was that?” Max asks, and I shrug.
“Your dad said something to her before we left. I’m going to get a hotel room. I don’t know what happened, but I think she needs space.”
“I’ll drive you.” Max offers as he tells Sarah that she needs her to check on Abby. As we drive away, I’m left wondering if this is the last time I’ll see Abby.
ABBY
“He only wants you because you spread your legs to him. You’re a whore, and he’ll trade you in eventually.” My dad spews his venom as he hugs me. I replay them over and over again in my head. I need to get away and breathe. I honestly don’t know why he treats me this way. Why can’t he just leave me alone? I hear a noise outside, and I look out the window to see Cash and Max leaving.
“What the fuck is going on?” Sarah demands, standing in the doorway to my bedroom with her hands on her hips.
“Where are they going?” I ask, ignoring her.
“Max is taking Cash to the hotel since you didn’t seem to want him here. Do you want to tell me what your dad said?”
“Wait. Stop! What do you mean I don’t want him here? Of course, I do.”
“Well, you didn’t show it when you got out and slammed the door in his face. He’s going to check into a hotel tonight, and while you’re at work tomorrow, he’s going to explore the area. You just have to text him if you want him to stay or leave.” She sits beside me on the bed and puts her head on my shoulder. I tell her what my dad said, and she jumps off the bed. “Are you serious? You don’t believe that do you?”
“No, of course not.” My voice betrays me.
“You believe him? Cash loves you. If he didn’t, do you think he would have sat through a dinner with your parents?”
“I know what you’re saying, but you don’t know what it’s like for me.” I start to argue, but shut my mouth and go to the bathroom.
“I’m sorry, Abby, but you need to stop listening to your dad and start listening to your heart.” Sarah walks away. I grab my phone and text Cash.
Me: I didn’t want you to leave. My dad just got to me.
Cash responds in seconds.
Cash: I figured something was off, so I wanted to give you time to get out of your head.
Me: LOL You know me so well
Cash: I love you and will do anything for you. Get some rest.
Me: I love you. Good night. Sweet dreams.
Cash: I had BIG plans for you tonight, and he is not happy about it.
Me: I thought you said early you had something LITTLE planned.
I answer my ringing phone, laughing. “I was hoping to hear that.”
“Hear what?”
“Your laugh. Little, seriously? You’re deflating my ego.”
“Is that what you’re calling it now? So when you are deep inside me, I should be yelling, “Give me your ego harder.”
“You are too much, my love. Get out of your head before tomorrow night. I have some plans in the works for you.”
“I’ll try.” I yawn and say goodnight. I fall asleep knowing that tomorrow night I will be in his arms. I like in-service days because I get caught up on grading papers, do my lesson plans and work on college recommendation letters. I try to avoid taking work home with me; that’s my time.
I smile when I pull into the driveway, Cash is standing in the doorway with a glass of wine. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that hugs him in all the right spots.
My man is fine. “Breathe, Abby,” I mutter as I get out of the car and wave at him. “A lady could get use to this.”
“Well wait until you see what I have in store for you.” He kisses me and hands me the wine. He grabs my bag and puts it on the floor next to the door. Coming around me, he covers my eyes and tells me I can’t peek. We move forward a few steps and then he tells me to open my eyes. I look out to see a table with lit with candles. The smells coming from the kitchen make my mouth salivate. I turn to him, and he’s grinning at me. “Well?” He’s waiting for my reaction with nervous anticipation. I run my hand over the smooth, ivory tablecloth, smiling at the beautiful flowers in a vase on the center of the table. My favorite wine is chilling in a bucket next to the table.
“I can’t believe this is all for me.”
“It’s for us, not just for you. I had all this free time while you were at work, and wanted to do something nice for you.”
“I was going to cook dinner for you, but this is even better. What smells so delicious?”
“I remembered you telling me about your love of all things Italian, so I decided to cook my mom’s incredible lasagna. I also made a salad, and a veggie and there’s garlic bread in the oven. Dessert is chilling in the fridge right now.”
“You went all out for this but won’t we be interrupted? I do have roommates!” I remind him as he pulls out my chair to sit down. He kisses the top of my head, telling me he’s taken care of everything before disappearing into the kitchen
. I take a sip of my wine and look around. I close my eyes and let the love songs playing in the background just take me to another place. He comes out with the salad, and we start talking about my day.
CASH
I love hearing about her day and the antics of her students. She seems always to have a different story for each class that she has. I hear the timer go off, and I tell her to hold her thoughts, I need to bring out the main course. I go into the kitchen to calm my nerves down because even though we’re already engaged, I’m giving her my mother’s engagement ring. It’s not a big and flashy ring, but it’s the ring that my father spent two summers working at the hotel to save up to buy for her. I added an inscription to it to make it ours, mine and Abby’s, but also to keep my parent’s love alive. I open the fridge to make sure it’s still there. It’s in the glass that was chilling for the champagne for us to toast on alongside the chocolate covered strawberries to nibble on.
“Do you need any help?” Abby yells from the other room. I jump and shut the door to the fridge like she’s right behind me. I let out a chuckle.
“No, I’m good.” I grab the plates and head back to her.
“Oh, my God, that looks amazing,” she tells me as I sit the plate down in front of her. She leans in and inhales.
“It’s never a dull moment with you. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life seeing more of your little quirks.” She blushes. We eat in silence for a few minutes before my cell phone rings. I look down at it and groan. It’s Jenny calling, and I don’t want to talk to her.
“Go ahead and answer it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better not. Oh, and don’t you dare look in the kitchen. There’s a surprise for you.” Her eyes twinkle as she looks in that direction. She laughs as I stand in the doorway. “Hello?”
“Cash, I’m sorry for calling you, but I couldn’t reach Sally,” she says apologetically.
Love Me Like You Do (Love Me Book 1) Page 23
