Loving a Man Who Forgot Me Novel Chapter 21
Even that had taken time. We might have been just children back then, but even children could pick up on the tension that existed every time his grandfather came to visit.
Eventually we figured out how to Google and discovered for ourselves the tidbits the parents left out.
Let me just say it wasn’t pretty, and if the man hadn’t always spoiled us with toys and candy, I might have peed myself a little.
The two of them slowly shouldered their way through the crowd, stopping more than once for selfies and autographs.
Abel’s, not Jack’s. They both got stares, but the way everyone eyed the two of them was very different.
They looked at Abel with awe, and they looked away from Jack quickly as if he might get a hankering for busting kneecaps again if they stared too long.
Didn’t matter that he was an old man now—not running anything besides legitimate businesses—he was a big man who still carried himself like he was the head of the mob.
It took them several minutes to reach us, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Abel’s charming grin or confident swagger.
He’d yet to look up, but the closer he drew, the faster my heart thudded inside my chest.
He tussled a hand through his messy hair and flashed a swoon-inducing grin at a young girl as he signed something for her.
He was every bit a rock star, the years and his blessed genes had been more than good to him. Made him even more irresistible. The way he wore a simple pair of jeans was either a miracle or should’ve been illegal. I couldn’t decide which.
And I would be lying if I said that the sight of him in his brother’s jersey didn’t fulfill some decade old fantasy of mine leftover from high school. I was the cheerleader, but Abel was never the jock, not that it mattered because he was still the most desirable boy in school.
And all mine. I tore my eyes away. Not mine. Not anymore. Not ever again. Fool me once, shame on him. Fool me—what were we on now? I didn’t even know at this point, but shame on me. And that shame ran deep. Haunted me in the mirror.
Heartbreak wasn’t the worst thing you could feel. I sensed my father’s eyes on me. Did he and Mom think that Abel’s recent marriage was bringing back all that old heartbreak and disappointment? I’d be embarrassed at how pathetic it seemed except that the truth was even worse.
I kept my gaze forward, on the flashing scoreboard that indicated the game was about to begin. I didn’t realize I was wringing tonight’s program in my hands until I caught my dad watching me. I cast him a sidelong glance.
He offered a smile, and I forced myself to return it and relax my grip on the program. “It’s going to be a good game tonight. It’s good that Abel is here to watch his brother.”
Was Dad fishing to see how I felt toward Abel? Either way, the reminder that it wasn’t all about me was what I needed. It was good that Abel was here, even if it wasn’t good for me. I nodded and released the pent-up tension with a deep exhale. “Yeah, it will be a good game.”
I swung my gaze forward again, chancing another peek just as Abel and his grandfather stopped in front of our section.
He looked up and our gazes collided. I always forgot how green his eyes were, how intense, until they were staring at me. Boring into me. Prickling my skin and searing my soul. Just three rows down.
The eyes were familiar. The man was not. The boy I’d loved all my young life was not the person standing in front of me, though my heart beat to the contrary.
I think that was the problem, I’d been hanging on to who he was so hard that I didn’t notice when he turned into someone else. This man was a stranger, I had to remind myself.
He wore the face of my best friend, though with features more defined and rugged than the younger version, but I really didn’t know who he was anymore. He’d proved that over and over.