Loving a Man Who Forgot Me Novel Chapter 85
I leaned my head back into the wall. “I lost everything because of a lie. Everything.”
Addie walked over slowly and lowered herself beside me.
It was quiet for a minute, and then, “Grandpa Jack could tell us how to dispose of a body.
I’m sure he still remembers how,” she deadpanned. “That’s not funny.” A tiny smile cracked her lips. “It kinda is.”
I sighed “Fine. It kind of is. But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this. How I move on.
These last few months with her have been hell, but I thought it was worth it. I was willing to go through it all, and now I find out that it was for no reason.”
She nudged my shoulder with hers. “It wasn’t for no reason. It was for a good reason. Even if that reason turned out to be a lie.”
“You don’t get it, Addie. Abbi and I were getting back together. I was getting her back. For good, and then . . . and then Katya told me she was pregnant, and I had to make the choice. I betrayed Abbi again. I disappointed her and let her down again.”
“You guys were getting back together?” she said hoarsely. I nodded. “Yeah. And now she’s marrying him.” “Abel,” she cried softly. “You have to stop her.” “I can’t do that. This doesn’t change anything. My chance is gone.”
Addie rocked her head backward into the wall as well, and we both sat there, silent. “Why does life hurt this much?” she whispered after several minutes.
I turned my head sideways. “Because that’s what we do, Addie. Hurt people, hurt people, and we just keep hurting each other.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “When does it stop?” “I don’t know,” I breathed, and stared forward again.
Addie stayed that night with me. I’d meant to be gone already, but that didn’t happen. Instead, we dragged my blankets back out of the box I’d stuffed them in and stayed up all night talking in bed like when we were little kids.
It was a rough night, but I couldn’t remember the last time Addie and I had truly talked like that. Hours of opening up about everything. I told her about the last few years and how Abbi and I had been seeing each other in secret.
She punched me and told me what an ass I was, but then she hugged me and told me she’d always be there for me. We talked about the band and my music and her modeling and her train-wreck love-life that I could have done without hearing about.
I tried to reign in my protective big brother instincts and just listen, instead of imagining all the ways I could hurt every guy who’d hurt her. I don’t know what time we fell asleep, but the next morning she helped me load up my boxes in the truck I rented.
“I’m not going to like not having you here in the city.” “Yeah, I won’t like it either, but you’ll have Jesse and Nash most of the time.” When Nash wasn’t traveling for a fight. And when Jesse wasn’t off in some other part of the world shooting for his show.
She snorted. “Without you around, Jesse and I will for sure kill each other.” I grinned. “Probably. My money is on you though.” “Thanks.” She socked my shoulder.
“You know even though I’m moving back to Boston, I’ll still probably spend half my time here with Jesse. And who knows, maybe my music will bring me back when I decide what I’m going to do with it. For now, I need the change.
I need to go home for a while to get my head on straight, but I’ll still only be a phone call away.” “I know.” Her tone was sad and her eyes solemn. For some reason Katya’s words came back to me and I worried about my sister.
“Hey, you going to be okay?” I asked. She sniffed and nodded jerkily. “Yeah, there was just something comforting about knowing my big brother was in the same city as me.
I mean, when one of us wasn’t off somewhere else in the world, which was pretty much all the time, so I don’t even know what I’m crying about.” I pulled her in for a hug and laid my chin on top of her head. “You’re going to be alright, and when you need me, I’ll be there.”
We stood there like that on the sidewalk a few minutes, and then we said goodbye, for a few days at least. She’d be coming with Jesse and Nash to Aiden’s benefit concert later in the week.
He and Abbi had done a damned amazing job throwing the thing together in just two weeks. Local radio and TV were blasting the event. Businesses had made donations to the cause for a silent auction. Local restaurants were coming together to cater it.
Mia and Chris were opening up the youth center as they often did for charity events. I had zero doubts it would be a success, and I spent the next several days working closely with Abbi and Aiden to make sure it would be.
They did most of the work really, the rest of us were just their minions to order around. Hang this. Decorate that. Move those boxes. Sort these donations. Somehow, in it all, Abbi and I figured out a way to be around each other without looking like we were in pain the whole time. Maybe not quite friends, but maybe we’d get there.
“Look at this!” she exclaimed, walking over from where she’d been laying out items for the silent auction on the table. She waved a card in my face and I paused what I was doing, fairy lights in hand, the backdrop half strung, to try and read the flapping piece of paper.
I didn’t need to though, because she was happy to tell me. “Someone donated an all expenses romantic getaway to some shwanky resort in Napa. I’m definitely bidding on it. No doubt it will go for a lot more than I can afford, but God, it would be nice.” She sighed wistfully. “Wine country, huh? I said with a snicker.