Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Abby

Rafe: I know you’re moving in soon, but we need to meet and talk about what you remember from that night.

Me: I only remember driving to Vegas. You can just text me now.

Rafe: Fine. You were crying when I found you, something about never getting happiness, and you collapsed against me. Still want to do this via text?

Me (typed but deleted): OMG, what the hell did I say?

Me (actual reply instead): Yes. Anything else?

Rafe: Maybe. But I’m going to tell you in person. My voice might trigger a memory.

Me: Now you’re a therapist?

Rafe: Hey, I’m just trying to figure out how we went from you crying on the side of the road to us waking up married and mostly naked.

Me: Ah, so you haven’t remembered everything, either.

Rafe: No.

Me: We’ll talk later. For now, I have a lot of packing to do.

Rafe: Fine. But just remember, I’ll be working long hours until the training facility opens. So it might be a few days until our paths cross and we can talk properly.

Me (typed but deleted): So you’re going to avoid me. Well, we’ll see about that.

Me (actual reply instead): That works. I’ll let you know when you can help move my boxes.

T he next day, as I was packing up my stuff, someone knocked on my door. I’d basically avoided my family since dinner had ended, and had barely murmured a goodbye to Rafe when I left, only talking to him via text.

However, I couldn’t be a coward forever. So with a sigh, I trudged over and opened the door, only to blink at finding Emmy there.

She smiled. “Can I come in?”

Frowning, I stepped aside. “Why are you even asking that? You usually just barge inside.”

She entered, turned around, and I hated the uncertainty in her eyes. In that moment, I realized how much I’d hurt her by not telling her about my marriage to Rafe.

I crossed the room and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Emmy. I just needed time alone to process and figure out what to do.”

She hugged me back before leaning away and meeting my gaze. “Rationally, I know that. But you know you can tell me anything, Abby, and I’ll always love and support you.”

“I know, and it wasn’t you I was worried about, but West. And I can’t keep putting you in a position where you have to hide things from him.”

“Just because I’m married now doesn’t mean all my friendships instantly melt away. He and I both have some secrets we keep for friends and family, ones that they don’t want to share with the world.”

I was tempted to blurt out the truth, that my marriage was fake, but I couldn’t break my promise to Rafe.

So I’d just have to be as truthful as I could and see if Rafe would be okay telling Emmy about our arrangement before the year was up. Because Emmy was my best friend and sister, and knew more about me than anyone else in the world. And the thought of deceiving her for an entire year made my stomach churn.

Worry about that later. Tilting my head, I asked, “So how’s West taking it?”

Emmy sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Not as well as I’d like. He’s protective and stubborn, and thinks Rafe isn’t trying hard enough to make up for all the years we were apart.” She lowered her hand. “But Rafe has tried to do better. He’s not an open book by any means, but until he finally accepts that our parents’ death wasn’t his fault, he’s always going to keep his distance.” She smiled. “But even so, I’m happy for you, Abby! We’re sisters now, so many times over!”

I chuckled, embracing the moment and forgetting about the future. “There’s no getting rid of me now.”

She rolled her eyes. “And why would I?”

“Because I’ve been gloomy and temperamental and reclusive ever since returning to Starry Hills after my student teaching internship. And before you ask, yes, I told Rafe about Travis. I think he’s hell-bent on some kind of revenge, although I haven’t wheedled out his plans yet.”

“Good. I hope he teaches that asshole a lesson because even only knowing some of what happened, I know that dickhead needs a good ass-kicking.”

While I hadn’t told Emmy about the deep fake porn-like video, she knew enough and had always encouraged me to report Travis’s threats to the police.

But I’d been afraid and hadn’t wanted it to blow up any more than it already had, so I’d resisted. Especially since I’d either be villainized as a slut or as a stupid, na?ve girl who should’ve known better.

Pushing aside thoughts of Travis, I took Emmy’s hand and squeezed. “Just don’t get your hopes up about me and your brother yet, okay? Rafe and I are married but still dating, if that makes sense? And if we don’t truly fit, we’ll get a divorce.”

“I know that. But in a strange way, I think Rafe suits you more now than when he was a carefree teenager.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Emmy gestured toward my boxes. “Let’s pack while we talk.”

Since Emmy was a master at packing—she had to pack and unpack stuff all the time for weddings and receptions as a wedding planner—I wasn’t about to turn down her help. As she put books into a box, I folded some clothes and asked, “Why do you think Rafe suits me better now?”

“Well, he was a cocky, charming teenager who was forever getting into trouble with West and Mark. But now, he’s more cautious, rarely laughs or smiles, and keeps mostly to himself. I think you could help him have fun again.”

Curious now, I asked, “You say that despite everything he did in the UK?”

Emmy taped up a box as she replied, “Having spent some time with my brother in recent months, I start to wonder if that was all an act. Nolan and Katie have to portray themselves a certain way to the world because of his fame, and I suspect it was the same for my brother.” She glanced at me. “Plus, you married him and you never would’ve done that if he’d spent the night in Vegas flirting with random women the whole time.”

I nearly said that I didn’t remember that day, but held back. However, she was right—even drunk, I never would’ve stayed with Rafe if he’d been constantly hitting on other women.

Although, even just a few weeks ago, I had been against marrying anyone at all. So why had I done it?

If only I could remember that night.

Emmy’s voice snapped me back to the present. “Not to mention I think you can bring back some of teenager Rafe’s charm again, and maybe even help him open up a bit. And not just to me, but to his old friends as well.”

“I don’t know about getting anyone to open up when I still have trouble doing it myself.” Emmy opened her mouth, but I continued, “As for bringing back his charm and having fun, I’m not the same person I was a few years ago, Emmy.”

She came over and took my hand. “I know you aren’t. But fun-loving Abby still comes out sometimes. All it takes is a drink and a good song on the jukebox at The Watering Hole, and you become the life of the party.”

I snorted. “More like entertainment for everyone watching since I’m not a good dancer.”

“You’re more than that, and you know it. Hell, you can get Amber to dance, and that takes some doing.”

Amber hated being the center of attention, or being noticed by a large group of people. “True.”

She released my hand. “Plus, I think with Rafe at your side, having your back, you’ll feel safe again.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she beat me to it. “I know you’re still worried about Travis showing up in Starry Hills. You showed me a few of his threats that one time, when you were drunk and confessed some of what happened. I still think you should report that asshole and maybe get a restraining order.”

If only I could. But I wasn’t about to tell Emmy about the videos he could release to the world. She’d probably keep my secret from my brother, but I didn’t want to put her in that position. “I just want to move on from him and focus on getting to know Rafe better, get used to living with him, and maybe think of the future.”

“Well, if you need any help, just let me know.”

“I may need your help with my family, and not just with West. Aunt Lori will meddle, no matter what she might say.”

Emmy nodded. “Aunt Lori will, but only to a point. She’s far more strategic than many people give her credit for.”

“Oh, I learned that a long time ago. Maybe it’s because I’m the youngest, and I lived with her for the longest. But Aunt Lori’s outrageous words hide her cleverness and how lonely she is, too.”

“Well, she likes Fernando Morales, and more than she says out loud. I was with her one time when we went into his antiques shop, and she couldn’t stop staring at him.”

I bobbed my head. “He steals looks at her, too. I sometimes wonder if she holds back to help us all settle down and find happiness before going after her own.”

“Then maybe it’s our turn to meddle and help her because she’s sacrificed so much to take care of us. It’s high time she had someone to care and look after her. Not that we don’t, but you know what I mean.”

“Yes, although it’s going to be tricky, since most of the single people in town seem to flock to him. Even though he’s in his sixties, he’s definitely a sexy silver fox.”

“Hmm, I think we need to visit and welcome him to Starry Hills. We can give him some Starry Wolfe wine and interrogate him at the same time to see if Aunt Lori really has a chance or not.”

Glad to have someone else’s life to focus on, I nodded. “Yes! We can include a card, sign Aunt Lori’s name, and set things in motion.”

And so Emmy helped me forget about Rafe, Travis, and my rough year ahead. Instead, we planned how to help Aunt Lori find some love of her own, or at least a way for her to nab a hot date.

Although, given how my aunt talked about Fernando, I suspected it was more than her finding him attractive. The story of her falling fast for my late uncle was legendary, and I wondered if she’d already started falling for the town’s newcomer.

Because while I may not end up with my happy ending, I could sure as hell help my friends and family get theirs. That would help me face what was to come with Rafe, the conversations we’d have, and my year of maybe getting to sleep with him but never allowing him close to my heart.