15. Abby
15
ABBY
T he night had been magical so far. Even though the conversation had been emotional at times, Abby felt she’d had a breakthrough with Sophie. Talking about Ramona had been healing for her and appeared to have been the same for Sophie.
Now, they had rented skates and were about to get on the ice. Set up in the heart of the town square, the rink was rectangular in shape with lights strung over the top. It seemed as though the whole town had come out for the evening. Sounds of laughter, children calling to one another as families and friends made their way onto the ice, filled the air. Christmas music played from hidden speakers.
“Bye, Abby,” Jack called, lunging onto the ice and tearing off after a group of boys his same age. Sophie skated over to a group of her friends. Lily stayed close, traveling in a circle while she waited for them to join her. The little girl’s competency on skates was obvious. They started skating early here, she supposed.
“Are you going to make me laugh?” Luke held out his hand, presumably to help her.
“Why would you laugh at another’s misfortune? It’s very mean.” Abby’s breath formed little clouds in the crisp air as she took Luke’s hand and let him lead her onto the ice.
She hadn’t mentioned to him that she’d spent many hours in-line skating in Santa Monica and Venice Beach back in California. Would it translate to the ice? She was about to find out.
Abby drew in a deep breath as she stepped onto the smooth ice. To her surprise, she remained upright. It was remarkably similar to in-line skates. Still, she let him take the lead and took his outstretched hand. Any excuse to hold his hand worked for her.
Her legs felt slightly unsteady at first, but she quickly acclimated. She was in good shape from all the hiking and skating she’d done in her years in LA, and it paid off as they sailed along together, hand in hand, on the outer edges of the ice. Kids and teenagers flew past them, too involved in their own fun to pay much attention. Lily skated just slightly ahead of them, singing along to the music.
“Wow, you’re doing great,” Luke said. “A lot better than I expected. Here I was, looking forward to a good laugh.”
“I used to Rollerblade a lot in LA. Maybe it’s not that different?”
“Apparently not. I’m starting to think there’s nothing you can’t do.”
“Trust me. You haven’t seen me in the kitchen,” Abby said.
For a few minutes, Luke and Abby skated side by side, their hands intertwined as they glided across the ice. Just ahead of them, Lily skated with pure delight, her small legs moving in a natural rhythm. Luke’s grip on Abby’s hand tightened slightly.
“She’s amazing. Have you taken her skating a lot?” Abby asked, glancing up at Luke.
“We spent a lot of time here last winter. She can’t get enough.” Luke grinned, casting a sideways glance at Abby. “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to be so good at this. I thought you said you didn’t know how to skate.”
“I said I’d never ice -skated before,” Abby said.
“I see.”
Abby laughed, giving his hand a light squeeze. “I loved Rollerblading along the boardwalks by the beach. So much fun.” She shrugged, her movements graceful as she glided along, her feet never faltering. Physical activities were some of her favorite ways to relax. Tonight seemed to be no exception.
“Do you miss LA?” Luke asked.
Something in his tone gave her the impression he was feeling her out, testing to see how committed she was to staying.
“I have hardly thought about my old life since I got here. Too busy.” She smiled, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before shifting back to Lily, who was now slowing down just ahead of them, waving excitedly. Abby loved the warmth of Luke’s hand, steady and strong in hers. Skating with him seemed natural, almost effortless, as if they had done it a hundred times before.
“Come on, Daddy! Abby! You’re too slow!” Lily called out with a giggle, turning to face them and holding her arms out wide for balance.
“Too slow, huh?” Luke shouted back at his daughter. “Take it back.”
They picked up the pace a bit, still holding hands as they skated to catch up with Lily. Once they reached her, Luke let go of Abby’s hand and scooped a squealing Lily up and over his broad shoulder. “Got you.”
“Daddy, put me down.” Lily giggled and tried to wriggle away, but her father was clearly too strong for that. But soon, he swung her back onto the ice and off she went.
Luke turned back to Abby. She shot him a playful look, skating a smooth circle around him before coming to an agile stop right in front of him.
“Ah, there you are again,” Luke said softly, his voice dropping to a murmur as he took her hand in his. “I like holding your hand.”
“I like holding your hand.” In fact, her hand fit perfectly in his. The way his thumb gently brushed against her skin gave her tingles up the back of her spine.
Abby looked up at him, their eyes meeting, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to quiet. The music, the laughter, even the cold—they all faded into the background.
Luke turned toward her, slowing down slightly so that they were face-to-face. He took both hands, skating backward. “Blue Christmas” played overhead.
“If we weren’t in public, I’d ask to kiss you,” Luke said.
“I would say yes.”
A lone snowflake landed on Luke’s hat. Then another and another.
“It’s snowing,” Abby said, glancing upward. Several flakes landed on her cheeks, and one caught in her lashes.
“Daddy. Abby. Look at me.” Lily twirled in a circle, her hat wobbling on top of her curls.
Luke chuckled, shaking his head. “She’s kind of a show-off.”
Abby smiled, giving his hand another squeeze as he led her forward. “She knows how loved she is, which makes her free to be herself. She’s lucky to have you.”
“Thanks for saying that. I couldn’t do it without my mother.”
“Divorce must have been really hard, especially with an infant.”
“In hindsight, Sarah and I were never a good match. I didn’t understand that at first. I’m a family guy. She didn’t want children. She hated rural life. Things were always hard between us, but I figured if I just worked harder to make her happy then all would be well. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t. Then, when she got pregnant—not planned—I thought she might lose some of her wanderlust. But she kept lamenting that she’d not had enough fun, and she wanted to travel and do things together, and now her life was over. As the days drew closer to her due date, she got nastier and more withdrawn. I had no idea what to do. When Lily finally came, I still had hope that motherhood would change her. But one day, I woke up to a note telling me she was leaving and not coming back.”
“Do you think she meant it? The not coming back part?”
“Yeah, she meant it. I mean, it’s been four years. If she were going to come back, she would have done it already. She gave me full custody and asked for nothing from me. So, no. She’s not a part of our lives. She won’t be.”
That was good to hear. All she needed was to fall in love with Luke Hayes and then have his ex-wife reappear and want her family back.
Luke continued. “She wasn’t happy here. She kept asking me to move away with her. Back to Dallas, where she was from. But I didn’t want to leave my family’s farm, and honestly, it wasn’t an option for me then or now. This farm is part of me. Part of Lily. I’d spent my whole life preparing for the day I’d take over for my dad.”
“How old was Lily when you split?”
“Split’s not the right word. She left me. Lily was only two weeks old.”
Abby didn’t know quite what to say. What sort of person left their baby? It was one thing to leave a relationship that wasn’t working, but to leave your child? She couldn’t understand it. Not for a minute.
“I know, it’s bad,” Luke said. “As bad as you’re imagining right now. My heart was broken and my mind reeling and I had this infant. It was completely overwhelming. For six months, I had a recurring nightmare that I’d fallen through the ice on the lake and was drowning.” He shuddered. “That’s when I moved back in with my folks. We’d been renting a place closer to town, but I let it go once Sarah was gone. Like I’ve said, without my mother, I would have been toast.”
“Two weeks old.” Abby shook her head. “I can’t imagine how you did it.”
“Same as you’re doing now. You adjust. You put the child first. You make it work.”
Ahead of them, Lily was now skating in between Jack and Sophie, each of the older children holding one of her hands.
“That’s ridiculously cute,” Abby said.
His voice sounded husky with emotion when he answered. “It truly is.”
They skated in silence for a few minutes, passing a man doubled over in laughter, the pretty dark-haired woman beside him looking much less amused.
“That’s Tag Lawrence,” Luke said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever heard him laugh before. He’s notoriously grumpy.”
“Maybe the magic of this place is working on him too?”
“What do you mean?”
Abby hesitated, thinking about what to say exactly. “I mean that tonight’s been really special to me. This whole place is like something from a movie or a favorite book. The lights and music—skating with all these happy people around me. Holding your hand. Watching the kids having so much fun. All of it. I won’t ever forget this night.”
“Me either.” He tugged her closer to the edge of the rink and then guided her off the ice. Next thing she knew, he’d pulled her into an embrace.
Goodness, he felt so good. His muscular chest and arms enveloped her, made her feel petite despite her height. She could stay like this forever and never want for another thing.
She glanced at the ice. The three children were still together, Jack and Lily singing along to the music. Sophie, probably aware of her friends, didn’t sing, but she was smiling, and her cheeks glowed from the fresh air. Abby couldn’t be sure, but she seemed better, less anxious the last few days.
Please, God, let her be all right. Let all of us be okay.
Was she going to be all right? Were all of them going to make it through this? Tonight, it seemed as though they might.
“Hey now, what’re you thinking about in that pretty head of yours?” Luke brushed a finger against her cheek, staring into her eyes, clearly unaware of the stares they garnered.
“Hoping we’re all going to make it through the holidays okay,” Abby said truthfully. “And praying I’m enough.”
“You are. Trust me. You’re brave and smart and stunningly beautiful. No one can do this like you can.”
“That may all be an overstatement, but thank you.”
“I’m going to kiss you now unless you stop me.”
“I won’t stop you. But you do know everyone’s staring at us, right?”
“Let’s give them something to talk about then,” Luke lowered his head, his lips barely brushing hers.
“Isn’t that a song?”
“One of the best ever.” Luke went in for another kiss, this time less soft, more urgent.
Fat, lazy flakes danced under the lights and made the scene almost unbearably beautiful.
And this man? How was it possible that he lit her from the inside out? He made her feel alive and young and desirable. The way he looked at her. The way he kissed her.
“I could get used to this,” Abby said.
“I’m counting on that.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the kids approaching. She stepped outside of his arms and immediately felt the cold surround her. She looked at Sophie, praying the little girl wouldn’t be upset.
“Can we get hot chocolate now?” Sophie asked.
“And a cookie?” Jack asked.
Cocoa and a cookie. That she could do.
“Me too?” Lily asked.
Luke laughed and picked her up, kissing her forehead before setting her back on the floor. “Treats, and then we’ll hit the road, toads.”
Lily giggled. “We’re not toads.”
“Frogs then?” Luke asked, catching Abby’s eye.
In that moment, everything seemed to make sense. The journey that had brought her here, all the things she’d had to give up, faded into nothingness. This was her life now. She was a mother. Perhaps someday, she and Luke could fully merge their lives. For now, she would simply enjoy the newness of this unexpected courtship. As she’d told the children earlier, they were making memories. Ones they would cherish for however long they remained in this world.
None of the accolades or degrees or even money compared to this exact moment in time. This magical moment with the lights twinkling overhead, the snow falling, the children’s glowing faces, and the man of her dreams reaching to take her hand seemed the pinnacle, so much more important than anything she’d ever done before.