My One and Only(81)
“I still have to go,” he said, dropping her to her feet. “But this will be the fastest tow Dale has ever seen. And then I’m coming back to make love to you for the rest of the night.”
Feeling the blush crawl up her neck, Haleigh smiled into the most beautiful green eyes she’d ever seen. “I would like that very much, Mr. Ridgeway.”
Chapter 25
Haleigh had ordered him not to do this, but Cooper wasn’t about to sit back and let Abby throw away a more than twenty-year friendship without an explanation. Besides, Haleigh was still at work and what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
To Cooper’s surprise, Ian answered Abby’s front door.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Cooper asked.
“I’m moonlighting as a butler,” the smart-ass replied. “Nice to see you, too, cuz. Come on in. We were just finishing up dinner.”
“We?” Cooper echoed. “You make it sound like you live here.”
“Not yet,” Ian said with a grin. To his boss’s scowl, he added, “I’m kidding. Damn. What’s up your butt?”
Stepping into the foyer, Cooper glanced toward the living room. “I need to talk to Abby.”
“Good luck with that,” Ian whispered. “She’s been walking around like a ticking time bomb for days.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Elbowing the younger man, he said, “Take Jessi out back or something. I don’t want an audience for this.”
Ian nodded. “I can do that.” Walking ahead of Cooper, he stepped into the living room and said, “Hey, Jes. Let’s take Emma out back and sit on the patio.”
“Why?” she said, spinning to look over the back of the couch. When she spotted Cooper, she grabbed the baby’s blanket from beside her. “Good idea.” With Emma on her shoulder, she mouthed good luck in Cooper’s direction.
He responded with a nod as Abby walked in from the kitchen and abruptly stopped. “When did you get here?”
“Just now,” he answered. “We need to talk.”
“I’m not interested.” She turned tail and marched back through the arched doorway.
Determined, Cooper followed. “Get interested,” he said. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” she asked, stacking cups in the top of the dishwasher.
“You know what, Abby. Why are you so against me and Haleigh being together? And why are you throwing your best friend away like a piece of garbage?”
Keeping her back to him, she said, “I told you. She’s wrong for you.”
“Actually, she’s perfect for me,” he said, walking around the island to stand beside her at the sink. “We make each other happy, and I’d expect you to be supportive of that.”
“Then you expect wrong.”
“Look at me, Abby,” he ordered, spinning her to face him. “You’re breaking her heart, dammit. She’s your oldest friend.”
“Which means I know what she’s capable of,” she argued, slamming the tea towel onto the counter. “I know the damage she can do firsthand.”
“Why do you make her sound like a monster?”
“Leave it alone, Cooper. Just get out while you can.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me, Abbs.” Grabbing her hand, he said, “Why have you turned on her like this?”
His sister snatched her hand away and yelled, “Because Haleigh Rae is the reason that the last words I ever said to my husband were in anger! Thanks to her, my husband died in the sand on the other side of the planet and I didn’t tell him I loved him.”
Before Cooper could respond, Haleigh stepped into the kitchen and said, “Cooper, would you leave us alone, please?”
“I—” he started, but she held up a hand to silence him.
“It’s okay,” she said. “Let me take it from here.”
Recognizing the calm assurance in Haleigh’s eyes, he backed away, stopping beside her. “I’ll be out back if you need me.”
“I appreciate that,” she said.
Turning back to see Abby staring out the window over the sink, Cooper left the two women alone.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Haleigh asked, patience and understanding replacing the hurt and confusion of the last few days.
Shaking her head, Abby replied, “Because there was nothing you could do to fix it.”
Taking a guess, Haleigh said, “Kyle didn’t want me to move in here, did he?”
A nod yes was her only reply. Words weren’t really necessary.
“You should have told me.”
“Why?” Abby spun. “What difference would it have made? Was I supposed to tell my oldest friend that my husband didn’t want a drunk living under our roof?”