Abigail felt the floor shift.
Sean turned off the water and carried the pot over to the stove. “Sometimes things get all fucked-up, and people get thrown away. You know, like dead flower petals? The nuns at Our Lady of Mercy held the service for her. She’d been there when she was a little girl, I guess. Her mom threw her away too.” The snap of silk and husk being ripped made Abigail look up. “I don’t like what you did, Abigail. I’m not here for your amusement or to play some game. I thought we could be friends. I’ll be the first to admit it’s new territory for me, but I’m willing to give it a shot if you are.” After tossing the ears of corn in the pot of boiling water, he opened the fridge. “I don’t want to throw this away. Do you?”
It was the first time he made eye contact since he started talking. “I…I like you,” she said and made a step closer to the breakfast bar.
The smile that split his sexy lips made her want to smile too. “I like you too.”
“Your mom passed away?” She felt like she didn’t have the right to inquire, seeing as how he just now decided she wasn’t a scumbag.
He tossed a stick of butter in the pot. “She overdosed on heroin. I found her in the morning. I was supposed to go to the bus, but she didn’t wake me up, so I was late.”
She couldn’t get to him fast enough. He huffed when she wrapped her arms around his waist so hard he knocked against the fridge door. “Oh my God, Sean. I’m so sorry. What I did was wrong. I invaded your privacy, and it was wrong. You probably haven’t had a moment’s peace since that day. I-I’m so sorry.” The overwhelming scent of wintergreen and musk filled her nose. She buried her face against his chest, not caring that her tears leaked on the soft material. “You were just a baby.”
“I was old enough to know what had happened. She hadn’t hid her addiction from me for a long time. I called 911 just like I’d learned in school. Hey, it’s done. Shh, it’s okay. Stop crying, baby. It’s okay.”
Warm hands wrapped around her wet cheeks. Why are my eyes drowning and his are dry? “It was a long time ago. I just have a hard time trusting people. I’m working on that. You make me want to work on that.”
“Y-You make me want to be brave.”
“I do?”
“Uh-huh. You’re worth it. Oh, Sean. You’re so worth it.”
“Oh, baby, come here.” Strong arms cocooned her. He was strong enough to survive this. Justin had no right to take this away. Nothing on this planet was going to break the fragile pieces of her heart. She hugged him back. “So this means we can be friends?”
Wait, hold the train. Friends? “Y-You want to be friends?” Okay, so maybe her heart could be shattered.
“Yes.”
Yes? Yes! “Friends?”
“Yeah, Abigail, I want to be friends. Is that a problem?”
Suddenly, her small kitchen felt too goddamn tiny. “Sure. We can be friends. Great. Come on, Penelope! We’re taking a shower!”
“What? Hey, don’t go yet. Wait, I want to feel you some more.”
“Hmm, maybe we could play Scrabble later and do each other’s hair. That’s what friends do, Sean—not feel some more. Come on, Penelope!”
“What did I say? Why are you so pissed off? I just told you something I’ve never told anyone, and you just walk out on me?”
“I’m not walking out on you. I’m taking a shower while you fix dinner. I’ll put together a salad when I get back. Chubby girls have dinner with their friends, while skinny ones get to roll in the sheets! Now, Penelope!”
The poor dog slinked to the bathroom door. “Abigail, I didn’t mean it like that! Get your ass back here!”
The rush of control felt good as she slammed the bathroom door. Screw good; it felt amazing to be the one in control of the conversation for once. And…it gave her a small amount of pride to finally have enough courage to slam a door. He’d just said he didn’t want to throw away what they’d started, and the idiot went and did just that. Justin had been right. She was never going to find love again. She turned on the shower and tugged her clothes off while the dog tucked herself into a corner.
“I’m sorry, girl. I didn’t mean to yell at you. Crap, I didn’t mean to yell at him either.” The spray heated her skin in tiny prickles. “Why do I have to like him so much? Those damn rose petals! Now I really won’t be able to sleep for a month.”
The vision of a ten-year-old Sean waking up and waiting for his mom to fix him breakfast stung her eyes. Thank God the water hid the tears that wouldn’t stop coming. The precious gift he’d given her was his trust. A secret so devastating he’d hidden it from the world. He’d tucked his pain neatly inside. She looked down at her stomach, tracing the white scars with a shaking fingertip. She’d done the very same thing.