“Abby, this is completely different. I’m 32 and you’re 25. We’ve both finished college.”
“It’s incredibly sweet of you to ask, really, but --”
“Living with us would be a more wholesome environment than Audrey and Sara have now,” he said earnestly.
“I do my best.”
“You do great, but you can’t control your mother. She’s toxic. Audrey and Sara live with a drug addict.”
She knew he wasn’t being critical of her, but she bristled at his words because it felt like he was.
“Look, Chris, I don’t have kids, but I might as well. You think it would be great to move in together, but you have no idea what life is like with kids. We couldn’t fuck on the kitchen table like we did yesterday. You can’t watch Sports Center when they’re already watching the Disney Channel. You’ve never even lived with a woman, and moving in with a woman and kids would seriously cramp your style.”
“It wouldn’t. I understand that it’s a package deal with you and the girls, and I want it. I like them, Abby, they’re good kids. Justin could live with us, too, if he wanted to. I just won’t accept your Mom.”
“It doesn’t matter, because I can’t do it. We’re just getting into a normal relationship, we need to see where it goes.”
“Are you saying you never want to move in with me?”
He sounded forlorn, and she hated being the cause.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. It’ll never be a good example for the girls. And I’ll never be able to leave my Mom with no way to take care of herself.”
“She could if she had to. Why do you condone the way she treats you, Abby? I hate that.”
“She’s imperfect, but she’s still my Mom.”
“Bullshit. She’s mean and verbally abusive. You deserve better.”
“Chris,” Abby said, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “This time with you has been amazing. I’ve loved every second. But I have to get back to reality now.”
As she stared at the electronics cords strung across the floor, Abby’s expression grew skeptical.
“Maybe someone from the cable company had to come do something,” she said to Audrey.
“They took our Playstation!” Audrey cried. “And all our games!”
“I know. It’s weird. The doors were locked, and nothing else is missing. Could we have been robbed? Just to be safe, let’s get upstairs. I want Chris to come over and check things out.”
“Do you think there’s someone in here?” Audrey asked, her eyes widening.
“I don’t know, Aud. Let’s just go upstairs, okay?”
Abby sat on the front steps with Audrey and Sara as they waited for Chris to arrive. The hole left in the entertainment center unnerved her. The thought that someone had stolen from their home made it feel less like the safe haven it had always been.
Chris’ Land Rover sped onto their street, and he jumped out as he threw it into park.
“Hey, guys,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“Someone stole our Playstation,” Sara said miserably.
“Did the house get broken into?” he asked Abby.
“It must have. I’d feel better if you looked around in there. Were you at the gym? Did I interrupt your workout?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Are your Mom and Justin home?”
“No, he’s at school and she was gone when we got here,” Abby said.
“You guys stay out here, I’ll be right back.”
Abby made small talk with the girls as they waited, hoping Chris wouldn’t encounter anyone in the house. She wondered if she should have called the police instead. He had been gone nearly 20 minutes when he came back out the front door.
“Is everything okay?’ she asked anxiously.
“Yeah, everything’s good. I checked everywhere. You guys can go back in.”
He reached for Abby’s arm as she moved to follow Audrey and Sara.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Was anything else missing? Your jewelry?”
“The only thing I have that’s worth anything is the ring you bought me, and I never take it off. Did we get robbed, Chris? Did you find something?”
“No, there was no sign of forced entry. And they would have taken stuff that’s still in there.”
“Someone must have just wanted electronics, because that’s all that’s gone,” Abby said.
“Anything else come up missing lately? Money?”
Abby blanched as she remembered the $300.
“Yes,” she whispered. Chris shook his head, looking disgusted.
“I know you don’t want to believe this, Abby, but it’s your Mom.”