Page 114 of Running Home to You
“I know.” Kate’s chin crumpled.
When their eyes met, she considered begging, crying, grabbing her by the hand in one last effort to salvage them. But there was nothing to salvage. Maybe even less than five years ago.
“Dance with me?” Abby asked.
“What about—”
“It’s our last time.” Abby spilled her soul into her stare as she grabbed her hand. “Please.”
Kate laced their fingers together and followed her to the floor as a slow ballad started. She eased into Abby, looped hands around her neck like a high school dance. Abby rested her hands at her waist, doing her best to enjoy it, to not crumple on the hardwood beneath the twinkling lights.
“I can’t get used to seeing you like this,” Abby said.
“At a wedding?”
“Just all of us. Grown up.”
Kate’s mouth quirked. “Am I everything you’d thought I’d be?”
“So much more,” she whispered. A lump filled her throat and the rest spilled without her permission. “I want you back, Kate.”
“Abby…”
“I’m still in love with you. I’ve always been in love with you. It’s not going to change for me.” Abby gulped at Kate’s eyes glistening like shattered glass in the silence. “I’ll beg. I’ll wait. I’ll change. Whatever it takes.”
Kate unhooked her arms from her neck. “I wish you wouldn’t say that.”
“Kate.”
“Thanks for the dance,” she whispered, before charging out of the reception.
“Hey, hold on.” Abby hustled after her through the sea of wedding guests, indifferent to Dani’s scowl across the way. She followed Kate out of the ballroom and into the mahogany hallway. “Hey!”
“Abby, it’s over!”
“Not for me!” She shook from her toes to her tongue, sweating pills and booze, gritting her teeth while she fought for them one last time. “I get that you don’t want to be with me and I’m a mess, but what about you? Still the same scared girl from college, hiding in religion and chasing perfection! How could you go back to it after everything?”
Kate reared back, red and breathless, but all a doped-up Abby could think was at least she turned around. “Of course I went back! I was scared!” Her shout splintered. “You left me nothing! Nothing in my heart—no you, no faith, no God. Why would I lose that too? How is it any different than you making a career out of running away?”
“Because I don’t think you lost your faith!” Abby shook her head. “I think you couldn’t understand it anymore, and that terrified you. You’re terrified when things aren’t black and white or good and bad.”
“And how would you know? You don’t even know yourself. You’re so far gone, I barely recognize you!” Kate sniffled, but didn’t cry. In fact, the way she reduced her volume and squared up to Abby was somehow worse. “And it kills me too. It kills me that you won’t save yourself.”
Abby didn’t know how she withstood such a direct hit, but she was desperate. The most desperate she’d ever been. She grabbed Kate’s hands. “Please, don’t do it. You don’t have to choose me, but don’t choose this. Please, Kate.”
“Everything okay out here?” Ryan asked behind them.
Kate tugged her hands out of Abby’s and nodded. “Yeah.”
His brow knitted together as he drew closer. Abby had met him at the rehearsal dinner, found him affable but boring, just as she expected. She considered whether she might pick a fight with him next, when Dani barreled into the hallway.
“Hey,” Abby said to her, but she didn’t stop.
“I’m leaving.”
“Fuck.”
Abby half-heartedly trailed behind her. By the time she reached the winery’s circular driveway, Dani was climbing into a car. Abby could have followed, had enough time to stop or chase her, but let her pull away.
