Page 130 of Running Home to You
“So, I know it’s not your favorite thing, but I think we should talk about it,” Jill said.
Abby nodded, turning from the game. “Yeah. What do you want to know?”
Jill’s eyes widened as she stopped bouncing DJ on her lap.
“What?” Abby asked.
T.K. scoffed. “Damn, rehab really worked.”
“Told ya,” Mick said.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Abby peeled off her sunglasses to squint at the trio.
“You’ve just never been one to share,” Jill said with a grim smile, as DJ tugged at her hair. “Or let us help you. Like with this.”
“I just never wanted to burden you guys.” Abby’s brow drew together. She nodded out at the field. “I never wanted you to look at me different than you did out there. That’s where I always felt like I was enough.”
“You were always enough, idiot.” Mick nudged her.
“I don’t know, I kept fucking up. Then I felt like you all were growing up, changing, and I was standing still. I didn’t know how to ask for help. Plus, if I didn’t ask, there was no chance of being let down.”
“We would’ve been there,” T.K. said.
“I know that now.” Abby nodded.
A hit blooped to the infield and three players in pink raced to pickit up. The four of them chuckled at the chaos, the ball never reaching Juniper, who called for it at first base. The runner sat down to draw in the dirt after making it safe.
“You know, it’s not all on you either. We could’ve been better too,” Jill said as the clapping settled around them. “We knew you’d been through a lot when you came to Insley, but we never asked.”
“I would’ve blown you off.” Abby shrugged.
“Well, since you’re not doing that now, there’s something I wanted to say to you.” Jill’s eyes welled again, and Abby considered deflecting with a joke or shifting attention to the circus-like game. But she faced it instead like she never would’ve before. “Ever since I had Junie, I’ve meant to talk to you about your mom. I know the situation was different, but she’d never want to leave you, Abby. No matter how it happened, she didn’t.” Jill tilted her head down at DJ and then at Junie. “I look at them and no matter how bad things got for me, they’d never be the reason. And I know if something happened to me, no matter how low things got for Junie, you’d never give up on her. That’s how we feel about you too.”
Abby didn’t bother hiding the tears. She let Jill wrap an arm around her and Mick pat her back while the game unfolded with giggles and nonsense before them.
“Thank you.” She rested her head on Jill’s and sighed.
T.K. sniveled. “Fucking Shupe.”
Abby chuckled, rubbed away tears, and reached for T.K.’s water bottle. “Give me some of that.”
T.K. quickly pulled back. “Oh, that’s not water.”
“Jesus.” Abby rolled her eyes.
“What? This is a boring Saturday for me!”
Mick dug into the cooler at their feet, handing Abby a juice box. “Here.”
“Can I have some of those orange slices?” T.K. asked.
“Hey, no, those are for the kids,” Jill said, but they were already passing them around, sucking oranges into their mouths, passing out string cheese too. Abby leaned back and slurped apple juice.
“Okay, my turn,” T.K. said as Jill swiped the “water” bottle for a drink. “Can we talk about Hutch? And what happened in Vegas?”
“Nothing happened.” Abby slurped harder.
“Have you talked since then?” Jill raised a brow, shifting her eyes between T.K. and Mick.
