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  With a sigh, she relaxed back in her seat, arms crossed, brow still furrowed despite his attempt to smooth her frown away. “Can you blame me? I’ve never left my mom alone for this long before. The last time I went away it was for a department retreat that lasted two nights, and she was a wreck by the time I got home.”

  “You didn’t ever go to camp or anything in junior high or high school?” His eyebrows jumped before pulling together as he did a quick mental review of all their conversations about her life growing up. He couldn’t remember her ever mentioning camps or retreats or even sleepovers.

  She shook her head, confirming his suspicions. “No. We couldn’t afford anything like that. And she needed Aaron and me there to help her with everything.”

  He shouldn’t be surprised anymore by how much she missed out on. But he grew up going to summer camp and football camp. They were a rite of passage of sorts in his life, a time filled with fun and friends, and imagining a young Abby spending her summers in the lonely trailer where her mom lived gutted him.

  Reaching for her hand, he threaded his fingers through hers and ran his thumb over the back of her hand, wishing she would believe his reassurance. “She’ll be okay, Abby. Megan’s going to check in on her while we’re gone, and she and Chris can help with anything your mom needs.”

  Abby grunted, but didn’t stop frowning.

  “Hey. Look at me.”

  She turned her eyes to his, worry written all over her face.

  “She knows Megan,” he repeated soothingly. “Megan knows what your mom is like. She’s gone with you the last few times to get your mom’s groceries. We stocked up the day before yesterday, so she shouldn’t need much while we’re gone. If it snows, Chris will go clear her driveway. Everything will be fine.” He infused his voice with as much warmth and comfort as he could.

  “Yeah. I know.” She said it quietly, little more than a whisper.

  He squeezed her hand, wanting to say more, but someone jostled his other shoulder, and he turned to see a middle-aged man settling into the aisle seat. When he turned back to Abby, the vulnerable look on her face had gone, and she stared past him at the guy sitting in their row. Well, that ended more conversation about their families. Knowing how intensely private Abby was about her mom, he didn’t push it.

  “It’ll be okay, Abby,” he whispered. “Lay your head on my shoulder again and try to get some rest.”

  She leaned into him, and he placed another kiss on top of her head. In response, she raised their still-joined hands and kissed the back of his.

  He watched her while waiting for the rest of the plane to fill and the flight attendants to go through all the pre-flight instructions. Abby sat up for the takeoff, then settled on his shoulder again when they started to level off.

  After a few moments, her eyes closed, her pale lashes fanning over her cheeks. She hadn’t worn makeup this morning, saying she’d end up looking like a raccoon if she did, but grumbled about how she looked like a twelve-year-old without it. Lance thought she looked adorable, and some part of him couldn’t believe she was his.

  She still put up resistance to his efforts to take care of her, which drove him nuts, but also somehow endeared her to him even more. Her Kindle peeking out of the seat pocket was the perfect example. A couple of months after starting at the Forrester Group, he’d decided he wanted an iPad. He’d wanted one for a while, but couldn’t justify the expense since his phone and laptop both worked fine and did everything he needed. Now, with a full time job and the cheapest rent imaginable given that he wasn’t a student anymore—a whole other point of contention—he wanted to splurge a little. And he wanted to get one for Abby too.

  She’d balked, saying it was too much. And her fifty dollar Kindle Fire worked fine. They’d argued, one of their first real fights since he’d come back, and he’d been mad. But her stubbornness ran deep, and he hadn’t gotten her to give in. It still rankled when he saw her using that stupid Kindle. But that was why he’d gotten her an iPad for Christmas.

  And a sparkly engagement ring.

  That gift had him buzzing with anticipation. And when she said yes, he’d be one step closer to getting her to let him take care of her and stop splitting all their expenses down the middle like they were roommates instead of in a relationship. Once they were married, they could have a joint account, and all their expenses would come out of that, instead of the separate accounts they had now. Hell, he’d start pushing for that as soon as they were engaged. Their separate accounts felt like the final barrier he needed to break down between them so he could share all of himself with her.

  With the warm, comforting weight of her body against his, he pulled out his iPad to read the new thriller he’d downloaded last night for the flight. Abby woke when the flight attendant came by offering drinks, her nap leaving her somewhat refreshed, the frown she’d fallen asleep with now gone.

  “Lance, I need to go to the bathroom.”

  He couldn’t help smiling at her, leaning close and keeping his voice low. “Want me to meet you in there? We could join the mile-high club.”

  Her eyes went wide, and she smacked his arm. “Lance!” she hissed. “Shut up! No! I do not want to join the mile-high club.”

  He laughed, but stood, the guy next to him realizing she wanted out and standing too. Lance smiled as he sat down, glad she seemed to be back to her normal self. He’d never expect her to agree to a quickie in an airplane bathroom. But hopefully she’d calm down and stop worrying about everything.

  Abby gripped her armrest with one hand and squeezed Lance’s hand with the other as they made their final descent into Dallas. Lance squeezed her hand back. She’d done a good job keeping her nerves at bay for most of the flight, but this was only her second time on a plane—the first being the flight from Spokane to Seattle—and the feeling of taking off and landing made her nervous. That on top of her worry about her mom and her nerves about meeting Lance’s family, and her stomach churned, her breath coming short and fast as she fought to slow it and focus on Lance’s firm grip on her fingers.

  She tried to distract herself by thinking through what she wanted to do before coming face-to-face with his family. Her hairbrush and makeup bag were in her backpack, and she planned to stop at the first bathroom she saw to make herself look more presentable and less like a preteen. She did not need Lance’s family meeting her for the first time and thinking she looked younger than their youngest daughter, who was still in high school.

  The plane jolted and bounced as it landed, startling a squeak from her that had Lance grinning down at her. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Not all pilots land as smoothly as the one in Seattle.”

  She nodded, her body leaning forward with the momentum of the plane as they braked hard to slow down and taxi to the airport. Abby waited until the seatbelt light went off like the announcement said, even though everyone around her, including Lance, unbuckled as soon as they slowed, the sounds of people gathering their things surrounding them, rustling fabric and zipping bags. She pulled her backpack out from under the seat in front of her, tucking her Kindle back inside, and watched the front half of the plane slowly empty, waiting until their turn came to get off.

  Lance held her hand on the jetway into the airport, and she diverted him to the restrooms just outside of their terminal. She felt better after wiping down her face with a damp paper towel and applying makeup for the first time that day, brushing out her hair, but leaving it down. Her hooded Marycliff University sweatshirt didn’t make for the best meet-the-parents outfit, but given the fact that she’d just gotten off an early flight, they couldn’t expect her to be dressed up, could they? Taking a deep breath, she nodded to herself in the mirror, ignoring the curious looks from other travelers, and headed back out to follow Lance to the baggage claim and his waiting family.

  They found their baggage claim carousel, and as they approached, three people detached from the waiting crowd and came toward them. A familiar woman with dark brown, chin-length hai
r and a smile on her face led the three of them—Lance’s mom, Elizabeth. Lance’s dad, a large man with graying, close-cropped hair walked behind her, his long-sleeved T-shirt stretched across broad shoulders and over a thickening waist line. A teenaged girl with long, dark hair matching the woman’s trailed behind them. Gabby.

  Abby let go of Lance’s hand as Lance’s mom reached up and hugged him, kissing his cheek, her smile growing wider. “Welcome home!”

  Lance kissed her cheek too. “Thanks, Mom.” He pulled back and turned toward Abby, who stood wringing her hands, a small nervous smile on her face. He wrapped an arm around her, tugging her forward. “This is Abby. Abby, this is my mom, Elizabeth Kane.”

  Abby cleared her throat and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Lance’s mom had her wrapped up in a hug. Abby stood frozen for a moment, this welcome so unexpected. Her own mom didn’t hug her often, and she was so thin that Abby always took care when touching her, afraid she’d break and blow away if she pressed too hard. So this open show of affection in the form of a tight hug from a woman she’d never met took her by surprise, but she managed to bring her arms up and squeeze back before the hug ended, her eyes searching out Lance, who stood off to the side, a wide smile on his face.

  When Elizabeth stepped back, she kept her hands on Abby’s arms, the smile on her face matching Lance’s both in looks and intensity. Even though she’d seen Elizabeth in video chats and pictures, Abby hadn’t quite realized how much Lance looked like his mom. “I’m so happy to meet you, Abby!” Elizabeth said. “Lance has told us so much about you, I feel like I know you already. I’m so glad y’all are here!”

  Abby couldn’t help smiling back at the genuine joy in Elizabeth’s voice. “It’s nice to meet you too. Thanks for having me.”

  “Of course!” Elizabeth squeezed Abby’s arms once more before letting her go and stepping back, gesturing at the imposing man behind her. “This is Jonathan, he goes by Jon.” The man gave her a brief smile and shook her hand before stepping back again without saying anything. “And this is Gabrielle, who goes by Gabby.”

  Gabby looked like a smaller, feminine version of Lance—the same dark hair, level brows, and expressive brown eyes. Would Marissa look just like them, or did at least one of them take after their dad? Before Abby could do anything, Gabby gave her a hug, too. No wonder Lance always wanted to touch her. He grew up in this family of huggers. Abby would have to get used to this.

  “I think I see your suitcase, Abby. I’ll go get it. Wait here, okay?”

  Before she could protest that she wanted to come with him, he stepped away, grabbing her suitcase with the distinctive neon orange tape around the handle for easy identification from the conveyor belt and waiting for his own. She stared after him, shifting her feet, not sure what to do with herself or these strangers she now stood with.

  Gabby threaded her arm through Abby’s, drawing her attention. “I’m so glad you’re finally here. I feel like I know you already from what Lance has said about you and talking to you on the phone.” Gabby smiled widely, almost bouncing in her excitement. “Seriously. We’ll have to have a girls’ night while y’all are here. You, me, and Marissa, our other sister. You’ll meet her and her boyfriend Peter tonight. I hope you got enough sleep last night, because today might be a long day.”

  Abby blinked in the face of this verbal onslaught. “Um, yeah. Cool. A girls’ night sounds fun.”

  “Yay!” Gabby’s grin looked like it might split her face.

  “Gabby, calm down.” Elizabeth placed a restraining hand on her daughter’s arm. “They just got here, and their flight left early this morning. I’m sure Abby and Lance will want to rest when we get home. You can bombard her with all your plans tonight at dinner, okay?”

  Her smile fading, Gabby let go of Abby’s arm. “Sorry. I’m just so excited to meet you. Since you guys are so far away, I didn’t know when or if you’d ever come. Lance said your mom has some problems that make it hard to get away.”

  Abby stiffened. She shouldn’t be surprised that Lance’s family knew about her mom. He talked to them every week. She’d heard him mention helping her mom with stuff that normal, functioning adults don’t need help with, like getting groceries, mowing her lawn, and clearing the snow now that winter had rolled around. But they were so far away, it didn’t matter. To be confronted with it now, a stranger discussing her mom’s problems so casually, had her freezing up even more.

  “Gabby!” Elizabeth’s voice held a warning, and Gabby shut up immediately.

  Lance came back then, making Abby almost sag with relief. The happiness on his face dimmed when he saw her, so Abby plastered on her biggest smile for him, not wanting him to worry, not wanting to make a scene here in the middle of the airport with a million people watching. And definitely not in front of his family.

  She stepped toward him to grab her suitcase, but his dad beat her to it. “Oh, um, I can get that.”

  Jon gave her a tight smile. “S’alright. I got it.” With that, he started for the door, leaving Abby’s hand hanging in the air reaching after her suitcase.

  She turned to Lance, unsure what to do with herself. He wrapped her empty hand in his and tugged her along after his dad, Elizabeth and Gabby falling in step behind them.

  The suitcases went into the back of a maroon extended-cab Ford, a flat cover snapping closed over the bed, protecting the cargo from the elements. Abby ended up in the back, sandwiched between Lance and his sister, who babbled on about her Christmas concert, where she was concertmistress. Abby knew that Gabby played the violin, but she didn’t know what a concertmistress was. It sounded important, though. She should ask about it later. Lance kept up conversation with his sister, asking about her upcoming college auditions, his arm around Abby, who snuggled into him, letting his body buffer her from the onslaught of conversation overwhelming her tired brain. She needed more coffee. Or a nap. Maybe she could take a nap when they got to the house.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Have you thought about auditioning for Marycliff?”

  “Lance.” His dad’s voice came from the front seat, trying to get him to shut up.

  Lance tried to hold back his smile, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching. He’d asked the question on purpose, knowing it would needle his dad for his youngest daughter to admit she was considering going to school so far from home. Lance rubbed a hand over his mouth to hide his smile while he waited for Gabby’s answer.

  Her eyes cut to their dad, then back to him, her mouth open. “Yeah. I, um, actually turned in an application already, and they invited me to audition in February.” Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again, where their dad glowered at everyone in the back seat, their mom’s hand resting on his arm the only thing keeping him from having an outburst.

  “Oh yeah? When are you coming up?”

  Gabby swallowed, obviously conflicted about what to say. She lifted one shoulder. “I’m not sure yet. I’d have to get a plane ticket and figure out if I could stay in the dorms or not.”

  Lance scoffed. “You know you can stay with Abby and me.” He glanced at Abby, who looked up at him, eyes wide, but didn’t register a protest. He couldn’t imagine her having a problem with Gabby staying with them, but she probably didn’t appreciate it being sprung on her like this without a conversation. But this was his sister they were talking about. Not some random stranger.

  Gabby nodded once. “Thanks. Cool. I wasn’t sure.” Her eyes flicked toward the front seat again.

  “So where else have you been invited to audition?”

  Gabby relaxed at that question. “Um, SMU, Rice, uh, University of South Carolina. They have a really good strings program. My private teacher got her degree there.”

  Lance nodded. “Cool. Well, let us know when your audition is at Marycliff, and we’ll make sure the couch is ready for you.”

  Abby shifted against him, but she nodded. “Yeah. We have a super comfy couch. My friend Megan stayed with us for a
few nights before Thanksgiving, so you won’t be our first houseguest or anything.” She offered his sister a smile. That was encouraging. She’d seemed uncomfortable since they’d met up with his family, reverting into her silent mode. Maybe this meant she was starting to relax around them already.

  He planned on insisting they get some time to nap and settle in once they got to his parents’ house before more people and activities were thrown at them. Even though Abby had slept on the plane, that had been hours ago, and they were both tired. He needed a nap, and he knew Abby would handle his family much better if she got some rest and time away from them before the whirlwind of activity started. They’d spend five nights at his parents house, and he knew his mom would have it all planned out already—family dinners, a Christmas party with all their friends, shopping excursions, and Christmas Day itself, which he was especially looking forward to.

  He planned on proposing to Abby in bed first thing, waking her up before the festivities began, sliding the ring on her finger while it was just the two of them, safe and warm in their snug cocoon. Part of him wanted to do it in front of everyone, but he knew Abby would appreciate the private proposal more. Then he could announce it to everyone while they opened presents, and Abby could show off her ring. He couldn’t hold back the smile that came to his face. He couldn’t wait.

  “What’s that smile for?”

  His mom’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he realized they were surrounded by large brick houses in the neighborhood where he grew up. “Oh, I’m just happy to be here to visit.”

  Once in the garage, Lance’s dad got out and pulled the suitcases out of the bed of the truck before Lance could get out of the cab. He carried them both into the house and up the stairs, not waiting for anyone else.

  Lance gave his mom one more hug. “Thanks for coming and picking us up. I think we both need a nap though. We had a really early morning.”