“I could kill that Derek boy,” my father said.
“Not helpful,” my mother said. “Listen, Abby. How Colin went about this was all wrong. Understand that we’re with you on that. And Derek? He’s a piece of shit.”
“Mom,” I said, giggling.
“Way to go, honey,” my father said.
“But, setting all that aside, Colin was trying to protect you the only way he knew how,” she said.
“What?” I asked.
“He should have spoken to you about what he found before trying to fix things, but he was protecting you. Like a future husband should,” my father said.
“So you’re okay with the fact that he just paid Derek off,” I said.
“I’m not okay with the fact that he kept you in the dark,” my mother said. “Secrets destroy foundations. But something tells me you haven’t been forthcoming with him on how you’re feeling.”
“We talked a couple days ago,” I said. “I—told him some things.”
“Some things, but not all of those things?” my father said.
“I thought you were on my side with this,” I said.
“We are. But, you’re not completely innocent in all this either,” my mother said. “It takes two people to make something like this work, but it also takes two people to break it.”
“Your mother is right, honey. This is a reason to have a serious talk with Colin. To iron out your first fight, learn from it, and then grow as a couple. But, this isn’t a reason to leave him. Because if you think this is hard, just wait until the two of you have a child and are only getting four hours sleep a night. Then it gets hard.”
“And honey, it doesn’t stop being hard. Ever,” my mother said. “A relationship takes work. Marriage, is not the end. It’s just another chapter that has to be written. And writing that chapter takes effort.”
“So, what should I do?” I asked, sniffling.
“You should talk with him, Abby. Candidly. Tell him how it’s all making you feel, even if it doesn’t make complete sense to you. It could change things for your future together, and strengthen you as a couple,” my mother said.
I closed my eyes and allowed their wisdom to sink in before I heard my father’s voice.
“Honey?”
“Yeah?”
“Get off the phone and call him. Sit down with the man. He loves you. I saw it in his eyes when he proposed. And Derek? It sounds like he tried to come back into your life at an opportune moment to try and get more from you. And when he couldn’t, he decided to destroy your happiness whatever he could to hurt you. He’s an abuser, honey. Don’t let him win. Don’t let him take Colin from you.”
“Okay, Daddy. I won’t,” I said.
“Good. Now, get off here and give him a call,” he said.
“Okay. I love you guys.”
“We love you, too. Let us know how it goes,” my mother said.
“Will do.”
I hung up the phone and sighed. I rolled onto my back and flipped the covers off the top of my head. If I called Colin, all bets were off. If I called Colin and asked him to talk, he would know I was in town. He wouldn’t stop until he knew how to fix this, and I had to be prepared to be bombarded.
So, I took a deep breath, picked up my phone, and dialed his number.
It hadn’t rang even once before he answered.
“Abby?” he asked.
“Hey there,” I said.
“Are you okay? Is everything all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Colin. I’m at my apartment.”
“You’re back in town already?”
“I never left.”
I let that sink in for a second before I continued.
“Could we talk?” I asked.
“Anywhere, anytime. You name it and I’ll be right there next to you.”
His statement created a grin across my cheeks as my skin flushed.
“Pizza? At my place?” I asked. “Say—an hour or so?”
“I’ll pick it up on the way,” he said.
I rolled out of bed and took a quick shower. I thought about dressing up, but what I really wanted was to be comfortable. I pulled a pair of sweatpants from my suitcase and dug around for a sweater, then went to grab us some drinks. By the time I was done moving boxes out of the way and clearing off the couch, Colin was knocking on my door with a large pizza in his hand.
“Delivery,” he said, as I answered the door.
He looked incredible. His tie was loosened and the top button of his shirt was undone. His coat was slung over his arm and he carried the pizza in his other hand.
If I wasn’t so upset with him I would have pulled him in for a kiss right then and there.
“I cleared off the couch,” I said.
“You haven’t unpacked yet?” he asked.
“Been a little busy,” I said.
“You tell that boss of yours to quit working you so hard.”
We sat down on the couch, the pizza box between our bodies. I handed him a soda and as he took it, our fingers brushed against one another. The electricity that shot up my arm caused me to jump, and I covered up my flushing skin with the massive slice of pizza I brought up to my lips.
I could tell that Colin was anxious to talk, but he was waiting until I started the conversation.
“You can start, if you want,” I said.
“What I did was wrong,” he said. “And how I went about everything was not okay. I should’ve come to you and told you what I wanted to do. The plan I had rolling around in my head. And instead, I went behind your back and it spiraled out of control. The more I tried to control it, the worse it got. I’m sorry, Abby.”
“I am curious about one thing. Why did you hire the P.I. in the first place?” I asked. “What was the point of digging into my past?”
“If you had
