ABBY'S POV
I had 49 missed calls from my family.
I went into work to talk to my boss. I was hired floor something else, but my boss is the CEO of the newspaper company.
The company provides papers for all of Tampa Bay.
Which is like, ten different cities. We print over a million papers.
And my boss fired his old assistant, and I'm his new assistant.
He doesn't treat me horribly, either. He's young, only twenty eight. He's married and he has a young daughter.
He's kinda like a friend.
He said he was glad I was okay, and he had me work for the rest of that day. I was home by six, and I called Liam to come over, and I took another shower.
I called Mum to tell her what happened and she was really happy we were all okay and that I called.
Now Liam is here, and we're making out slowly, very passionately.
His mouth is making it's way to my neck.
I gasp.
And then my phone starts ringing.
Fuckkkkkkkkk.
"Ignore it." He mumbles.
I let out a soft whine at the feeling of his lips peppering my neck.
"Liam." I gasp, gently pushing him off of me. I sit up and grab my phone.
It's Mum.
His lips land right back on my neck.
Fuck.
I stare at Mum's face on my phone.
"Liam, I have to." I whisper, pressing answer. I gently push him off of me again.
"Hey Mum." I say.
"Hey sweetie." She says. "Listen, tomorrow, since it's Saturday, we have an event."
"An event?" I repeat.
"Yes. It's at Phillipee Park, Shelter four. Bring Liam, okay?"
"Mum, what event?" I ask.
"It's just an event." She says. "Be there by ten, okay? Bring Liam!"
"Okay. What's the...like, attire?"
"Casual." She says.
"Okay." I sigh.
"Okay." She says.
We get off the phone.
Liam is so ready, he literally has his dick out already.
Oh, my baby.
<><>
We're in my bed now, naked, just cuddling.
"Hey," he whispers, rubbing my back.
"Hmm?" I hum.
"I got you something."
"You did?"
"Yeah."
I sit up, holding the blankets to my chest.
He smiles.
"You are so beautiful." He whispers, shaking his head. "It's still hard to believe that you're mine."
I smile softly, looking down. I feel my cheeks heat up. He smiles and leans over, grabbing something out of his jeans on the floor.
He grabs my left hand and slides a ring onto my ring finger.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Is he proposing?
"It's just a promise ring." He whispers.
"Liam." I whisper.
"I just promise I'm never going to leave. I promise that I'll love you forever. I promise that, no matter what, I'm always going to trust you."
Earlier, our sex was just kinda slow and passionate with the kissing, but after I got off the phone, it went from making love to just fucking.
I lean over and grab his ring from my nightstand. He looks surprised.
"I've had this since the day after we talked about it." I whisper.
He smiles.
"And I promise the same thing, only, that no matter how many times I piss you off, I'll still love you, that I'll always trust you, and that we will get married someday."
He smiles as I slide the ring onto his finger.
<><>
We had the most passionate sex we've ever had. I had to beg him to get out of bed the next morning. We showered together and had sex again, and right before we left, my boss called and asked me to come into work. He said he was having a rough day and he didn't want to work 9-5 alone.
Mum wasn't happy, but she rescheduled to tomorrow.
<><>
I get to work late. It's two in the afternoon when I get there. I left at noon. Traffic was horrid. I have a black pencil skirt on and heels and a white button down.
I feel really hot today. I'm supposed to dress like this. I guess today I feel really good because today I had sex.
I don't know. It just makes me feel good when Liam is loving on me.
It makes me feel beautiful.
I work in a skyscraper in downtown Tampa. I take the elevator to the top floor and walk to my bosses door.
I knock.
After a second, the door is opened.
He's got a stained t-shirt on and a pair of jeans.
He normally wears suits.
Silently, he steps aside to let me in.
"What's wrong?" I ask when he shuts the door.
He locks it.
I look down at his hand on the lock, and then up at him.
He steps closer to me.
Uncomfortable, I step back.
"My wife left last night. She took my kid. She thinks I'm fucking you."
Silence.
"I'm sorry..." I trail off.
"I'm figured, if she thinks I am, I might as well, right?"
It takes me a second to understand what he's saying.
I see a swelling in his jeans.
He's hard.
Oh god.
"Uh," I clear my throat.
He starts kissing me, slamming me up against the wall.
No.
No, no, no.
Memories of Logan flash through my head.
Oh my god.
I push at him, but he pins my arms against the wall. I struggle in his grip, tears falling down my face.
Liam isn't here to save me this time.
My bosses lip press against my neck and he starts to grab at my shirt with his teeth.
I am not getting raped.
I'm not getting raped.
I drive my knee into his dick.
His grip on my arms loosens. I break free and punch him, shoving him, hard.
He falls on his ass, reaching for me.
His door is glass. It's foggy glass so nobody can see inside.
I kick a hole it in. The glass shatters and I step out.
My coworkers stare.
I run.
He chases after me. I get in the elevator and hold down door close insistently.
The doors slide shut seconds before he gets to me. I press the basement button, which leads to the car garage, and I hold down door close.
I soar down and down and down.
The doors open at the garage.
I just cheated on Liam.
No.
No.
Oh my god.
LIAM'S POV
Last night I called Abby and she sent me to voicemail.
I tried texting her goodnight and that I loved her and she just said "night"
So I sent back "I love you" in all caps.
She didn't answer.
She didn't answer this morning.
Somethings wrong.
It's nine thirty and she was supposed to be at the park at nine.
"Where's Abby?" Mrs. Robinson asks.
"Shit bro, she's running towards you." Zeke says.
I turn around just as she launches herself into my arms.
What the fuck?
Abby never does this. Her and I will lightly kiss in front of people.
But all of my family is here, and hers, and she slams her lips onto mine.
This isn't right.
My hands are on her ass and her legs are around my waist.
I feel salty water hit my cheeks. I pull away.
She's crying.
Slowly, I set her down.
"I have to talk to you." She says.
Her voice is so quiet.
We're all dead silent.
I reach for her hand, but she pulls herself out of my grip.
She parked in two different spots. Abby is normally a perfectionist at parking.
She walks over to a bench.
I sit down and she sits next to me.
"Babes, what's going on?"
ABBY'S POV
I need to tell him I cheated on him.
I'm so afraid.
"Yesterday...I cheated on you."
I lift my head from my lap to look at him.
Silence.
"Define cheating." He says.
"I-I went into my bosses office and he said his wife left him and took his kid."
ZEKE'S POV
"Something is really, really wrong." Izzy says.
We're all watching them. She's not touching him.
ABBY'S POV
"He said his wife thought him and I were fucking and then he was like "So if she thinks I am I might as well." And he pushed me against the wall and started kissing me and I tried to get away from him but he went for my shirt-"
I cut off, sobs escaping me.
"I kneed him and took off. Liam, I'm so sorry."
"Did you like it? Did you kiss him back?"
"No!" I gasp.
"Sweetheart, that's not cheating. That's molestation." He pulls me into his arms.
"So you're not mad?"
"No. Oh, Abby." He sighs.
LIAM'S POV
I want the name of her boss.
She's crying in my chest.
"Liam, I hurt you!" she yells at me, standing up.
She's crying harder than I've ever seen her cry before.
I've never not known how to calm her down.
Since we've gotten together, everyone has turned to me to calm her down.
I'm always the person to help her.
Normally she's crying silent sobs.
But now it's just loud, heavy sobs.
She crouches down in front of me, so upset that she's unable to hold herself up.
Oh god.
I knot my fingers in my hair.
I don't know what to do.
I don't know how to help her.
"Abby," I whisper.
She shakes her head repeatedly.
ZEKE'S POV
We're all silent.
Abby is literally on the floor, hysterical, and Liam is just stanfing there with his hands knotted in his hair.
He doesn't even know how to help her.
"I'm going over there." Sovereign says.
She's Abby's cousin on her Dad's side. She's twenty two, and her and Abby were inseperable as kids. They drifted apart when they moved.
Abby's aunt and uncle from her Dad's sideare here also, and her grandparents, and her other cousin, Brody.
"No." Mr. Robinson says. "Don't."
All my family is here too.
We all look back over there.
LIAM'S POV
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
"Abby," I start.
She stands up.
She's shielding her face from me.
"Abigail!" I say loudly.
She peeks her eyes out of her hands when I use her full name.
"Listen," I say. "That's. Not. Cheating." I say. "Cheating is when you go behind my back and willingly sleep with somebody else. Cheating is when you tell me you're going to work but you're actually going over to a guys house. Cheating is not when you go into work, you're forced against a wall against your will, and a guy tries to remove your clothing. You didn't fucking cheat on me. I'm not mad at you, I'm not upset with you. I'm pissed at your boss. You're not a terrible person. You're not a terrible person. You didn't fucking cheat. Abigail, that isn't cheating. Okay babes?"
ZEKE'S POV
She's standing up now, and Liam is talking to her.
She nods to whatever he's saying.
"I have never seen her so upset." Mrs. Robinson whispers, worried.
She starts crying on the ground again.
This time though, Liam scoops her up and sits her on the roof of his car. His hands run up and down her arms. He's whispering to her.
LIAM'S POV
My hands glide up and down Abby's arms slowly.
"Listen to me." I whisper. "It's going to be okay. You don't have to go back there. I work at the skyscraper for ToysRUs. I can get you a job there. I'm one of the bosses there, so you can be my assistant."
"Really?" she whispers, peeking her eyes through her hands.
I smile softly.
"Really."
I see her smile a little bit. She's crying less now.
"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry that happened to you, but it's going to be okay."
"You promise I'm not a slut?" she whispers.
"I promise." I whisper, drawing an X over my heart with my index finger.
She slowly shifts and hops off of my roof, hugging me.
"Liam," she whispers against my chest. "I dn't want anybody to know about this."
"Okay."
"Promise me you won't tell." She says.
"I promise." I nod. "Now, your cousins are here., your aunt and uncle, and your grandparents."
"Cousins should be singular." She mumbles, opening up my car door to get out my sweatshirt.
"No, It's not Gran and Pop. It's your Dad's side. I think their names are like, Sovereign and Brody?"
She washes her face in the water fountain and wipes away the water, pulling my sweatshirt over my head.
"Sovereign and Brody are here?" she asks, looking up.
"Yeah."
She's not crying anymore.
"Liam, you'r not disgusted with my lips now, are you?"
In answer, I kiss her, her jaw, her neck.
"No." I say, moving back to her lips. "I'm not. How could I be?"
"Okay." She whispers.
"No more crying." I say.
She looks down.
ZEKE'S POV
She stopped crying.
Just two minutes ago, she was fucking hysterical.
"Your son has magical powers." Mr. Ashton says.
"So does your daughter." Dad laughs. "What are your thoughts on them getting married someday?"
"Oh, I want them to. I don't want Abby with anybody else."
I see Abby look down, looing upset again.
Liam starts tickling her.
"I said no more crying!" he grins.
Abby starts laughing, stepping away from him. She trips on the bench and starts to fall. He catches her.
LIAM'S POV
I straighten Abby up and start walking, right into Abby.
I grab onto her hips, walking her backwards, back to the shelter.
"What's wrong?" Izzy immediatedly demands.
"She doesn't want everybody to know." I reply.
"But," Izzy starts.
"Isabelle, respect your sisters decision." Mrs. Robinson says.
It's kinda quiet for a second, and then Sovereign, Abby's cousins mutters, "Abby, your tits are huge."
We all look at her. Abby starts laughing.
"So are yours."
Sovereign punches her arm and then hugs her. "Whatever it is, it's okay." She says.
ABBY'S POV
We kinda just sat around for a few hours. I'm starting to get restless. Sovereign and Brody and I and all of Liam's cousins and Liam's brother and Liam and I, and Mason's girlfriend, Danielle, and Caroline, are all joking around. Izzy is, too.
I wanna know why we're here though.
"Mum, why are we here?" I ask.
Everyone gets quiet.
I have been patient, waiting, and they're taking too long.
"Well..." she sighs.
Everyone is looking at me. "Sweetheart, we all love you very much."
Everyone nods in agreement. "We really just want you to be happy. I know your happiest memories are with your family in Australia. We all discussed it, and, if you want to, we will move back there. It's just up to you, and, well, Liam, because he's just as out of the loop as you are."
"Well wherever you go, I go." Liam says.
They're all willing to move across the world for me.
I'm quiet for a long time.
Slowly though, I shake my head.
"No. I don't want to."
"Really?" Dad asks.
"Yeah. I'm happy here."
"Alright. Well, we're moving here then." Grandma says.
I love Dad's side of the family way more than Mum's.
"No. I mean, I've got one year of college left. I don't even know if I'm staying here."
Liam doesn't say anything.
Him and I both agreed that we don't want to live in Florida for our lives. We want somewhere beautiful with four seasons.
We don't know where we're going."
"The for now we'll move, and then we'll just move with you guys."
It's kinda assumed that if I go, Liam goes too, and vice versa.
"Alright." I say. "If that's what you want to do."