NICE GIRL TO LOVE (THE COMPLETE THREE-BOOK COLLECTION)(74)

“I knew it was a mistake to show you that spin-out move,” he muttered, rolling onto his back and rubbing his chest. “You did it better than some of my varsity boys.”

She offered him a hand up. “That’s because I had a good coach.” When he hopped up and whisked her into his arms to demand the kiss he’d been chasing, she whispered, “And if Becky’s folks can return the sleepover favor, maybe you can show me a few more moves tomorrow night as well.”

His voice dropped a full sexy octave lower, and took on the most decadent growl. “Skylar’s right, you don’t play fair at all.”

“It’ll do you a world of good to remember that from now on.”




“IT’S YOUR FAULT the girls stayed up as late as they did, you know,” declared Brian as he returned to the living room after checking one final time to make sure the girls were indeed asleep and not just faking it like the last two times. “You sugared them up with cookies right before bed.”

“Excuse me?” Abby, waved a soapy spatula at him from the sink. “Who’s the one who begged me to make homemade frosting and then insisted we frost every last cookie? Talk about sugaring them up.”

Brian grinned. “Again your fault. You shouldn’t make such good frosting.”

Wrapping his arms around her middle, Brian cradled her in close. “Thanks for coming over tonight. I’m sorry I canceled our Valentine date.”

“Ready to talk about it?” she asked quietly.

He held her tighter. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”

Abby remained silent as she rinsed her hands and shut the water off. He grabbed the kitchen towel and wiped her hands idly, letting his mouth ramble off everything his brain was trying not to think about. “What if it’s true, Abby? What if Skylar has juvenile HD like Beth did? She has a 50% chance of having it, and she’s showing symptoms already.”

“We don’t know that, Brian. Remember the literature. We can’t jump to that conclusion based on one unexplained seizure.”

“But what if?” he pressed on. “It broke my heart to hear her saying she didn’t need her ring finger because she’d be dead before she ever got to get married. Everything that normal kids can look forward to—dating, prom, college…she may never get to do any of that either.”

“The doctors showed us those videos of all those kids who did get to do all of those things—”

“Don’t, Abby. Don’t try to cheer me up right now. I need to face the real possibility that Skylar might already have JHD.” Hot tears burned in his eyes. “That I may have to bury my daughter sometime in the next decade, right next to my wife.”

Abby spun around and clutched his face. “You listen here, Brian. I get that you’re trying to be realistic and prepare yourself but I raised that little girl right alongside you. I refuse to let myself imagine her being taken from us. Who knows what they may find in the next decade, what clinical trials are being developed right now that could help her, save her? So even if the worst possible fate does become a reality, I’m not going to give up hoping, believing.”

“I can’t ask you to go through that, Abby,” he whispered raggedly. “It’ll consume your whole life. Trust me, I know. You deserve better; you deserve to start a family and have a happily ever after…not…this.”

Her voice gentled. “Brian, you two already are my life.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. The little girl you love will stop remembering you. Are you ready for that? Because it’s one of the worst feelings in the world. All those years with Beth when she looked at me like I was a total stranger… I wouldn’t wish that life for you.”

“Stop it, Brian.”

But he was too far gone, he was sinking in a sea of despair he’d never allowed himself to wallow in throughout Beth’s entire battle with Huntington’s. And now he didn’t know how to come out of it. “You don’t want to be with me, Abby. I barely kept it together after Beth died. If Skylar…” He dropped his head into his hands and repeated, “You don’t want to be with me.”

“Enough!”

Startled, he blinked and stared back at the woman he loved so much it hurt, loved so much he was willing to lose forever if it meant sparing her the agony of what Skylar’s future might hold.

“Brian, I’m going to say this once more so pay attention. If Skylar does have JHD, you and I will take care of her, just like we always have. We’re going to get through this as a family. I’m not leaving either of you so you can just quit trying to scare me away. It’s not working and frankly, all it’s doing is pissing me off.” She gripped his hands in a deathlock. “Remember what you said to me weeks ago? You and I are always going to be a part of each other’s lives, no matter what. I love you and I love Skylar. You’re not getting rid of me. Period.”

She wrapped her hands around his neck. “Now, if you need to break down for a while, I completely understand. You’ve earned it. But don’t expect me to join you. I’ll be here loving and taking care of our little girl. When you’re ready—”

He covered her mouth with his in a fierce kiss. God, how had he ever managed to live without this woman? He needed her like he needed air to breathe. “I love you so much, Abby.”