Chasing Abby(39)

Abby looks at her for a couple of seconds then turns to me. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not.” I glare at Jimi, letting her know that I am not impressed with her attitude.
“Of course you didn’t do anything wrong,” Jimi says in a sugary voice, the voice she uses when she’s being sarcastic.
I hope Abby doesn’t notice it, but the confused look on her face tells me she’s definitely sensed the chill in Jimi’s tone. I place my hand on Abby’s back and lead her toward the door.
“I expected better from you,” I say to Jimi as we pass her. “Much better. And you, Sydney. It’s time for you to go home.”
Sydney flashes Jimi a tight smile as she heads for the door. “I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”
“Yeah, like, never,” Jimi mutters as she heads for her closet to put away her shoes.
I close her door and say good-bye to Sydney as she descends the stairs. Abby looks a bit stunned as she heads toward the staircase. I grab her hand and she stops in the middle of the corridor, but she doesn’t turn around to look at me.
“I’m sorry for the way she behaved. I didn’t expect that from her at all. When I called her on the phone earlier to tell her you were here, she seemed genuinely happy. Abby, please look at me.”
She’s still for a moment, then she turns around slowly. But she doesn’t look at me, she looks at the pictures hanging on the wall. The upstairs hallway of both the beach house and this house are lined with pictures of the kids, including Abby. We took our pictures of Abby down when Jimi was a baby because it was too painful for me to deal with. But after Ryder was born, we put them back up, when we realized how important it was that they know Abby and how much she means to us.
“They’ve all grown up with me,” she whispers, then she turns to me. “I guess it only makes sense that they feel differently, more comfortable, than I do.”
I nod in agreement as I realize she’s making an excuse for Jimi’s behavior. She’s trying to imply that Jimi is only treating her the way they would treat each other if they’d grown up together. Just the way Chris makes excuses for me and my choice to give Abby up for adoption. She may look like Ryder and me, but Abby is truly her father’s daughter.


Chapter 17 - Abby


THE PHONE CALL TO my mom did not go well. I knew she wouldn’t like the idea of me staying the night here, but I’m not ready to go home yet. From the moment I stepped out of Caleb’s car this morning until now, I’ve had one thought simmering in my mind: If my birth parents are so successful and they really seem to care about me and want me in their lives, why would my parents want to keep me from meeting them?
The only answer I keep coming up with is that they were afraid I would prefer my birth parents to the mom and dad who raised me. That’s absurd. Along with Caleb, my mom and dad are the ship I’ve floated on for eighteen years. They’ve saved my life countless times. They’ve suffered with me through every illness, every surgery, every sleepless night. They were there cheering me on at every game, every award ceremony, every triumph. My adoptive parents didn’t just choose me; they fought for me.
I don’t want to hurt them, but they shouldn’t have let their fear affect their decisions. They should have known that I will never stop loving them. That I will never choose my birth parents over them.
They shouldn’t have hurt me to keep themselves from getting hurt.
Caleb glances over his shoulder to where the door to this guest room stands wide open. He turns back to me and sighs, and I worry that he’s going to tell me that staying the night here is a bad idea. It does seem impulsive, but it also feels like my only chance to understand the other half of me.