“Now? You think you need to do that now? Did you forget we’re fucking married? That we’re trying to have a family?”
“Stop!” she screamed, causing me to jump. “I can’t give you the things you want, Bishop! I just need some time to figure things out.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face and dropped my hands at my sides. “What do you mean? Abby, the only thing I want is you.”
She shook her head. “I need to leave, Bishop. If you want to help me, let me just go to Boston for a little while. That’s what I need from you.”
I nodded, my heart lodged in my throat. “Okay. Um, do you know where you’re going to stay? You’re going to the Marquee Hotel, right?”
Her eyes filled with tears as she slightly nodded.
“Will you let me know when you get there?” I asked. “They’ll put you in the suite.”
After my grandfather had passed away I had inherited a number of his properties in Boston, including a prominent hotel in downtown Boston. I knew once they found out my wife was checking in, they’d take care of her.
She drew in a shaky breath. “Yes. I’ll, um…I’ll let you know.”
I stepped forward, bending down to grab the suitcase. “I’ll get this and your bag.”
Abby let the bag slide down her arm and it hit the ground. Her eyes looked so lost. I was racking my brain trying to decide if it was a good idea to let her go. I thought back to what the therapist had told me yesterday: “Don’t push her, but let her know you’re there for her.”
Did that mean I should simply let her walk away?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What do I do?
As we walked to her car, I asked, “Were you just going to leave without telling me?”
She wrung her hands together, watching me put her bags in the trunk. “I thought it would be easier that way.”
Shutting the trunk, I looked at her. “For who?”
She closed her eyes and started to cry. “All I seem to do is cause you pain.”
“What?” I whispered, reaching for her and pulling her into my arms. Those first few days after she’d lost the baby a few weeks back, she had let me hold her. For hours, I did nothing but wrap her up in my arms while she cried herself to sleep.
Her voice sounded weak as she buried her face in my chest. “You know I love you, Bishop.”
I brought my hand to the back of her chestnut-brown hair and stroked it softly. It suddenly hit me. She had known last night she was going to be leaving. I swallowed hard, then kissed the top of her head. “I know. I love you more than anything, Abby. Always have and always will.”
Abby lifted her head and stared at me. For one brief moment, she looked at me like she had last night. With nothing but love in her eyes. I leaned down and kissed her.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I deepened the kiss. When she pulled back, those hazel eyes filled with more tears.
“Do you want me to drive you to Boston?” I asked. “I can rent a car to come back. Or maybe stay one night with you.”
Abby chewed on her lower lip and looked at her car, then me.
I gently touched her cheek. “I don’t mind driving you, babe.”
She opened her mouth and then shut it before drawing in a breath and letting it out. “Honestly, I think some alone time in the car will do me good.”
I nodded but wasn’t about to try to hide the disappointment that was no doubt on my face. “Okay. Do you know how long you’ll be there?”
“I’m not sure.” She stepped away from me and walked to the driver’s side of her car.
“A couple days? A week? Abby, give me something here. I mean, I came home and caught you sneaking away.”
“I wasn’t sneaking!” she snapped back.
“Then what do you call it?”
She shook her head, then pulled open the door of her car and got in. Slamming her hands on the steering wheel, she looked back at me. “I didn’t want any of this to happen.”
My heart hammered in my chest, and I tried not to lose my temper. Did she honestly think I did?
Be patient with her. Give her this space, Bishop.
She saw the hurt in my eyes and sighed. “It makes it harder for me, having you here.”
“You sound like you’re leaving me forever.”
Her eyes met mine, and a part of me swore I saw her answer. She was leaving me…forever.
I pushed those thoughts away. She needed time. That was all, and I would give it to her.
“I just need to be alone for a bit, to think. I love you—I’ll call you when I get to Boston.” Abby shut the door, started the car, and then rolled down the window.