Page 46 (1/2)

"Can we spend the first few days looking for a car? I’m pretty sure I promised you a car"

"Really?" She smiled

"Pick a color, baby"

Abby jus and ar my face with kisses

"Oh, stop it, you two," America said

Abby dropped to her feet, and Ao in I wanna see your tat!"

The girls rushed up the stairs, leaving e I helped hi e up the stairs and were grateful that the door had been left open

Abby was lying on the couch, her jeans unbuttoned and folded over, looking down as A Abby’s skin

A "I’lad we’re not crazy, baby"

"Me, too," Shepley said "I hope you wanted these in here, because I’ them back out to the car"

"I did, thank you" She s to Abby’s ink

Shepley puffed as he disappeared into his bedroo out a bottle of wine in each hand

"What’s that?" Abby said

"Your reception," Shepley said with a wide grin

ABBY PULLED SLOWLY INTO AN EMPTY PARKING SPACE, carefully checking each side She had chosen a brand-new, silver Toyota Caet her behind the wheel, she drove it as if she were secretly borrowing sohini

After two stops, she finally put the gearshift in Park, and turned off the engine

"We’ll have to get a parking sticker," she said, checking the space on her side again

"Yes, Pidge I’ll take care of it," I said for the fourth time

I wondered to myself if I should have waited another week or so before adding the stress of a new car We both knew by the end of the day that the school’s ru with a fictional scandal or two Abby purposefully wore skinny jeans and a tight-fitting sweater to ward off the inevitable questions about a pregnancy We otten married on the fly, but kids were a whole new level, and ere both content to wait

A few drops fell fro sky as we started our trek to our classes across campus I pulled my red ball cap low on my forehead, and Abby opened her u the yellow tape and blackened brick above eachAbby grabbed atnot to think about what had happened

Shepley heard that Ada to Abby, afraid that I was next, and that it would cause her needless worry

Part of ht that the news about the fire would keep unwanted attention froe would be a welco classmates in such a horrific way

Like I expected, e arrived at the cafeteria,us on our wedding and our inant," Abby said, shaking her head

"Butyou guys are ht?" Lexi said, dubious

"Yes," Abby said siuess we’ll find out the truth soon enough"

I jerked nored uess you both heard about the fire?"

"A little bit," Abby said, clearly unco a party down there That they’ve been sneaking into basements all year"

"Is that so?" I asked Fro up at me, but I tried not to look too relieved If that was true, maybe I’d be off the hook

The rest of the day was spent either being stared at or congratulated For the first tiirls wanting to know my plans for the weekend They just watched as I walked by, hesitant to approach someone else’s husband It was actually kinda nice

My day was going pretty well, and I wondered if Abby could say the same Even my psych professor offered me a small smile and nod when she overhead my answer to questions about whether the rumor was true

After our last class, I s into the backseat "Was it as bad as you thought?"

"Yes" She breathed

"I guess today wouldn’t be a good day to break it to my dad, then, huh?"

"No, but we’d better You’re right, I don’t want hi the news somewhere else"

Her answer surprised et et comfortable behind the wheel

The drive to Dad’s froer than if I’d driven Abby obeyed all traffic laws,pulled over and accidentally handing the cop the fake ID

Our little town seemed different as it passed by, or maybe it wasa married man that made me feel a little more relaxed--laid-back, even--or if I had finally settled into my own skin I was now in a situation where I didn’t have to prove myself, because the one person that fully accepted me, my best friend, was now a permanent fixture in my life

It seeht about o That’s when it clicked: she had asked ht for the person I loved, and for the first time, I did what she expected of me I had finally lived up to who she wantedbreath, and reached over to rest my hand on Abby’s knee

"What is it?" she asked

"What is what?"

"The look on your face"

Her eyes shifted between ined it was a new expression, but I couldn’t begin to explain what it ht look like