Can't Let Go - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,11

placed her order. It didn’t take long to prepare, but while she waited, her mind wandered once again to her friend.

The two had remained close throughout the years, despite living in different states. They talked nearly every day. After Hayley had married Blake, her parents had, as expected, cut her off and out of their lives. She no longer existed to them, even though the pair had done well for themselves.

Hayley had become a teacher while Blake finished med school. He came out of school relatively debt free, and the two had quickly been able to settle into their life. It was nothing like the life Hayley had led before marrying him, but it was comfortable. And they were happy, which really was all that mattered.

Hayley had often brought Logan up in the years that had passed since she’d last seen him. Abby knew that he was doing well, which made her happy. She’d never wanted anything bad to happen to him—she loved him too much for that. She’d only wished that things had turned out differently for them.

It wasn’t something she allowed herself to consider often though, because more often than not, it only led her down a path she couldn’t afford.

No, she had a life now. A life without Logan Sheppard. And she was better off. If he hadn’t said it himself, he’d certainly made it clear. She’d woken up the morning after Hayley’s wedding expecting to find Logan—but instead, all she’d found was a note.

It was still painful to think about, and so she pushed it away, concentrating on the now short drive home. She and Eric lived in a luxurious apartment in Beverly Hills, not all that far from where she grew up. It was definitely a nice neighborhood, but she hardly noticed as she drove along. As she pulled up, she noticed Eric wasn’t yet home and she sighed, turning off the ignition and making her way inside.

Abby set about to eating her Chinese, kicking her shoes off at the door and spreading the items out on the kitchen counter. She thought about going to change into something a little more comfortable than her business suit, but as her stomach grumbled, she decided against it and settled in to eat a few bites.

She’d just gotten the idea to check the voicemail to see if maybe Hayley had called their apartment rather than her cell phone by accident when she heard the door open. “Abigail?” he called.

“In the kitchen—I brought home Chinese.” Eric entered the kitchen a moment later, dressed impeccably in a perfectly tailored suit. He offered a smile as he passed by her, grabbing up his carton of Chinese and diving in. “How was work?” She asked, deciding to hold off on checking the voicemail for a moment.

“This Jacobs case is killing me.” He said in between bites. “Today’s deposition didn’t even finish—we’ve got to call the guy back in tomorrow.”

“Sounds rough,” Abby said, leaning back against the table as she continued to eat.

“But the partners are really taking notice of my work—so we’ll see what comes of it.” Abby nodded, waiting for him to question her about her day. After a few minutes had passed, he still hadn’t said anything more. She sighed.

“I talked to Hayley today.”

“Don’t you talk to Hayley every day?” Eric was not Hayley’s biggest fan, if only because the rest of their circle thought poorly of her.

“Today was a special day.” She said, remembering the flood of happiness she’d felt when she received the news. “She’s pregnant.”

“Well, congratulations to Hayley.” The two of them had spoken about children many times throughout their relationship. It was something Eric wanted to put off for a few years, while Abby was ready to start a family right away.

“She was really happy, Eric.” Eric sighed, setting his carton on the counter and wiping at his mouth with a napkin.

“I’ve never said I don’t want to have children, Abigail.”

“Sometimes it seems that way.” No matter how many times Eric told her that he wanted to have a family, she found it impossible to believe him. He was always so focused on his career—sometimes she wasn’t even sure he wanted her.

“I just don’t think having them right away is a wise choice.” He relaxed against the counter. “Even Hayley and Blake waited.”

“They waited until they were financially stable. We don’t have that to worry about.” With both of them working steady jobs, she had a point. She could even stop working and they would still