Can't Let Go - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,27

Blake must have felt as he laid there, knowing what had happened—that the room began to spin.

“Abby?” He sounded far away, though logically she knew he was within reaching distance. “Abby, are you okay?”

“I—I can’t breathe.” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. She imagined her friends’ thought process as they faced their future—wondered how much pain there really was—both physically and emotionally. “Oh my—Logan—I—I can’t—” The tears were flowing freely and she dropped her head into her hands, everything spinning around her.

And he was at her side, touching his hands to her arms. “It’s okay, Abby. I’m here.” And he was. Logan was there—he was standing there, just in front of her. She felt the room sway again.

“She can’t be gone, Logan.” She finally broke down into sobs, allowing him to wrap his arms around her and hold her close to him. “She can’t—not Hayley. She was so alive. She wasn’t supposed to die—not yet—not—”

“Shh,” he whispered, touching her hair. Logan closed his eyes, wishing that there was some way he could take all the pain she felt into himself and bear it for her. He would give anything to make her feel just the slightest bit better—to make this all just a bit easier for her to endure. “It’s okay, Abby. Wherever they are—they’re together. They’ve got each other. You’ve just got to take comfort in that—”

“But they’re not here. What about us? How are we supposed to go on?”

She crumbled in his arms, the ache in her chest too much to hold on to. And Logan held her, knowing it was the only thing he could do. It was the only comfort she was willing to take.

It was the only thing he could offer.

He felt his heart break as she sobbed. More than anything, he wished he could do something more for her.

But eventually, she calmed down. The tears ran dry, the sobs faded.

She immediately felt foolish and turned away from Logan, certain not to make eye contact. “We should probably get this stuff to the funeral home,” Abby suggested as she wiped at her eyes. “I’m sure they’re waiting for it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” She kept her back to him, unable to turn to face him. She was too embarrassed for allowing herself to be so vulnerable in front of him. The last time she had shown that part of herself to Logan Sheppard, he had turned around and walked out on her.

“I’ll just—I’ll just meet you out at the truck, okay?” She spoke suddenly. Because she couldn’t take it anymore. All around her, she was surrounded by Hayley and Blake—surrounded by their memory. Surrounded by the pain.

“Sure—I’ll just lock up and be right out. Go ahead, Abby.” He watched as she retreated, Hayley’s wedding dress folded over her arm. She didn’t look back. Logan sighed softly, wishing she would just trust him. But he knew he’d lost that—he knew that he was lucky to get so much as a glance from her. It had been his choice to walk away. It was his choice to stay away.

He thought back to their earlier conversation, when she’d discovered that he’d been living in California. Her expression—even hidden behind the sunglasses she seemed incapable of separating with—had been shocked, yes. But it had also been pained. He had wanted to tell her that not a day went by that he didn’t consider tracking her down. Logan had wanted to tell her that he’d made the trip a few times and had just sat outside her building, watching—waiting for just the briefest glimpse.

He was convinced that even after all of these years, he could still read her like an open book—so even just a glimpse would be enough. All he wanted to know was if she was happy—truly happy. He wanted to know if she was enjoying the life he’d left her to create.

But he always chickened out at the last minute. He would catch site of her hair and he would feel his heart rate quicken—and then he would turn away. It was torture, being so close—but still knowing exactly how far away he really was.

Abigail Lewis had grown up to be an amazing woman. There was no doubting that.

And he’d walked away from her.

~*~

Abby sighed as she exited the funeral home, hugging herself slightly. She still couldn’t believe that she’d broken down like that in front of Logan. What had she been thinking? If there was anyone in the world that she didn’t want to show