Can't Let Go - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,45

though, could she? She couldn’t actually believe that they couldn’t have a future together. Not after what they’d been through.

Especially after the last week.

Wasn’t it obvious?

It was at that moment that a telephone ringing broke in, shattering the stillness that had surrounded them.

Reality.

It was there, no matter how much Logan wanted to ignore it. He held Abby’s eyes, begging her not to answer it. Pleading with her to choose him.

But then she turned, reaching for her purse and removing the thin, sleek phone. She cleared her throat and dabbed at her eyes, as if preparing to see someone rather than answer a call. “Hello,” Her voice was clear as she spoke, free of the tears in her eyes and the pain in her chest. “I’m not sure yet, Eric—I still have to pack up the house and ship everything out…”

Logan dropped his head, staring at the floor.

It was over.

He lowered himself to the bed, holding his head in his hands as he stared down at the floor, wondering what had gone wrong. Things had been going so well—

Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she really had changed.

But he thought back to the way their eyes had met as he’d zipped her dress before the funeral. It had taken him back to the night of Blake and Hayley’s wedding, when he’d seen her flash forward into the future, imagining their lives together. He knew—because he’d imagined it too.

Years had gone by since he’d left Abby, but he’d never once been able to imagine his life with anyone else. If it wasn’t her, then it was nobody.

And as he’d stood behind her in the motel room, breathing in her scent, touching her soft skin—he’d seen it in her eyes. She still saw it. She still wanted it.

No, she hadn’t changed. Abigail Lewis was just as amazing now as she had been six years ago. The only thing that had changed was that it was no longer Logan who was afraid—it was now Abby.

“I’m going back to the motel, Logan. I’m going to take a shower and then I’m coming back here so that I can start packing up all of this stuff. It’s not going to do us any good, holding on to it any longer.” Her voice startled him from his reverie and he looked up, meeting her eyes. They were darker now, guarded. She didn’t want him to see her.

He wondered if she had meant her words to be so ambiguous, but he decided not to acknowledge it. In his mind, he was nowhere near ready to let go of whatever there could be between them.

“I’ll help.” He expected her to argue, but she said nothing—only nodded. “Please don’t go, Abby.”

“It’s time to let go, Logan. We’ve got to, or else it’s just going to eat us up inside.” She paused, making sure she held his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

The last words had a devastating effect, and with that, she turned, leaving the house. Leaving him. He remained in the same position, watching the empty space she had just left, his head spinning.

He remembered the plain piece of white paper he’d scribbled the same phrase on. I’m sorry. It was all he could think of to say as he stood there, watching her sleep. He knew it was inadequate—he knew that it in no way reflected the depth of his feelings or the difficulty he’d had in walking away. He had wanted to say more—but he couldn’t find any way to express himself.

As he ran his fingers raggedly through his hair, he realized how badly he’d hurt her. It wasn’t just a broken heart he’d created—but a broken soul.

And now, his chance to change her mind—to make her realize that he’d never wanted to leave her—was gone.

~*~

The bedroom had been saved for last. They had worked quietly—Logan taking one room while Abby took the other—until all that was left was the bedroom. Boxes filled the living room, all marked and labeled, ready to be shipped or delivered. Abby had stayed behind Sunday night so that she could continue packing and labeling them all—something to distract herself with. Monday morning had come and she had decided to make several phone calls to handle the estate while waiting for Logan to make the trip back to the ranch house so that they could finish up their work.

A will had been left behind, with everything being left to Abby and Logan—all except for their wedding photo, which Hayley had specifically asked to be