...continued from previous page

"I didn't want to wake you up," said Abby, sitting back down on the couch.

"Dick, she didn't eat dinner last night, either," explained Jake.

"You know where the kitchen is," said the former warden, as Jake quickly excused himself.

"Do you want me to fix you something, too, Dick?" Jake called from the kitchen.

"Thanks!" shouted back the man. "I haven't had breakfast yet!" He turned his attention to Abby. "You might want to lay down on the couch for awhile."

Abby tried to close her eyes and rest, but Dick was sitting in a chair across from the sofa, and he was watching her.

"That took a lot of courage," he smiled at Abby. "Between Jake and yourself, Ricky will grow up to be a fine man." With that, Dick got up and disappeared into another part of the large house.

The young woman tried hard not to cry. She would have gladly asked Jake for a hug instead of the breakfast he was preparing for her. But, she did feel weak, and Abby realized that she needed to eat. Abby was in her third trimester, and her emotions were stronger than they usually were. She had to give Jake credit for not holding it against her, or teasing her about it. He was treating her as he normally did, and she hoped she could return the favor by not being overemotional.

As she rested on the couch, Abby realized that she hadn't seen Sara, Dick's wife. When Jake brought Abby a glass of orange juice, she asked him about it.

"Dick said she's at her sister's house until things settle down a little," Jake whispered. "Maybe, I should send you away, as well." Abby could see the horror in his eyes as he contemplated what that would mean.

"No," she smiled, "you need me too much."

"Do you think," Jake wondered out loud, "that one day, you'll need me as much as I need you?"

"Jake," laughed Abby, "I already do!"

A handsome grin spread across his boyish face.

"I'll have breakfast ready in a little while," he said, kissing her lips before returning to the kitchen.

With her very pregnant belly, Abby struggled to get up from the couch and went to the large mirror hanging on the den wall. She cringed with embarrassment when she spotted a small bruise on the side of her neck where Jake had lingered the night before. As she tried to hide the mark with her long hair, she remembered making fun of her parents for such silly behavior. Now, she and Jake were the silly ones, and Abby had to admit that her preconceived ideas of what romance looked like had changed as her relationship with Jake had changed.

Just then, Jake came in with a tray and set it down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Is it all right if Dick joins us?" he wondered.

"Of course," she laughed, "it's his house! Really, what an odd thing to ask!"

"I think he's hiding from you," explained Jake, pouring Abby a hot cup of tea.

"Whatever for?" Abby didn't need Jake to answer her question. "I'm not mad at him," she said, accepting the cup from her husband.

continued on next page...

<< Love Stories Last PageLove Stories Next Page >>