“Justin, when can we go sit with Abbey?”

“In a little while.”  I kiss Austin’s forehead.  “She’s still resting.  She bumped her head pretty good.”

“How did she fall?”

I sigh a little.  “Don’t worry about it, Aus.  The important thing is that she’s okay, right?”

“Yeah!” Davey chimes in, and snuggles up closer to my chest.  “Abbey is okay.”

He’s missed this...being close like this with me.  I know Austin has too, although he would never admit it.  

I’m not a hero, by any means.  In most cases, I’m a fucking pussy, I admit that.  It’s why my relationship with the woman of my dreams fell apart, and also why I never got to say goodbye to my parents before they passed.  I was too cowardly to admit I was wrong for leaving my family behind, and by the time I got the chance, my parents were gone.  I’ve made up for it with the boys, I know that, and I’m thankful.  And now, with Abbey, I’ve been given a second chance too.  I told her exactly what was on my mind.  Didn’t hold back.

I think she respected me more because of it.

But then everything just...just got so crazy.

I didn’t like the look on Braeden’s face from the first time we met.  Just seeing how he stood in front of me and acted so damn possessive of Abbey, told me he was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.  He probably wasn’t always like that but...I’m sure the things he saw and the things he was put through made him this way.  It’s why I didn’t leave right away after I hugged Abbey goodbye.  I wanted to make sure she got into the house with him okay.  I didn’t like the look in his eyes or the fact that he had a beer in his hand as he waited for her to walk up the steps.

Thank God I stayed.

If I hadn’t, I don’t know what the hell would have happened to her.

I was out of my car and racing up the steps seconds after I saw him throw her against the exterior of the house, but I was too late to stop him from slapping her.  When I saw him do that, I just...lost it.  This fire lit up inside of me, and then I was punching him in the face until he fell to the ground.  I didn’t care about him, what he’d been through, or what he was still going through.  Abbey’s safety was more important.  I couldn’t believe he would put his hands on his wife like that...

And, even if she doesn’t come back to me, I’m going to make damn sure that she doesn’t go back to him.

I knew she hit her head pretty hard when Braeden threw her into that wall, so I didn’t even ask her if she wanted to go to the hospital, I just took her to the closest one.  I tracked it by the rental car’s GPS and we made it there within minutes.  Naturally, Abbey protested and told me she was fine, but I knew she was lying.  She was holding the side of her head, and her eyes kept closing as I drove along.  I knew everything wasn’t okay.

And I was right.

“What happened sir?” The nurse at the emergency check in desk asked when I approached her, Abbey leaning onto me for support.  

“Justin...” she whispered, pleading with me not to tell her the truth.

It baffled me that she wanted to protect Braeden after what he’d done to her.

“She took a fall down the porch steps, and hit her head,” I finally said.

The nurse eyed me suspiciously.  “Ma’am, is that what happened to you?”

Abbey seemed to get herself together in that moment, and looked the nurse in the eye.  “Yes,” she nodded.  

The nurse didn’t seem pleased with Abbey agreeing to the story, but knowing there was nothing else she could do, she admitted Abbey to the trauma ward.  They must have done a thousand tests on her before finally determining that she only had a light concussion, and filled out some prescriptions for her, before telling me that I would need to keep a close watch on her overnight. I was fine with that.  Anything I had to do for her...I would do it.

I took her back to the hotel, and moved the boys into my room so she could have the extra room to herself.  Naturally, my brothers were ecstatic to see Abbey again, but she was so tired from the pain killers she’d been given at the hospital, that I had to do everything I could to keep the boys from jumping on her.  She insisted on letting them sit with her for a little while, just until they calmed down, and I didn’t want to, but I gave in.  It was like...my family was there again.  We were all together again and that made me so happy that I couldn’t pull them apart.

But I knew all of it was going to end much too soon.

I got the boys to leave her alone around seven, and I sat with her after that, making sure she ate the light meal I ordered from room service.  She was slightly annoyed.  She didn’t want me hanging over her, but I wouldn’t listen.  I wasn’t about to let her get worse.

In truth, I was scared.

So scared that she might get worse.

“Who knew you could play nurse so well?” She laughed lightly as I came in to check on her a few hours later.  “Really, Justin.  I’ll be fine.”

I sat down beside her on the bed, and ran my fingers through her hair for a moment, smiling softly at her.  “It’s not just this...” I sighed.  “I...I was really scared today.”

She shrugged.  “I can handle it.”

“I don’t think you can, Ab.”

She stared at me.

“You can’t go back to him.”  I shook my head and leaned closer to her.  “I hope you realize that now.”

“It’s a lot more complicated than just not going back to him.  I...I don’t even know what he’s doing right now.  Do you know how scary that is for me?”

“It shouldn’t matter.”

“But it does matter, Justin,” she shot back at me.  “I care about him, and...I don’t know what he’s going to do.  I have to go back at some point.”

I hated it, but I knew she was right.  After all, he was her husband, not just some idiot off the street she’d dated a few times.  The thing was, I knew that when the time came, she would want to go talk to him alone.  I couldn’t deal with that.  “It’s not safe though.”

“He was drunk,” she defended.  “He didn’t know what he was doing.”

I cocked my head to the side.  “So this has happened before?”

“No...not like this.  He...he has problems at night, sleeping, and...sometimes he’ll black out and have these flashbacks...” she paused and pressed her lips together for a moment.  “Once he beat up this guy...it was pretty bad.  That’s when I knew he was getting worse.  I never expected this though.  He never raised a hand to me before today.”

“And if you stay with him, he’ll do it again, Ab.”

She sighed and leaned back into her pillows.  “He’ll be more careful.”

I shook my head roughly.  “Why are you defending him?  Why?”

She wouldn’t look at me, and then I saw the tears start to spill out of her eyes all over again.  “When you’ve known somebody as long as I’ve known Braeden...I guess defending them is like second nature.”

I understood.  I hated it...but I did.  Braeden had been gone for such a long time, without much of an explanation, and then suddenly...he was back in her life.  I didn’t know what had gone on all the months they were together, how many good moments they shared that outweighed the bad ones.  But Abbey wasn’t going to talk to me about any of that.  I wasn’t a part of their relationship, and I had to accept that.  “What can I do?”

She smiled just a little bit.  “Be the same guy I was in love with before.”

I sat back a little bit.  Out of all the things she could have asked me for, the only thing she wanted was for me to be a better person.  I knew why I loved her then, and all I could think was how shitty it was that I still couldn’t get her back.  “He doesn’t deserve you.”

She shrugged her shoulders and yawned a little.  “Maybe not.”

It was all she said before her eyes closed, and I knew she was falling asleep on me.  I leaned down then, and kissed her forehead, listening to her breathing for awhile until I knew she was out cold.  “I love you.” My voice trembled, and it took all of my strength not to start sobbing right there beside her.  

Abbey’s phone is ringing again.  It’s been ringing for the past couple of hours, and I’m thankful that I ended up with it instead of her.  It’s Braeden.  It’s been Braeden every time, and I’ve been patient so far, telling myself that he’ll give up.

But he’s not giving up.

I let it go to voicemail again, before I turn the TV on for the boys.  “You guys watch TV for a while.  I’m gonna go get some breakfast, okay?”

“I wanna come,” Davey pouts.

“We’ll go out for lunch,” I promise him with a little smile, as I grab my phone and Abbey’s and shove them in my pocket.  “You can come then.”

“Okay,” he sighs.

“Watch your brother,” I tell Austin.

He just rolls his eyes and nods.  

“And don’t bother Abbey,” I warn him.

“Fi-ine.”

I go out into the hallway, and take a quick peek in on Abbey before I head for the elevators.  She’s still sleeping, but seems to be okay, so I decide not to wake her until I get back.  I’m pressing the down button on the elevator, and shifting my weight from my right foot to my left impatiently, when the ringing starts again.

...and I could not ask for more...

Jesus.

I yank the thing out of my pocket, disgusted.  I mean, can’t he get the hint? Doesn’t he know what he did to his wife yesterday? Wouldn’t that explain why she wouldn’t want to talk to him? That’s it.  I’ve fucking had it.  “Yeah?” I answer harshly.

It’s silent for several moments.  I can hear the bastard clearing his throat, and whimpering a little bit.

“Is...can I speak to her?”

He knows exactly who is on the other end of the line right now, but surprisingly enough, he’s not screaming, or hollering at me.  This version of Braeden is weak.  He knows what he did and he’s out of his mind with fear and worry.  I want to hang up, so bad.

But then I remember what Abbey said.

Be the guy I fell in love with

The guy she fell in love with, would have some compassion for Braeden right now.

“She’s asleep.  I’ll tell her you called.  You can stop blowing up her cell now.”

“Wait!” He says desperately, before I can hang up.  “Just...is...is she okay?  Please, I just need to know that.”

He loves her.

He loves her more than anything in the world.

It’s just so fucking ridiculous the way he’s treated her so far.

“I took her to the ER.  She’ll be okay, but she has a minor concussion, and a nice big bruise on her face from you.”

“Jesus...shit...”

He’s sobbing.  He has nobody.  I realize it now.  He’s home, alone, with nobody to talk to about this.  Nobody that would understand anyway.  I realize that Abbey is his life.  The only one who can see who he really is through his anger and his moods.

Why do I feel bad for him?

Have I lost my mind?

“Can you bring her by?” He asks me after a few moments.

The elevator doors ding open.  I know if I step inside, I’ll lose service.

I want to cut him off.

But I just...can’t do it.

“Not right now,” I tell him, letting the doors close in my face again.  “She needs some time away from you, man.”

“Yeah...yeah I get it.”

“Are...”  I close my eyes.  Why me? “Are you okay over there?”

“Stupid question.”

“Yeah.”

Shit, this is weird.

I make an executive decision then.  “Can you drive?”

“I’m not drunk if that’s what you mean,” he mutters.

“Then meet me at that place, Filligans.”

“You?” He’s laughing this time.  “Why would I?”

“Who the hell else gives a fuck what happens to you right now?”

“Abbey does.”

“I’m not talking about Abbey.  If I had things my way, I would have sent her back to New York with my brothers.  You cant see her today.  You can’t.  Not after what you did.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have control over her like that.  If I want to see her, I’ll see her.”r32;

“You really think I’d let you near her with that attitude? Near my brothers?  You don’t even know where we’re at, asshole.”

He’s silent.  

“Are you gonna meet me or what?  I’ll give you five seconds to make up your mind.”

It takes him a little longer than that, but I allow it.  “I can’t leave the base.”

“Why?”

“I...I’m on a perimeter restriction until January 1st.”

It must be because he beat up that guy.  “Well, then where can we meet?”

“There’s a little tavern,” he sighs.  “It’s right off the base, but they still let me go there.  It’s call Alvin’s.”

I glance at my watch.  “It’s like ten thirty.”

He laughs.  “Can’t handle your liquor before noon, Timberlake?”

“I’ll be there,” I mutter.

“Fine.  Whatever.”

He hangs up.

What the hell am I doing?

Seriously?

I’m in the car before I can stop myself, the whole way there knowing how pissed Abbey would be at me for doing this.  She’d tell me it wasn’t my place, that Braeden was her problem.

But somebody needs to set this guy straight and I can’t have her risking her safety anymore.

I can’t stop Abbey from staying with him if that’s what she really wants, and that...that scares me.

It scares me to think about what he could possibly do to her one day.

I pull into the parking lot twenty minutes later. It’s tiny, and the tavern looks even tinier.  I spot the Honda SUV I saw in Abbey’s driveway, immediately, and turn the car off.  Then I sit for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts, asking myself what the fuck I think I’m going to accomplish by doing this.  It very well could be nothing.

But I have to try and talk some sense into him if can.

I enter the place, and I immediately understand why Braeden laughed at me for my comment about it still being the morning.  There are soldiers everywhere, drinking beer, laughing and playing pool.  Time means nothing to them.  When they’re off duty, they’re off duty.  It’s a different sort of life.

It’s not the type of life Abbey should be living, either.

I spot Braeden at the bar, nursing a beer, and watching the flat screen TV in front of him.  The bartender is making small talk with him, and he’s smiling slightly and chuckling, but I can tell he’s forcing his mood.  In reality, he’s uneasy, upset, and nervous about what’s going on.

I sit down next to him.

“A newcomer,” the bartender smirks and slides me a coaster.  “You just move to town?”

“Just visiting.”

I glance at Braeden.

He’s staring at me.

“What’ll you have?”

“Coors Lite on draft?”

He nods.

“You got here fast.”  Braeden says, once the bartender walks off.  “Didn’t think you’d have the balls to show.”

I stare at him as he guzzles the rest of his beer, and calls for another.  

“I’m usually a man of my word.” I smirk a little and shake my head as I stare ahead at the TV.  My beer arrives and I take a long swig.  

Weird, it feels nice to drink at this hour.  It must be because I’m so damn stressed out.  

“So what’s it gonna take for you to convince Bab...Abbey, to come see me?” He asks me after a while.  

I just shrug, but don’t look at him, only at the TV.  “It’s not up to me.  She can come back to you on her own.  All I said was that I wasn’t bringing her to you.”

I hear him knocking his fists against the top of the bar.  “I didn’t mean to do this.”

“But you did it.”  I knock back my beer again and glance at him angrily.  “That’s the point.”

“I just need you to explain...” He sighs roughly and I watch him rub his hands harshly over his face.  “I need you to tell her that I’m sorry.”

“No.”  I shake my head.  “Not a chance.”  

“Then why the hell did you come!” He yells at me.  

Nobody seems to care.  It’s like, somebody hollering in here at any hour, is a regular occurrence.

“Because I knew Abbey would never forgive herself if something happened to you. I’m here for her, not for you.”

“Right.”  He laughs sadly.  “So what, are you just here to get a feel for me, so you can go back and tell Abbey how fucked up I am? You gonna try to get her to leave me?”

“Look, I’m not trying to break up a marriage.  But I love her.  I do.  And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure what happened to her yesterday, never happens again.”

“You couldn’t possibly love her as much as I do.”  He states, and guzzles more of his beer.  “You don’t know her.  You couldn’t.”

“I know her,” I laugh.

“Oh yeah? What’s her favorite movie?”

“Little Monsters.”

He’s quiet.  “That was easy anyway.”

“Are you really going to sit here and ask me to list her likes and dislikes?  You sound like
Austin.”

He folds his hands and presses part of his face against them as he props his elbows up on the bar.  “I thought she was...she was going to be like the woman I left behind.”

Finally, something I can go with.  “How could she be?  You were gone for years.  She...she moved on.  You have to understand that.”

He shakes his head slightly.  “I never moved on.”

I press my lips together and look down at the bar.  “Nobody can call you crazy for not doing that, but...you’re not ready to be with her.  Maybe...you’ll never be.  Can’t you just open your eyes a little bit and try to understand that?”

“Why, so she can be with you?”

“This isn’t about me!”

He stares at me, his eyes wide.  He didn’t expect it from me.

“This is about Abbey being happy,” I explain, trying to sound a little calmer.  “She’s not happy right now.  I...I may love her, but if she can’t be with me, that’s something I’ll have to live with, because I fucked up everything we had.”

“She’s happy with me.”

I know he’s lying.  He knows the truth, but it kills him to accept it.

I narrow my eyes at him.  “C’mon.”

“I try.”  He’s whimpering now.  “I try so hard but...sometimes...I can’t deal with some of the things that happened to me.  I can’t tell her.  I can’t because...because it’s too fucking hard...and I don’t want to scare her.”

It’s uncanny that he’s venting to me like this.  I mean, me, his wife’s ex boyfriend.  Somebody he was ready to punch the other day.  Now he’s sitting here spilling his guts to me like I’ve known him for years.  Am I really that easy to talk to? No way.  I could call Goldman right now and get about fifteen people to agree with that.  “Then why do you stay with her?”

“I love her.”

“Do you?”  I sit up a little and stare at him hard, willing him to look over at me.

Then he does, even though his face is red and the tears are pouring down his face.  

“I mean, do you really? Because if you did, you wouldn’t let her live like she is now. I took her to lunch at that Filligan’s place the other day.  She told me she’d never been there before.  That dump is ten miles away, Braeden.  What do you do? Keep her locked up?”

He closes his eyes and sniffles.  “No...”

“It sounds like you do.”

“It’s dangerous...out in the world.”

The guy is beyond fucked up.  I know it now, and I can’t blame him.  I’m sure he went through some pretty horrific shit, but why should Abbey have to suffer too?  It’s not her fault.

“It’s not her fault that you’re afraid of the world.  She shouldn’t have to be shut in because of it.  Then, then my brother runs away and comes here.  Of course I have to come get him and...and then I take her to lunch and what do you do? You freak the hell out on her!”

“I know what I did!” He yells back at me.  “I know...I’m a fucking loser that makes pennies working for the military, and you’re just perfect with your fucking money and big time career!”

He angrily pushes himself up from the chair, and knocks it over before storming away from me.

“See you later Bray!” The bartender says happily, and then looks at me again.  “You want to keep going there?”

This is a fucked up place.

I should just leave, go back to Abbey and tell her exactly what I think of her husband.

But I still can’t.

I throw a few bills down, and follow him outside instead.  

“I was going places,” he continues when I find him leaning against his car.  “I was supposed to go to school and get a good job after I got out of the Army.  I was the one who was supposed to...take care of her.”  He shakes his head roughly.  “Then I...I go off to fight for this country and...some insurgent kidnaps me and sells me into a slave ring.  They locked us in cages...they barely fed us.  I couldn’t get home,” he whimpers.  “I fought...I fought so hard, but I just couldn’t.  Then I finally get a break. I get to come home after seven years and oh low and behold, you’ve taken my place!”  He slaps his hands down at his sides.  “I was too fucking late.”

“She married you.”

“She married me because you weren’t around.  I knew it.  I just...I didn’t want to accept it.  The truth is, Justin, she’s never going to be my Abbey again.  She loves you.  It took me doing...this...hitting her...to wake me the hell up.”

“I don’t know about all that.”

“It’s true,” he pushes.  “Don’t you think I would know?  The minute she saw you, I knew...I knew that she wanted you back.  It fucking..it just got me so angry and then she went out with you behind my back.  I fucking lost it.  I’ll...I’ll never forgive myself.  Fuck I even...” he trails off and laughs to himself.  “I even tried to get reassigned after Austin came.  I wanted us to disappear so you and those kids would never find us.  But I can’t do that.  I just can’t do that to her.”

“Look...”r32;

“You need to be with her,” he says, seeming to decide it right here and now.  “She belongs with you and those kids.  Not with me.  Not anymore.  I know you’ll do right by her, Justin.  I know you care that much.”

Is this really happening? Is Braeden...giving me his blessing? It’s so fucking unbelievable, but the longer I stand here and stare at him, the more I can tell how serious he is.  He loves her more than he loves himself, enough that he knows what’s best for her.  He’s looking out for her safety too.  I think deep down, he knows exactly what will happen if she stays with him.  

“Can you just please...”  He squeezes his eyes shut and sobs loudly.  “Can you please just give me the chance to tell her all of this myself?  I’m not drunk...I’m not going to put my hands on her.  I just need a chance, Justin.  Hasn’t anybody given you a break before?”

They have.  Too many times in my life.  I think this must be my chance to repay...fate, for giving me all that I have.  Not my money or my career, but the boys and Abbey.

I can make this right.

I feel the tears stinging my eyes.  I know how bad he’s hurting.  He knows he’s lost her, regardless if she wants to leave him or not.  I know...he’s going to tell her he can’t be with her.  I should be happy.

But I don’t know how Abbey is going to feel.

She may be scared, she may be unhappy with her marriage to him, but I know she a part of her will always love Braeden.

Well, the Braeden she used to know, and is desperate to keep close to her.

I know I have to do this.

I have to bring him to her, before he does something terrible to himself.

“C’mon.” I say quietly, and unlock my car.  “Get in.”