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I knehat she , but I didn’t want it to end

"Then don’t," I said against her skin "Give me another chance"

After one last attempt to break free, Abby covered her face with both hands and cried inently away and kissed her palered breath as I looked at her lips, and then back to her eyes "I’ll never love anyone the way I love you, Pigeon"

She sniffed and touched etic expression "I can’t"

"I know," I said, ood enough for you"

Abby’s face crumpled and she shook her head "It’s not just you, Trav We’re not good for each other"

I shook ht She deserved better, what she’d wanted all along Who the fuck was I to take that fronition, I took a deep breath, and then rested ainst her chest

I AWOKE, HEARING COMMOTION DOWNSTAIRS

"Ow!" Abby yelped fro a T-shirt over e?" The cold floor sent shock waves throughfreezing!" I ju Abby to stifle a giggle

It was still early, probably five or six, and everyone else was asleep Abby bent over to push the turkey into the oven, and h my shorts had even o back to bed I just had to put the turkey in," she said

"Are you co?"

"Yeah"

"Lead the way," I said, sweeping my hand toward the stairs

I yanked s under the covers, pulling the blanket up to our necks I tightenedfor our body heat to warm the small space between our skin and the covers

I looked out the s, seeing large snowflakes fall froray sky I kissed Abby’s hair, and she see had changed

"Look, Pidge It’s snowing"

She turned to face the"It kind of feels like Christainst h from my throat prompted her to look at me "What?"

"You won’t be here for Christmas"

"I’m here, now"

I pulled my mouth into a half smile, and then leaned down to kiss her lips Abby pulled back and shook her head

"Trav"

I held on tight and lowered e I’onna kiss you a lot today All day Every chance I get If you wantto make every second of an, but after a few seconds of thought, her line of sight lowered fro to hesitate, I immediately bent down to kiss her She kissed h I’d justher body react Her tongue slipped into my mouth, and every part of o full stea fall to one side, welcohs

Within moments, she was naked beneath me, and it took just two quick ainst hers, hard, I gripped the iron vines of the headboard with both hands, and in one quick movement, pushed myself inside her My body instantly felt hot, and I couldn’t stop ainst her, unable to control myself I moaned into Abby’s ainst mine At one point she flattened her feet on the bed so she could raise up to let me slip inside of her fully

With one hand on the iron, and the other on the nape of Abby’s neck, I rocked into her over and over, everything that had happened between us, all the pain I’d felt, forgotten The light froan to for it a little easier to slide back and forth

I was just about to finish when Abby’s legs began to quiver, and her nails dug into roaning with the intense spasainst the mattress, her hairline damp, and her limbs limp

I breathed as if I’d just finished afrom the hair above my ear and down the side of my face

Abby’s eyes lit up when she heard voicesher face with pure adoration

"You said you were just going to kissit easy to pretend

"Why don’t we just stay in bed all day?"

"I came here to cook, remember?"

"No, you came here to help ht hours"

She touched ht say "Travis, I think we--"

"Don’t say it, okay? I don’t want to think about it until I have to" I stood up and pulled onI tossed her clothes to the bed, and then yanked ood day"

It see after oke, it was lunchti fast I dreaded every

Admittedly, I was all over Abby It didn’t evenon a show, I refused to even consider the truth while she was next to me

When we sat down for dinner, Dad insisted that I carve the turkey, and Abby smiled with pride as I stood up to do the honors

The Maddox clan annihilated Abby’s hard work, and showered her with cohed

Dad set it clean for dessert "You made plenty, Abby We just wanted to tide ourselves over until next yearunless you’d like to do this all over again at Christmas You’re a Maddox, now I expect you at every holiday, and not to cook"

With Dad’s words, the truth seeped in, and my smile faded

"Thanks, Jim"

"Don’t tell her that, Dad," Trenton said "She’s gotta cook I haven’t had a meal like this since I was five!" He shoveled half a slice of pecan pie into hiswith satisfaction

While my brothers cleared the table and washed the dishes, I sat with Abby on the couch, trying not to hold her too tight Dad had already turned in, his belly full,him too tired to attes ontothe soles of her feet with ht have been trying to subtly reh I knew deep down that it was time for her to move on