Infinite Ties (All That Remains #3) Read Online Free Page A

she’s terrified of him. Before I can drag his
ass to the door, Airen pulls him into the hall so they can speak out of
earshot.
    Abby’s back stiffens and the pain
reflected on her face is devastating. Not only did Airen invite him without
telling her, he’s talking calmly with him and ignoring her desperate pleas to
throw him out. Her protector, the man she counts on to always take her side, is
acting like she’s the problem.
    “Abigail.” My hands fall to her shoulders.
“I’m sure he’s just trying to get him to go without a struggle.” She shrugs out
of my grasp. “Abby! Listen. He’s leaving no matter what either of them say.
I’ll make sure of it.”
    Airen recoils from Abby’s venomous glare
when they return to the living room. Jon regards her with a look very near
disgust, and I can see the shame in her face, though she tries to hide it.
“I’ll give you a couple of days to get used to the idea, and tell Carson what’s
up, but I’m not leaving without meeting him.”
    The deadbolt clicks as Abby moves quickly
to lock it behind him. Fuck. She’s terrified. Why can’t Airen see that?
    He faces her uncertainly, unsure how to
deal with his enraged wife. “Gail?” he asks, wondering why Jon used that name.
    “Don’t fucking call me that!” she screams,
darting down the hall. The door to the guest room slams, rattling the pictures
on the walls.
    “What the fuck were you thinking, Airen?
Did you see the look on her face? She’s scared shitless!”
    “Carson should know who his father is,” he
insists. He’s so damn obstinate.
    “You should’ve asked her, or at least told
her what you did.”
    His hands drag through his hair in
frustration. “Christ, Joey. I thought he was dead. I didn’t think he’d actually
show up.”
    “Well, he did, and she’s devastated. What
the fuck did he do to her?”
    “All I know is he left her.”
    “There’s obviously more to it than that.
You have to make this right. You broke her heart.”
    “I’ll talk to her.” He sighs and sits on
the edge of the couch.
    “She was so afraid and ashamed,” I
whisper, hoping she can’t hear us discussing her. “Of our relationship, do you
think?”
    “I don’t think so. She announced it. Used
it like a shield to protect herself.” He glances up at me and anger burns in
his dark eyes. “I hate the way she cowered under his gaze.”
    “Worse was the way he seemed to relish it.”
    “What if he abused her, Joey? What if he
beat her and I brought him here?”
    “Then he’s a dead man.”
    Airen nods. “She always swore that he
never hit her, but he hurt her deeply. That’s obvious, and I think it was way
before he broke her heart by abandoning Carson. There’s something we don’t
know.” He sighs. “I really fucked up.”
    “Go tell her that.”
    He does. He apologizes profusely, but only
through the door since Abby won’t unlock it or respond to him.
    “Talk to her, Joseph. Just get her to let
you in, and make sure she’s okay,” he pleads.
    “Wait here,” I demand. I’m in love with
the two most stubborn, bull headed people in the world. He acquiesces, slumping
onto the couch. They’re both so upset they overlooked the door that opens from
the porch into the guest room.
    She doesn’t budge when I let myself in and
sit behind her on the bed. Her knees are pulled to her chest and she’s hiding
her head in her arms. She curls into a tighter ball when I rub her back. Is
this all a response to seeing her ex, or more about Airen’s actions? “Ladybug,
talk to me.”
    She doesn’t respond. A chill runs through
me at her reaction. She isn’t crying or showing any sign she even heard me. Her
eyes are open, staring blankly at the wall. Abby’s never been comfortable
expressing her emotions, but she’s come a long way since we met, opened up to
me and Airen in ways she never could. I don’t want her to regress to this stage
where she simply shuts down and blocks it out.
    “We don’t have to