The Guardians (25 page)

At the sound of Hannah’s laughter, Abby stop dancing. When I turned to look, Chaz had also stopped mimicking Rafe’s crazy moves. They both stared open mouthed at their sister. I raised my eyebrows in surprise at Abby. “It’s the first time we’ve heard her laugh since mom died,” she said.

Tears sparkled in Sophie’s eyes. The music faded, and Rafe spun Hannah into his arms and then dipped her. “Man, you sure make an excellent partner. You wanna go to the Homecoming Dance with me?” Rafe asked.

Hannah’s eyes widened, and then she giggled as she nodded her head enthusiastically.

None of his children sensed David’s presence, but all of us guardians knew he was there. He stood framed in the doorway, staring at Hannah in astonishment. Tears spilled down his cheeks as Hannah’s laughter filled the air around him.

Abby stiffened as David stepped out onto the deck. He walked over to Hannah who was still giggling in Rafe’s arms. He reached out and gently touched her cheek. “That was music to my ears, sweetheart.” Hannah smiled at him.

He turned to Abby. “Can we talk?”

“Okay,” she murmured. She took my hand in hers before she started inside, pulling me behind her.

David sat down on the couch. He didn’t question my presence at Abby’s side. She and I sat across from him on the loveseat.

He stared down at his hands and cleared his throat. “Abigail, I want to tell you how sorry I am about the other night. I’m ashamed of the way I treated you. Not only am I disappointed in myself, but I know how disappointed your mother would have been in me.”

“It’s all right, Daddy,” Abby said, softly.

“No, it’s not, but I promise I’ll make it right.” He then smiled at me. “I want you to know how much I appreciate you and your family standing by us.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” I said.

David shook his head. “Yes, I do. You’ve been so kind and supportive to Abby. Also, Gabriel talked with the deacons, and they’re not asking for my resignation.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” I said.

Abby nodded.

“I think I have some good news for you, Abby. You know the Peterson’s at church?”

“Yes.”

“Well they’ve been struggling for several years to have a child. When they heard of your pregnancy, they expressed a wish to adopt the baby.”

Abby’s distress rocketed through my chest. I gripped the edges of the couch until it subsided.

“Adopt the baby?” she asked.

“You weren’t thinking of keeping it, were you?” David asked.

“No, I don’t guess so.”

David raised his eyebrows. “You don’t sound very convinced.”

Abby stared down at her hands. “I guess I haven’t given it much thought.” Something about the ripple of her emotions made me think she really
had
been thinking about it—maybe not as much about giving up the baby as keeping it.

“There’s really not much to think about, Abby. Have you even thought about what keeping this baby would mean for your life? You’re supposed to go off to college next year. You couldn’t do that if you had a baby, nor could you keep your cheerleading scholarship.”

Abby picked at a thread on her pants. “I guess not.”

David smiled. “In the end, it’s the best thing for everybody, sweetheart. The Peterson’s will give the baby a loving, supportive home, and you can go on to college and make something of yourself. Then years from now when you get married, you can have another baby.”

I fought the urge to scream at David. He was making it sound so much simpler than it really was. Abby’s confusion and heartbreak about giving up the baby was palpable, and I wondered how even he couldn’t feel it, hanging heavy and dark in the room.

“All right, Daddy,” Abby murmured.

He leaned over and hugged her. “It’s going to be all right, sweetheart.”

But deep down I knew it wasn’t.

Chapter Twenty-Two: ELIJAH

Through a cloud of spray deodorant, cologne, and hair gel, Rafe and I holed up in Chaz’s bedroom getting ready for the Homecoming Dance. After I finished with my hair, I put on my tux. I slid the jacket on and glanced at myself in the mirror.

I didn’t look that different. I mean, I looked nice, but I didn’t look like some heart-throb. Was I supposed to have some great transformation or something?

I turned to Rafe. “Does this look okay?”

Rafe grinned. “You’re gonna knock ‘em’ dead tonight, Jay-Jay.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah.”

I didn’t share Rafe’s confidence, but I supposed I looked good all the same.

For good measure, I glanced over at Chaz who seemed to be spending an inordinate about of time making sure his hair was just right. So, I decided I probably should spend a little more time on mine, too.

In the middle of slathering in some more goopy gel, I heard the back door close. With it came a burst of laughter and conversation. My heart jolted.

The girls had arrived from getting their hair and makeup professionally done.

“I guess we better get downstairs,” Rafe suggested.

I nodded, unable to speak with the sawdust that seemed to fill my mouth.

Chaz checked the clock on the nightstand. “Yep, I’m sure Dad’s gonna wanna take a buttload of pictures.”

When we started to the stairs, Rafe pressed his hand against my back. “It’s gonna be okay, Jay-Jay.”

“If you say so.”

“I know so.” He shot me a big grin and went on ahead of me. The Thomas’s living room buzzed with conversation. I took one final breath for good measure and then headed on down. My throat closed up at little when I saw just how many people were there. Gabriel had arrived since he was helping Sophie chaperone. David stood trying to figure out how to work the new video camera he’d bought. Rafe was busy complimenting Hannah, and Chaz was trying to keep his gaze on Cassie’s eyes, not the way she looked in her dress.

My eyes frantically scanned the room for Abby. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her. In her deep lavender dress and with her long hair swept back, she was literally breathtaking. I had to remind myself to breathe in and out. The moment our eyes met, she smiled broadly. “Elijah!” she cried, as she hurried over to me. She gazed up at me. “You look
amazing
!”

I ducked my head and turned the color of Cassie’s red dress. Finally, I found my voice. “I do?”

Abby nodded and smiled. “Yes, you look fantastic.” She reached her hand out and ran it down the front of my tux. “And very, very handsome.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled. I stared down at her and smiled. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Aw, thanks. You’re too sweet.”

“And that dress is amazing.”

“Purple is my favorite,” she replied, still smiling.

“It really brings out your eyes.”

“My eyes are blue, Elijah,” she teased.

“I know—it just makes them bluer,” I replied, lamely.

“Ah, I see.”

Her hand self-consciously rested on her abdomen. I leaned in and lowered my voice. “You can’t see it, so stop worrying.”

Her eyes widened. “See what?”

I smiled. “The baby bump you’re worried everyone is going to notice.”

“Really?”

“I promise.” I swept her hand away from her stomach and took it in mine. “All anyone is going to see is how beautiful you are.”

Her bottom lip quivered a little bit. “Sometimes I can’t believe how you always think of the sweetest things to say.”

“Oh, I have something for you. Wait here just a second.”

“All right.”

I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the corsage box off the counter. Abby stood waiting patiently for me. I opened the box and took out the flowers. As I started to slip it on Abby’s wrist, I dropped it. “Oh no!” I cried. When I bent over to pick it up, Abby did too, and we bumped heads. “I’m sorry,” I said.

She laughed. “It’s okay.”

I couldn’t believe what an idiot I was. We hadn’t even left for the dance yet, and I’d already managed to do something stupid. When I dared myself to peek at Abby, she was grinning.

“Stop beating yourself up, Elijah. I’m not so fragile a little bump on the head is going to do me in.”

“Uh, it’s not t-that,” I stammered.

“Then what?”

I sighed. “I just want this night to be perfect for you, Abby. I mean, it’s your last formal and all. I don’t want you to regret going with such a klutz.”

Abby reached out and touched my arm. “Stop selling yourself short. You’re not a klutz.”

“Yes, I
am
. I’ll probably end up tripping and mowing out the refreshment table.”

Abby shook her head. “I won’t let that happen.”

I gave her a skeptical look.

“I promise,” she said.

“Whatever,” I grumbled.

“And tonight
is
going to be perfect. Okay?”

“Okay.”

As I stood staring at her, she smiled. “Now about the corsage…”

I closed my eyes before quickly bending down and grabbing it. I slipped it on her wrist and then peered shyly at her from underneath my hair.

She held it up, turning her wrist back and forth to admire it. Then she let out a squeal of delight. “Oh, it’s beautiful, Elijah!”

Before I could say anything, she leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed me on the cheek. My entire face pulsed with electricity.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I murmured.

“And now it’s time for your boutonniere.”

“My what?”

Abby giggled. “Your boutonniere. You get a flower, too.”

When I raised my sleeve, Abby bit her lip. I raised my eyes to the heavens. “Let me guess, it doesn’t go on my arm, right?”

She shook her head, fighting back her laughter. I cocked my head at her. “Go ahead and laugh. I know you’re dying too!”

Her shoulders shook while she clutched her stomach. I was just starting to wish I hadn’t given her the green light when she straightened up. She took a white rose out of box. “I really suck at doing this. I guess I come by it naturally because Mom was terrible too. Whenever we had Homecoming Week at church and Daddy had to wear a boutonniere, he’d put all this padding on his chest, so Mom couldn’t stab him,” she said. Her face suddenly fell.

“Abby?”

“I’m sorry, Elijah. I shouldn’t ruin our night by talking about my mom.”

“You’re not ruining our night, Abby. Besides, I always want you to feel free to talk about your mom. Talking about her keeps her alive.”

Without another word, Abby fell into my arms. She squeezed me tightly. “Oh Elijah, what would I do without you?” Her muffled voice echoed around my chest. Her words pierced through to my heart, and I wondered what I would do without her. It was something I couldn’t bear to even consider.

We were interrupted by David clearing his throat. “All right guys, let’s take some pictures.”

Abby pulled away. “Shoot, I gotta hurry up with this thing,” she said, as she put the rose against the lapel. Slowly, she slid the needle in.

“Ow!” I cried.

She gasped. “Oh did I get you?”

I grinned down at her. “Nah, just kidding you!”

She playfully swatted my arm. “That’s not funny, Elijah!”

I didn’t think I had ever had my picture taken so much in all of my existence. By the time we got ready to leave for school, we staggered from blindness because of all the camera flashes. Somehow we managed to make it to the cars. Abby and I climbed in with Rafe and Hannah.

As we neared the school, I tried quieting my nerves. I wished at that moment I had more of Rafe’s self-confidence or even Cassie’s misguided assurance. I could have used anything to quiet the voices of doubt running through my head.

Rafe found a parking spot, and we hopped out. Couples streamed past us out of the parking lot into the gym. When we started to the door, I tensed up.

Abby looked up at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I croaked.

“Um, you’re still nervous about dancing, aren’t you?”

“A little.”

She draped her arm through mine and smiled. “Don’t be.”

Her face was so reassuring that it gave me strength. “Okay, I’ll try.”

But, it was fleeting. The moment we walked into the dance, my face flushed. All eyes gravitated towards me and Abby. My stomach churned, and I fought the urge to throw up. Abby pulled gently on my arm, leading me on. She smiled and spoke to people, but I merely stared ahead. I’m sure people must’ve thought I was an ultra snob or something, if they didn’t already think I was a giant weirdo.

When we got into the gym, I found it transformed into the theme of Red Carpet. It glittered in twinkling light, and we entered on a red carpet like we were stars at a Hollywood premier.

Rafe tilted his head to admire the decorations. “Wow, they did a pretty good job, didn’t they? I mean for like a brief instant, I can pretend I’m not in the gym.”