Downing Abbey – Chapter 19

**(Abigail)**

*Wham!*

The gavel was swung and I had a smile the length of Tennessee on my face, as Cheryl and I locked eyes. She was all pursed lips and clasped fingers, and fighting back tears.

I hugged my team of lawyers beside me consisting of Luke and Jillian. She demanded to be second chair when she found out, and said that they ‘needed a woman.’ I completely agreed, and we used it to put our firefight past us.

I gave a thumbs up and a smile to Jacob, Chris, and Steve, looking like they just stepped off the set of *Suits*, and each stood up, applauding the decision.

I waved to Stacey, who was temporarily back in New York. She was a smashing hit in her HR job, but the long hours and multiple mistresses – seriously Todd? Your loss asswipe – tore their relationship apart. She needed some time away from D.C., and I was happy to have a roommate again.

I weaved my way to the back of the courtroom, where Cheryl was sitting alone.

‘I don’t know how to thank you,’ I said as I sat beside her, holding her in my embrace. ‘You literally saved me.’

She laughed through the waterworks, voice bouncing due to emotion. ‘Oh I’m . . . so . . . so happy right now,’ she wailed. ‘The justice I’d been waiting for . . . oh I’m so happy.’

‘You were the reason why this happened,’ I whispered, now tears streaming down my eyes as well.

We held onto each other and watched as Brett was handcuffed, and forcefully directed towards the rear exit. Before he left, he scanned the room until he saw us, expressionless, before a burly officer pushed him through the room’s back door. I felt a shudder from Cheryl.

The judge’s decision was only two years, since unwanted touching classified as fourth degree, but now that word of Cheryl’s situation got around, there was every right for a second trial to settle that.

Though two years wasn’t a long time, it would be two years in a *federal* prison.

Don’t drop the soap, Brett.

‘The settlement,’ I started to Cheryl after what seemed like minutes, and I could feel Luke’s attentive gaze on my back, ‘It’s all yours.’

She put me at arms length. ‘What? No – no that’s yours. This is your win Abigail.’

I laughed, shaking my head. ‘You don’t see how important you were to this case do you?’ and she frowned, confirming my thought. ‘He was counter-suing me for more money than you would believe, and you saved me from that sinking ship. It’s yours. You deserve it.’

I procured the check from my jacket pocket. ‘Take it, Cheryl.’

Her eyes widened. ‘This is, no, this is enough to pay off my mortgage – Abigail, no I can’t – ’

I smiled back at Luke, who gave me a confirming nod. ‘It doesn’t matter now, the funds have already been transferred,’ I said.

‘Excuse me?’

‘We still have your account number for the flight reimbursement,’ I grinned. ‘I just wanted to give you a physical copy, but that’s a void check. The money’s already in your account.’

‘I – I don’t know what to say,’ she blinked.

‘Say nothing,’ I laughed. ‘Actually, say that you’ll come celebrate with us.’

She shook her head, rising. ‘My flight is in two hours, and I . . . I need to be alone right now. I wasn’t joking when I said that seeing him was difficult.’

I stood with her, walking her out the courtroom. ‘Whenever or whatever you need,’ I smiled, and we hugged for the last time before she walked away.

‘So what happens now?’ I heard that familiar voice call out from behind me, hands wrapped around my waist.

I whisked around into Luke, and behind him I saw the entire Brimstone clan, along with Stacey beaming at me, and said, ‘Now, we celebrate.’

________________________________________________________

**(Abigail)**

The seven of us were squeezed into the same booth at the bar where Luke took me on our very first “date”. Now knowing a thing or two about quality wine, the five bottles on our table was a worthy celebration.

Hugo was absolutely delighted.

‘Yo, big H,’ Steve called out. Hugo didn’t seem to mind it, scurrying over with a tilted smile. ‘Can I get another order of the lamb chop?’

‘Oh, me too,’ Jacob insisted.

‘I’ll take two more of the filets as well,’ Chris said, grinning at Luke, who offered to foot the bill, a decision that seemed to be less and less wise with each round his caveman brothers ordered.

‘Guys,’ Luke complained, ‘Take it easy, this isn’t a Vegas buffet.’

‘It is to us!’ Steve laughed and high-fived Jacob and Chris. They three of them looked from each other to Luke, and shrugged boyishly like their appetites couldn’t be helped.

‘Men,’ Stacey giggled to Jillian. The two had been getting to know each other over the wine, and I didn’t know how, but both of those alpha women liked each other’s company.

‘Well, I guess this is as good of a time as any,’ Luke mumbled to himself, opening his jacket flap and pulling out a small blue box with “Verragio” etched on the top.

My eyes popped. ‘Huh?’

‘Oh my god it’s happening,’ Jillian bounced. ‘Guys,’ she shouted at her brothers, ‘Shut the fuck up and look!’

I felt all the eyes on us as Luke swung himself out of the corner booth, and bent down on one knee.

My heart could have exploded from that act alone, but the sparkling jewel inside made me scream.

‘What!?’ I bolstered shooting up, knocking my glass over, spilling red all over the white tablecloth.

The diamond was beautifully cut, attached to a spotless silver band with gold trim on the inside. It was rooted in a pave setting, allowing for the sparkle to be seen from all angles.

And it was *huge*.

‘Abigail May,’ he started, a nervous grin over his face. I was trembling. ‘Will you marry me?’

For a moment I couldn’t speak, my mind blanked and unable to send the command to my tongue. The room was quiet, as several other patrons were also watching this unfold.

One second ticked by, then two, then five.

‘Say yes already, or I will!’ Stacey chirped, and I laughed. It was what I needed to snap back to reality.

Taking a deep breath, I said, ‘Yes, of course, yes,’ and I couldn’t contain my smile as Luke grabbed me by the waist, I heard a cork pop, and before I knew it, applause filled my ears and a cold fizziness on my shoulder and back.

‘Yes!’ I shouted, wrapping my hands around Luke’s neck before the tears came, and I kissed him to seal the decision.

I have never been so happy.

‘Hold on, let me put it on!’ Luke called out, settling down the craziness.

It was a perfect fit, and I couldn’t have asked for anything else right now.

A cheer was released, and Jillian handed me a new glass. ‘Toast! Toast!’

The table quieted. I was caught off guard, and took a breath, smiling downwards.

‘I guess I will say that when I met Luke, I had no family here. My best friends,’ I shared a smile with Stacey, ‘were too far, my brothers are in god knows where right now, bless them, and my parents were enjoying retirement.’

The mood dimmed somewhat.

‘But looking around this table,’ and I did, each and every person’s face I spent a moment acknowledging, ‘I see a new beginning for me,’ landing on Luke’s, and tears overcame me once again.

I took a deep breath, counted down from ten, and cleared my throat.

‘I love each and every one of you – ’

‘You love me as much as you love that guy, baby?’ Jacob flirted, pointing at Luke, who pounded his fist playfully. Laughter exploded from the table.

Catching my breath, I continued. ‘I can’t put it into words, how much you all mean to me. There aren’t another six people I’d rather be here with me right now. I am so, so grateful.’

I raised the glass, pointed it to the ceiling. At the top of my lungs, I said, ‘To new family!’

The loudest cheer was produced, and then the glasses were sunk.

This must be what it felt like to fly.

___________________________________________________

**(Lucas)**

I missed her on this bed, there was too much space for one person alone. It was the morning after the craziest day of our lives, and we lay in bed with legs entangled. I had my arms wrapped around her tightly, tracing the freckles on her shoulders.

Biting into her shoulder, I woke her up, and she gasped in surprise.

‘Oh . . . my head,’ she croaked.

I offered her a tall glass of orange juice. ‘Drink this, it’ll help.’

As soon as she was finished – and she downed the entire glass in one sitting – I attacked her lips. Morning breath or not, I needed to start my day right.

Feeling her tongue, I was caught off guard when another went up my cheek, and I pulled away from Abigail, seeing Fido with his paws on our bed.

‘Bad dog!’ I scowled, pushing him off the bed. There was no room for another male here, no matter if he walked on all fours and pooped under trees.

‘Take it easy on him,’ she said. ‘He just wants his kibble.’

I groaned as I watched her walk out of the room, with Fido following close to her heel. Cock blocked by a damn labradoodle, now I’ve seen it all.

Without a chip, ear tattoo, or collar, we decided to keep Fido here until we found his rightful owner. We spent all day last Sunday putting up flyers and posting on lost and found sites. Though I didn’t appreciate this intrusion, he was a personable critter and forced me to get back into running every morning.

Abigail returned, and slipped back into the bed. ‘See, men are easy,’ she laughed.

‘Oh yes I am,’ I smiled, finding her mouth again.

I felt a hand swiftly move underneath the covers, and before I knew it, she had me in her hand, tugging to the morning patterns. Then I felt a sharp pain.

‘Ow!’ I screamed so loud, she retracted abruptly, pushing away. ‘What was that?’

‘What?’ she said, confused, and I tore off the covers, revealing a patch of defiled skin on my upper thigh. ‘What the hell happened there?’

I looked at her hand, and shook my head. ‘You need to get used to that weapon, cupcake.’

She looked at the diamond on her finger, eyes widened, and murmured, ‘Woops,’ before giggling and kissing my neck in apology.

I felt her skin on mine, the heat.

‘You didn’t have to arm me with such a big one,’ she cooed, trailing her tongue up towards my ear, biting the lobe. The prickling sensation trailed down my spine and I opened my mouth in surprise, shrugging up the shoulder on that side.

‘Blame Jill, she’s the one who picked it out,’ I bumbled.

She pawned me a playful glare, squeezing my cock down there and *fuck* did that make my eyes roll back. ‘You mean you didn’t pick it out yourself?’

Groaning, I mumbled incoherencies as she pulled at me with slow, long tugs. ‘It’s hard to think right now,’ I complained, tongue slow. ‘I approved of it.’

‘Well then,’ she mocked, releasing me. ‘*I’m* going to take a shower.’ She emphasized that word.

Striding towards the connected bathroom, she opened the sliding door, but then stopped, and slowly, her head turned and she looked over her shoulder. Her brown locks covered half of her face, so I could only see one eye gazing at me. Shrugging up her shoulder to cover her mouth and nose, she lifted the shirt she was wearing, revealing just the underside of her round cheek.

‘Though I might need a hand.’

She disappeared behind the door, and I heard the water begin to run.

Grinning, I followed after her, slipping into the glass box silently.

‘You think I would allow my fiancée to wash her hair alone?’ I whispered into her ear, cupping one breast. That word sounded so good to me so I said it again. ‘*Fiancée*.’

She squirted a dallop of Head and Shoulders into her hand and I pressed my erection between into the valley of her ass. She sent an exaggerated sigh. ‘As long as you don’t just fondle my boobs the whole time, *fiancé*.’

Spreading her cheeks apart, I pushed inside and her moan filled the room. ‘Well, I had other things in mind too.’

Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/7pb0wb/downing_abbey_chapter_19