Wounded Hearts

Chapter Fourteen

"What in the hell is your problem?" Abigail demanded about thirty minutes later as she stormed into Ronan's house and found him sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands.

"I didn't call you over here to jump my ass, Abigail. I called you over here so you could get Penelope. She's in her room and doesn't want me to come in." Ronan replied. Abigail saw the jewelry box on the table and recognized it as Amelia's.

"Ronan, what did you do?" Abigail asked gently as she saw the pearls scattered across the kitchen.

"I screwed up, Abigail. I bought Amelia that necklace on our first anniversary and when I saw it on Laura I don't know what came over me. I just wanted her to take it off but then the clasp was stuck and I flipped out." Abigail started to pick the pearls up off the floor but Ronan pushed his chair back and stood quickly.

"I'll get that!" he snapped. "Just please get Penelope and take her to either your house or Bruce's house for the night. She doesn't want to be here with me right now."

"She saw you rip the necklace off of Laura?" Abigail asked. Ronan nodded and she covered her mouth as she shook her head.

"What did you do, Ronan? I thought that you loved Laura." she said. Then she noticed the surprised look on his face. "Don't act so shocked. I've known you for a long time and I could see the signs easily enough." Ronan collapsed back down in the chair looking completely defeated.

"I do love her. I love her with all my heart, Abigail. She is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. I can't lose her but I think it's too late."

"No it's not." Abigail said laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What made you react that way?"

"I don't know." Ronan replied with irritation. "It was just seeing Amelia's necklace on her.. .It felt like the biggest betrayal I could have dished out to Amelia. She loved that necklace. You remember. She wore it every single chance that she got." Abigail nodded. She remembered how much her sister had always loved that pearl necklace.

"I'll get Penelope. You clean this mess up and figure out what you're going to do, Ronan. Either you're ready to move on or you're not but you can't keep both woman in your heart like this. It's not good for you and it's not fair to Laura." Ronan did not say a word in reply and soon he found himself alone in the house.

He didn't know how long he stayed in that chair at the table. Darkness was falling outside when he finally got to his feet and began gathering up the tiny pearls. He cried as he gathered them all in his hands and dropped them into the tiny jewelry box. He prayed he could get the necklace fixed. He had been hoping to give it to Penelope when she grew up.

Ronan drug his feet down the hall to the bathroom where he took a quick shower. He looked at himself in the foggy mirror afterward and then down at his toothbrush sitting in the cup beside of Amelia's.

Did he really still have that? It seemed like it had been a long time since he had paid any attention to her things that still covered the house. Her brush was still on the shelf above the toilet, her clothes were still in the closet along with her shoes. He walked to the bedroom and saw all the little touches that were hers. Her make-up pouch was on the dresser. Their was an empty spot there as well where Penelope had taken the jewelry box from.

He wondered why he still had all of Amelia's things. They weren't doing him any good and in truth they were probably holding him back. Could he bring himself to get rid of them? He wasn't sure….. He curled up in bed, his heart aching to speak to Laura but he had tried to call her several times and she did not answer. Damn that caller ID. He lay there awake for a long time before finally drifting off to sleep.