by Faria, Cyndi
With the dim street light beaming down, she wondered: where would life without him lead her?
He spotted her, his gaze locking on her face pressed up against the chain link fence. He’d surpassed the defining moment that propelled him into a world where she didn’t belong. No longer a cadet, he’d stay in Safe Haven and become a firefighter.
A tear rolled down her check and she hugged herself, even as he jogged toward her. He didn’t need her anymore. Graduating from cadet to firefighter was what she’d wanted from the beginning—for him to stand tall and conquer his fears. But why did her heart ache and her tummy roll when she should have been cheering along with his squad?
The moon elongated her single shadow on the sidewalk, leaving a solitary form.
She sucked in a ragged breath and swallowed her fear of facing her future alone. Like Garrett and her mom, she would make her own path and be all right. Even be happy. If only she could convince her heart that walking away from her best friend was the right thing to do.
“Maggie, I passed!” His arms wrapped around her waist and he hoisted her up so her feet dangled.
Against her mouth, the press of his lips caused heat to brew low in her tummy. Her body responded to his touch, like when they’d made love. But what had transpired would soon be as distant as the memory of her deceased father.
Garrett had decided to press on with his dreams that didn’t include her. But how could she be unhappy for her best friend when he’d achieved his greatest dream? She linked her arms behind his head and the corners of her mouth lifted. “Garrett, I’m so proud.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” His eyes caught the overhead light, making them sparkle like his wide smile.
She tilted her head, but knew strength came from within. “What you accomplished was all you. Now, you can be a firefighter, like your brother and father and grandfather before you.”
He lowered her until her feet met the sidewalk and shook his head. His brows crested over darkening eyes. “Maggie, I want a life that—”
“Honors your father’s wishes. Of course, you do. And happiness is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to hide. So, guess what? I’m moving on, too. I bought a one-way ticket to Belize. I’m starting over, sinking my toes in the sand every single day, and maybe study abroad. My life will be wonderful!”
A car pulled onto the street and parked in the Deter’s driveway, then Mrs. Deter opened the driver’s side door, strolled around to the hatchback, and removed a blue wheelchair. With the help of a caregiver, they helped Mr. Deter out of the passenger side of the car and into the chair. Mrs. Deter waved.
Garrett cleared his throat. “Ma’am, you need more help?”
“Don’t worry about us.” Mrs. Deter paused. “We’ve battled many humps along our way. What’s one more hiccup when we’re bumping along together?”
The sentiment was great. Too bad, Maggie and Garrett would never be together.
“How lucky they are to still be in love after so many years.” Garrett’s voice lowered to just above a whisper.
“A rarity, these days… but one worth searching for.”
He tipped his head to meet her gaze. “You believe in lasting love, don’t you?”
As witnessed by her parents, even though her father had passed, her mom still loved him. “For some people, sure.” She glanced down the street, to the skyline lit only by a crescent moon.
“Garrett… come on in.” Mitchell waved a soda can.
Garrett held out his hand. “Come with me.”
She jingled her car keys. After the competition, she’d head back to Davis and clean out her apartment. Then she’d be free… “Not this time. I’m going home to pack. I leave tomorrow, right after the competition.”
His eyes widened, then his brows furrowed. “So, that’s it? You’re picking up and leaving?”
What else was there? He’d moved on and his plans didn’t include her as she’d hoped. And she’d promised herself life was too short to let her dreams fade. She rose on tippy toes and kissed his cheek, letting the bristles of his facial hair brush her lips for the very last time. “We’ve both changed. I can see that now. We don’t need to stand in the other’s way.”
She walked to her car, slid inside, and pulled away from the curb, with only tomorrow’s pageant keeping her bound to Safe Haven.
# # # #
Garrett couldn’t erase the image of Maggie’s suitcases tied in the back of her truck. After last night’s celebration, that’s what he’d returned home to find parked next door at her mother’s place. Now, during the competition she faced him, her turquoise dress matching her eyes so beautifully he dared not look away. “You look beautiful.”
Lifting the side of her dress, she half-curtsied. “This is last year’s gown.”
He offered his palm, which she took. After talking to her mother earlier, he knew how Maggie had indeed freed herself from all ties. “After tonight, I heard you’re stepping down.”
Only her brow rose. “Emily told you, I suppose.”
“Actually, your mom. Are you regretting quitting the pageant circuit?”
The music sequence began, Gypsy Tango, one they’d practiced before and the one that, surprisingly, Dane had helped Garrett master the previous night.
“There are many things I regret, but leaving the pageant will not be one.”
Step. Step. Step. Slide. Slide. Corte. “What will you regret?”
“It doesn’t matter now.” With splayed fingers that fanned across her eyes, she accented her view. “We’re moving in different directions.”
He cinched her waist so she gasped and settled her split legs against his solid thigh. “So, you’re leaving. To Belize, right?”
She spun away. “That’s right.”
The dress rippled and fanned her heavenly scent right up his nose. “Really?
Her cheek against his might as well have been an angel’s. But he kept prodding, playing, riding her sensibilities until she wanted him like he wanted her. “Why the change to travel sooner than later?”
She levered away. “I’m going after my dreams.”
He held on, and reeled her back. “Without me?”
The crowd cheered. One by one, the other contestants fell away as the judges removed them from the dance floor, until only Dane and Emily remained. They’d reached the semi-finals.
Face to face, her breath rushing against his skin, she fell back against his palm until she arched. “You’ve made that choice for both of us.”
He lifted her by the waist and pulled her, so her legs dragged the floor. “You’ll be staying in town, then?”
“No. We have different aspirations, now. You don’t need to worry about me.” She spun and circled him like a hungry predator.
The music hastened. Their bodies linked together as the music peaked, rose higher and higher, their feet moving to the tempo in a spellbinding way that left the judges silent and the crowd frozen in their seats, eyes wide and mouths open.
On the dance floor several feet away, Dane tripped and stumbled, then recovered.
Maggie’s movements were as precise as a bomb diffuser’s hands.
Garrett complimented her every move. “You’re good.”
“As are you. Have you been practicing without me?”
Her flat expression surprised him.
He’d still yet to win her heart. And he didn’t let on to his lesson with Dane. He changed the subject. “I’ve always wanted to travel to Bassin d'Arcachon.”
Her cheeks flushed and her lips widened until her eyes glazed. “One of the most beautiful places in the world.”
On a crescendo, he dipped her back, wanting more than anything to blurt out he’d given up firefighting for other plans that didn’t include staying in town. To kiss those lips for a lifetime.
The music fell and she slid down his thigh, gripping his calf with one hand and his hip with the other, his entire world trapped in her gaze.
The crowd roared, making
the wooden floor rumble with their applause and foot stomping.
The judges directed the contestants to stand side by side, and Emily was crowned.
Garrett expected no less, with the outburst Dane had explained when she’d slapped him over the kiss and rumors that she no longer wanted to carry on with pageantry.
Maggie curtsied and Garrett waved, then bowed at the applause lavished upon their efforts. But when he reached for her hand, she pulled back, leaving him bereft.
“Well, good luck. Thank you for being my friend and partner.” She turned and walked away.
# # # #
Halfway to the fairground parking lot, Maggie couldn’t stop tears from rolling down her face. She should have been happy for Garrett’s choice to follow in his family’s footsteps. He’d obtained something he’d always wanted. And by her decision to not return to school, she, too, had the power to travel abroad once her college debt was paid. In a way, they both were winners, but she felt like someone had hacked her desired tiara in half and the diamonds had turned back into coal.
She took an unsteady step. Without him in her arms, in her future, emptiness poured over her.
“Maggie, wait up.”
With the back of her hand, she brushed her cheeks and a breeze chilled away the moisture. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Dane.
He held her pageant bag in one hand, but his gaze and smile held an unexpected gentleness.
“Where did you find my stuff?”
He handed her the bag. “Emily’s car. I saw it in passing and confronted her. Because of her dishonesty, her crown has been removed, which means you need to return to the judging.”
“I’m done… give the crown to someone else.”
“You sure?”
She hitched the soft nylon strap over her arm. Seemed everything that had been around from the beginning reminded her of the comfort she’d felt in Garrett’s arms. “I’ve never been more sure. But thank you. I’ll see you around—”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
She popped up her head, shocked at his tenacity. All she wanted was to take a hot bath and add to the water with her tears. “Dane, I’ve had a rough—”
“This isn’t about us. You need to listen to the message on your phone.”
She retrieved her cell phone from the side pocket, and pulled up the call history. Garrett’s name topped the list and caused her heart to ache and tears to brim. “We’re not together.”
“That’s not what he said to me last night. So, like I said, hear him out.” He walked away, leaving her standing under the bright lights of the parking lot. What words could Garrett possibly use to change her mind about leaving that he hadn’t during the dance? He’d made plans of his own that didn’t include her. When her voicemail played the first recording, she pressed his voice to her ear.
Message: “Maggie, I love you, only you, for my entire life.”
Save.
Message two: “I’ve never told anyone why I shut myself inside that old refrigerator, but I need you to know how your very existence moved me from the beginning. Seems so ridiculous now—how at the sight of you my heart pounded, my hands moistened, and my mouth dried all from a single glance through ten-year-old eyes. But I realize now Fate tied us together. Your smile, our friendship, making love to you… you set my world on fire then—a fire that still rages in my heart.”
Save.
Message three: “What made my heart sing was having you in my arms, not only when we made love, but the entire week. Tonight. See, my dreams don’t include a world where you’re not beside me. I don’t care where we go, as long as we’re together. So, if you get this message and you’re ready to spend the rest of your life with a guy who’s trying to find his dream, locate me…”
Her breath hitched and she cupped her face. She’d never bought a ticket to Belize. She’d packed the truck bed with empty suitcases to save face. Because without him, she had nowhere she’d rather be than Safe Haven.
Message four: “Or simply turn around.”
She did. And there he was. Waiting for her.
She threw down her bag and kicked off her heels. Through tears that slid down her throat and face, she could barely speak. “Gar-rett, I-I love”—sniff, sniff—“you!”
With a wide grin, he held out his arms and caught her midair. He didn’t let go, not until the announcement of pending fireworks blasted from the intercom overhead. “You got my messages.”
“I did. And I was wrong to doubt you. I wanted to tell you, but I was the one who was scared.” She sucked in a deep, ragged breath. “I didn’t want to lose my heart to a hero. But I did. You’re my hero and you have my heart.”
“And you’re ready to leave this town with me?”
She pulled back to read his gaze. “I—I don’t understand. You’ve finally passed your test. You’re following your family’s tradition.”
“Yeah, I finally figured out that’s why you were so distant today. Because you didn’t let me explain last night.” He shook his head. “I turned down the job to take time to find my way, with you.”
“You did? But I didn’t think you’d want me anymore.”
“I hope my messages convinced you differently.”
With her throat nearly closed from tears, she swallowed. “They did, but how will we have money to travel? Neither of us have jobs. I have college debt.”
“I sold all three of my fire trucks to my brother. With your mom’s help, I paid off your school loans.” He pulled out two one-way tickets to Bassin d'Arcachon. “I say we have about $100,000 to start a future together. Maybe we’ll pick out an engagement ring somewhere in France?”
Her thoughts whirled and she pictured them with backpacks on bicycles, coursing along the winding back roads of Europe. They’d stay in hostels instead of fancy hotels, and tour the countryside together. She could barely take in all the changes. “Tickets… ring… France…”
# # # #
As if the stars held dreams of Garrett’s future, the world seemed brighter than he’d ever remembered. He gathered her trembling hand in his and went down on one knee. “I may not be sure where my path will lead, but I know wherever I am, I’ll want you there beside me. So, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my partner, Maggie? Promise to love me forever?”
A smile overtook her expression and tears sprinkled down her cheeks. “You know, Mr. Parker, some promises are worth honoring. And yes, I promise to love you forever. Longer…”
He smiled inside and out, stood, and just as he leaned in to kiss his girl, fireworks exploded high in the air. Together, they raised their faces to gaze on the celebration in the sky. And, in the smoky aftereffects, Garrett swore an image of his father smiled upon him.
“The gift of happiness belongs to those who unwrap it.”
—Andrew Dunbar
Epilogue
Three years later…
From the shores of Bassin D’Arcachon, Garrett whipped a plastic disc toward Maggie, flipping his wrist so the plate arched above Red.
Along with Red, his furry companions Phoebe, Duchess, and Butch barked, leaped into the salt-filled air, and fell back against the sandy shore.
Maggie snatched the disc, her solitaire catching the late morning sunlight, and laughed. “They almost got it that time.”
His heart humbled and he accepted the simple pleasure bestowed upon him. He glanced to his right, where under the cover of a nylon tent, their daughter, Sarah, squealed and shook her sand-filled spoon into her bucket.
“Daddy loves you, Princess…”
Maggie joined his side and the dogs tore off toward the surf. Together, he and Maggie had created Red Velvet Doggy Daycare. Situated below their beachfront apartment adorned with an iconic fire hydrant logo, their business often cared for more than twenty dogs in a single day.
Maggie slinked her arms around his waist. “And I love Daddy…”
He cradled Maggie in his arms and twirled her around. “And Daddy loves
Mommy.”
Maggie’s lips covered his and stoked the fire within him until he lowered her to the blanket and slid beside her sun-kissed skin.
“Satisfied, Mr. Parker?” Maggie winked and giggled.
He curled her hair behind her ear. He knew his daughter was overdue for a nap, and normally, they closed the shop between noon and two. “Very…thanks to you. But to make sure, can you give me a half an hour?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can do better than that. How about, give or take, eighty more years?”
“Now that’s an offer worth honoring.”
The End
Dear Reader:
Thank you so much for reading A Promise Worth Honoring (Book 3 in the Promises Collection). Best friends that find happily ever after in each other’s embrace is such a beautiful dream. I’m so glad Garrett found what he’d been searching for in his best friend, Maggie.
As always, knowing you spent time with two of my courageous characters as they faced their inner demons and learned trust their hearts desire, is what inspires me to keep writing these heart melting contemporary stories. Thank you so much for your tremendous support!
Did you know your positive ranking of this book on Amazon will make a real difference in getting the story into more reader’s hands? So please consider writing an honest review for A Promise Worth Honoring. It’s easy and only takes a few moments. And I would really appreciate it!
Wishing you peace and happiness always,
Cyndi Faria
Other Novellas by Cyndi Faria:
A Promise Worth Keeping (Book 1 Promises Collection)
A Best Selling Short Romance
Clayton has a real mess on his hands. Not only have garden vandals threatened the Remy Estate's Valentine's Day celebration, but Clayton’s girlfriend Sarah has proposed despite knowing he doesn't believe in lasting love.