Beyond Promise

by Karice Bolton

  “I know your tricks,” I laughed, eyeing the welcoming space next to his extended body.

  “I wouldn’t resort to tricks.”

  “Yeah right.”

  He sprang up and grabbed my wrists, somehow tumbling me on top of him.

  “This is definitely not what the doctor ordered,” I blathered, attempting to wrestle my wrists away from his grasp. “You’re not supposed to do sudden movements like this.”

  “Doctors don’t know everything.” He nestled his whiskered chin into my neck, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

  “You aren’t supposed to do anything that elevates your blood pressure.”

  “Just looking at you gets my blood pumping.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  He kissed my throat, sending my entire mind and body into a euphoric place, knowing I almost lost this—these—moments with Ayden Rhodes.

  “If your recovery goes backward, then you won’t be able to get on the flight to Bermuda, and then we won’t be able to get married, and then—”

  He stopped my laundry list of “ands” with a long kiss as he slowly released my wrists. My body relaxed into his, and I felt the length of his body pressing into mine, all of him. His kisses twisted and tugged at my resolve to do the right thing, and my self-control slowly started to slip away.

  But the wedding.

  The flight.

  The flight that was needed for the wedding.

  I slowly shook my head and reluctantly broke free from his kiss, backing myself away from the determined look on Ayden’s face.

  “You are quite the manipulator,” I teased. “You almost got your way.”

  “Oh, don’t even doubt it for a moment. I’ll get my way.” He flashed a wicked grin and I shook my head.

  “I don’t think so. In fact, I think with everything you’ve been through, the best thing to do is to wait until the big day, actually.” I smiled an equally wicked smile and sat back at the end of the couch.

  “You wouldn’t be that cruel.” He sat up.

  “Cruel. I wouldn’t call it cruel. I’d call it strategic. It’ll keep you on track.”

  “Baby, I’m already on track.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “I barely pulled through. I had a severe head injury and—”

  “You had a moderate head injury, and you almost forgot who I was,” I teased. “Me… Me? of all people. I want to make sure you don’t forget who I am again, dangle the carrot so to speak.”

  “I’m not a rabbit, Lily.”

  “That is for sure, but I think it will make the moment even more special. Imagine the sexual tension by the time we get to the big day.”

  The doorbell rang and Ayden just let out a sigh. His fate had been sealed.

  “You know, I remember some of the things you whispered to me while I was in the hospital,” he offered, as I walked toward the door.

  I froze in place.

  “Like what?” I called behind me.

  “Forever in my debt? And something about taking advantage of me if there wasn’t a nurses’ station outside in the hall.” His brow arched. “I’m sure the girls would love to hear what you were whispering to your comatose fiancé.”

  “They wouldn’t believe it,” I challenged, turning back around to get a glimpse of the man behind the threats.

  I absolutely loved the challenge of Ayden.

  His brow arched. “I can be very convincing. Give me what I want and I might play fair.”

  “I won’t.”

  A shiver ran up my spine as I readied myself for the challenge ahead.

  I pulled open the front door, and Gabby was standing on the porch with Jason slowly making his way up the steps behind.

  “I can’t believe you guys rode the bike here. It’s the middle of fall.” I shook my head and motioned for them to come inside.

  “How’s he doing?” Jason asked softly.

  “Better than you can imagine.” I twisted my lips in an exasperated expression as I took both their coats and put them in the closet. “His highness is in the family room on the couch.”

  “He’s not in bed?” Gabby questioned.

  “Oh, no. He wouldn’t hear of it.” I smiled, loving every second of the fact that Ayden was not only home, he was who he was before the fight.

  Gabby handed me a pastry bag and smiled. “Not sure if he’s up for sweets, but I brought over a batch of chocolate chip cookies. They’ll keep for a few days if he doesn’t want them today.”

  I opened the bag and sniffed in the wonderful amount of sweetness.

  “Even if he doesn’t have any, I doubt they’ll last through the next twenty-four hours with me around. Thank you.”

  We all walked into the family room where Ayden was sitting up in a chair.

  “You are supposed to be on the couch, lying down.” My brow quirked up in exasperation.

  I knew it was only a matter of time before he pulled this stunt. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

  “I needed to stretch my back.”

  Jason walked over and gave Ayden a hug and handshake. “We were worried about you. It’s so good to see you up and about.”

  “It wasn’t what I’d planned. That’s for sure.”

  “Life never seems to be,” Gabby agreed.

  I trundled into the kitchen and placed the cookies on the counter and stirred the soup.

  “All life can promise is that some plans are meant to be broken.” Gabby lovingly looked at Jason and he smiled.

  Gabby folded the blankets and stacked the pillows against the wall before taking a seat on the couch.

  “Is Carla watching Katie?” I asked.

  Gabby shook her head. “Surprisingly no.”

  “Yeah, Katie decided she didn’t need a babysitter so we left her by herself.” Jason rubbed his hands. “We’ll see how that goes.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Ayden laughed. “Sink or swim. Let the toddlers fend for themselves.”

  I shook my head and poured some chips into a bowl and grabbed a bottle of salsa out of the fridge.

  “We want her kindergarten stories to be exciting,” Gabby agreed.

  I walked the chips and dip over and placed it on the coffee table.

  “She actually has her very first best friend. The mom lives down the street from us. She’s a sweetheart and her little girl is totally adorable. It’s her first official “official” play date.”

  “Official “official”?” I asked.

  “The first time we did it, we dropped her off and pretended to leave, but we were there the whole time making sure she didn’t need us.”

  “We’d spy on her through the windows,” Jason added.

  “That’s not creepy or anything,” I joked, taking a chip and dipping it into the salsa.

  “The other mom completely understood, and once we realized Katie didn’t miss us, we decided to give it a go tonight,” Gabby said, taking a handful of chips.

  “Yeah. We can’t stay too long because we need to pick her up by eight.”

  I smiled and sat back in the rocker. I admired Jason and Gabby’s dedication to Katie. I glanced over at Ayden, and from the looks of it, he did too.

  I heard the front door open, and Brandy hollered a sweet hello as Aaron let them in.

  “We’re back in the family room,” I called out.

  Brandy bounded down the hall and beelined for her brother.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and didn’t let go.

  “I’m so mad at you. So mad I could beat you to a pulp.”

  “I think once is enough,” Ayden laughed.

  “Never again.” Brandy shook her head against Ayden’s and released her grip. “I mean it.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Ayden replied, his eyes darting to mine.

  I wondered if it was true. Had he really given up fighting or did this just scare him off for a little bit? I suppose only time would tell.

  I heard a
faint knock on the front door, and then Mason pushed his way through the front.

  “We don’t need to knock,” I heard him telling Tori.

  Mason glanced at me and then his brother. Ayden stood up and they both hugged one another. Tori smiled and slid her hands into her jean pockets as she looked on. I could tell she really loved Mason.

  Mason gave him one last squeeze and took a step back, spotting the chips. “Nice. I’m starved.”

  “Since everyone is here, I say we play a fun little game,” Ayden said, his eyes fastening on mine.

  He wouldn’t.

  “Let’s play Never Have I Ever.”

  I threw him a dirty look. “Where have you even learned about that game?”

  Ayden ignored me and glanced around the group who seemed completely mystified; some finally giving hesitant nods to satisfy Ayden’s prodding eyes.

  “Okay, then. Everyone know how it works?” Brandy asked, excited for any game that people might participate in. A few shakes of the head prompted Brandy to continue. “So each person will come up with something like, “Never have I ever eaten a grasshopper or never have I ever had a threesome” and then—”

  “Whoa. How does it go from eating a grasshopper to a threesome?” Jason laughed.

  “Only in Brandy’s mind does it make sense, and only in her mind will it ever.” Mason shook his head.

  “Anyway, after the person says their statement, everyone who hasn’t done it, keeps all ten fingers up in the air. Anyone who has done it, has to put down a finger,” Brandy said.

  “Isn’t it usually done with sipping a beer?” I asked.

  Brandy raised her brow. “I assumed not everyone was into beer sipping at the moment so fingers will do.”

  I smiled and rolled my eyes. “Point taken.”

  “Alright, so it begins.” Ayden flashed his dazzling smile and his eyes locked on mine. “Never have I ever, and I mean EVER tried to grope or take advantage of a person in a coma.”

  All heads turned to me, and Gabby started giggling so hard she fell off the couch. Jason attempted to pick her up as Brandy started laughing as Gabby kept all ten fingers in the air.

  “I mean it was just like a big misunderstanding…like…I don’t know…it just seemed…I thought that...Well if he maybe heard or felt some sort. It’s just that I couldn’t believe he didn’t remember me.”

  “I’m in shock,” Mason laughed. “And to think what we shared.”

  Tori hit him upside the head, and I sunk deeper into the chair as I caught Ayden beaming about his accomplishment.

  “Just wait. There’s more where that came from,” Ayden assured us.

  And I believed it, but two could play this game.

  “Let the partying begin,” Gabby yelled into the dead microphone. She tapped it twice and handed it over to Brandy who blew on it a couple times and gave it back to her. It was like watching Tweedledee and Tweedledum blast into the twenty-first century, and I giggled as Emily patted my shoulders.

  “Are you laughing at your friends?” she teased.

  I smiled and sat back in the chair, sipping my soda water with orange juice.

  “Let’s show Lily what she’s going to be missing. Wild nights of clubbing, singing karaoke, and—” Brandy stopped and tilted her head at Gabby. “What else will she be missing?”

  “Beats me,” Gabby snickered, and hit the microphone against her hip to make it work.

  “Guys, we heard you without it.” I smiled. “You’re that loud.”

  Tori threw her head back with laughter, and Emily stood up and climbed on the stage with them.

  We were at a small karaoke bar, and all the tables were full since it was a rainy Saturday night.

  Emily walked over to the machine and scrolled through the songs. A wicked grin spread along her mouth as she picked the next number and walked over to Gabby and Brandy with another microphone.

  I looked at the screen behind them and laughed even harder. I couldn’t wait to see Gabby and Brandy try to sing this song. In fact, this was my perfect ammo for whatever might come at us over the years. I slid out my phone and began recording.

  “FYI, girls, the microphones don’t turn on until the music starts.” Emily smiled and held her microphone tightly, trying not to laugh at Gabby and Brandy. They’d only had a couple shots, but they were goners and it was pretty hysterical.

  As the countdown on the screen went from 5-4-3-2-1, I just grinned and sat back in the chair.

  “This should be entertaining,” Tori whispered.

  “This should be what gets us kicked out of here. No one will forgive us for this. I can’t believe Emily chose this song.”

  And the music began.

  I slid down in my seat as the trumpet to “My Humps” by The Black Eyed Peas started, and Emily prepared herself to belt out will.i.am’s part of the duet.

  Gabby and Brandy looked at each other and started giggling, and then they both stood up straight as Fergie’s lyrics were about to start…Their big moment to shine.

  And shine they did as they sang about their humps, junk in their trunks, and lady lumps. That would’ve been great enough to record, but it was like a gift from above when they started bouncing their butts to the beat of the music. Next thing I knew, they were covering the stage with dance moves the world had never dared before.

  And there was a reason for this.

  As I sat recording, I felt almost evil as the crowd roared to life around us, and Gabby and Brandy continued to belt out the lyrics surprisingly well. Tori stood up and started clapping as Emily sang her part of the song. This was priceless.

  I watched my two best friends eat up every second of their fame as the song ended, and they took a bow with Emily following suit. After all, it was her impeccable taste that drove the house wild. All three trundled off the stage and wandered to our table while the crowd kept clapping and began chanting, “Encore”.

  I stopped recording and slid my phone back in my purse.

  “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” I snorted. “Where did you learn those moves? I’ve never seen you whip those out when we’ve gone out before.”

  Gabby shook her head. “I have no idea where they came from. The song just brought it out of me.”

  The server came by, and Gabby and Brandy ordered another drink as did Emily. Tori was still sipping her cocktail.

  “So what do you think the boys are doing?” Tori asked, plastering on a wry grin.

  “I don’t know. But it has me suspicious,” Gabby replied. “Jason wouldn’t tell me one thing. Not one single thing.”

  “Ditto,” Brandy seconded.

  “Me either.” I glanced at the next act about to start their song and almost felt sorry for them. I wouldn’t want to follow Brandy and Gabby’s number.

  “Are you thinking strippers?” Brandy’s eyes were wide.

  “Do you think they would when they’ve got all this at their fingertips?” Gabby motioned to us all.

  “I don’t know. None of them ever struck me as the stripper type,” I chortled.

  “Or we wouldn’t be marrying them,” Brandy said, folding her arms in front of her. “But do you think they have strippers?”

  I laughed.

  “Well, we were told to stay away from Ayden’s house until what was it…two o’clock in the morning?” Gabby asked. “Wasn’t that what it was?”

  Tori nodded. “Sure was.”

  “You think they might have strippers coming to the house?” I asked. “Yuck.”

  “I don’t think they have strippers at all,” Brandy stated again, but her voice went up in a question.

  “I did tell them we were taking you to a male strip club,” Gabby said. “But I was pretty sure they knew I was kidding.”

  “Were you?” I asked.

  She shrugged and smiled.

  “So the verdict is still out on the strippers with the guys. What else do you think they’re up to?” I asked.

  “Drinking. Lots of it.”


  “Ayden’s not supposed to drink yet,” I said.

  “Well, I’m sure he won’t then,” Emily said smiling.

  Appetizers that we ordered before the singing triplets got on stage arrived, and we all started chowing on mozzarella sticks and fried zucchini. It was a good thing I planned for a forgiving wedding dress.

  “I so admire you,” Emily prompted. “Most brides are going crazy with worry about fitting into their dress.” She beamed and popped in a zucchini spear.

  “You’re so persistent, and I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.” I grinned, taking a bite of the melted cheese scrumptiousness. “Delicious.”

  “I think they had a car service reserved, maybe for dinner,” Gabby said. “I saw a receipt reserving one for tonight in Jason’s jeans.”

  “Ooooh. Interesting…” I took another bite.

  “You don’t think they’d ever do something like really stupid…” Tori began.

  “Ha,” I barked. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure that stupid could enter into the picture when this group of guys gets together, but not the kind of stupid you’re referring to. They’re a really solid group of men.”

  Tori was so sweet, and she’d only begun dating Mason a few months ago so I understood her worry. Her boyfriend’s twin brother was about to get married, and they were all at a bachelor party. Between videos that had gone viral of bachelor parties gone wrong and elusive social media posts on the topic, it was no wonder she was worried. But I had total faith in the Rhodes men.

  “You know, I saw online this one stripper who came to the house, and she got completely naked. Like completely naked.” Brandy’s eyebrow rose as she conveyed her findings.

  I reached over and squeezed her hand, chuckling. “I think that’s how it works nowadays.”

  “No way,” Emily said. “I think it’s topless only.”

  “Is that better, though, really?” Brandy questioned.

  “I don’t think our guys are even getting one of those services,” Gabby said. “We should have faith in them.”

  “I have complete faith,” I said, nodding. “Complete faith.”

  “Me too,” Brandy mumbled.

  “Me three,” Tori confirmed.

  “Well, I don’t have faith in men at all so I say we go spy,” Emily announced.