Every Promise You Made

by J. E. Parker

  I really wish her and Brantley didn’t have to go back to Tennessee.

  Everyone was busy eating and talking—about baseball, I think—when Maddie caught my eye from across the table. Winking, she mouthed the words, “It’s time.”

  Giving her a thumbs up in reply, I picked up my glass of tea and took a sip. Plastering on a face worthy of any Oscar, I sat straight, and said, “Oh my God, Maddie. Look at Melody’s shirt. It’s so cute! Where did you get it?”

  Shelby was the first person to look at Melody’s shirt.

  Narrowing her eyes, she read the letters written across the front that said, I’m going to be a big sister. Then, she dropped her fork.

  And here we go. One… two… thr—

  “Oh my God!” She screaming, jumping up from her seat. Looking from Melody’s shirt to Maddie, she hollered, “Does this mean what I think it means?”

  Maddie smile before nodding. “It does.”

  The noise that came from Shelby’s mouth could be described as nothing less than a shriek, followed by, “You’re pregnant?”

  It was Hendrix’s turn to drop his fork. “You’re what?”

  Tears streamed down Maddie’s face. “You got your wish, behemoth. You’re going to be a daddy again.”

  Hendrix moved so fast, it was a blur.

  Wrapping both Maddie and Melody up in his arms, he buried his face into her hair and rocked her from side-to-side. I couldn’t hear what he was saying to her, but I had no doubt he was telling her how much he loved her.

  Heart nearly bursting, I looked around the table.

  Mama had tears streaming down her face, Keith was smiling from ear-to-ear, Grandmama was dancing around in a circle, her hands thrown up in the air, but Pop looked like he was about to faint.

  “You okay, Pop?” I asked, fighting back laughter.

  His eyes met mine. “Hell yes,” he said, a smile finally reaching his face.

  Shelby smacked his arm. “Bet you fifty bucks it’s another girl.”

  Pop’s smile fell. Tossing his ball cap down on the table, he said, “Oh hell no. I’m already losing sleep worrying about Melody. I can’t handle another girl.”

  “Right?” Keith piped up. “I am too damn old to be chasing boys off with baseball bats.”

  Grandmama rolled her eyes. “That’s what guns are for ya big dummy. All you have to do is shoot the first one and word will spread.”

  Evan started laughing.

  Beside me, Clara looked pale as a ghost. “Another baby?” She squeaked. “I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!”

  Across the table, Carissa smiled and told Maddie congrats while Kyle did the same. Heidi leaned forward so that Maddie could see her and signed, “Congrats, boss lady.”

  Maddie signed back, “Thank you, sweet girl.”

  Clara suddenly smacked my arm. “You’re next. I need a baby Hope.”

  Maddie made a choking sound.

  Take the opening! The voice in my head shouted

  Gathering all the inner courage I had, I steeled my spine, and replied, “You’ll get your wish.” I paused and sucked in a breath. “In about seven more months.”

  The room fell silent.

  Then, Evan’s head jerked back. “What?” He asked, confused.

  I smiled through the tears the had begun falling down my face. “I’m pregnant.”

  Two small words. Such a powerful meaning.

  Evan’s gaze dropped to the hand that had moved to cover my belly before bouncing back to my face. “You’re giving me a baby?”

  I nodded. “I am.” It was a miracle I could speak through the tears. “Are you happy?”

  Since I found out I was pregnant a week before I’d been terrified that Evan would react badly. I mean, I didn’t think he would but this baby—miracle that it was—wasn’t exactly planned.

  “Happy?” He asked, standing up and pulling me into his arms. “I’m fucking ecstatic!” Light spread through me at his words. “If I could jump up and down without killing myself, I would.” Dropping his head back he looked up at the ceiling and laughed. “Fucking Ryker.”

  I froze.

  Wait a minute!

  “What about Ryker?” I asked, my heart in my throat.

  “This is the surprise he was sending me. That son of a bitch—he knew!”

  “You dreamed about him too, didn’t you?” I whispered, my voice so low I barely heard myself.

  Evan’s gaze locked on me. “Yeah, baby, I did.”

  I felt faint. “Where—”

  “You’re pregnant?” Mama asked, standing from her seat at the end of the table. I turned in Evan’s arms to face her. “My baby is going to have a baby?”

  Again, I nodded. “Yeah, Mama, I am. Maddie and I are due a week apart.”

  At my words, she covered her mouth with her hands as tears began to fall from her eyes. Plopping back down into her seat, she leaned over, buried her face against Keith’s shoulder and began to sob.

  Seeing her with him, it made my heart happy.

  “Oh, Jesus,” Pop said, pulling my attention from Mama and Keith. Face pale, he looked like he was really going to faint this time. “Watch it be two more girls.”

  Keith’s face dropped. “Shit! If it is, we may need to invest in barbwire fencing.”

  Carissa laughed while Kyle looked at her and said, “What? Sounds reasonable to me. Though I’d probably add in a guard dog or two.”

  Oh Lord.

  Beside him, Shelby—along with everyone else—appeared to be to stunned to speak.

  Well, that’s definitely a first.

  With an excited—yet delayed—squeal, Clara jumped up and entwined her hands with mine. “I wish I could hug you right now but I can’t. If I did, I’d probably hurt you.” A huge smile spread across her face. “But I’m so damn happy for you, itty bitty.”

  “Me too!” Maddie screamed before looking over at Shelby, who was silently standing there, the biggest grin I’d ever see plastered across her face. “And we’ve rendered Shelby silent. That deserves an award of some kind.”

  A few moments later, my eyes met Grandmama’s. “I’ll be damned,” she said. “Two more grandbabies?” Shaking her head back and forth she continued. “If this isn’t Heaven, then I don’t know what is.”

  I was about to reply when Evan grabbed my arm. “Come on,” he said, pulling me toward the door. “I need to show you something. This can’t wait any longer.”

  Without saying another word, he led me out of the house.

  Fifty-One

  Evan

  My girl is pregnant.

  Those were the only two thoughts running through my head as I dragged her across Grandmama’s lawn and into the no-longer-for-sale house next door.

  This is where we’ll spend the rest of our lives.

  “What are we doing here?” She asked, spinning in circles as she looked around the newly furnished house that I’d bought her a month ago. The same house that Hendrix and I had convinced her was being bought for Maddie.

  When I didn’t answer her right away, she walked across the room and looked out the front window. Her right arm wrapped protectively around her lower belly; the sight filled my chest with so much goddamn pride it nearly burst.

  “Oh my God!” She squeaked, spinning back around to face me. “The for sale sign is gone. Does that mean Hendrix bought it?” Brows furrowed, a wave of confusion settled over her. “But wait—it wasn’t furnished the last time we were here. And I know they didn’t move in already because Maddie would’ve told me.” Her eyes met mine. “What’s going on, Evan?”

  Walking over to her, I took her hand in mine and guided her to the bottom of the front stairs. A small smile tilted her lips. “What is that look for?” Her smile grew. “You’re up to something. What is it?”

  Never pulling my eyes from hers, I said, “I want to watch you walk down these stairs every morning for the rest of my life, Hope.”

  She tilted her head slightly as she stared up at me, a thoug
htful look on her face. Then, realization struck. “Ev—”

  I pressed my finger to her lips, silencing her. “Listen to me, beautiful girl. I bought this house for you, for me…” I paused and placed my free hand on her lower belly. Hope sighed at the contact. “… for our family.”

  Blowing out a breath, I tilted my head back and momentarily looked up at the ceiling. “I didn’t tell you this because I thought it was just a dream.”

  Even if it did give me the closure I needed.

  “After I was shot, I saw Ryker, baby.” Hope sucked in a breath. “I saw Amira too.”

  My girl’s eyes slid closed. “What did he say?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “He said a lot. But to sum it up he said I had two choices. Choice one, I let the past go and move on. Choice two, I still hang on to the guilt until I drown in it. Option two left me without you while option one guaranteed me happiness.”

  Opening her eyes, Hope looked up at me with tear-laden eyes.

  “This”—I pointed around the room—“is me making my choice.”

  Chin wobbling, Hope asked, “You’re choosing me?”

  I licked my lower lip and ran my knuckles over the place where our child lied. “No, baby, I’m choosing both of you.”

  Before she could say a single word, I pulled a square rectangular box out of my back pocket and dropped to my knee in front of her. The move made my side hurt like a son-of-a-bitch but I didn’t care. I’d crawl through glass and fire just to see Hope smile.

  “You’ve been my girl since the moment I saw you, Hope. I may not have realized it at the time, but you were always mine.” My throat clogged; my eyes burned with unshed tears. “I’ve lost a lot of time with you and I don’t want to waste any more. Baby, please, I am fucking begging you… marry me?”

  Even with a torrent of tears pouring down her face, my beautiful girl didn’t hesitate. “You’ve always been mine too.” Unable to bear it any longer, I pressed my face against her belly and kissed her cloth covered skin. Hope’s fingers dug into my hair as my own tears fell. “I love you more than anything else in this world, big guy. So, yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Her voice was distorted from overwhelming emotion but it didn’t matter.

  I still heard what I needed to.

  Jumping to my feet, I opened the ring box and wasted no time in sliding my ring onto her finger. The white gold French-Set Halo Band looked perfect against her creamy skin and it was big enough so that it couldn’t be missed.

  “Evan, it’s beautiful.” Her eyes met mine. “I can’t believe we’re getting married.” A body-convulsing sob ripped free from her chest. “And all it took was for my brother to put his foot in your butt.”

  I laughed before gently wrapping my arms around her body and pulling her into me. “You should’ve seen him. He was calling me all sorts of names and threatening to smack me upside the head.” Burying her face against the right side of my chest, she laughed. “Shit was not funny. I don’t know how to fight a ghost. I mean, can you even punch them?”

  Slipping my finger under her chin, I tilted her back, lifting her face to meet mine. “You’re going to be one hell of a mother, you know that? Fuck, I can’t wait to hold him.”

  “Him?” Hope asked, her eyes twinkling. “What if it’s a girl?”

  I froze. “Oh hell no,” I replied, shaking my head back and forth. “Baby, I love you but no, no, no—”

  I snapped my mouth shut when Brantley, of all damn people, stepped inside the front door. Unfortunately, he didn’t have my Bella Boo with him because she was with her mom—the bitch—for the weekend. He’d come down to see the house since he’d known I was buying it before Hope did.

  “A girl?” He looked from me to Hope. “What are y’all talking about?”

  Hope pressed a kiss to my sternum. “Should you tell him or should I?”

  Holding her tight, I whispered, “Let me do the honors, baby.”

  She wordlessly nodded.

  Clearing my throat, I said, “You’re going to be an Uncle, bro.” Brantley’s mouth fell open. “Hope and I are also engaged.”

  To stunned to speak, Brantley merely stared at me.

  Then, he smiled. Big. “Are you kidding me?”

  Hope spun in my arms. “Nope!” She said, wiping at her eyes. “I’m due in seven months; exactly a week before Maddie.”

  Again, Brantley was stunned speechless for a moment. “Well, fuck me,” he finally said. “I guess it’s a good thing I just bought the house across the street then, right?”

  It was my turn for my mouth to fall open. “You did what?” I asked.

  Smirking, he shrugged. “Chastity signed papers saying it was okay for me to move Isabella out of state as long as I didn’t fight her on the alimony payments.” He glanced over his shoulder out the door. “So I bought the house across the street.”

  “You’re moving in across the street?” Hope asked. “Seriously?”

  Brantley slid his hands into his pockets and nodded. “Sure as hell am, shortcake. Now, if either of you could tell me where to find my favorite redhead, I’d appreciate it.”

  Six words came to mind as I held my girl, my fiancée closed, and looked from my brother, who was staring out the window searching for any sign of Clara, and the two story brick house across the street.

  Those six words? This should be fun to watch.

  Sneak Peak: Every Moment with You

  Hendrix

  The front door slammed shut, and Pop’s heavy footsteps sounded through the house.

  “Hendrixxx! Where you at?”

  Swallowing a mouthful of half-chewed Lucky Charms, I called back, “In the kitchen.”

  More footsteps and then he appeared. Wrinkled grey shirt, shaggy black hair, and unshaven face. “You see the moving truck parked next door?”

  “Nah. I haven’t been outside yet.” I took another bite of the soggy cereal and watched Pop as he walked to the other side of the kitchen and leaned against the countertop. “You know who’s moving in?”

  Pop grumbled something under his breath before nodding once. “The Davis family.” Picking up the empty coffee pot, he scowled over his shoulder at me. “You didn’t make any coffee?”

  Fear gripped my heart. “No.” I dropped my spoon and pushed my chair away from the rickety table. “I didn’t know what time you’d be home.”

  Pop shook his head. “Stupid fucking kid.” Flipping open the lid on the coffee maker, he dumped in one scoop of crushed grounds. “Every morning, before you eat breakfast, you need to make my coffee. You understand?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, Pop, I understand.”

  He didn’t reply as he walked over to the window above the sink and peered out. “Look at this asshole,” he said, pointing next door, “standing on his front porch, looking around the neighborhood like he owns the entire street.”

  I stood and took my bowl to the sink. Dumping the uneaten cereal and milk down the drain, I turned on the faucet and flipped on the garbage disposal. Pop flinched and covered his ears. “Damn, boy! You can’t be making that much noise this early in the morning.” Panicked, I turned off the switch. How could I be so stupid? Pop was still hung over. He wouldn’t be able to handle much noise for another hour or two. “That noise kills me!”

  “Sorry, Pop.”

  “Yeah,” he said, running a hand down the side of his face.

  Still glaring out the window, he mumbled something I couldn’t understand under his breath.

  Curious, I followed his line of sight. “Who’s that guy?” I asked, pointing at the happy looking, blond-haired man next door. I’d never seen him before.

  “Keith Davis. Asshole just transferred from one of the stations over in Garrison. He’s Station 41’s new captain,” Pop hissed, a large vein bulging on the side of his forehead.

  I stood on my tiptoes and leaned closer to the window. Squinting my eyes, I looked to see if anyone else was outside. Didn’t see anyone though. “He got any kids?”

&nb
sp; Reaching into the cabinet, Pop pulled down a liquor bottle and twisted off the cap. He poured the brown liquid into a clean coffee mug before adding freshly brewed coffee.

  Disgusting.

  “Got one.” He took a sip. “About your age, I think.”

  I smiled. Heck yeah! “You know his name?”

  Pop shook his head. “No.” He looked down at me. “Why don’t you go over there and find out?”

  I didn’t need him telling me twice. Turning on my heel, I ran out of the kitchen and into the foyer. When I was three feet away from the front door, Pop hollered my name. “Hendrix!”

  I skidded to a stop. “Yeah?”

  “Don’t do anything to embarrass me. You do, and I’ll beat you black and blue. Got it?”

  “Yeah, I got it.”

  Shaking my head, I took off running again. Bolting out the front door, I jumped across the narrow front porch and bounded down the small steps. Crossing the forty-foot patch of grass that separated my house from the one next door, I kept moving until both of my feet landed on the neighbor’s concrete driveway.

  Then I stopped.

  The blond man from before was the first person to see me. He waved before smiling in my direction. “Hey, kid,” he said, not giving me a chance to address him first.

  I reached up and squeezed the brim of my ball cap between my fingers. “Hey, Mister.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder and pointed towards my house. “I live in the blue house next door.”

  The man nodded once and looked me over. “You’re James Cole’s kid?”

  Unfortunately. “Yeah, sir, James is my pop.”

  His expression darkened at my answer. Huh. “What’s your name?”

  “Hendrix,” I said, shifting my weight between my two feet. I never could stand still. “Hendrix Cole.”

  “Nice to meet you, Hendrix. I’m Keith Davis.”