A Promise Kept (26 page)

He hung up tried sitting down. Was she done with him? He wouldn’t let her throw away what they had, not without talking to him. Even if she did try to justify breaking up with him, he wouldn’t let her. No way in hell. He had waited too long for a woman like her, and she belonged with him. Without her he had nothing, her love absorbed it all.

He called again, then texted, then called. The clock on the wall crawled at a snail’s pace, the quiet of the house making the pit in his stomach cramp. His food had been left uneaten, the remnants of it left on the kitchen table. And her scent. The smell of strawberries lingered in the air, on the cushions of the couch, in his running mind, and through his heart.

There wasn’t much else he could do in the way of waiting. The headache he sported squeezed on his temples, but his appetite was non-existent. He wanted her back. He needed her back. She had to talk to him, yell at him, and tell him how badly he had messed up. But silence was the worst thing he could endure.

“
I
can’t believe it
. Fucking asshole,” Grace sniffled. As soon as Grace had arrived at her friend’s home, she poured everything out in a rage. After calming herself, Marla brought out the scotch, tissues, and chocolate. Grace snatched a tissue, wiping her nose, but she had barely cried.

“I knew he couldn’t be that perfect.” Marla patted Grace’s shoulder affectionately. “He’s a man, after all.”

“I trusted him.” Grace shivered, knowing things with him wouldn’t work. “How the hell did he even find my parents’ address?”

“I’m sure he has his ways, Grace. He’s Evan Matthews.”

“I don’t
care
that he’s
Evan Matthews
. He shits the same way everyone else does.”

Marla winced. “Too much, Grace.”

“I want him out of my house. I can’t possibly go back with him living next door either. What the hell am I supposed to do?” The gaping hole in her heart made her want to break down into sobs, but she hated crying. She had spent too much of her life in grief.

Marla touched her hand. “You can stay here. I’ll go by the house tomorrow and get you some clothes, your laptop, whatever else you need.”

Small tears glimmered in Grace’s eyes, grateful for the help from her friend. Marla moved forward to hug her, but Grace shifted back. “Don’t. I’ll cry and I won’t stop.”

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you close to it. I always thought you weren’t human or something.”

Grace gave a weak chuckle and wiped the corner of her eye. “I’m so embarrassed, Marla. The things I revealed in that book. I wasn’t going to have it published. My parents…”

“Grace, I haven’t read it, so I don’t know what’s in there, but babe, that was your life. Those things that happened made you who you are today. If your parents can’t see past that, then screw them. The future Columbia-law-school scholar was their pride and joy, but you know what? You were Nathan’s. He loved and cared about you.”

Grace’s chest felt like it was being pried open. That gaping hole was getting larger, and she felt like dying. Her eyes stayed down as she nodded in agreement, but it wasn’t fully soaking in her head. “So, what’s the point of you saying this?”

Marla continued. “Focus on what he’d think. And don’t be ashamed of who you are, Grace. Of what you’ve lived through. It’s all beautiful.”

“You think Evan was right to send it?”

“I don’t think it’s that black and white. The way he went about this was completely fucked up. But still, he saved you the worry of having to tell them yourself. And you don’t know how your mother will react.” She shrugged and picked up a piece of chocolate, handing it to Grace. Grace scrunched her nose up and shook her head, so Marla then handed her the bottle of Scotch. Grace tipped it to her mouth and took a gulp. “Thatta girl. Drink yourself to sleep on the couch or you can go use the guest room. Just don’t puke on my carpet.”

* * *

T
he day was
overcast and cold, and Evan was in a foul mood. He couldn’t think about anything other than Grace. The fury in her eyes almost three nights ago was something he’d never forget. He wanted to hold her in his arms, run his hands through that gorgeous brown hair, gaze into those dark eyes and see the look of love in them. He wanted to comfort her, tell her everything would be fine and it would all work out for the best. But he wasn’t so sure at this point if everything would work out and that scared him.

The more he tried calling and getting denied, texting without a reply, the more he became a grouch. His concentration was shot, and lines that were supposed to come easily just didn’t stick. His listening skills were shit, so his cues kept being dropped. It came to the point where Charles, their director, pulled him aside and told him he needed to get himself together.

Evan had always been professional, and one thing that needed to be done was to leave problems at home and away from work. He felt ashamed for having been scolded, and he apologized as he tried to regain focus and get his lines done, but it wasn’t happening easily.

Charles called for a break, and Evan entered his trailer, sitting on the couch and staring at his phone. He scrolled through his photos and studied pictures he’d taken of Grace. One of them dancing together near her record player, another of them cuddled on the couch, one of her sleeping. He remembered when she woke from the sound of the photo being taken. She tried to tackle him, demanding he erase it, but he’d never. He cherished the memory too much.

The door swung open and Josh walked in saying nothing. He sat across from Evan and leaned his forearms on his knees, his fingers clasping together. Glacier blue eyes stared keenly at him. “What, Josh?”

“You what? You’ve been acting strange the past few days,” Josh stated briskly. When Evan didn’t answer, Josh’s lips pressed together before he let out a laugh. “You fucked it up, didn’t you?”

Evan’s eyes pressed shut as he pinched the space between them. “Don’t.”

“You fucking fell in love and what did you do?” He pushed the sleeves of his Henley up, the cords of his muscles tightening as he shook his head. “What are you going to do to fix it, mate? Hmm?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I can fix it, Josh.” He proceeded to tell him what he did, and his friend leaned back, giving a drained whistle. Evan tried to defend himself. “But, isn’t she just being unreasonable?”

“No, you fucked it up. Don’t know how you’ll come back from that.”

“She was going to publish it.” His justification seemed weak when he spoke it out loud. “It would make their way to them eventually.”

“No, no it wouldn’t, Evan. This girl,” he put his hand out as he tried to make his point, “she was so guarded you had to lie about losing a poker game to get to know her. Then you went, without her permission, behind her back, to find her parents and send something to them that she was quite sure she never wanted them to read.”

“But they had to if she was going to publish.”

“That’s the thing though, Evan. She got offers and she turned them down because she didn’t want them to read it.”

“Because she was scared.”

Josh laughed in frustration. “So why was it your job to get her over that?”

“Because…I love her. I want her to have a relationship with her parents.”

“Why does it matter to you so much? Zach doesn’t talk to his parents.”

“His parents are assholes.”

“So are Grace’s, apparently.” He looked at him questioningly, his eyebrows raised as he waited for the answer. “Why does it matter, Evan?”

“I want to marry her.” Evan’s eyes stung as he looked up at his friend’s shocked face. “And I want her to have a relationship with her parents because I know one day she’ll regret not having her father there to give her away at our wedding. Or not having her mom there to see how wonderful her daughter is. Or what it would be like to know their grandchildren one day. I want my future to be with Grace. She thinks they blame her for Nathan’s death, but I know they don’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just know. Grace alienates people. She’s great at pushing away those that try to love her. She’s doing it to me now.”

“Evan, she didn’t alienate you until you made her.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This girl let you in and she loved you, and you broke that. Can’t you see what you did wrong? You aren’t her savior, mate, you’re the man she loves.”

“But I needed to do it. She’s missing this amazing opportunity, and I know she wants it. Her parents might’ve given up on her, but I won’t. And I’m going to try to fix this.”

“She doesn’t need to be fixed. Maybe she doesn’t need anyone right now.”

“Everyone needs someone, Josh.” He smirked at him knowingly. “Even you, bro.”

Josh gave a slight nod and leaned back. “Just be there for her when she’s ready, I guess.” His eyes motioned toward the door. “Charles told me to tell you to get the fuck out of here. Rest up and be ready for a long couple of days ahead.”

Evan knew he had to clear his head, attempt to catch some sleep, eat something, and find some way to win Grace back.

* * *

E
van stood
, hands on his hips as he awaited the door to open. He shifted his stance and knocked raptly, his hand moving toward the bell and ringing it three times in a row. The sounds of scuffling could be heard along with footsteps. He bowed his head and then let his voice ring out. “I know you’re there. Open up, Marla.”

“Hello, traitor.” Marla stood with a large knife in her hand, her body blocking any chance of Evan getting inside her home. He moved his head, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of Grace. “Grace told me to tell you that she’s not here.”

Evan’s steely eyes locked onto Marla’s. The apron she wore had a vintage paisley pattern on the dark blue material, and Evan could smell Mexican spices wafting in the air. His eyebrow rose in speculation. “So she is here?”

She gave a sly grin. “Yes, but she obviously doesn’t want to see you since you’re a moronic
traitor
. Accept that, and she’ll call you when she’s ready. Why don’t you go and hold your breath until then?”

“I need to talk to her. Please.”

“We’re busy. It’s Taco Tuesday.”

His pressed lips upturned slightly as he saw a glint in Marla’s eyes. Evan leaned forward, speaking softly. “You think I was right to do what I did. Admit it.”

“I don’t admit anything. I stick with my best friend. She’s hurting and she’s pissed off at you. So I’m pissed off at you too.”

He gazed down at his shoes, defeat coursing through him. His heart twisted mostly in pain, but partially in relief. She at least felt something. It would be worse if she didn’t care at all. It might’ve been a selfish notion, but he wanted to know she missed him at least a fraction of as much as he missed her. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, Marla. I was trying to make it better.”

Marla’s bourbon-colored eyes softened with pity, her defense breaking. “I know you love her, Evan.” His gaze met hers again as hope peppered in. She put her empty hand out to calm him down. “I understand your intentions and where they came from, but it’s going to take some time for Grace to realize it on her own.”

“But—”

“No. Don’t interrupt.” Marla gave an irritated sigh and pointed the knife at him, making sure he wouldn’t speak before she continued. “Once she figures it out, she’ll be able to forgive you, but she needs her space right now.”

His voice faltered as he looked away. “I miss her.”

Marla shrugged. “Tough shit. Be patient.”

He nodded and turned toward his car. He could be patient. He could wait a lifetime for her. His heart belonged with her, and he’d never ask for it back.