Promise to Keep (17 page)

“No, I’m serious.” He gave me a stern look. “Friend-abuse is a really serious problem in this country.”

I shook my head, letting him know that I didn’t think it was funny.

“Okay, I’ll tell you. For reals this time.” He grinned and held my gaze. “So a really smart girl who didn’t want to be called a nerd once told me that people who love each other can sync up their heart rates by staring into each other’s eyes.” He then shrugged. “I just wanted to test the theory out.”

“You still remember,” I gasped as my chest was filled with an indescribable sense of happiness at that moment.

He nodded and looked at me. “Before I was that asshole you’d met during our college years, I think I was a nice guy who remembered everything you’d said to me.”

“I liked that nice guy better,” I whispered.

“Me too.” He nodded.

For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, we sat at our regular spot by the lake, watching the sun set into the horizon, and talked for hours and hours about everything from our childhood, to our lives after college, to our dreams for the future. 

After
t
he sun had set over two hours ago, our conversation had died down, and we sat together, enjoying with comfort the silence of each other’s company. Instead of heading home, we continued to sit there in the meadow, lit only by the pale moonlight and the star-filled sky overhead. It was obvious that neither one of us wanted to leave the other—not after we’d finally reconnected again after ten years apart.

As evening completely fell onto the park, a cool breeze blew across the lake and caused a shiver to run down my body.

“Are you cold?” Jackson rubbed his hands up and down my arms, sending more than just warmth through my body.

“Just a little bit,” I admitted as I turned to smile at him.

There was a pause before he spoke. “I guess it’s getting late, huh?” He took off his blazer and wrapped it over my shoulder.

“Thanks,” I whispered as I leaned into his body for warmth. “Yeah, I guess so,” I agreed reluctantly. I didn’t want tonight with him to end. I drew in a deep inhale of his intoxicating scent. I never realized before how amazing it was to just be close to him. I could hear his heart pound against his chest as his breathing deepened. We both stared across the lake, the moon’s reflection rippling in the water.

Suddenly, I could feel the anticipation in the air as the silence between us continued. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt nervous around him.

“Should we walk home now?” he finally asked in a hushed voice.

I turned to face him and we gazed into each other eyes, seeing only the glow of the moonlight.

Maybe we knew that something had shifted between us at that moment, or maybe we were caught up in this emotionally-charged reunion, or maybe we could no longer deny the unbreakable love between us that went beyond just friendship, but at that moment, it felt as if the world had stilled and stopped around us. As our eyes locked onto one another, everything else faded into the background and before I could think about what was happening, I felt his lips greet mine in a hungry, passionate kiss. With his hands cradling my face, his mouth moved in harmony with mine as we slowly explored each other. A whimper escaped my lips as his tongue parted my mouth and began to taste me. I don’t know how long we lost ourselves in the moment, but when we finally pulled out of the kiss, we looked into each other’s eyes and just smiled without saying a word.

As the memory of his mouth lingered on m
y tingling lips, he whispered, almost afraid that speaking any louder would shatter this precious moment, just one word: “Finally.”

CHAPTER S
EVENTEEN

Present Day

Thirty Years Old

JACKSON

Dear Chloe,

Last night seemed like a vivid memory from our childhood, and for the first time in almost a decade, I felt that pure happiness of having you by my side return to me. It was a feeling I’d never thought was possible again. But when I woke up this morning to see you still fast asleep in my arms, I knew what I felt last night had been real, and not a dream. Right now, the sun is just starting to come out over the horizon. It’s starting to cast its pale yellow light across your face, and I am in awe with how beautiful and peaceful you look asleep next to me. I’m not sure how I lived without seeing your face for nine years.

As much as I’ve wanted to resist it, my heart has continued to reach out for you over the years. The hatred I had held onto toward you was built upon the intense hurt and love I’d always had for you. Maybe it’d been fate trying to tell me something, but earlier this week, a quote in the newspaper had caught my eye: “Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me.” It’d come at the perfect time. It’d been right after that night at wedding reception, that night you’d poured your heart to me as I sat there ignoring you. And when I went to find you after you ran off in tears, I saw you collapse to the ground and at that moment in time, I thought I might have lost you.

It was then that I’d realized that forgiveness may be the ultimate display of love. And if I truly loved you like I’d always thought I had, then forgiveness was something I had to learn to do.

Please give me time to forgive you, and please also try to forgive me for all the times I’d hurt you, forsaken you, and disappointed you. Despite everything that’d happened between us, I am choosing to hold onto the moments that my heart cares for the most: the moments I’d fallen in love with you again and again.

Here’s to many more of those moments.

Love,

Jackson

I quickly finished the love letter as Chloe was fast asleep next to me in the park. I put the pen and notepad back in her purse. Then I reached over and slipped the note into the front pocket of her jeans. I wanted it to be a surprise, something to put a smile on her face when she’d least expect it. After hearing her recount of the story, I knew I’d wronged her in so many ways, and it was time for me to make up for them, one smile at a time.

“Mmm.” Chloe mumbled as she stirred. A few seconds later, her eyes fluttered opened and a sweet smile spread across her face when her eyes focused on me. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, sleepy head. I’m surprised you can sleep with all that noise.”

She rubbed her eyes and looked around. “What noise?”

“Your snoring.” I shook my head, trying my best to keep my composure. “Why do you think I’m already awake?”

“You’re still an ass.” She yawned, unfazed by my comment. Even after almost ten years apart, she still knew when I was bluffing. I studied her with amusement as she stretched, trying to wake herself up.

I got up from the grass and looked back at her. “Take my hand.” I reached out and offered my hand to him.

She looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. “Should I trust you?”

“You tell me?” I grinned, realizing she remembered our conversation from childhood about what I thought when she would agree to take my hand.

I exaggerated a shrug and placed her hand on mine.

I laughed and pulled her up from the grass. I held her hand as we walked down the pathway. We didn’t stop until we reached small metal bridge on the far end of the lake.

“It’s still here,” she whispered as she reached for the red heart-shaped love lock that was locked up against the railing. She turned the lock around and her thumb brushed across the inscription etched on the back:

Jax & Clo

June 2003

Unbreakable Friendship & Love.

Promise to Marry in 2014.

“You know,” I began. “It’s already the beginning of 2015. We’re a bit behind.”

She turned around to look at me. “Yeah?” She looked at me hopefully.

I nodded.

“But…” she frowned, “where do we even start?”

I pulled her toward me and cupped her face with my hand. I tilted her chin up so I could look straight into her beautiful brown eyes. “Why don’t we start from the beginning?”

“The beginning?” She searched my face for an explanation.

“Yes.” I beamed down at her. “If you’re free tonight, I’d like to take you out to dinner.”

She beamed up at me, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. “You mean like a date?”

I chuckled. “Yes, a real date.”

CHAPTER EI
GHTEEN

Present Day

Thirty Years Old

CHLOE

“I’m so glad you’re okay and coming back home, Aunt Betty.” I leaned forward and squeezed her arms over her front passenger seat.

She looked back at me and met my gaze with a warm smile. “Me too, honey. Did Jackson come and talk to you yesterday?”

I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. “Yeah, he did. I know it’s going to take some time for us to truly forgive everything that we’d done to each other, whether intentional or not, but I think we both want to work it out and move past it.”

“Oh, that’s so great, honey.” She placed her hand to her chest. “I’m so happy for you.”

I beamed. “Me too. I really can’t believe it actually. He’s actually taking me out on our first date tonight.”

“Wow, I can’t believe it took that boy twenty-three years to build up the courage to ask you out.”

“Uncle Tom!” I giggled. “You’re so mean.”

Uncle Tom raised his hands in the air. “Hey, not mean. Wise. Don’t you remember? I called it that very first day you moved in with us that he was teasing you because he liked you.”

“He actually did,” Aunt Betty nodded with a laugh. “Well honey, that’ll be a fun time. What are you guys planning on doing?”

“I’m not sure actually. He said he’d surprise me.”

“Awww. How sweet.”

“Yeah.” For the rest of the car ride home from the hospital, I couldn’t help but daydream about what our first date would be like.

While Uncle Tom helped Aunt Betty into the house when we pulled up, I opened the trunk to grab Aunt Betty’s things. Since she’d stayed for a few days, Uncle Tom had brought her a box of her scrapbooking items to help her days go faster.

“Aunt Betty, where would you like me to put your scrapbooking stuff?” I called out as I walked through the front hallway.

“Can you put the actual scrapbook on the bookshelf in the study, and you can take the box of scrapbooking supplies up into the attic for now.”

“You got it.”

“Thanks, honey.”

When I got up to the attic, I realized that I’d never been up here before. I was surprised to see how many boxes of things that were stored up here. I even noticed a few boxes with my name on them.

As I was riffling through some of the boxes of my things from childhood, I noticed a few boxes tucked further into the attic that caught my eye. From the darker age-worn shade of the box and the thick layers of dusts that seem to blanket on them, they seemed to have been untouched for decades.

My curiosity got the best of me as I pushed through the dozen of boxes that came between me and the old cluster of boxes. When I got to the boxes, I brushed aside some of the dust to see what was written on the boxes.

Judy’s Stuff

I gasped seeing my mom’s name on a few of the boxes. These boxes contained my mom’s things. I’d never really seen any of her things before and had no idea they’d been stored here this entire time. I opened one of the boxes. It contained mostly clothes. I dug through the box and underneath some clothes was a large ruby-colored jewelry box. I picked up the box, feeling the rich velvet beneath my fingers.

When I opened the box, my eyes lit up to see it filled with stacks and stacks of letters addressed to my mom.

As I flipped through some of the letters, I realized they looked like love letters, all written in the same handwriting.

My mind whirled at this discovery and as much as I didn’t want to hope it to be true, my thoughts instantly wondered if these letters could be from my father—the mystery man my mom had never talked about, even before her drinking completely took over her life.

Suddenly one letter caught my attention.

Judy,

That night we first met in front of your sister’s house when you were getting her mail, I knew it was fate that had brought us together. After talking to you for those few magical minutes, I knew there was something undeniably real between us. You mentioned that night how much you love writing and receiving handwritten letters, so here is the beginning of my love letters to you.

Love,

John

Then I caught my name mentioned in another letter.

Judy,

You are the world to me, my love. You know that, right? Then you should know how happy I was when you told me that you were pregnant with our child. And only you would be so prepared to be a mother that you’ve already decided on what you’d want to name your first born. Chloe and Jeffrey are perfect names!

It makes me sad that you were worried at first about telling me. You should know me by now, and you should know that nothing would make me happier than to start a family with you and grow old with you. Don’t worry about my parents. They will eventually come around and realize how perfect you are for me. Once I have things figured out with them, I want you to marry me! I hope you say yes, my love.

Always Yours,

John

I stared at the letter, overwhelmed with emotion.
They’re talking about me before I was born!

My mom had said that my father had passed away before I was born. But was it possible that he was still alive? It sounded like the guy’s parents didn’t approve of his relationship with my mom.
Was this why my mom didn’t tell me about him? Could this be my father?

I flipped through the stash of letters and finally found one of the original envelopes that came with one of the letters. When I turned the envelope around and saw the name on the return address, my body froze as I felt all the oxygen being sucked out of the room. Shock flooded my entire body, numbing everything in its path.

John Pierce.

Jackson’s father. The man I had slept with. The man who’d once loved my mom.

My knees suddenly gave out and I collapsed onto the floor as the weight of what this all meant became too heavy to bare.

Could Jackson’s father be
my
father? Could Jackson and I actually be half brothers and sisters?
And then another sickening thought caused my stomach to twist in unease.
Had I really slept with my own father?

Panic gripped me and I found it difficult to breathe. “This can’t be true,” I cried as I shook my head. “This just can’t!” I stared at the letter in utter disbelief.

Unable to accept this reality, I felt an uncontrollable urge to run away from everything.

Without a word, I left the house and got into my car. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I wanted to be anywhere but here. I pulled out of the driveway and sped off down the street.

Tears streamed down my eyes as I tried to process what this all could mean. Feeling frantic and out of control, my foot pressed further down onto the gas pedal.

Suddenly, before I knew what was happening, I watched in surprise as my car flew off the edge of the bridge. As if in slow motion, the world started spinning outside my car window, and the sickening sensation of falling at high speed gripped the pit of my stomach. Before the impact of the water hit the car, the last thing I registered was the empty darkness that engulfed me.

***

Thank you for reading
Promise to Keep
, book two in the three-book series
Promises
. The conclusion to Chloe and Jackson’s story unfolds in
Promise of Forever
(book three), which will be out on March 31, 2015 and available
on pre-order
.