Every Promise You Made

by J. E. Parker

  She wore a floral dress that looked like it was made from a set of drapes straight out of the seventies, a huge pink sun hat, beige sandals, black, wire-rimmed glasses, sparkling blue eye shadow and fuchsia pink lipstick; she looked like a walking fashion disaster.

  And yet, I loved it.

  Nobody gives the finger to polite society fashion standards like Grandmama.

  “Hey, Grandmama,” I replied, a smile on my face. “What are you doing here?”

  It had been over a week since Grandmama called me a doormat and I lost my head before running from her house, a slew of tears rolling over my cheeks. It had also been over a week since I smacked Evan across the face, an action which still horrified me. I worked at a domestic violence shelter for God’s sake! I couldn’t just go around slapping people; even if they deserved it.

  But as horrible as that day had been, I was grateful for it.

  That day had been the turning point—Hopefully—of Evan and I’s relationship.

  He promised he’ll try to fix things.

  He promised he’ll fight for us.

  “Well,” she said, taking off her hat and running her fingers through her permed hair. “I’m here to stage an intervention.”

  I froze. “What kind of intervention?”

  God only knows where this conversation was headed.

  “The kind of intervention that starts with me talking and ends with you and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome getting married and giving me more grandbabies.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a huge roll of duct tape. “I realize it’s a big job but don’t worry I brought duct tape and Gorilla Glue.”

  Wait. What?

  I was so confused.

  At the blank expression on my face, Grandmama rolled her eyes. “Lordy, Hope, hasn’t anybody ever told you that duct tape fixes everything? You’ve just got to make sure you use the right amount.”

  I was a smart cookie, and yet I still didn't understand what in the world she was talking about. “Uh, how is tape going to fix Evan and me? I mean, what are you going to do, tape us together?” I hoped that wasn’t her plan. Because if it was, I needed to turn around and run away.

  Fast.

  She waved a dismissive hand in my direction before continuing. “Ah, don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. You just let me handle it.” Smiling, she pointed to the two-way radio on my hip. “Now, give me that. I need to rally the troops.”

  I hesitated, and Grandmama gave me a look that screamed, Do as I say.

  Not wanting to pee her off, especially when she already had a target on my back, I unclipped the radio from my belt and handed it to her.

  “Thank you, sweetheart. For a moment there I thought I was gonna have to get my flyswatter out of my purse and give you a good smack.” She raised the radio to her lips and pushed the button on the side. After a brief crackle of static, she barked, “Madelyn Grace”—she paused—“Shelby Ray”—another pause—“Clara, I want all three of you to meet me in the office,” into the receiver.

  A moment of silence ticked by.

  Then, “Who in the name of Hades gave you a radio?” Shelby replied through a wave of static.

  Grandmama rolled her eyes. “Get your butt in the office now, Blondie. I don’t have time for your sass.” Handing the radio back Grandmama hooked a thumb and pointed over her shoulder. “Let’s go, itty bitty. We’ve got things to discuss and problems to solve. Lord knows I’m not getting any younger, so we better get moving.”

  Before I could utter a single syllable, she grabbed my hand and dragged me behind her.

  To be so old Grandmama sure is strong.

  Right as we reached the office door, Evan came into view.

  He stood at the end of the hall, his arms crossed over his big chest. Brows furrowed, he mouthed the words, “What’s going on?”

  I smiled and shrugged in reply.

  Once we were inside the office, Grandmama pointed to a metal chair along the wall. “Sit.”

  Not wanting to argue—or feel her wrath—I crossed the room and sat in the chair.

  Within seconds, Maddie, Shelby, and Clara had filed into the room. “Grandmama,” Maddie started, an exasperated look on her pretty face, “you can’t just come in here and—”

  Raising her hand, Grandmama silenced Maddie. “Remember what we talked about last week after our weekly family breakfast”—she cut her eyes at me—“was cut short?”

  Maddie and Shelby nodded. “Well,” Grandmama clasped her hands together, “it’s time.”

  “Time for what?” Clara asked, clearly as confused as me.

  Turning to face me, Grandmama tossed a wonky smile in my direction. She looked like the cat who got the cream.

  Behind her, Shelby and Maddie’s expressions were the same.

  Uh oh, I thought. This isn’t good.

  “It’s time,” Grandmama said, still smiling at me, “to activate Operation Claiming Sergeant Morgan.”

  My face fell. “Wait a minute. What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Maddie took a small step forward. “Well, since you and Evan’s relationship has taken a turn for the better we’ve decided to have a little fun with y’all.”

  Uh oh.

  A lot of trepidation stirred in the pit of my belly.

  “What are you four up—”

  “Y’all,” Maddie said, cutting me off mid-sentence. “Grab your purses. We’re going for a ride.”

  I fidgeted in place. “Where are we going?”

  Grandmama smiled. “The adult toy store over on Main street.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Ex-excuse me,” I stuttered. “The sex shop? And what are we going to do there?” High-pitched and squeaky, I didn’t recognize my voice. “I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t need any new lingerie.”

  Clara smirked. “What about a vibrator? Need one of those? How about a pair of edible panties? I’m sure a little pair of strawberry flavored panties would make Evan more docile than a newborn kitten.”

  Oh. My. God!

  She did not just say that!

  My face flushed pink. “No,” I shrieked, my voice borderline hysterical. “I don’t need any of that.” My eyes landed on Maddie. “Besides, I still have the vibrator that Shelby put in the gift bags at your Bachelorette party.”

  “That little thing packs a punch doesn’t it?” Clara asked, smacking Shelby’s upper arm. “Never thought something egg-shaped could be so powerful.”

  Mortified, I took a step forward, intent on darting out of the door.

  Maddie expected the move and stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Oh, no you don’t,” she whispered, wagging her finger in front of my face. “You’re not allowed to leave. Not yet, anyway.”

  Face redder than a beet, I threw my hands up in the air. “Well,” I squeaked, “please explain what the heck I’m supposed to do at an adult toy store if I don’t need to buy anything they sell!”

  Maddie looked confused. “Seriously? Just because you don’t need it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it. I mean, they’ve got all kinds of fun stuff. Plus, we’ve got to stock up on stuff for Shelby’s bachelorette party.” She cut her eyes to Shelby. “I think we need at least two dozen dick shaped balloons, along with other genitalia-shaped party favors and candy.”

  Before I could answer, Clara spoke up. “This should be fun.”

  Shelby, for probably the first time in her life, remained silent, but only because she was trying to hold back a swell of rabid laughter.

  I looked at Grandmama. “And what are you going for?”

  She quirked a brow. “Listen, itty bitty, I might be more wrinkled than a Shar-pei now, but I was young once.” Her grin turned mischievous. “In my day, I spent many a Saturday night at USO’s dances. All of those men in uniforms”—she fanned her face—“Lord have mercy, it was hard to pick one for the night.”

  Maddie’s mouth fell open; both Shelby and Clara erupted into a fit of laughter.

  When she'd recovered enou
gh to speak, Maddie put her hands on her hips and glared at Grandmama. “You met Grandpa at a USO dance, didn’t you?”

  The crazy old woman nodded. “Yep. Want me to tell you why I fell in love with him? I’ll give you a hint. It had nothing to do with his dull personality or bad jokes."

  Maddie shook her head. “Nope! I’m good.”

  Shelby continued to laugh so hard I was afraid she might puke.

  I huffed out a breath to keep from laughing.

  Time for a subject change.

  “So,” I said, crossing my arms, “what is this Operation Claiming Sergeant Morgan that you mentioned?”

  I was mildly curious and extremely nervous.

  God only knows what these four have up their sleeves.

  “Now that is a question I’m glad you asked,” Grandmama said, standing from the chair. The look on her face morphed from sneaky and conniving to bold and determined. “You have no idea how happy I was to hear that you finally laid down the law to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.”

  “Huh?” I asked, confused. “What are you—”

  Grandmama waved her hand in the air cutting me off. “Don’t even try to deny it. Shelby said you told Evan if he didn’t get it together you might leave.” She smiled. Big. “Congratulations, sweetheart, you finally grew a backbone.”

  My brows furrowed. “I don’t understand. How do you know what I told Evan?”

  Shelby looked guilty. “He called me the other night,” she replied. “He panicked you were about to leave, and he wanted to know how”—she curled her fingers, making air quotes—“to fix it.” The features on her pretty face hardened a smidge. “I told him the only way to fix it was to get his shit together. I’m only hoping that he listened.”

  I fidgeted in place, shifting my weight between my feet. “Were you the one who told him to start counseling?”

  She slowly nodded. “Yeah. He scoffed at first, but then he asked me if it had helped me with my issues."

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I was honest when I said counseling helped some but Anthony helped the most.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned to the side, breaking eye contact with me. “I told him it wouldn’t have done a damn thing to help me if Tony hadn’t already pulled me out of the darkness.” Her eyes met mine again. “I know people won’t agree with me, but I don’t care. Just like Evan, I was lost, Hope.” Her face contorted, pain laced her features. “And just like with me,” she paused, “it’s going to take a lot of patience to get him away from whatever monster lives in his head.”

  My chest ached. “How do I get it out?” I asked, without thinking. “How do I make the monster go away?”

  Shelby’s smile was pained. “All you can do is love him.”

  “I already do.” My voice was thick with emotion. “I always have.”

  And yet it hasn’t helped, I mentally added. Not one bit.

  Shelby nodded. “I know you do. I suspect you’re the only thing that has kept him from losing himself in a blackness that he’d never be able to escape.” She turned and stepped forward, closing the gap between us. “Now, having said that,” her tone grew more serious. “You have to take care of yourself too. There’s only so much that you can do. You love him, you support him, you listen when he needs to talk. But Evan will have to do the rest. He’s going to have to fight, to wade through the darkness to find his way out. And if he doesn’t”—her jaw ticked—“Then you need to walk away.”

  The air in the room grew thick. “I don’t want to walk away.”

  It’ll kill me if I do.

  “But I can’t go back to the way things were before. The silence, the fighting, the keeping me at arm’s length. I can’t handle those things.” Mouth dry, I swallowed around the lump forming in my throat. “I love him with everything I have, but I can’t do it anymore.” My eyes slid closed on their own volition as my heart pounded. “Especially not now that I know…”

  ... Especially not now that I know what it feels like to fall asleep in his arms.

  I was pulled out of my inner turmoil when someone—Clara I think—cleared their throat. My eyes popped open and landed on Evan standing in the doorway.

  Mouth set in a firm line, his gaze was locked on me. He raised his chin in the air. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Oh, this isn’t good, I thought. How much did he hear me say?

  Anxiety churned in my belly. It wasn’t like I’d said anything bad. I felt guilty because I knew he was trying to turn over a new leaf and yet he’d caught me talking about leaving him again.

  Way to go, stupid.

  Nodding, I replied, “Yeah.” I held up my finger to Maddie. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t leave without me, okay?”

  A sad smile played on her lips. “Wouldn’t dream of it, muffin.”

  I walked out of the room and moved down the hall toward the laundry room.

  Once inside, I turned and waited for Evan to step inside before shutting the door behind us. Our eyes met. “What’s up?” I asked, my nervousness bleeding into my voice. “Did you—”

  Before I could say another word, Evan wrapped his arms around me and lifted me into the air. My feet left the floor, and my back met the wall with a bone-rattling thud that nearly knocked the wind from my lungs. I tried to suck in a much-needed breath, but I didn’t get the chance too before Evan’s lips met mine in a kiss so brutal and hard that I knew it would leave bruises behind.

  His taste exploded on my tongue, and my hands slid into his hair.

  I moaned as his tongue pressed against the seam of my lips, demanding entry. Not one to deny him—why would I?—I opened, letting him lead the way as he took everything he wanted from our kiss. Unable to do anything but hold on for dear life as he possessed and consumed me, I leaned my weight against him and enjoyed every second.

  Core clenching, my skin heated as pleasure zinged through me, awakening parts of my body that only came to life when Evan was near. A lead weight formed in my belly as desire and lust took root at the base of my spine.

  I was a second away from ripping my mouth away from his and begging him to take me against the wall when the laundry room door opened, and Carissa stepped inside.

  I jerked my lips free of Evan’s bruising grip.

  It took Carissa a second to see us, but when she did, she froze in place, her eyes wide. “Oh my God,” she squeaked, her face flushing red. “I’m so sorry.” Taking a step back, she dropped her gaze to the floor. “I didn’t… I wouldn’t….” Turning to leave, she continued, “I’ll just go.”

  And just like that, she disappeared, slamming the door shut behind her.

  Nothing but the sound of the industrial-sized dryer filled the room for a moment.

  But then, Evan dropped his head back and laughed. Hard.

  I smacked his shoulder. “This isn’t funny!” I was serious. “We probably just scarred the poor girl for life!” I wasn’t joking. “I don’t think she has a boyfriend, much less one as domineering as you. I’m surprised she didn’t fall over from shock.”

  Evan hummed, still smiling. “She better get used to it.”

  He pressed a kiss to my jaw.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” As usual, I was lost.

  “What that means,” Evan replied, unhooking my legs from his waist and letting me slide down his front until my feet touched the floor, “is that Carissa better get to use to domineering men, as you call it.”

  “Why?”

  He quirked a brow. “You’ve met Kyle, haven’t you?”

  “The one that works at station 24 with Hendrix?” Evan nodded. “Yeah, I’ve met him. Why?”

  “He’s obsessed with Carissa.”

  My face fell. “Nooooo,” I replied, my voice a whisper. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Shaking his head, Evan took a step back. “Not in the least. Remember two weeks ago when I went to poker night at the fire station?” I nodded. “Kyle was there. A volunteer, I can’t remember his n
ame, said something dirty about C and Kyle had him by the throat before anyone could blink. It took Hendrix and me both to pull him off the guy.”

  Good grief!

  “Kyle almost killed him. If we hadn’t been sitting there, he would’ve.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “Poor Carissa,” I replied, giggling. “She won't know what hit her.”

  Done talking about Kyle and Carissa, Evan slid his thumb across the side of my jaw. “What are you doing after you get done with the crazy chick club.”

  At that, I laughed.

  Crazy chick club... the name was perfect.

  Still chuckling, I shrugged a lone shoulder. “Not sure. Why? Do you want to do something?”

  Jerking his chin down once in affirmation, he replied, “I’ve got an appointment in an hour, but when I get out, I’m going to take you out for the night.”

  I knew the appointment he was referring to was his first counseling session. I wanted to say something about it so bad, but I thought better of it. He was still wary about going, and I didn’t want to rock the boat.

  “Yeah?” My heart skipped a beat. “And where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.” He leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to my forehead. “But wear something comfortable, yeah?”

  Mind racing, I nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

  Hesitation crossed his features. “Now get out of here before I cancel my appointment and carry you upstairs, the consequences be damned.”

  Wrapping my arms around his lower back, I laid my head on his chest and squeezed him tight. “I’ll see you later, big guy.”

  His hands slid into my hair. Tilting my head back, he stared down into my eyes. “I’m going to miss you.”

  The tone of his voice was filled with pain, and I knew it was because he was worried about his first appointment. I couldn’t imagine the things he would need to talk about and the secrets he’d have to divulge. The little amount I knew was heart-wrenching—for both of us—but there was so much more to the story than I’d been told.

  The thought made me hug him tighter.

  “Want to know something?” Again, he nodded once. “I’m super proud of you, Evan.” He said nothing in reply, so I kept speaking. “I know this isn’t easy but what you’re doing? It’s a huge step, baby, and I think it’ll help.”