I'm in a celebratory mood today, and most of you said you like early updates, soooo...
Pinky Promises, my FF-turned-OFIC, was published on Kindle a year ago today! It's free right now so if you want to give it a read, download the free Kindle app if you haven't got it already and you can get Laker and Indie's story for absolutely nothing. Bargain, right? I'll put the summary at the bottom of this chapter.
Chapter Seventeen
Bella
"Can I have the Spiderman one, Momma? Please?" Arlo quickly adds, flashing me a hopeful grin.
Nodding distractedly, I pull the Spiderman lunch box from the shelf and add it to the cart with Jaxson's and Finley's picks.
"What else do we need, Momma?" Jaxson asks, tugging at the crumpled list in my hand.
"Oh, uh." Smoothing it out, I realize we only have art supplies left to pick up before we're all prepared for school. Thinking about how miserable I'll be when they all go off to school in a few weeks is a great distraction from thinking about how confused and worried I was when I woke up to Edward's note this morning.
He hasn't called yet, but it's still not quite noon. There's still time, I tell myself, attempting to be a good parent and pay attention to my sons as they drag me around the store until we've picked out enough art supplies to make me wince when the cashier announces the total due.
Corralling them out to the car, I make them each take their own bag of stuff. I don't have enough hands to carry it all and hang onto the boys as we cross the parking lot.
"Momma? Can we use our new stuff when we get home? I wanna draw a picture."
Thinking quickly, because I definitely don't want Arlo using all his new things before school even starts, I decide on the perfect distraction.
"Not today, kiddo, we're going to see Nana and Papa."
The boys cheer in the backseat, thankfully too busy chatting amongst themselves to question my quietness as I chew my lip and wonder if I pushed Edward too far last night. My heart breaks when I remember the way his entire body turned to stone as he relived horrors I can't even imagine. Just the thought of seeing what he saw, going through what he had to...it would kill me. I don't think I'd survive it. Guilt and worry had clawed at me for every second it took to get him to regulate his breathing. Until last night, I don't think I'd ever seen someone have a real panic attack, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was.
Falling asleep curled against his chest hours later, I'd expected to be able to see for myself how he was when we woke up. Instead, I woke to cool sheets and a slip of paper with his messy scrawl promising a call later.
When, exactly, is 'later?'
~ oOo ~
Once the boys are content splashing in the pool, Everly coaching them through the techniques they've learned during their first two swim school sessions, I sit with Mom at the patio table and try to sound noncommittal when I ask a question that's been on my mind on and off for years.
"What happened to Kate?"
If she's surprised that I'm asking, Mom's face doesn't show it. I guess she just assumes being back and spending time around Edward has made me curious.
She sighs long and low, shaking her head with a sad little grimace. "Do you remember when she moved here, honey?"
Frowning, I purse my lips. "I think so. Didn't she come out a while after Edward?"
"A few years," Mom nods. "She had a job back in Utah that had good security and benefits, apparently. She stayed there while he worked to get their new life set up here."
I sort of knew that much. I remember seeing girls and women much older than Edward throwing themselves at him at the hotel when I used to run around there, playing cards with Grant, the elevator attendant, and persuading Edward to let me help when he had to bus luggage from reception to holidaymakers' rooms and back again. He always shot them down politely, highlighting his wedding ring. Later, I would eavesdrop on his conversations with Mom and Dad when they thought I was too busy to be paying any attention to learn more about him. That's how I learned that she was his high school sweetheart.
"She went part-time to move here, though, right?"
"So she said," Mom snorts, picking apart the napkin in her hands. "It was all a ruse to get Edward to believe that she was committed to the relocation. She never intended to live here full-time. Between him moving here and finishing the house, her job description changed. She never had to go into an office if she didn't want to. Kate worked from home. She could have worked from anywhere."
My frown deepens. "So...she lied?"
"Yes, she lied." Seeming to remember that it's her friend's life she's gossiping about, Mom blinks hard and plasters a smile on her face. "He's well rid of her, that's for sure."
Before she can get up and walk away, I force myself to ask one more question. "Did she leave him?"
Hesitating, Mom gazes down at me, her eyes probing and narrowed. I hope she doesn't see anything but curiosity reflected back at her. "Yes," she finally says, sighing deep before adding, "she waited for the funeral and handed him divorce papers the following day."
My eyes follow her as she crosses the patio to crouch by the pool, her lips moving but her voice drowned out by the rushing in my ears.
I flew back for the funeral—for Willow's funeral. Jaxson and Finley were two weeks old by the time the coroner released her, and I couldn't miss it. Jude watched them for me. They were perfectly fine with her, and I couldn't not be there for Edward though I couldn't even begin to grasp the depths of his despair.
The image of him, silent and broken at his daughter's graveside, will be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. His leg was heavily padded with bandages, the result of a jagged piece of metal cutting through muscle as he tried to rescue Willow from the wreck. Flashes of newspaper clippings fly through my mind; a Jeep on its side, a totalled sedan, and a little girl's toothy smile lost forever.
Vague memories of Kate being there linger on the periphery. She was distraught, obviously, but it was clear her heart wasn't here in Jackson Bay. She longed to be somewhere else. When she left just days after the funeral, I assumed it was to return to her family for comfort. I thought it was odd she didn't stay with her husband, but I didn't realize it was because she had already filed divorce papers.
Less than a month after their daughter died.
Back in England days later, busy caring for two newborns, I'd missed most of what happened right after Willow's funeral, but I heard bits and pieces from Mom, Everly, and Rosalie.
I know Edward spiralled downward into depression and wound up seeing a therapist. I know Dad took over running the restaurant until Edward showed up for the first time in six months and insisted he was okay to be back. I know that he still lives in the house he renovated with his wife and future children in mind, and that everybody worries about him working himself into an early grave to keep his memories at bay.
I also know that my teenage crush is most definitely deepening into something far stronger, far more permanent. Falling for Edward is as unexpected as it is likely to cause issues, but it's happening, nonetheless. I know enough of love to recognize my feelings for what they are. I'm not there yet, but I can see myself falling hard.
The sudden blare of my cell ringing in my jacket pocket across the table makes me leap up to reach for it. Mom shoots me an odd look but nods and promises to stay with Everly and the boys while I take the call inside.
"Hello? Edward?"
"Hey, short stuff," he breathes, a smile stretching across my face because I can hear his in his voice. "I'm sorry for running away this morning. I just needed some time."
"No, I'm sorry, Edward. I pushed you too hard last night."
"Can I come over, can I come see you?"
Twisting the end of my plait between my fingers, I contemplate. "I'm at Mom and Dad's. We're not staying for dinner...you could come over to my house, I'll cook?"
He hesitates a moment before agreeing, and it's only as I say 'goodbye' and hang up that I realize it might be hard for him to be around the boys after such an emotional conversation last night.
~ oOo ~
When the doorbell rings later that afternoon, my heart sputters before taking off at a sprint.
"I've got it!" Arlo yells, running for the door. Edward texted a few minutes ago to say he was coming over and ask if he could bring anything, so I feel confident letting my son open the door unaccompanied, but I pause tossing the salad to listen to the conversation in the other room.
"Hey, buddy."
"Edward! Momma says you're havin' dinner with us."
"That's right. Is that okay with you?"
I guess Arlo shrugs or nods, because it's quiet until Edward chuckles and I hear their footsteps moving toward me. As they step into the kitchen, Edward says, "I like your shirt."
My eyes drop to the writing on Arlo's red tank top even though I know what it says.
Having a weird mom builds character
"It's cool, huh?" Arlo beams, flashing me a grin. "Momma's weird but she says it's okay 'cause all the cool people are weird."
Butterflies take up residence in my stomach as Edward offers me a soft, crooked smile and nods, resting his hand on Arlo's messy mop of hair. "Your momma's right, bud."
"Okay, Lo, dinner is almost ready. Can you go wash up and get your brothers, please?"
"Sure!"
With Arlo thundering down the hall, yelling for Jaxson and Finley, I'm left alone with Edward. Electricity crackles between us as he sighs quietly and closes the gap in two big strides, the warmth of his hand burning through my thin tank top as it comes to rest on my waist. After all the high emotions of last night, I promised myself I wouldn't jump him as soon as he walked in the door. I didn't anticipate the way my entire body would yearn to be closer to his the second he came within a few feet of me.
"H-hi," I stutter, my cheeks flaming.
His lips curl up higher, his eyes crinkled with amusement. He's trimmed his beard since last night, I notice, the strands a little less unkempt, his jaw a little more defined. "Hi."
Just when I think he's going to lean in for a kiss, the boys' thumping footsteps sound on the hardwood and we spring apart; him with a groan, me with a wry, apologetic wince.
"Later," he mouths as the wolves descend on him, Jaxson, Finley, and Arlo all demanding his attention. Leaving him to it, but keeping a careful eye, I tell them to get comfy at the table while I finish up the sides for our pizza feast.
Keeping some of our old traditions from England is important to me, so I've made sure to keep Pizza Thursdays and Pancake Mondays on the menu. Routine is important for kids. Pizza Thursdays has always been the boys' favorite because I let them make the pizzas we eat. They get to help mix and roll the dough and pick all the toppings. Sometimes I have to curb their overly generous handfuls or adjust the spread of them, but for the most part, pizzas are the boys' show.
When I set the three large pizzas on the wooden boards on the table, I smirk at the dramatic rise of Edward's eyebrows. He's seeing the smiley face made out of peppers on one and the less-than-even coverage of pepperoni on one of the others.
"That's my one, Edward," Arlo tells him seriously, pointing to where he spread a thick layer of pepperoni over two thirds of the dough before leaving the last section bare except for a sprinkle of cheese.
"It looks, uh, great?"
Arlo beams, puffing up with pride, as Edward helps himself to a big slice and makes a show of giving him a thumbs up after taking the first bite.
It makes my momma-heart happy, seeing Edward and my boys together. Throughout dinner, they give me enough butterflies to make me feel like my head is spinning. Over pizza, salad, and homemade cheesy garlic bread, Edward patiently listens to all their stories. They range from topics like swim school with Aunt Everly, to hanging out at In The Bay with Mom and Dad, to playing soccer with Bailee and Lakely at the park this afternoon between leaving Mom's and coming home.
"Lakely is my girlfriend," Arlo tells him frankly, wiping tomato sauce from his chin with the back of his arm.
"Is that so?" Edward asks with a wry smile, glancing my way. I roll my eyes and don't even try to hide my own grin.
"Uh huh. I had a girlfriend in England, but she's too far away now."
Edward barks a chuckle, trying and failing to disguise it as a cough. "Long distance relationships can be hard."
Arlo narrows his eyes but I can see his lips twisting up. "What? It's true! Tell him, Momma."
"It's true." I manage to sound somewhat serious—enough to placate Arlo, at least. He settles back down to his food, and dinner continues.
When we're all done, Edward insists on tackling the dishes while I sit at the breakfast bar and enjoy a glass of the lemonade Mom sent home with us. It's delicious, sweet and tart at the same time, but it's the new memories that I associate with it that have me grinning as the boys attempt to help Edward load the dishwasher.
The night of the almost kiss at Burger Co., we were drinking Mom's spiked lemonade.
Edward glances over at me at one point, his gaze narrowing slightly. "I think we're all done here, boys. Do you think you're up to showing me some tricks on the trampoline? I just want to talk to your momma for a sec, then we'll be out."
"Yes!" Jaxson crows, hopping down from the stool he was standing on. "Can we, Momma?"
"Sure. Be careful, though," I say, but my eyes are on Edward and the darkening moss of his eyes.
The boys don't need telling twice. They take off without hesitation, leaving me in an increasingly warm kitchen with a man who looks like he's two seconds away from devouring me despite putting away almost a whole pizza by himself.
I don't have a chance to say a word—not that I'm sure what I would say—before Edward has rounded the counter and spun me on my bar stool, his lips coming down hard on mine in a demanding kiss full of passion and building expectation of where it might lead. I exhale a breathy sigh into his mouth, holding him to me by his soft hair. The rasp of his beard against my skin is heaven, his large hand gripping my thigh weighting me to the seat; without his hold, I feel as though I'd float clean away.
As is common with a trio of young sons, the moment is broken by the sound of yelling through the open window.
"Hey! You jumped on my leg!"
"Shit," I pant, dropping my head to rest my forehead against Edward's heaving chest. His hold on me loosens as he sucks in a deep breath and presses a lingering kiss to the top of my head.
"I'll go," he offers, squeezing my leg before doing just that. I'm left with a foggy head and a dawning realization that resisting Edward is going to prove almost impossible now that I know how good it is when I cave.
~ oOo ~
"You have got to be kidding me."
I feel like I say that a lot when I'm at Vaughn's. At least once a shift. When I head in for my shift on Monday morning, I can immediately see that I've got my work cut out for me. The store is a mess, there's stock piled up all over the place waiting to be put out, and a queue of confused people waiting to pay while Jane's voice echoes loudly from the store room.
"So I told her, 'Beatrice, you can't just steal her man,' and she said—"
"Jane!" I call through gritted teeth, rushing behind the counter where I toss my bag down and punch my log-in details into the register before plastering an apologetic smile on my face. "I'm so sorry for the wait, Mrs. Paul."
"Oh, it's no problem, lovey."
Thankfully, the four customers who've been waiting Lord-knows-how-long are pleasant and accept my apology for their wait with grace. In the time it takes for me to get them all rung up and waved out the door, Jane wraps her call and joins me, her usual scowl firmly in place and her arms crossed over her chest.
"What was so important you had to disturb my business call?"
Business call, right. And I'm the Queen of bloody England.
"We had customers, Jane," I sigh, rubbing my forehead. I can already feel a headache approaching and I've only been here ten minutes. "They were standing here waiting while listening to you on the phone to your friend."
Her lips tighten into a sneer. Her uncle is the biggest wet lettuce I've ever met. He lets her get away with everything, so she's not used to being called out on her bullshit. "I'll have you know—"
She's cut off my familiar, pounding footsteps and my youngest son's face appearing in the doorway. He looks around, his face lighting up in a grin when he spots me. "Momma, look what Edward gave me!"
My smile at the personalized 'Arlo' plastic cup in my son's hands evaporates when nobody appears behind him.
"What is this, Mommy Daycare? You're working, Bella."
"Lo, kiddo, who brought you over here?" I ask, crouching in front of him and ignoring Jane bitching over my shoulder.
"Nobody, I came by myself. Nana and Jax and Finn are in Burger Co. with Papa and Edward so I came to see you."
Frustration and fear worm their way up my spine as I briefly consider all the things that could have happened to him in the twenty or so feet between Burger Co.'s front door and here. There's a busy road, the parking lot, anybody could have been passing by and seen him by himself…
"Arlo, does anybody know you left?"
"No, Momma," he tells me with a grin. "I'm a big kid, and I wanted to come see you."
I'm halfway through explaining to him that he should never run away from the adult looking after him when Jane infuriates me by opening her vicious mouth. At the same time, I hear a door slam and thumping feet on the asphalt outside.
"Look, you little brat. Bella has to work, she doesn't have time for you—"
"Hey, lady, I'm not a brat!" Arlo snaps, little hand on his hip as he stamps his foot.
I briefly see Edward skidding into the store before I stand, spinning to face Jane with fire licking my veins. "What did you just say?"
"Chill, buddy. Your mom has this," Edward says quietly, Arlo harrumphing behind me.
Jane's eyes widen as she takes a small step back. That's right, bitch. You've just woken Momma Bear. Nobody calls my kids names except me, and that's only because I've earned that right through twenty hours of labor and four years of wiping his boogers, holding him when he falls down, and putting up with his shenanigans. This bottle-blonde with less brains than my left shoe hasn't earned the right to even look at my babies, let alone talk to them like she just dared to.
"Nobody, least of all you, gets to speak to my child like that. You don't get to call him names, either. Not unless you want me to hand you your ass on a platter. Do you understand me?"
"Ooh, Momma, you said a bad word."
If I weren't spitting-feathers mad, I might have laughed, like Edward does, at Arlo's gleefully hissed words.
Cocking her hip and sticking her nose in the air, Jane screws up her face and attempts to look threatening even though I can see the nerves in her eyes. She takes half a step back. "You don't speak to me like that. I'm your boss—"
"No, you're not. Not anymore."
Impulsive decisions aren't my thing. They never tend to work out well for me. However, in this case, I don't see another option. I can't work in a place like this with someone like her. I'll end up in jail.
"I quit," I decide with a sudden burst of confidence, enjoying the worry that takes hold of Jane's features. She knows as well as I do that with me gone, she'll have to buck up her ideas and actually work for a change. Feeling unexpectedly joyous, I grin as I unsnap my name badge from my shirt and slap it into her hand. My grin remains as I lean in and enjoy the fear in her eyes. "If you ever, and I mean ever, speak to any of my sons again, I will wipe the floor with you."
"You have to work a week's notice!" she bleats as I round the counter to get my bag. "You forfeit this month's wages if you walk out without working your notice period."
Shit. She's right. I remember agreeing to that when I signed my contract. "Fine. I'll work my notice period, but that's it. And I won't be coming in early or leaving late, either."
Before she has a chance to say another word, I grab Arlo's hand and all but drag him from the store, mindful of Edward following close behind us. It isn't until we're in Edward's office in Burger Co., Mom following once she settles Arlo back at their table with Jaxson, Dad, and Finley, that I deflate a little.
"Shit. I just quit my job, didn't I?"
Edward nods with a faint smile; I can see pride and amusement there. Worry, too. "In pretty spectacular fashion, short stuff."
"What happened?" Mom frets, brushing my hair away from my face. "Are you all right? I'm so sorry Arlo got away from us. He was there one second, and he'd disappeared the next."
"It's okay, Mom," I sigh, closing my eyes and shaking my head as the adrenaline drains from my body and reality sets in. "I need a new job. Crap. I'm never going to find anything with convenient hours like I had there."
"I think we can work something out."
The offer doesn't come from Mom, but Edward. My eyes flash open and find his face as he shrugs, a definite twinkle in his eyes as he says, "I'm sure we can put you to work."
Chewing my lip, I mull it over. "You'd do that?"
"Of course. I was going to offer you a job, anyway. I decided after you helped me out that night, I just wasn't sure how to broach it."
Mom grins and claps her hands together. "See? There we go, what a perfect solution. Edward here will look after you, won't you?" As Mom loops her arm around his waist, she misses the wink he shoots me along with a mouthed "You bet I will."
"Absolutely. The position will be full-time until Tan comes back, but we'll still need somebody part-time when she returns."
Mom excuses herself to return to Dad and the boys, leaving Edward to run through the hours he's proposing. "You can keep your later shifts on Wednesdays and Thursdays if they work for you, and we can fit the rest in around the boys. New Kid—uh, Xavier, he's been asking to switch his lunch shifts for lates, so you could take the shifts he drops."
"That sounds...pretty perfect, actually."
I'll have to take on one more day than what I've been doing at Vaughn's, but it's a good trade off for working somewhere I actually enjoy spending time.
My mind wanders to the pros of having Edward at arm's reach, then to the cons of working in such close proximity to him when he's already such a huge distraction. He pulled his glasses on to look over the schedule pinned to the back of the door, and I don't have words for how ridiculously hot he is with them perched on his nose as he rubs his beard and studies the board.
My lip disappears between my teeth, a smile stretching my lips when he turns to see why I haven't responded to whatever question he asked while I was busy eye-fucking him.
"Oh so that's how it's going to be, huh?" he snorts, his gaze heating up. "I think I'm going to enjoy having you work for me, short stuff."
Next chapter: Wednesday
My posting schedule may get a little wonky over the next two weeks or so. I have a few days off now, then I'll be doing 2am starts up until the day before Christmas Eve. You'll definitely still get your updates, but they may not be at the same times/the same days as usual. I'll try to keep to the schedule as much as possible.
Pinky Promises summary for those of you who are interested: "When two little girls were allowed to walk home from school one bright spring day, nobody could have predicted the events that followed—the way two families were torn apart by the vendetta of a crazy man.
Indie Ashby has spent twelve years in captivity protecting her best friend, Grace Davies, from their captor and tormentor. She's been beaten down and bruised, but there's nothing she wouldn't do to regain their freedom. Then there's Marley—the silent child who clings to her. Where did she come from? Frightened and forced to fend for themselves, with all hope for escape dwindling, they need a miracle. But most of all, they need the help of an unlikely hero.
Laker McKinley lost faith in the world and the justice system when his best friend's family fell apart after losing Indie and Grace. He's spent the past decade burying himself in music and hiding in Italy. An unexpected phone call and a plea for help starts a chain of events which will irrevocably alter the course of his life, but will he take the leap of faith?
It's been twelve long years—Indie and Grace will have to fight to take back their lives. He's deranged, but they're desperate.
If only it were as simple as escaping."
As always, huge thanks to my wonderful team of ladies who call me on my bull and point out when I'm being too liberal with my 'it's fiction' excuse. annaharding, LizziePaige, ThatSoAlex, Anakinsmom, and LadyLoonie, I love you all dearly.
And I love each and every one of you who reads, reviews, and recommends this little tale of mine. Come friend me on Facebook - Ciara Shayee Hill - to chit chat with me and see the visuals I create to go with each chapter.