Promise Me Forever (9 page)

Abby waved to her parents as the sailboat left the docks once again. This time the two were headed towards Miami to meet up with old friends. They loved it in the city since they spent a major part of the last few years there. She cherished her time with them even more since those other agents got killed. Even though it was a risky business, she never gave a thought that her parents were in harms way every time they went on a mission.

It seemed easier to believe they were super hero’s and would be back with the sailboat at her dock again. She wanted to believe nothing could ever stop them. Abby smiled and hugged herself. What could be better than this life she lived?

Both dogs went wild when they heard Jon’s bike in the driveway. The moment Jon came through the door, both dogs jumped on him and he fell to his knees, laughing and wrapping his arms around them.

Abby stood back and watched as he played on the ground with Penny and Jax. She closed her eyes for a brief second and tried to imagine the same thing with children. He would be a great dad.

“Hey.” Abby opened her eyes to see him leaning back on his elbows as the two tried to get him to wrestle more. His dark eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at her. “Want to go for a bike ride?”

She stared at him. “You’re up to something, aren’t you Jon Hatfield?”

He nodded.

“Well, why not?” She ran over to him and jumped on him while the two dogs decided joined in for more playtime. She gave Jon a kiss he would not soon forget. “Now, where do you plan to take me love?”

“You’ll see. Come on.” He stood up and held out his hand as she brushed herself off. The dogs were starting to shed all over the place.

“I can’t leave them alone to tear up the house, Jon.”

“I made arrangements with your wacky neighbors. We can take them over while we’re gone.”

Abby’s eyes lit up. “I forgot Margie and Elvin are still here. How is she?”

“She’s not well enough to go back to living in an RV. Sad but true. We must keep them here until she gets better. Maybe a few more days.”

“I feel responsible for her being ill even if she stole our credit cards at first. I should never have let an old woman chase after the bad guy.” They let the dogs down the path to the cottage. “I hope you can get over the credit card ordeal some day Jon.”

“I have. I’ll never let them in our house alone though.”

Abby shook her head and rang the doorbell. When it opened she didn’t recognize Elvin at first. His hair was flat against his head, not groomed like Elvis. He had a pair of beach shorts on and a white wife beater that hung over his chest. Skinny arms dangled down his sides. “Here they are,” Jon said. He turned and walked back up the path before Elvin could say a word.

“He’s mad at us yet, isn’t he?” Elvin asked, his face sad.

Abby nodded. “He is but he’ll get over it. Take good care of the pups.” She reached out and gave him a hug. Elvin jumped back in surprise and shock. “See you in a few hours.”

The ride on the bike was fun. Jon weaved in and out of traffic before he turned off a long single lane that saw little traffic. Abby thought she knew where it led to. As the overgrown brush covered some of the track, the bike came to a stop.

“This is a beautiful spot,” she told him and got off the bike. A single house, old and falling down sat back from the water and she knew it was his childhood home. They walked hand in hand to the old wooden dock, not saying a word because mother nature did all the talking. The birds chirped and flew over the water, their wide wings spread out as they dived for food. An occasional rustle stirred along the banks as a wave rolled in to splash against the dirt and rock or a fish jumped too far and created a ruckus along the banks.

“It’s why I picked this place for what I’m about to do,” Jon told her. They stood on the bridge and he dropped to his knee. Abby didn’t expect this in the middle of the day.

“Jon.”

“Let me do this baby. I know I asked you to marry me at the fountain in Memphis and I meant every word. But there was one thing missing.”

Her eyes widened.
“What do you mean?”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a ring case. As Jon held it out, Abby cried out. “Oh Jon!” It was the ring she first picked out in a little jewelry shop in Memphis but couldn’t buy because their credit cards got stolen. Instead, she bought a cheap ring for less than a hundred dollars. She leaned down to kiss him. Her hands ran through his dark hair and she pressed herself up against him so hard he lost his balance. Jon pulled her down to him and they were both on their knees in the middle of the bridge. She sprang up and straddled his lap as he leaned back.

“Is that where you went last night? Back to Memphis to get this ring? I love you.”

“I told you I would go back. They offered to send it but I needed to go myself. Jake went along. I went to the hospital to talk to -”

Abby slapped her hand over his mouth. “Don’t say her name. I can’t let her ruin my moment.”

Jon grinned. “Are you still jealous of her?”

Abby titled her head. “Maybe a tiny bit.”

“No need but I like when you get a tiny bit jealous.” His face turned serious. “I was okay with going in the hospital. It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.”

“I’m glad. Now can I have the ring?” She wiggled her fingers on her left hand and stretched them out between them. When he opened the box she gasped. The ring was even more beautiful in the sunlight.

“I didn’t realize how it shines so.”

“Like you baby. Will you marry me?”

He kissed her before she said yes, but he knew what she’d say. He still clutched the ring in his finger because their kiss was so long and deep they almost forgot about it. When they broke apart Abby smiled. “You know I will.”

He put the ring on her finger. “It’s right where it belongs.”

Abby jumped up and spun around, so happy she let the tears fall down her face. Jon looked up at her laughing out loud. She stopped before him and gazed down. “I know where I want to get married.”

“Where baby?”

She leaned down, her eyes level with his. “Right here.”

“In this run down old place?” But she could tell he liked the idea.

“Why not? We can wait until you build the family vacation home and have it right here.”

He wrapped her in his arms. “I love you Abby. Yes. Let’s have our wedding here. I think my Mother would like that if she were alive.”

“How long will it take to rebuild?”

“I don’t know but Jake’s hot on it. He’s eager to get a vacation house on here as much as I am.”

“Perhaps he’ll speed it up if he knows I’d like to be married by Christmas.”

Jon kissed her again, his hands dropping lower. “That’s a few months away baby.”

“It won’t take me long to plan a wedding. I won’t make it lavish, a simple wedding with the people I love is what matters to me.”

“That’s why I love you but Hatfield is a big name around here. You may not be able to get away with simple.”

She laughed. “Have you ever made love on this old wooden bridge before, Jon?”

He grinned as his hands went lower still. “Nope, but I think I’m about to.”

<><>

“I need a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” Maggie was knee-deep in a southern recipe she wanted to try. Abby looked around her kitchen at the mess and jumped in to help. She shook her head and laughed.

“What do you have going on here, Maggs? I swear you used every pot in the cupboards!” She ran some water in the sink and added dish liquid. It would take Maggie hours to clean up by herself. “So the favor I need is for you to convince Jake to hurry with the vacation house.”

Maggie lifted the lid on the pot on the stove, the steam rising near her face. She blew a fly away curl out of her line of vision. “I’m not sure how I can hurry him. But I know he had plans drawn up, and a crew is ready to build.”

Abby smiled. “That’s fantastic. Can you find out how long it will take to build? If it’s longer than Christmas, can you convince him to get it done before then?”

“Okay Abbs. What’s up?” Maggie put the lid back on and turned.

Abby smiled and stuck her hand in front of Maggie’s face. “See this? It’s the ring I told you about in Memphis. Jon went there the other day and got it back.”

“I know that already, Abbs. Why the secret smile on your face.”

“I told him I want to get married at the family homestead, on the wooden dock by the water.”

Maggie’s eyes lit up. “Oh sweetie, that’s perfect. I’d love to see a wedding there to break in the new place. I’ll talk to Jake tonight.”

“One more thing,” Abby said. She had a serious look on her face and Maggie stepped back.

“Whoa girl, what’s that look for?”

Abby took a deep breath. She was sure Maggie would say yes, but it still made her nervous to ask. “You have been here for me since we met. I can tell you anything and I feel you do the same with me. I would love to have you as my maid of honor.”

Maggie jumped up, threw down the spoon in her hand and hugged Abby so tight not even Jax could jump in between. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” she shouted. “This will be grand. I can even cook some great dishes for the reception.”

Abby brushed a tear from her eye and laughed out loud. “Forget it Maggie! Look around, we’d be cleaning up the mess for weeks after the wedding. My mom has the best caterers ever.”

“Have you told her yet what the plans are?”

“Nah, I’ll call her later. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“You know with her only daughter getting married, she’ll want a big wedding.”

“She knows when I decide, she’ll have to adjust. I love my Mom but this is too important. Besides, she knows I do what I want.” Abby giggled at the thought of a life with Jon, never a dull moment. “I’ll give her control of the reception to keep her happy.”

“Maybe I could help her,” Maggie offered. “Sara is almost bedridden these days but she’ll want to give us a hand too. It would make her feel part of the family.”

“Good idea. I thought about her and the twins. Maybe she’ll have the babies before the wedding so they can come too.”

“I don’t know. This pregnancy is getting difficult for her. She called the other day and said Josh is like a mother hen. Won’t let her lift a finger and treats her like a princess.”

The girls smiled and laughed. Hours later, Abby worked her way home, her mind on the upcoming wedding. The gate to her property was left open and she frowned. Maybe Elvin went somewhere, although she didn’t know how he would go anywhere. Their RV was still at the campground.

Penny’s low growl alerted Abby as they drove up the lane. The brush blocked her view until she was almost in the driveway in front of the house. A dark Mercedes was sitting there, the smooth sound of its engine running. When she pulled up a man opened the door and got out.

Abby didn’t know who it was. She never saw him before. He dressed in a three piece suit and had a dark cap on his head. A pale face stared at her, his look solemn and it made her nervous. She didn’t know why, maybe because Penny’s hair stood straight up. She rolled down her window. “May I help you?”

The man walked towards her car and stopped dead when he heard Penny’s warning growl deep in her throat. “I’m looking for these two. I understand you were with them at a campground here in the Keys.”

When he flipped the photo towards her, Abby recognized Margie and Elvin. They were standing by their camper at a park she didn’t recognize. She tried to avert the man’s eyes, but he saw her reluctance and stared at her. It was an evil stare and knowing, as if he dared her to lie.

“Yah, I know them, we had quite the experience a few days ago.” No use lying about it. “Are you a cop?” she asked.

He grunted. “Interested party.”

Her curiosity got the best of Abby. “What do you want with these two?”

“I want my belongings back.”

Abby nodded her head up and down as if she understood. “Hmm, well they are thieves of the worst sort and I learned it first hand. I have no clue where they ran off to.”

He glared at her. “If you know they’re thieves why were you with them at the campground down the road.”

Abby stared back. “I didn’t know it at the time.”

An eerie silence ensued. They both stared at each other while Penny watched the man. He hesitated for a moment before he walked back to his car. He grabbed the door and looked back at her. “You’re lucky the dog is with you. I know you’re lying. You tell them I want my stuff and I won’t stop until I get it back.”

Abby held her breath but didn’t hesitate to memorize the license plate. She watched him as he put the car into reverse and backed up. Her foot was on the pedal ready to accelerate if he tried anything with his vehicle. She had spies for parents, she could escape from a mad man looking for two bumbling thieves whose skills were lacking if this man knew who they were.

She waited until he left the driveway and parked her car. “Penny, let’s go,” she ordered as they made their way to the house. Abby shut off the alarm she learned to always put on whenever she left the house and ran inside to find her phone. She let it at home, a stupid move on her part. If that man tried to do something, she didn't have her phone with her to call for help. She was so excited to talk to Maggie about the wedding, when she took Jax home, she left the phone on the counter on charge.