The Promise (6 page)

Chase

I do
n’t think I’ve ever seen a worse attempt at dodging a date in my life. Before I could even ask Sophie for her number she is halfway to Houston. I know she’s trying to be coy when she takes a quick peek back at me before tearing off but she didn’t quite pulled it off. In fact, she failed so terribly at being sneaky and dodging my question that I couldn’t help but laugh. I don’t think she saw me laughing but her eyes narrowing in the rearview mirror prove me wrong. Crap.
So much for trying to be cool
. I guess I’ll have to find another way to get through to her.

She’s a tough nut to crack that’s for sure. But something tells me this isn’t the last I’ll
be seeing of Sophie Ryan. No, if I have my way, I’ll be seeing her again very soon.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be more than
just friends with this girl. Most of the women in town act so shallow and are so damn boring I really haven’t had any serious interest since I was a teenager other than the occasional one night stand and of course Lauren, my disaster of an ex.

Not to sound conceited but I
’m not anything to throw a stick at, if you know what I mean. I’ve always had options to choose from when it comes to women, my blonde hair and blue eyes never hurt either. Not to mention working construction for Drake’s company means I stay physically fit. Women around here seem to like that and judging by the way she hightailed it out of the parking lot after I caught her checking me out, Sophie doesn’t mind it too much either.

But like I said, I’ve
lost interest in the meaningless relationships I’ve floated in and out of since high school. But Sophie doesn’t seem to be anything at all like the other women around here.

At the bar, she was quiet but funny. When she started to open up a little, I could feel that there was a connection between us even if she w
as trying to fight it. I can tell by her nervous behavior that she held some kind of attraction towards me but there’s something else about her. Something else that I just can’t put my finger on and it’s keeping her closed off. Enough that I can’t even finish my sentences, let alone take her out. I bet it’s a guy. I bet her last boyfriend really put her through hell. Why else would she be so shy? She’s gorgeous so I have to assume she has a few exes. No one can look like that and not have a history. Guess I’ll have to find out the hard way if that baggage is worth the trouble. I don’t know what has happened to her but I’m having a hard time thinking of anything that could keep me from wanting to get to know her better.

***

Sophie

As I let myself bac
k into the apartment, my mind is still going crazy trying to rehash the conversation I had with Chase. It’s obvious he’s attracted to me and I know he was about to ask me out.

I couldn’t help it, I just freaked out. I didn’t know what else to do. I was trying to keep from
hurting his feelings but I’m not ready for that yet. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready for that again. I’ll have to talk with Ana about this when she comes home and ask her what she thinks I should do. Knowing Chase’s persistency I figure I’ll be seeing him again. If he brings it up again I need to be prepared.

I wish I could ask Ana abou
t other things as well, but I don’t know how she’ll react to that. I know I’m not ready to move on from Jack in
that way
, but I am a woman and I do have needs.

I still notice
attractive men and it always makes me feel guilty, but what can I do with that guilt? Do I move on from it or embrace it? On one hand it’s perfectly natural to find men attractive, but on the other, all I want is Jack and he’s gone. It feels like I’m being selfish and disrespectful to him every time I check out another man. How do you move on when you’re still mourning the love of your life? I want to ask Ana about all of these things that are running through my mind but I don’t know if I should.

Unsure of what else to do, I walk into the bathroom and start undressing. I beg
in filling the tub with hot water and pour in some bubble bath. As I slip in, I close my eyes for what seems like a few minutes but is probably much longer than that. Lying in the hot water I gaze at the amethyst and diamond promise ring I still wear proudly on my finger. It’s dainty but beautiful, made even more so by the fact that I know Jack had saved for weeks before he was able to surprise me with it. Jack had given it to me one night right before I’d moved in with him and the memory would always hold a special place in my heart.

We’d been at the county fair all day and Jack had been acting oddly quiet but he’d
said he was tired and so I believed him. After we spent the day riding rides, playing carnival games and eating more fried food than most would find humanly possible, Jack led me over to a small bench and pulled me over to him.

“Come here, my beautiful girl
,” he said as he settled me on his lap. “Did you have a good day today, Baby?”

“Yes, I did, b
ut I ate too much.” We both laughed.”Thanks for bringing me, though. It was so much fun! And thanks for winning me Boris Bearsley,” I say giggling as I pick up the stuffed bear and make kissing noises, nuzzling him into the crook of Jack’s neck.

Jack laughed and looked up at me. “Baby, Boris Bearsley? Really? That’s the worst teddy bear name I’ve ever heard!”

“Well, it was between that and Honey Pooh Lola Bear and I didn’t think I’d remember all of that,” I joked.

“Then Boris Bearsley it is, I guess,” he lovingly rubbed the small of my back and we looked back over the lake in front of us. The reflection of the carnival lights off of the water was gorgeous. Even with the flurry of excitement in the background the spot Jack had chosen had g
iven a bit of peace and quiet so we could hear each other talk. Jack fell quiet again and although we were easily able to maintain a comfortable silence whenever we needed one, he’d seemed to be deep in thought and I’d wondered what was on his mind.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask
ed him.

He g
ave me the sideways grin I loved so much before looking up at me. “You, us,” he started quietly, gently squeezing my side affectionately. “Just thinking about how much I love this, us just sitting and being together. I’m so happy I have you, Sophie.”

“You’re so sweet, Jack. I feel the same way, Baby.” I kiss
ed his forehead smiling at him again before looking back out at the water. “It sure is pretty out here, don’t you think?”

“Yes.” I glance
d back down at him and see him smiling sweetly up at me.

“I don’t deserve you, Jack.” My voice is serious as he laugh
ed and kissed me gently on the neck.

“Baby, I want to talk to
you about something,” he started. I looked at him so that he knew he had my attention, waiting as patiently as I could, even though my heart is hammering out of my chest. “You know what you mean to me, don’t you?”

I reluctantly nod. Oh no! Please don’t tell me he’s dumping me…

“Good,” he said quietly before placing a soft kiss on the end of my nose. “There’s something I want to give you.” He lifted me off of his lap and sits me on the bench next to Boris Bearsley.

I glance
d down at the plush bear like he might be able to give me a clue as to what’s about to go down. He knew nothing. I looked back at Jack and I see him pulling out a small box from his jacket pocket. Then, before I knew it, he was down on one knee in front of me. I gasped and quickly threw my hands up to cover my now gaping mouth.

Jack
’s eyes met mine as he gave me a small wink and smiled. “Baby … Sophie … before I met you, I had my whole life figured out. I was going to go into the Army and defend my country, honor my dad, take care of my sister and that would be it. I never thought about love because honestly I didn’t know if it existed. Then that morning in English you walked in and messed everything up,” he laughs.

I could
see that his eyes are brimming with unshed tears. I didn’t care to hold back the tears that were streaming down my cheeks. “Now my life is different. I’m still enlisting, but now it’s to defend you, to honor you, and to take care of you. Forever, if you’ll let me. This ring is my promise to you that I’ll love you and you alone for every second for the rest of my life. It’s my promise that I’ll do everything I can to always make you happy. It’s my promise that I’ll stay true to you and honor you in all the ways you deserve. My promise to always carry you with me in my heart, no matter where the Army takes us. All I ask in return is that you promise to love me and wait for me. I knew the first day that you walked into that classroom and screwed everything up that you were my forever, Sophia Paige Ryan. Please let me be yours. Promise you’ll be mine forever, too.” He looked at me as though he really thought it was a question.

Like I ever had any choice but to say anything but yes a million times. Before he knew what hit him I lunge
d myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck sobbing as I assaulted him with kisses. I can’t believe I am lucky. “So is this a yes?” he laughs.

“Baby,
it’s a hell yes!” I shout as Jack’s smile grew bigger. Lifting me into his arms he wrapped my legs around him. With one hand he held me in place by my butt as his other tangled into my hair, giving me a life altering kiss.

“Baby
, you make me so happy. You have no idea,” he said before kissing me again.

As I look at the white gold band
that’s now covered in suds the alternating diamond, and amethyst stones are still as beautiful as the night he’d given it to me. I smile a bittersweet smile as I remember that night with him and gave it a little kiss before leaning my head against the tile, shutting out the world.

***

Sophie

Saturda
y morning when I finally decide to climb out of my bed, I’m still pretty exhausted. We’d been here just shy of a week but I’d spent most of the week either job hunting or getting the apartment in order while Ana works. It’s become habit of stop by the bar at the end of the day to have supper and a beer with Ana.  I’ve also seen Chase a few times as well. We haven’t spoken again of the night he walked me to my truck, but he’d made a point to find a seat next to me and engage me in conversation each time I saw him.

At times I thought it weird but a relief at the same time Chase never prie
s. He doesn’t make it a habit to ask me personal questions or inquire about where I came from or what my life was like before I moved to Rockport. I like that he seems to sense I’m not ready to talk about anything personal yet. Instead, we talked about the game on the TV that hung above the bar, the weather or the music on the jukebox. I know eventually the small talk will end and he’ll begin asking more personable questions, but for now I appreciate the easy friendship we’re having. It’s definitely easier than watching Ana and Drake exchange X-rated looks over the bar.

Last night, I awoke haunted by
yet another nightmare. Ana had come to check on me and after we talked for a while, I decide to finish unpacking the few boxes that are left. I always have a hard time going back to sleep after the nightmares so I figured that I could at least be productive with my time.

Around six in the morning, I was able to do
ze off for a couple hours and wake feeling a little better than I had when I’d been jolted awake by the nightmare. I stumble out of bed and make my way to the bathroom where I took one look in the mirror before walking back out.
Who cares?
Just me and Ana home anyway.

As I ma
ke my way to the kitchen, I hear muffled voices but don’t think much of it. Ana has a habit of leaving the TV on in her room so I’ve grown used to hearing the background noise. The coffee pot is empty but I’m not at all surprised. It’s a little past eight thirty and Ana was probably up half the night, same as me. I walk over to the cupboard to grab the coffee grounds to start a new pot only to find that we’re out.

“Crap,” I mumble to myself as I shut the cupboard door.

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Behind the door I see Chase’s cheesy boyish grin.

“Wha
… wait. What are you doing in here?” I ask confused by why this man is standing in my kitchen.

“We ran into Ana this morning when she was buying some stuff for the house and we offered to help her set some of it up for y’all. Some of the furniture looked pretty heavy so we thought y’all could use a hand,” he explain
s with a genuine smile as he takes in my appearance.

“Oh. Well, that was nic
e of you. Is she here?” I ask.

“Yeah, she’s out there talking
to Drake on the balcony,” he says, looking at my hair amused. He reaches out and gently tugs on the end of my disheveled braid with a playful smirk. “This is cute.”

Oh no! I forgot how bad I look
!
Not that I care what Chase thinks or anything but still. I feel the heat flame across my cheeks as I turn away, using Ana as an excuse to leave.

“Thanks, I’m gonna go find Ana,” I sa
y in my hasty retreat. Maybe she got some coffee while she was out.