Page 2 of My Promise To Keep

‘I’m not mad.’

‘Leo.’

I turned to meet her worried stare. Her long brown hair hung down, swaying in the slight breeze as her caramel-colored eyes held my gaze.

‘I’m not mad, Zo. I’m confused — a little hurt that you cut us out of this, but I’m not mad.’

‘I guess we didn’t consider the fallout.’

‘You had time. You planned this out and waited to get a license. You could have told us. We could have been there.’

Her head came to rest against my shoulder, and she sighed.

‘I’m sorry, Leo. We were just caught in the motion of it all. We drove out to celebrate my birthday, and he asked me to marry him. We were so excited and found ourselves applying for a license, and then I guess when we got it, we were just like, why wait? We didn’t mean to cut you out.’

But they had. They had cut me way out. Me, and our whole family.

‘You going to show me the ring?’ I asked as a peace offering, trying to force myself to be okay with this, even if only a little, but she laughed.

‘Honey, we could barely afford the license fee and the gas to drive home. I don’t have a ring.’ I turned to her, frowning. Zoe deserved a ring. ‘It’s okay, we’re going to get initials tattooed when we can afford that. Will you come to the tattoo shop with us?’

That was her olive branch. Zoe was as into tattoos as I was becoming, and she knew I’d want to be there for that.

Taking a long, deep inhale, I made a decision. I could get on board with this and keep them in my life, or I could stew on it and lose them. Turning to look at her once more, I knew that wasn’t an option; her hopeful eyes and slight smile confirmed that.

Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I pulled her close and leaned in to press a kiss to her temple.

‘Yeah, munch. I’ll be there.’

I Promise

Zoe

Eleven (and a half) Years Ago

‘So, we can starta treatment plan, see how you respond.’

‘But I won’t survive this?’

Luke’s voice was strong. He sounded like he was talking to a mechanic about his car, not an oncologist who’d just told us he was dying.

‘No, Luke, all we can hope to do at this point is give you a little more time and then try to make you as comfortable as we can.’

I couldn’t breathe. I sat in the chair next to him with the air in my lungs frozen. When he turned to look at me, I met his apologetic gaze, and he squeezed my hand.

‘Baby, I’m sorry.’

A sob burst out of me, and the floodgates opened. I cried hard. Gasping for breaths that I couldn’t find.

‘This can’t be real,’ I said weakly as I used the cuffs of the sweater I was wearing, his sweater, to wipe my cheeks and nose, and he smiled just a little.

He was the one that was going to die, but I was the one in tears. Get it together, Zoe.

‘How long, doc?’

Luke’s question squeezed my heart, and I moved my attention around the room. It was bright, as a large window flooded the office in natural light. There was a covering of snow outside that made everything seem brighter. It wouldn’t stay. Like everything else, it was temporary. It would melt and disappear, and the colors and new life of spring would be here soon enough.

Doctor Bancroft had a mini Christmas tree on her desk, complete with cheerful, colorful lights, and I had the overwhelming urge to grab it and throw it against the wall.

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