Page 114 of Every Broken Promise
At the same time, Adam whined, “Fucking Reaper.”
Both EZ and I looked at one another, wondering why Adam was cursing his pet. We didn’t have to wonder for long. He turned his phone toward us, and we could see in the feed that his bunny was making a mess of his living room.
“You got a camera to watch your damn bunny?” EZ deadpanned.
“I felt bad keeping him in his cage when I work so much. Now look at him trying to rearrange my furniture so he can get his kibbles,” Adam said as he got up. “I’ll be back. I’ve got to go home.”
Both EZ and I saw him storm out silently, laughing at him. When he moved out, he couldn’t handle being alone for long, so he went to get a pet. He didn’t want a dog because he knew he didn’t have the time and energy to invest in it. He also wanted something fury to pet. We’ve all laughed hearing him grumble about how much time and energy his bunny takes. Adam didn’t count on how often he would need to clean the bedding. My dad scolded him for not doing his research. All living thingsneeded nurture and attention for them to thrive. If anything, this experience has made him a bit more responsible.
EZ cleared his throat, and when I looked at him, he spoke.
“So, you and Astrid, huh?”
I might not have talked about it with my family, but I don’t think it was shocking to anyone.
“She’s always been the one,” I confessed.
There was pain in my brother’s features, and I knew it wasn’t because of any lingering feelings for my girl.
“It’s been eight years, EZ. It’s okay to let go.”
My brother didn’t say anything right away. It seemed like he was gathering his thoughts. I gave him a moment to let it out of his chest.
“Howie is giving me the deed to the house,” he confessed.
At that, my eyebrows went up. Howard was Sabby’s grandpa. He never had a good relationship with Sabby’s father—Howard was all EZ had left of Sabby, the only reminder that she had been a part of his life at one point in time. EZ had helped Howie fix up the house, and a few years back, when the old man couldn’t keep up on the maintenance, EZ decided he would move in with him since Howie had no one else. Just last year, Howard ended up at the nursing home. Ezekiel was working when he fell down and busted his hip.
“You basically built that house again,” I told him.
My brother put a lot of time, money, and energy into fixing that house.
My voice was gentle. I didn’t want to offend him. We were both quiet for a while. The unease I had lived with since Astrid had left slowly disappeared the more time we spent together. There were more conversations to have, but for now, I was content. Having Astrid with me when I went to the bank was amazing. Sharing with her the new step in our journey wasfitting. Getting to kiss her, and getting lost inside of her—fuck, that was my biggest blessing.
Starting a new chapter in my life with her by my side was everything I wished for and more.
FORTY
My stomach was in knots,and I felt like shit. I looked at Rachel’s house and debated whether I should check in on her or give her some space. The advice I gave her yesterday did not go well. She marched her cute little ass to Sunny Pines, only for her to come running right back.
Was there some kind of statistic that said surprising a man will backfire nine times out of ten? Instead of checking in on her again because I felt as if I had already done enough damage, I headed toward the town square. As I began to walk, I realized it would have been easier if I had driven, but I just needed a little alone time to get all my thoughts together.
Having everything you ever wanted wasn’t easy. One second, you were happy, and the next, you started to have doubts. It was a surreal feeling once you got everything you had ever prayed for. Before, it was a dream to obtain something to keep you going or motivated, but now, it was a fear that it was a fluke or that it might get taken away.
I was putting too much faith into this walk, as if it would give me all the answers to questions I was too afraid to ask myself. This would have been so simple if we would have gotten our shit together back in high school.
My head was held high, and this time, I could take notice of the community I had left behind. I wasn’t scared to meet their eyes anymore, and I didn’t hide my face in shame of what they would have thought. People smiled at me, or they waved. Most of them didn’t judge me, and they probably never had.
I’ve seen most of these people my whole life. They watched me ride my bike around town. None of them blamed me for prom night, but I had it in my head that everyone had turned their backs on me.
A humorless chuckle escaped.
Being a teenager was one hell of a mess. Talk about learning on the job, right? How many of us look back at the mistakes our younger selves have made and cringe, wishing for a way to turn back time to make things right? But it was from those moments we grew. And there was something beautiful to be said about growth.
It was late enough in the day that you could hear kids running around the fountain and playing in the park across the street. It was such a comforting sight. I remembered a time I ran around splashing water. Almost all of my childhood memories involved Tyler—then, for a brief second, an image popped into my head that nearly made my knees buckle. I had never given much thought about having children, or getting married for that matter. Not when the only person I had ever wanted had been off-limits to me. None of the guys I dated had been serious enough even to even consider it.
Speaking of children, I took a quick turn toward the doctor’s office. I might be bumping uglies with the guy I always wanted, but I was not trying to have a baby. Now that I was back in town, I was going to need someone to give me a prescription for birth control. The plus side of having a sex life in college was that it got me far away from the Stevensons. They were a lovely couple who had owned the local clinic for as long as I could remember.How did one look at the doctor they’ve had their whole life, and suddenly be like, “I’m sexually active now?”
At least it saved me from that first awkward conversation.
