Page 1 of Defending A Promise
Prologue
Five years ago
Riley
Never in a million years would I have ever thought I would be sitting here at my twin brother’s funeral, yet here I am, nodding at all the well-wishers as they funnel through my childhood home. It feels so unreal, fake, like tomorrow this will all be over, and River will be calling me on his normal weekly call to tell me about his life living in the sand and heat of the Middle East. He never told me exactly where he was – he couldn’t – but he was able to give me climate clues.
I don’t know how to live my life without him – the other half of me. Since inception, we’ve been in this world together. Now I need to figure out how to live in this world without him. What made us special and unique is now what has torn apart my heart.
The last time I saw him was just over a month ago when he and one of his teammates, Nick, came and stayed with me in Atlanta. We hung out like every other time he was in the States on leave. There was no indication that it would be the last time we would be together. No hint that the universe had decided to put an IED in front of his vehicle. No clue that the last time mybrother would hold me in his arms would be the last time that I would ever feel his touch.
That last weekend with my brother and his friend, we went out to a local bar and met up with one of my co-workers, Bethany. We drank, danced, and laughed. It never occurred to me when I watched my brother and Bethany make out and then disappear into his room just as Nick and I disappeared into my room, that life was about to pull us apart permanently.
Nick was a great guy – maybe he could have been the one. Who knows? He died alongside my brother and three other teammates. That night Nick and I had together was fun and exciting, but now all I can remember is the smile on his face as my brother teased him about sleeping with me as they descended the stairs from my apartment. The last time I saw either of them alive.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” another nameless face says to me as they file past me. They don’t know what to say. I get it. There’s nothing to say. I just wish I could get rid of the nausea in my stomach and the heaviness sitting on my chest.
“Thank you.” I nod to the older woman as she gives me a small smile and walks away.
A bottle of water shows up in front of me and I look up to see Declan – River’s best friend since elementary school – and the one I was in love with for my entire childhood. Maybe I still am a little bit.
He looks dashing in his black suit and white shirt. Something that would look good at a wedding, business meeting, or a funeral. Declan stayed here in Hibiscus Harbor after graduating college while I went in search of my dreams in Atlanta. I knew he’d never fall for me; he was the high school jock and the most wanted boy in school. I, on the other hand, was the nerdy girl that liked to get lost in books. Our circles never collided other than when he and my brother were together.
Declan takes my hand without saying a word and pulls me up out of my chair. He leads me through the house and out the back door towards the small garden bench my mother had set up years ago so that she could better tend to her vegetables.
He pulls me behind the shed, turns me towards him and pulls me into his arms – not saying a word. As if he knows I needed a break, he holds me as I cry like I haven’t been able to since the military officers showed up at my front door last week. His arms hold me up as my knees try to buckle – letting me feel safe enough to let it all out. Declan just stands there as I let myself fall apart in his arms. Not a word is spoken between us. There are no words to say. Just two friends mourning the loss of someone so special – so loved.
Declan
I’ve watched her from across the room all day trying to keep up a brave face for her parents and the people that have shown up for River’s final farewell. She’s strong. Stronger than she thinks she is, but she would never think that of herself. It’s just the way she has always been – what I’ve always known about her.
Riley, my best friend’s twin sister, has always been off limits, but it never stopped me from thinking about her – wanting her. There’s a code between men that says you don’t mess with your best friend’s sister which meant that Riley has always been off limits.
When the three of us graduated college together, she dropped a bombshell on River and me when she said she was moving to Atlanta for a job opportunity. They both left Hibiscus Harbor the next week – he went to Marine Officer CandidateSchool and she left for Atlanta—and the three of us became just me.
I haven’t seen Riley since then. It’s been almost five years since college graduation, and we’ve all moved on with our lives. River ended up in an elite squad in the military fighting bad guys internationally while I stayed home to protect the home front at the police department. Over the years, River would tell me bits and pieces of her life, but she and I never really spoke after she moved away. River was my friend; Riley was his sister and nothing more.
At the cemetery, I watched Riley jump all three times the honor guard fired their weapons in honor of Captain River Ashford. When they handed the folded American flag to her mother, Riley wiped a single tear from her cheek. Throughout the day, she’s been either catering to her parents, making sure they were okay or taking condolences from three-star generals to people from the community – all with grace.
But Riley looks tired. Really tired and the exhaustion is going to catch up to her eventually. She needs a break, so I grab a bottle of water and lead her by the hand to the backyard for some much needed privacy. Nothing needs to be said between us. She just needs someone to let her lose it, let her cry, let her mourn.
When she turns to me and falls into my arms, I know I need to be her rock. To be someone that she can just hold onto. That’s what friends do for their dead best friend’s twin sister. They take care of them and that’s the moment I make a silent promise to River, wherever he is in the universe, that I’ll take care of his sister from here on out.
I hold her there for a while – time doesn’t really matter. When her knees start to buckle, I hold her up, tighter, as we both mourn someone that died too early with so much more to give to this world.
It’s not fair and I’ll never understand it.
Chapter 1
Riley
Ican hear him running down the hall towards me, but I’m too late to catch him as he lands on my chest.
“Mommy! Are you awake?”
“I am now, Nickels.” I grab ahold of my son in a big hug, holding him tight against my chest as we lie together in my childhood twin bed.
“Nana’s making pancakes for breakfast because it’s my first day of school. We got to go eat.” My little four-year-old wiggles to get free. “Hurry!”
