Page 13 of Our Promise
“Alright.” The screen display on his car showed he had a message on his phone. He picked it up from the cupholder to take a quick peek to see Jo had texted him Lorielle’s number.
“Thank you, sis.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here I am, hooking up my brother and best friend when my own relationship is on the rocks.” He heard her mumble before hanging up.
When he called Jo, he assumed she would just pass Elle the phone, but having her number was even better. He dialed it and waited for her to pick up.
“Hello?” Her light raspy voice came over the line.
“Ready for tomorrow?”
He thought that would be a good place to start, since he really didn’t have a reason for his call other than to hear her voice. Tomorrow was just too far away for him to wait.
If he was lucky and played this right, he would see her tonight. Confidence had him already headed in her direction.
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life. Hold on.” He could hear a door close before she came back over the line. “Okay, I’m back. I’m in the office finishing up some stuff real quick. She’s in the living room, sulking. Your sister is miserable, and it’s making me more miserable.”
He chuckled. “You made it, though. That’s all that matters. Just hold on a few more hours, baby.”
“I guess so. We’re probably going to drink, watch some movies, eat some food, then call it a night.”
“That sounds good. Jo’s really lucky to have you.”
“Jo has been there for me during worse times, so it’s the least I could do and hey, what are friends for if you can’t lean on them from time to time?”
“That’s true. You know you can lean on me.”
She giggled. “Are you saying you want to be my friend?”
“Your friend, your lover, your forever.”
“Benny…” He could hear the warning in her tone but ignored it.
“I’ve been thinking about you, Lorielle. Tell me you’ve been thinking about me.”
“Benny!”
“Yes or no, Lorielle?”
She released a frustrated sigh. “Yes, but not because I want to.”
“What does that mean?”
“I can’t get you off my mind,” she confessed with more ease than he thought she possessed when it came to her feelings.
“And that’s a bad thing?” he asked.
“You know it is.”
“I don’t know shit about that, Elle. All I know is fucking with me will be the best decision you’ve ever made.”
“Benny, I’m rarely scared, but this scares the fuck out of me. There’s so much to lose if this goes sour. I don’t want to lose the family I found in your family. It’s more important to me than this attraction between us.”
“You’ll never lose us.”
“You say that until shit goes down. People will switch up on you and turn their back on you like they never knew you.”
He knew she was talking about her ex-husband and his family. He heard the story. They acted as if they were there forher, but when things got tough and shit hit the fan, they showed their true colors.
