Page 13 of Promise You Forever

It doesn’t.

I feel numb.

It’s not until we get in the car that he sets his phone aside. “How’s everything been?” he finally asks.

“Not much has changed since the last time we spoke. Mom and Dad got in earlier today, but I haven’t seen them yet.”

“Probably not missing much there,” he says under his breath. Their feelings about him are mutual on both sides. “How’s Paul?”

I take a deep breath and pull my sunglasses off. I didn’t want him to freak out in the airport when he saw my black eye for the first time. Even with Amber working her magic, you can still tell it’s there.

“Don’t get upset please.” I look over at him while we’re at a stoplight. “He got confused one night and hit me.”

“What?” he explodes, grabbing my chin and turning my face to the side for a better look. “Eliana.” He shakes his head. “This is wholly unacceptable. What if he did something that wouldn’t heal? You have to convince your parents to put him in a home.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no? Hehityou. That’s not something someone who is mentally sound would do.”

“He just lost his wife and was confused.”

“I sure as fuck wouldn’t be so distraught that I’d punch someone because I lost my wife.”

“As your future wife, noted.” I roll my eyes and slip the glasses back on.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

That’s exactly how he meant it.

“And was that a cut I saw?” He shifts forward to get a better look again, but I keep facing straight ahead. “It better not scar.”

His obsession with looking perfect pisses me off on a good day. Today, it enrages me. Instead of exploding though, I dragin a deep breath, hold it, and then blow it out. It takes five repetitions of that sequence before I calm down.

“Brandon, I just really need you to be supportive. Can you do that? Otherwise, I’ll take you right back to the airport and you can fly home.”

He slides his hand over my thigh and squeezes. “Of course I can do that. And there’s no way I’m flying home commercial, I’ll go back on Patrick’s jet with you Wednesday.”

“I’m not sure I’ll be going back on Wednesday.”

“Why not?” His knee bounces up and down, a tell that he’s irritated with me. “You have to get back to work.”

“I can’t leave until I know Grandpa is okay. Then there’s the ranch.” I blink away tears. “There’s just a lot of things going on right now. Patrick told me I could work remotely for the time being.”

“Do I get a say in whether I want a remote fiancé?”

“We don’t see each other every day as it is, a few weeks shouldn’t be that bad.”

“Exactly why we shouldn’t be doing long distance. We have a wedding to plan, too, you know.”

My head is beginning to throb from this conversation. This isn’t how I should feel when I’m with the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. I shouldn’t feel drained and anxious every time he speaks to me.

“Let’s table this discussion for now.” I reach down and put my hand over his, squeezing.

“Okay.” He flips his hand to link our fingers and pulls out his phone to keep working.

Colt and Sam are just getting in their trucks when I pull in the driveway. They walk over when I call their names. Best to get introductions out of the way.

“This is Sam,” I say to Brandon. “And Colt. They’re the main hands around here.”

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