Page 74 of Promise You Forever

I chuckle. “Always. I’ll make it work, though.”

“Don’t screw this up. I’d love to have Eli as my sister-in-law.”

What my sister doesn’t know is that I already have a ring. When we were in Denver seeing Paul, I stayed behind to capitalize on his good day by asking for his permission to propose to Eli. His answer was an enthusiastic yes. He made us both cry by going over to his dresser and pulling out Jo’s engagement ring. I didn’t even think twice about accepting it because while it’s significantly smaller than Eli’s other engagement ring, the sentiment behind it is so much more meaningful.

I’m not telling anyone about the ring because I don’t know when I’ll propose. Fuck knows I’d get down on one knee tomorrow, but I’m going to wait as long as she needs to be ready. I don’t care how long I have to wait, as long as she’s still here.

“Thanks for coming to help do this.” I reach over and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “I know you hate missing evenings with Coop.”

She wraps her arm around my waist and squeezes me back. “One night won’t hurt. Being here for you is just as important.”

As I start cleaning up, she tries to help, but I tell her to go home. Maybe she can get in a snuggle or two before Coop goes to bed. I can clean paint brushes and trays on my own.

I linger in the bathroom, trying to think of how I could update it. It’s a bit dated; if Eli wants to gut it and do a full renovation, I could probably handle most of the work myself. Hopefully she’ll be happy with the fresh coat of paint and having the original bed brought back in. It’s not much, but hopefully having a fresh start in the new space will be good for her.

Even with Charlie in bed with me, sleep doesn’t come. My mind keeps wandering to what Eli is doing. Who is she with? Is she thinking about me? Question after question, thought after thought plague me. I’ve sent her photos of Charlie several times a day since she’s been gone, and she replies to those while leaving any other message on read.

Instead of tossing and turning all night, I go downstairs and start cleaning to keep my mind and hands occupied. I do a deep clean of the primary bathroom, making sure to get all the medical supplies that Jasmine kept in there for Paul out. I’ll call her in the morning and see what she wants me to do with them.

The next room is the kitchen. We keep it pretty clean, but I wipe the cabinet faces off and scrub around the burners. I toss all the expired food from the fridge and pantry and then sweep and mop the floors.

When I check the clock, it’s nearly three in the morning, and I’m still wired. But instead of continuing on my cleaning spree, I grab my knitting and sit down to work on my blanket. I’m nearly finished with it and have been trying to figure out who to give it to. Maybe Coop, although it’s bigger than a baby blanket. I look across the room as I’m thinking of the possibilities, and my eyes land on a photo of Paul and Jo.

That’s when I decide to give the blanket to him. The yarn still smells like Jo, and it’s about the perfect size for a lap blanket. Even if Eli and I aren’t on good terms, I’ll make sure to visit him between Christmas and New Year’s Eve to give him the present.

Twenty-Nine

ELI

The moment I’ve dreaded for weeks is here. Dinner with my parents where I tell them the final plans for the ranch. It’s never pleasant to share a meal with them. My stomach turns as I walk into the restaurant they chose, a wave of nausea hitting me. Leave it to my parents to make me feel physically ill.

They chose their favorite little Italian restaurant near campus, even though that meant I had to take a fifty-dollar Uber. I see them sitting side by side in a booth, probably so they can both stare me down while they interrogate me. Except there won’t be a good cop, bad cop routine. It will be cold cop and aloof cop.

Dad slides out of the booth and gives me a hug with a kiss on the cheek as Mom just looks up at me. She takes in my cashmere turtleneck sweater and pencil skirt with a judgmental look on her face.

“You’re late,” she says.

“Take it up with my Uber driver.” I toss my purse down and slide in across from them. “How are you two?”

“Busy with finals.”

I nod absentmindedly while I look through the menu. Nothing sounds good. I must miss Charlie too much; my nerves are wound tighter than usual. She’s basically an emotional support animal at this point.

I settle on a Mediterranean salad with grilled salmon. Mom looks at me over her menu as she orders and hands it off to the server. I know she’s about to say something irritating.

“Now that you’re not engaged to that asshole, you can probably eat like a regular human being instead of salads all the time.”

“Cheers to that.” Dad taps his glass against hers and takes a drink.

I blink, looking back and forth between them. “I knew you weren’t his biggest fan, but I didn’t realize how strongly you disliked him.”

“He was pretentious,” Mom says firmly.

“And pompous,” Dad adds.

“That’s the same thing,” Mom and I say at the same time.

“Look at that, my girls are on the same page.”

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