Page 24 of Broken Promises

MOM: Oh my God

MOM: Is she okay?

LOGAN: obviously not mom

LOGAN: unfortunately for her…and more fortunately for Luke Puke

MOM: Don’t call your brother that

I rolled my eyes, unwilling to engage in any more of their nonsense once it was my turn to pay for the gas. I also grabbed one of Lucy’s favorite chocolate bars. It was peanut-flavored. Or, at least, itwasher favorite a decade ago. Back then, she claimed peanuts were the superior nuts. I hoped her stance remained.

As I hopped back into my truck, I handed over the chocolate bar to her. Instantly, she smiled. “You remembered…”

“Of course. A guy can never forget multiple lectures about peanuts by his first love…”

She laughed loudly, opening up the packaging and taking a bite. Lucy offered me one, too, but I shook my head as I started the car. While peanuts earned some points for being her favorite, I still wasn’t willing to eat them.

The rest of the ride was silent until we arrived at her mom’s home. A few cars were already in the driveway. She turned toward me with a confused look.

“I called in reinforcements to help,” I explained. “I hope that’s okay.”

She launched herself at me, encasing me in a hug. I didn’t waste any time pulling her in close. Her scent snuck into my nostrils, and I closed my eyes briefly. I was almost able to pretend she was still mine.

As unfortunate as Eve’s fall was, though, one good thing came out of it. Lucy would stay here longer, which meant I also had a chance to win her back. I wouldn’t mess it up this time because this was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my lifewith. And I refused to let a single day pass without me proving it to her.

“Thank you, Luke,” she said into my neck.

“Anything for you, Luce.”

A sharp rap sounded on my window, and then Logan’s annoying face interrupted our moment. “Are you two going to spend all day in there, or are you going to come help?”

I pulled back, and Lucy’s cheeks reddened as she smiled at me. “We should probably go before Logan tries to jump on the truck.”

Landon was working, so he wasn’t here, but my parents and my annoying brother came along to help. Lucy’s face lit up the moment she exited the truck, and she dashed toward them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Everett! It’s so nice to see you again!” she beamed, and both my parents pulled her into a hug. It was like staring into my past all over again. So many times, they told me Lucy was the daughter they never had. They were heartbroken when we broke up and even more hurt when Lucy just vanished, even if they understood the reasoning behind it.

“Sweetie, how many times have we told you that you can call us by our first names?” my mom said. “And we were so sorry to hear about your mother.”

“Sorry, old habits die hard,” Lucy apologized. Logan stood by me, elbowing me suggestively. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Linda, Levi, how have you been? And thank you so much for coming here today. It means more than you can imagine.”

“Of course, darling,” my mom continued, “we’re good now that we’re both retired. Although, if Levi doesn’t find a hobby soon, I may send him back to work.”

Lucy let out a belly laugh. “I’m so happy for you two. You deserve all the rest now that you’re retired. You’ve worked so hard for so long.”

“Alright, enough chit-chat!” I slapped my hands together. My mom tended to talk…a lot, and my dad had an even worse habit of not interrupting her. If I didn’t end this, it could drag long into the night. “Time to get things done.”

lucy

. . .

I stayed behindas Luke’s family entered my mom’s home, giving him a nervous glance.

“Do you think they still like me?” I asked silently. I did disappear without a word at the point when they were practically my second family. My mom told me they kept asking about me all the time, but I didn’t have the strength to connect with anyone in this town back then.

“Luce, what are you talking about?” Luke said, arching his brow. “They’ve known you for years.”

“They’ve known me a decade ago. But since then…” I trailed off. “Also, I was your girlfriend back then. And now I’m not anymore.”

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