Page 5 of Broken Promises

“What do you want to watch tonight?” he asked me. His brown hair sat wildly around his face, matching his soft blue eyes. I would never get enough of the way he looked at me. I smiled.

“You know there’s only one movie playing, right?” I asked him. “And it’s a chick flick, which I doubt you’d want to watch anyway.”

“If you want to watch a later movie…we can grab some dinner beforehand. But I’ll watch whatever you want to watch,” he assured me, drawing me in closer. His other hand rested on my hip.

“Even a chick flick?”

“Even a chick flick,” he confirmed.

“Why?”

“Because I love you, Luce.” The words caught me off guard entirely. I stared at him, my mouth gaping open just a little bit. We’d only been dating for six months—I didn’t expect him to say the words so soon. Yet, I was entirely certain I felt the same way.

“I love you, too.”

“We’re almost here.” Ed’s voice snapped me out of my memory. He flicked on the

sirens of the police cruiser. The sudden noise made me flinch in my seat, my eyes bugging from my head.

“What are you doing?” I shrieked, looking around frantically. “Is there a crime in progress?”

“Nope, just giving you a welcome home.” Ed grinned. “As I said I would.”

“Oh my God, turn those off, please!” I yelled over the sirens. My cheeks burned in embarrassment as the bystanders started looking around, thinking something was happening.

“No can do. Not until we turn into the driveway,” he chuckled. “I promised your mom I would use the sirens, and you know I’ve got to keep my promise to Eve.”

I shrank in my seat, praying for the earth to open up and swallow me whole. This wasnothow I wanted to arrive in town—this much attention could never be a good thing, especially when one has just made a return to their hometown.

As the cop car pulled into the driveway, I caught sight of my childhood home. It was just as I remembered it—a beautiful wrap-around porch adorned with peonies of every color. Mom had always had a knack for gardening, which made sense since she ran the town’s famous floral shop. A sense of comfort washed over me as I hopped out of the

car, eager to escape the incessant sirens. Ed turned off the sirens and opened his door,

joining me on the lawn. Mom appeared at the front porch, arms open wide in

excitement. Everyone always said we lookedjustthe same. The same black hair, the same emerald, green eyes. Her face had two extra decades’ worth of wrinkles compared to mine.

“Luce!” she exclaimed, engulfing me in a warm hug. She didn’t release me for a few seconds until I finally managed to squirm away. “I’ve missed you, sweet girl.”

“I missed you too, Mom,” I admitted. Behind us, Ed had already retrieved my suitcases, plopping them on the front porch.

“Let’s go inside and catch up. Ed, would you like some of my lavender iced tea? I just brewed a fresh batch,” my mom said. A wide smile spread across his lips.

“You know I can’t say no to your tea, but only if I’m not interrupting anything…” Ed hesitated. My mom waved her hand at him.

“Oh, nonsense. You’re not interrupting anything at all.”

We walked up the front steps together, our arms intertwined. As we approached the

front door, I reached out to open it. As soon as I stepped inside, a chorus of “Surprise!”

echoed from all directions. My eyes widened as I took in the scene before me. Familiar

faces filled the room—even my Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Penny, was there. Confused, I

turned to my mom for an explanation.

“What’s going on?” I asked but forced myself to put a smile on, nonetheless. This was precisely what I didn’t want. I came here for peace and quiet—to recharge and sort out my head. I wanted to spend some time with my mom and wander around the town, and my trip was already off to an unexpected start.

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