Page 14 of Everything I Promise

Mrs. Smith places her hand on mine.

“Oh honey that is just perfect. You can sign me up to be customer number one. I can’t wait until we don’t have to drive an hour just to visit arealsalon.” She pulls her hand back to ring up my items and place them in a bag.

“Well, we will be a full service salon, and you will be my first call when I have an opening day!” I promise and gather my bags. I can already hear her gossiping on the phone with someone about the salon before I’m even out the door. Free advertising and all I had to do was grocery shop.

Mom and Oliver are already home when I get there. He runs out to greet me and even in the short time we have been here I can already tell he is so much happier to be surrounded by people who love him. He’s even made some friends at school, and he never had friends in Portland.

As much as this feeling of failure sucks, I know in my heart it is the right decision.

Chapter Six

Colton

For the first time in a long time I am excited to get my day started. I am going to lunch with Oliver and Lacey before we go shopping at Home Depot in the city. I love the hardware store in town, but sometimes they don’t have what I need, or it is a lot more expensive. Since we need so much stuff, I figure a trip to the big store would be best cost wise for Lacey.

I am sitting outside with Duke throwing the ball while drinking my coffee and finalizing the list of things we need. I get another text from Lacey, who has texted me no less than fifty times to make sure I want to spend my Saturday with her and Oliver.

Lacey:Hi, just checking to make sure nothing else came up that you would rather do today.

Me:Lacey, there is nothing else I would rather do than get lunch, and shop for remodeling items with you and Oliver. I love spending time with the both of you. Please stop feeling like you’re forcing me. I promise you aren’t.

Lacey:Right. Okay. Sorry.

It absolutely kills me to know that her ex husband is the root of this. He made her and Oliver feel like they weren’t worth spending time with. And from what she says even if he did ‘feel guilted’ into spending time with them, he made the day miserable for everyone. I can’t imagine not wanting to spend all my time with them, or willingly giving them up. As shitty as my father is, he never chose to get rid of us.

I can’t even begin to fathom a world where someone wouldn’t count themselves the luckiest man alive to have Lacey’s love and affection. She is smart, sexy, funny, and the best mom. I would love to get that chance to be her man. Over the months of getting to know her, she is everything I’ve ever wanted. Right one, wrong time, maybe. But the other day when she agreed to let me show her what she deserves, left me with some hope.

“Hey, you want to come with Scarlett and I to the diner for some breakfast?” Preston asks pulling me from my thoughts and making me feel guilty for thinking about Scarlett’s sister.

“Can’t. I am meeting Lacey and Oliver soon so we can go to lunch and Home Depot,” I say as I try to sound nonchalant aboutit, instead of letting him know how excited I really am. This will be the first day I have Lacey and Oliver all to myself.

He gives me another disapproving look, “Colton, I thought you said you were staying away from her.” Actually I never said that. He did, well he implied it. I agreed to give her the time she needs.

“I’m not doing anything wrong. She asked me to renovate the space she bought for her salon and the apartment above it. Speaking of, while I’m doing the renovations I will be moving into the apartment in exchange for my labor so I will be out of your hair shortly.” I sit at the kitchen island, rubbing my hands over the smooth butcher block surface.

Hopefully Preston will take this change in topic and leave me alone about Lacey. I know I am going to get hurt, but I can’t stay away. Not when she looks at me like she did the other day in the apartment.

“What? You’re really moving out? I thought you were just saying that so you could see how we felt about having you here. You know, like a test of some sort.” Scarlett pouts at me.

“No. It was real. Listen, you two just got engaged. Like I said, you need the house to yourselves to start your lives together. And I’m just the depressed brother going through a nasty divorce and ruining your happy moments together. It’s not like I’m going back to Massachusetts, I’ll be right down the road. Duke can even come visit. Maybe if Lace will let me I can get my own buddy and Duke can have a friend.” At the sound of his name Duke comes galloping over to me with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth to get some love.

Preston again expresses his concern for me moving out and my proximity to Lacey. I can’t tell if he is worried I will push her for something she isn’t ready for, or I’ll wait around and she’ll be ready but for someone else and have my own heart crushed.Because that would happen. My heart is fully invested in her, even with Oliver. I love getting to hang out with that little guy.

I get my shoes on and walk over to give Duke some love before I leave. He leans into my hand to get his ears scratched and licks me as if to say thanks. Before I head out I shoot a text over to Lacey to let her know I’m on my way over to Lorelei’s to get them.

Me:On my way in just a minute. See you soon. I’m excited for lunch and shopping at my favorite store.

Lacey:Of course Home Depot is your favorite store.

I can hear her sarcasm in that last text. I like knowing that I’ve made her laugh at a stupid joke. I want to be the man that fixes everything for her and I need to reign myself in before I come on too strong and scare her.

When I pull up to Lorelei’s house, Lacey and Oliver are playing outside while they wait. She is chasing him around the yard and he has the biggest smile on his face. I can hear his laughter coming in through the open windows of my truck. I barely get my door open when Oliver spots me.

“Colton!” Oliver immediately runs over, slamming into my legs for a tight hug.

“Hey buddy, how is it going?” I pick him up and return the hug.

“We’re going to lunch with you! Then Mom says I can pick out some stuff for our new house! I’m going to pick green for myroom. And Mom says I can get some dinosaur stuff for my new room!”

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