Page 113 of Everlasting Promises

HOPE

Happiness fillsevery cell in my body, and I feel like I’ve been floating on clouds ever since seeing the two pink lines on the white stick this morning. I’ve been smiling so much my cheeks hurt. Deep down, I know Ben will be as thrilled as I am about having a baby, but there’s a minuscule niggle in the back of my mind that maybe it isn’t such a good idea.

We haven’t been together all that long. Is this too soon? His job is dangerous, and what if something happens to him? What would I do? I don’t think I could bring another child into the world and have them lose their father like Evan has. I understand the devastation that would cause and know it wouldn’t be fair to put another child through it.

I twist my rings around my finger, something I’ve been doing more often. I slide them along my finger to the tip, then push them back down. Rubbing the small diamond of my engagement ring, I sink to my butt on the edge of my bed. I drag both rings off my finger and study them. My heart stutters for a moment, then beats like a drum.

I never thought I’d take them off.

Tears well and slip over my lashes, and I let them fall. I held onto my promise to love only one man for the rest of my life, but it’s time to put the past where it belongs. Behind me. “You’ll always be my first love,” I murmur as I close my fist around the precious jewelry. “But Ben will be my last.”

Climbing to my feet, I dig around in my drawer for the box where I keep Wyatt’s dog tags and place the rings inside. Then I snap the lid closed and tuck it safely away, wiping away my tears. I blow out a long breath and push back my shoulders, feeling a weight lifted. A small smile touches my lips as I walk out of my bedroom.

My phone buzzeson the coffee table, and Evan’s smiling face lights up the screen. Placing my book down, I grab my phone to answer.

“Hey, Mom. Ben and Rex are on the news. Turn to A2Z News. That’s what Pop has on the TV.”

“Uh, okay.” I grab the remote and turn on the television, navigating to Wyatt’s dad’s favorite news station.

The news anchor wears a serious expression, instantly telling me it’s not a feel-good news story. “Can you tell us what’s happening on the ground, Paul?” she asks the reporter, taking up the other half of the screen.

My blood pounds in my ears as the reporter’s image fills the entire screen. Police cars, cruisers, and SUVs are haphazardly parked everywhere in the background, and police officers are crouched low behind their vehicles. As the camera pans the area, I spot Ben and Rex off to the side and my heart hammers likea maniac in my chest. My breaths grow shallow and my vision narrows to him.

Onlyhim.

God. I instinctively place my hand over my stomach.

“A woman called authorities this afternoon, telling the operator her husband had been beating her and she was bleeding from several wounds. She said he’d gone out, so an ambulance was dispatched to the property. When paramedics arrived at the scene, it’s alleged the husband returned and fired shots, killing?—”

Gunshots ring out, and the reporter ducks with a wince, trying to remain professional in a terrifying situation. A scream—myscream—shatters the air, and my phone clatters to the floor. My knees give out, and I drop to the couch.

No. No. No.This can’t be happening.

“Mom!” Evan’s voice sounds far away, but I gather my wits, reaching down to search for the device on the floor without taking my eyes from the television screen.

“Evan,” I almost screech, then quickly calm myself. “Can you go ask Grandma what time I should come over tomorrow, please, and pass your phone to Pop? I need to talk to him for a sec.”

What is Graeme thinking, letting Evan watch this? What if something happens?

“Uh, sure. But it’s probably the usual time.”

I force a smile into my voice as I watch officers storm toward the dilapidated house and use a heavy-looking cylinder thing to bash the door. “Thanks, big guy.”

“Hey, are you watching the news?” Graeme asks, excitement in his voice.

“Yeah. But why would you let Evan watch that? What if something happens? We both know they’ll show anything on thenews for shock value, and I don’t want him to see stuff like that,” I rush to say.

“Ah,” he growls. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” More shots ring out, and I snap my hand up to cover my mouth, trapping another scream. Oh, my god! Tears moisten my hand, and I jump to my feet to pace. “I-I’ll turn it off.”

Silence rings loud on the other end of the phone, and a relieved sigh puffs over my lips while my eyes stay glued to the screen in front of me.

“Shots are being fired as the police break through the front door of the house, Alison,” the reporter announces.

The image on the television changes to aerial footage of the property, and I scan it, frantically looking for Ben and Rex.

“A man has escaped out the rear of the property,” the reporter announces with excitement.

More gunshots are fired, and the drone zooms in on the man as he runs through his backyard and jumps the fence into the park next door.

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