Page 44 of Keep This Promise
“Yes, just a little accident.”
She smiles down at Eden. “You know, I have some ice cream in the back where all the boys are. Would you like to go get some?”
Eden’s eyes brighten instantly. “Can we?”
Blakely extends her hand to her. “Come on. Let’s go annoy the men.”
My daughter doesn’t even look back as she runs off with Blake. All her life, she’s been in a very small circle—me, Theo, Martin, and a few friends. She had some friends at school, but we never had them over, and she never went to their houses either.
We just never quite fit in, which never bothered me since I didn’t like half the people I knew anyway. They were so dodgy and boring. I didn’t want to go shopping for nonsense or drink at noon and complain about my husband. I loved Theo.
Seeing her circle widen makes me hope for a different life now.
One sort of like what I see here. Friends having dinner on a random Thursday and telling funny stories.
“Hey, everything okay?” Holden asks as he enters the kitchen.
“Everything is great.”
He glances over at Eden. “Did she spill something? I see she changed.”
I blink, surprised he noticed. “She had an accident. It’s been happening more often since we got here, so I had a change of clothes with me.”
“Has she always done it?”
“Just a few times she wet the bed at night, but nothing more than normal kid stuff.”
Holden smiles softly. “I’m sure this is an adjustment period for her. The time change, new people, the loss of her father . . .”
“We’ll get through it, right?”
He takes my hand and squeezes it. “We will.”
Before I can even open my mouth, he releases me, but I swear I can still feel his warmth against my skin.
Holden clears his throat. “You ready to head home?”
Home, what a novel word.
“Ready when you are.”
“Perfect, let’s head back home, I have a long day at the hospital tomorrow.”
We find Eden on the back porch, eating ice cream with Blake and Emmett. Spencer and Brielle are curled up on the couch, holding hands and having a conversation without words. It’s so intimate that I have to look away.
Once Eden finishes her treat, we return to the house. I give Eden a bath, get her tucked in, and walk quietly to my room. It’s then that I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at the letter Jackson dropped off weeks ago.
I want to read it, but I am afraid of whatever is inside.
There’s a knock at my door, and I shove the letter under my pillow before I softly call out, “Yes?”
Holden opens the door. “Did she get to sleep okay?”
I nod. “She was tired after tonight.”
“My friends adore her.”
“They are really wonderful with her. Everyone has been.”
