Page 7 of Promised Summer
“What’s your name?” I asked, thinking that talking to her might make her more comfortable. She didn’t answer, but her head was tilted up, eyes locked on me. I’d heard her whisper ‘Daddy’ earlier, so I knew she could talk. I wondered if she was still feeling shy, or maybe she was just a quiet kid. Even her earlier sobs were pretty soundless. I wouldn’t have known she was there if I hadn’t walked right up to her.
“I’m Jones,” I said gently. She still didn’t reply, but her nod told me she was listening. I kept talking while we walked, thinking it might make her more comfortable. “I’ll make sure you find your daddy, okay? We’re almost at the main trail. It’s just right over there.”
Just as I finished my words, a frantic shout came from up ahead of us. “Karla! Where are you? Karla!”
The girl tugged at my hand, and I assumed it was her daddy. He was such an irresponsible father, but he had a damnfinevoice.
Even filled with panic and worry, his voice tickled my earpleasantly.
No, Jones! This was not the time to be thinking with my dick! Not when there was still reuniting to be done.
“Slow down, Karla,” I warned when she almost tripped over a protruding tree root. Thankfully, I was able to keep her upright.
The man was still calling out for his daughter, sounding more desperate as the seconds went by. “We’re over here! Karla’s fine!” I called back.
The shouting stopped, but rustling could be heard. I assumed he was making his way over here, and a minute later, I was proven right when a tall man broke through the foliage. He had short brown hair, which was currently flying every which way. But it wasn’t the absolute mess of a sight he made that had me staring. It was his blue eyes. The same ones that’d haunted me for far too long. Ones I’d yearned over for most of my life, so much so they’d been seared in my mind. And now they were right in front of me. It also meant this terribly handsome, horrible man was the one I couldn’t forget.
The boy who made me realize my sexuality, the teen who took my first kiss, and the man who’d ghosted me like I meant nothing to him.
Ryan Edgson.
Chapter Five
RYAN
“Karla! I was so worried about you,” I cried, pulling my little girl into my arms. She cried too, her sobs quiet and her voice soft as she kept calling out “Daddy, Daddy.”
I was happy to hear her voice again after so long, but I hated it was like this. I never wanted her to be scared or sad again.
“I’m sorry I didn’t keep a better eye on you, baby.” I held her tightly to reassure myself that she was safe and sound. The terror I felt when I realized she’d disappeared was something I never wanted to experience again. I’d turned my head for one second to get her some water from my backpack, and when I turned back, she was gone.
I had to be the world’s worst father for losing their kid on a mountain—well, this was technically a hill, but that wasn’t the point! What if a wolf had gotten to her? There hadn’t been any large wild animals on these trailswhen I was a kid, but who knew if that’s changed since? Or what if there were human traffickers hiding out in the woods, waiting for their next victim?
I thought the fresh air would do us both some good after being cooped up in the car on the long drive here. Besides, I’d always been safe on these trails as a kid. Who knew she’d disappear in the split second I took my eyes off her?
All sorts of terrible thoughts ran through my head while I frantically looked for her, and they kept getting worse with each passing second and her nowhere in sight.
I was a terrible father, but Karla didn’t blame me like she should have. My sweet little angel held on tighter, her tears creating a wet spot on my chest. I ran soothing circles on her back in comfort.
She hiccupped when she’d cried it all out of her. Her tears dried up almost instantly, like she hadn’t just been sobbing in my arms. I smoothed back her hair. Strands of black came loose from the braids Mom did for her this morning.
“You can’t leave Daddy’s side like that again, okay?” I gently reprimanded her. I should have kept a better eye on her, but she also needed to know she couldn’t wander off like this again.
Karla nodded. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, then picked her up and stood to face the stranger who took care of Karla until we reunited.
“Thank you so much for helping me find her. Let me?—”
The rest of my words trailed off when I saw the person who stood in front of me. It felt like there was sand in my throat, causing me to rasp as I choked out, “Jones.”
“So you didn’t forget about me.” He crossed his arms. The smirk on his face looked more sarcastic than anything else, and the look in his eyes as he watched scorched me right where I stood. He’d probably watch me burn if he could.
And I would’ve deserved it.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered the words that had bubbled in my throat for the last decade. But when the words came out, they didn’t feel like nearly enough.
Jones must have thought so, too. He snorted, arms still crossed, and fists balled tightly. Even with how royally pissed he looked right now, he still did something funny to my chest. It was the same confusing feeling that’d happen every time I was around him during our last summers together…the summers we’d promised each other until I broke the promise.
He’d grown out his beard. Tight rings of curls covered half of his face, but that couldn’t hide his looks. He was still as handsome as I remembered, too. Deep-set eyes focused on me, even if they were full of anger right now. I could still recall when his dark eyes fell on me with longing just moments before he kissed me…
