Page 5 of Promised Summer
Instead, I nodded. None of it mattered anymore. It stung to be betrayed in such a way, but after a week apart, I realized this was for the best. If Deke hadn’tcheated, we would have stayed together, neither of us truly happy, and only going through the motions.
In a way, Deke did me a favor.
“Thank you,” I replied, feeling the knot in my chest loosen. I didn’t know if love would ever be in the cards for me, but I’d be okay. I had an amazing family, the best of friends, and looking around the cabin I’d put my heart into building, I knew I’d find peace in this place once again.
“I hope you find happiness, too,” I said, genuinely meaning it. He wasn’t the bad guy, nor was I the good one. We were just two people, both flawed in our own ways, as we try to wade through life.
Deke smiled shyly and whispered a soft ‘thanks’ before heading to his car. He turned his head to glance at me one last time, his tears dry as he sent a last, more genuine smile my way before getting into his vehicle and driving off.
I waved goodbye.
Contrary to what my friends believed, Deke wasn’t a horrible person. He had his faults—more than a handful, if I was being completely honest—but at the core of it all, he wasn’t bad. He had given me what I needed at the time, and for that, I was grateful.
Now, it was time to move on and figure out the new normal for my life. Hopefully, this time, it was something I could truly be happy with.
I turned toward my cabin and saw potential. I could expand the porch, maybe turn it into a wraparound,similar to what my brother did to his cabin. I could install a hot tub in the back to enjoy nice soaks with a cold, refreshing beer under the starry night sky.
The thought brought a smile to my face. Yeah, I’d be all right.
But there was one important thing I needed to do first.
I sent a text to my friends requesting backup. They all replied almost immediately to let me know they were on their way.
First step to my new life: Get rid of my bed.
Chapter Four
JONES
Almost as soon as Deke left my life for good, my family descended upon me like a force to be reckoned with. Mama came over every night for the next week, Papa following behind her, happy to help in any way he could.
During this time, Mama had taken over my kitchen, cooking up a storm. There was enough food for all my friends and extended family to take home after an afternoon of helping me with the renovations around the house.
I couldn’t forget about the endless supply of sweet tea, either.
“It wasn’t good sweet tea unless it was sugary enough to have your teeth knockin’” my mama would say, and maybe she was right. All the sugar certainly kept me happy and energized while making my new bed.
My friends came over every day after work to help me get the renovations done quickly. My brother led the others in making the porch, while Ryker helped me build a new bed. I’d been sleeping on the pull-out couch since donating my old one, so I was very eager to have a real bed again. I’d also used this chance to order an extra bed and turn what was once Deke’s closet back into a proper guest room.
Ryker had learned a thing or two from Sam’s gramps about woodworking. I’d say he was almost as good at working with wood as I was, though I had to admit he had me beat on wood carving.
It only took us a couple days to finish the base of the bed, another day for the slats and headboard, which took longer than expected since Ryker insisted on showing off his carving skills.
I couldn’t blame him. I would be boasting too if I could create literal works of art on pieces of wood. Ryker had carved intricate vines onto the headboard and all along the sides of the bed. It looked like something straight out of a fantasy world, like the bed was carved directly out of a living tree.
“It’s fucking beautiful,” I whispered. It felt like talking any louder was illegal in front of such a masterpiece.
Ryker chuckled, chest puffing out with pride. The others gathered around to admire his handiwork, too. Sam immediately snuggled into hisfiancé’s side and dusted off the stray wood chips that had somehow gotten into his hair.
There was so much love in that simple action that I had to look away. I once dreamt about a romance like that. A partner I loved by my side, caring for each other, and spending our days with so much laughter and happiness.
The problem was, when I closed my eyes and imagined the person by my side, a single face always came to mind. Sparkling blue eyes, a strong nose, and a deep Cupid’s bow on the most kissable fucking lips I’d ever seen.
Too bad this man only lived on in my dreams. It’d been a decade since I’d been ghosted by Ryan, and I hated how I still couldn’t forget about him. Every time I looked at the sky, it reminded me of his fucking mesmerizing eyes. The old trails behind my house brought back memories of our youth, and the sunset called up the childish promise that we’d whispered under it.
“Jones is going to christen that bed so good,” Dan said with a laugh. Clay quirked his lips in amusement, clearly agreeing with his stepbrother.
The statement shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. Before Deke and I dated, I was the playboy. The one who never settled down, and there wasn’t anything shameful about that. Hell, it was the norm in our group before Ryker got engaged. And even now, Dan dated around like his goal was to sleep with every single person in town.
