Page 2 of Every Broken Promise
I didn’t realize how nervous I had been to make the call. My hand shook as I listened to the voice on the other end of the line.
“Hello?” they spoke again, this time grumpier than before, and I shook my head because that deep, growly voice was not the one I was avoiding.
Maybe life was not being a bitch to me just yet.
“EZ,” I said with relief as I spoke to the eldest of the Kane brothers. “My car broke down.”
There was a slight pause on the other end of the line.
“Who’s this?” he barked.
If it were anyone else, I would have been offended, but Ezekiel Kane was not the friendliest of guys. Even back in high school, he began to distance himself from our friendship.
Whatever.
“Never mind that,” I said. “I need a tow back into town.”
Now, this was more EZ’s speed. He didn’t like to talk more than necessary, and if he didn’t tell his dickhead brother I was back, it would be a bonus.
I pulled the visor mirror so I could fix my hair. After six hours in my car, it wasn’t doing me any favors.Once that was done, I looked at myself. If you were to put the girl who lived here with the one returning, it would seem like two different people.
I guess that’s why no one cared that my best friend was a guy. When I lived here, I looked like a tomboy. My circle of friends was small, and the girls didn’t like me much, not because they were jealous of me—none of them would think I could pull a guy likehim. When your best friend was one of the hottest guys in town, it came at a price.
Being one of the guys was never a compliment.
Lucky for me, one of the girls I had roomed with in college was getting her cosmetology license, and I was all too happy to be her guinea pig. My light brown hair was brighter and had more dimension. My hazel eyes now popped thanks to the black mascara rimming my eyes. I found more confidence in myself in leaving my small corner of the world. Crazy how a supportive group of girls could lift you up. I had only experienced them cutting me down.
When I saw the tow truck pass, I immediately sat up straighter. I waited for them to park behind me and then got off. I went around to the passenger side and leaned against my car.
“It’s about damn time, EZ!” I yelled as he opened the door and got out.
Except the person who got out the truck wasn’t Ezekiel Kane. He moved toward me without looking up from his phone.
Please let it be Adam.
Unlike EZ, he was mouthy and would go running to his little brother in a heartbeat, but it would beat having him here.
I don’t know who I was praying for, but with the unease in my stomach and the way my nerves seemed to go haywire, I knew it wasn’t Adam either.
Fuck.
I immediately stood straighter as if I were ready for battle.
Tyler Kane was walking toward me. It had been four years and three months, give or take, since I last saw him.
Like me, he didn’t look like the boy I remembered.
He got taller in the years since we had last seen each other. Although he wasn’t as muscular as his older brother, I could see he had filled out. The long-sleeve crewneck fit him to perfection. His dark hair lacked the spikiness he preferred in high school, and now it was more of a tussled mess.He still had his gauges in, but they looked smaller than how he used to rock them.
It was totally unfair that he looked even better than I remembered.
He put the phone away and slowly made his way up my body. I fought the urge to shift under his gaze. I wore leggings, a cropped cream top, and an oversized cardigan. He raised a brow when he got to my midriff, and I felt my cheeks get hotter. He had been staring at my hip piercings. I instantly crossed my arms, blocking his view. I saw his lip twitch, and then he made his way up my cleavage and, lastly, toward my face.
For all the changes that I made, it took him about five seconds to recognize me.
“Astrid.”He breathed my name like it sounded foreign on his lips.I wondered if the betrayal had hurt him an ounce of what it had hurt me.
Tyler Kane used to be my best friend, that’s until he broke the number one rule and he didn’t have my back. That was not the only thing Tyler broke, but if I kept count of every broken promise, we’d be here for a long time, and I just wanted to get home.
