Page 87 of False Promises
“He told us he saw a bear after he went to gather firewood. I hated bears. I still do. Just for the record.” Dahlia said.
“Yet you live in the mountains,” I replied, unable to hide the teasing in my voice.
“Now you’re getting off-topic,” she said, her clear laughter vibrating through me. “That night, we had convinced our parents we were old enough to sleep in our own tent. Yes, we were super brave ten-year-olds. In the middle of the night, Jeff exited the tent while we were asleep and groaned and scratched the fabric, pretending to be the bear.”
She whisper-laughed so loud that she had to stop to catch her breath.
“I started screaming, waking Carter up. I’m sure I left marks on his arm. Woke half the campground. And I refused to leave the safety of the car the next day. Jeff had to come clean because our parents were not buying the bear story, and everyone knew it was him.”
“Yes. I can’t believe we went for it.” A smile peeked through as the memories played in my head. “That’s when I told you about Jack-the-Bear hidden in his sleeping bag. To prove to you he wasn’t as brave as he claimed to be.”
“The Jack-the-Bear?” Nick asked.
“Yep. The one and only,” I said. “This stuffed animal was always hidden somewhere. Jeff refused to let anybody know about it, but we all did.”
That bear was the inspiration behind Jack’s name. Since my brother passed away before the birth of his son, Dahlia gave him the name of his most precious possession as a child. When they were adding the finishing touches to the nursery, my brother found the stuffed bear in a box full of our kid stuff my mom gave him and placed it in the crib.
“Gosh, it seems like a lifetime ago,” Dahlia said with a sigh.
I echoed the sound. “Yes. Life was so much easier back then.”
“I kinda like our lives now, though. And none of us would have this little guy in ours if we were still young and clueless and hadn’t found our way to one another,” Nick said after a long moment.
“I kinda love this boy,” Dahlia said, a smile in her voice.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “He’s quite something. I see so much of Jeff in him. But he’s also his own person. You did a good job, Dah. You should be proud. Life didn’t make it easy on you.”
“All of us can be proud, Cart. We each bring him something he needs. And he’s the luckiest child in the entire world. Since before he was born, you were there for him. Even from the opposite side of the world. You didn’t have to stick by us, but you did. And for that, I’ll forever be grateful. You’re my rock, Carter Hills.”
Dahlia stretched her arm over her head, and mine met it halfway.
I cleared my throat. “I’m glad you guys agreed to stay tonight. Jack is happy, and that’s all that matters.”
“When are you going back?” Nick asked.
In the darkness, I was thankful for the fact they couldn’t witness the gloss taking over my eyes.
“Tomorrow after breakfast, I’m flying to New York. I’ll stay there for the next month for a TV gig.” I swallowed the lump growing and blocking my airways.
Dahlia’s breathing hitched. I knew what she wanted to ask but didn’t dare to.
“Say it, Dah.”
She angled her face in my direction. “Do you wanna talk about it? What happened that made you break down?”
“Not yet. I need a little time to clear my head first.”
“We’re here when you’re ready.”
Why were just her words powerful enough to soothe the panic surging inside me? It pushed some of my queasiness down.
“Let’s merely say I uncovered a side of Savannah that freaks me out, and I have no clue if I should stick around and help her through this. Or if she’s been playing me all along and she’s nothing short of crazy.”
Thinking about Savannah got me restless. Our entire relationship replayed in my head as I tried to pinpoint all the signs I missed. And tried to convince myself her behavior lately was some sort of short-lived mental breakdown. One-time occurrence.
A voice in me echoed it wasn’t. That her true nature had been revealed fully for the very first time. Without knowing it, all along, I had been sharing my life with the human version of Lucifer.
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