Unbroken Promises: a friends to lovers romance Read online

  Contents

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Part One

  chapter one

  chapter two

  chapter three

  chapter four

  chapter five

  chapter six

  chapter seven

  chapter eight

  chapter nine

  chapter ten

  chapter eleven

  chapter twelve

  chapter thirteen

  chapter fourteen

  chapter fifteen

  chapter sixteen

  chapter seventeen

  chapter eighteen

  Part Two

  chapter nineteen

  chapter twenty

  chapter twenty-one

  chapter twenty-two

  chapter twenty-three

  chapter twenty-four

  chapter twenty-five

  chapter twenty-six

  chapter twenty-seven

  chapter twenty-eight

  chapter twenty-nine

  chapter thirty

  chapter thirty-one

  chapter thirty-two

  chapter thirty-three

  chapter thirty-four

  chapter thirty-five

  chapter thirty-six

  chapter thirty-seven

  Part Three

  chapter thirty-eight

  chapter thirty-nine

  chapter forty

  chapter forty-one

  chapter forty-two

  chapter forty-three

  chapter forty-four

  chapter forty-five

  chapter forty-six

  chapter forty-seven

  chapter forty-eight

  chapter forty-nine

  chapter fifty

  chapter fifty-one

  chapter fifty-two

  Epilogue

  Excerpt From Tapping Out: A Fighting Love novel

  Other books by Nikki Ash

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Unbroken Promises

  Copyright © 2018 Nikki Ash

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for supporting writers and respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/ or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Cover design: Juliana Cabrera at Jersey Girl Design

  Cover photograph: Christopher John Photography

  Cover models: Brock Aaron, Lauren Barrett, and Taylor Taylor

  To Cindi, for being the strongest woman I’ve ever known. I am honored to call myself your daughter. Twenty-five years you LIVED with cancer, yet you never allowed it to take a single day of your life away. You may not be here anymore, but your love will always be with us.

  Prologue

  Cole

  Ten years old

  Beep.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  I hear the beeping of the machines before I even walk into the room. Beeping is a good sign, though, right? Beeping means she’s alive. I open the door all the way and immediately spot my mom lying in her bed. Her shoulders are shaking from crying. Tears are rushing down her face. When she notices I’m in the room, she looks up. I want to scream, but I hold it in. Both of her eyes are bruised, and her face looks like someone beat her up.

  “Oh, Cole, come here my precious boy.” She tries to hold her arms out for me, but they fall to her sides, so I run over to her and wrap my arms around her belly. She groans in pain, and I feel bad for hugging her too tightly. It’s just that I’m so glad she’s alive. Grandma told me on the way here that my parents were in a car accident. She said Dad died before he could get help, but Mom is still alive.

  “Mom, are you going to die too?” I ask, but she doesn’t answer.

  “Come here and sit with me. I want to tell you something,” she says, her voice sounding off. I climb onto the bed and carefully sit next to her.

  “I love you so much, Cole.”

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  “You’re so young.” More tears fall down her face, and I try to wipe them up. I hate when my mom cries.

  “I’m not young.” I shake my head. “I’m ten years old.”

  She laughs softly, but when I look at her, she’s not smiling. “I know, sweetie, but you still have so much life to live. I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you will be happy. I want you to make good friends and enjoy your life. Go to college and find out what your passion is.”

  “What’s passion?” I ask, confused.

  “It’s when you’re so excited about something, you always want to do it. Like how I love to make clothes. It’s my passion.” I don’t know a lot about what my mom does, but I know she makes clothes for older people to wear, and she sells them in the big stores.

  “I love basketball.” I play it every day—on a team and with my friends in my neighborhood.

  “Yes, you do. It might be your passion one day.” She kisses my forehead. “I want you to find that passion and hold onto it with everything you have. I want you to one day fall in love just like your daddy and I did.” Her voice cracks.

  “I miss him,” I admit.

  “I know, baby, I miss him too, and I know he misses us as well. But you know what? We might not be able to see him anymore, but he’s looking down on us from heaven.”

  “Do you think he’ll be able to watch my basketball game this weekend from heaven?”

  “I would like to think so.”

  “Then I’ll make sure to score more points for him.”

  “Oh, Cole.” My mom cries harder, and I don’t know what I said to make her even more upset. “Your father and I love you so much. You’re our entire world.” Her hand comes down to mine, and she squeezes it softly. “I want you to promise me that when you’re older and you fall in love, you’ll never let her go. Love her and marry her and spoil her rotten, just like your daddy did with me.”

  “I’m never falling in love. Girls are gross.”

  Mom laughs even though she’s still crying. “Oh yes, you will. Girls won’t always be gross. Trust me. One day you will meet a pretty girl who is going to make you laugh and smile, and she will make your heart beat faster.” Her hand comes up to my chest before it falls back down. Her eyes close and then open again. “Marry her and spend your life loving her. And one day, if the time comes and you two have a baby, I want you to remember to be the best daddy, just like your daddy was to you, okay?”

  I don’t understand why she’s saying all this, but I don’t ask her. She’s crying so hard, and I remember one day when she was really upset and I wanted to ask if I could go to my friend’s house, Dad said not to ask for anything while she’s upset. I waited until she was happy again and she said I could go. I’ll just wait until she’s happy again to ask her.

  “No
w, promise me, Cole. Promise me that you will love your life and your wife and your babies.” Babies? Does that mean I have to have more than one?

  “I promise.”

  “Good boy. Now give me a kiss.” I lean over and kiss her cheek, careful not to hurt her even more. “I love you, Cole, more than anything in this universe.”

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  “I’m going to rest for a little while. Why don’t you go find Grandma?”

  “Okay.” I scoot off the bed.

  “And Cole?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Give Grandma a big hug and kiss for me, please.”

  “Okay,” I say, climbing off the bed and running out of the room to find my grandma.

  chapter one

  Delilah

  “I don’t want to go.” My body drops onto the oversized makeshift haybed that is covered with thick winter blankets to keep the straws of hay from poking through and pricking us. My arms cross over my chest, and I let out a loud huff, well aware that I sound like a petulant child.

  “You say this every year, Delilah, and every year we tell you everything will be okay. It’s been four years, and every year you worry for nothing.” My best friend Cole plops down on the same haybed as me and pulls me into his lap. “Just go, get the news that everything is fine, and then come back so we can celebrate our eighteenth birthday and the fact that we’ve made it through our first week as high school seniors.”

  “Ugh! But I don’t want to go.” I pout, and my head falls into the crook of his neck. I inhale deeply, immediately feeling the calmness that I can only find in the arms of Cole. I don’t know what I would’ve done the last six years without him—without his positivity and comfort—and I don’t ever want to find out.

  “Well, you have to go,” another voice demands. “I have a rare twenty-four hours of no practice, and we need to do both your birthdays up right.”

  I lift my head and turn to find my other best friend, Xander, standing in the doorway of the old barn that my parents should’ve torn down years ago but never did because they know how much I love this place. Pushing myself off Cole, I stand and sprint the short distance to Xander, and without warning, I jump straight into his awaiting arms. He, of course, catches me—my legs wrapping around his waist and holding onto him like he’s my lifeline. Because he is—both he and Cole are. I feel his chest rise and fall as he chuckles over my dramatics. He may only be forty minutes away at Texas University, but it feels like he’s moved to another planet. I can’t wait until the three of us are at the same school again—only nine more months to go.

  “I missed you too, sweet girl,” he murmurs into my ear. I always smile when Xander calls me sweet girl. Anybody who knows him, knows he’s rough around the edges. While Cole is sweet and wears his heart on his sleeve for the world to see, Xander keeps his locked up tight from everyone besides Cole and me. I love that I’m privy to that small piece of Xander others don’t get to see.

  Xander drops me back down and walks over to Cole to give him one of those weird handshake-hug things guys always give when they see each other. When they’re done, they both turn around to face me while I stand against the wall, facing the two of them, in a stare down that I already know I’m going to lose. This is the life I’ve been dealt and Cole is right. Every year I go and everything is okay, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling the nervousness in the pit of my stomach over the fact that it already happened once, and it can easily happen again. As I glare at my two best friends, I remember the first time I met them. It was right here in this same building. I don’t think any of us knew it at the time, but the two of them stumbling into my barn would forever change all of our lives in so many ways.

  chapter two

  Delilah

  Six years ago

  I cuddle up with my down comforter as I lay in the haystack bed I made, looking up at the stars in the sky through one of the barn’s skylights. I watch and wait for a shooting star to appear so I can make a wish on it. It’s January in Texas and a bit chilly, but my thick blanket keeps me warm. I would rather be laying out in the grass, but I promised Mom and Dad I’d stay inside the building. I close my eyes as a wave of nausea hits and wait for it to pass. Once it does, I open my eyes to continue watching above. There are so many stars in the sky, but the only ones that matter are the ones I can make a wish on. The first night my parents found me outside behind the barn, they yelled and screamed and demanded I never run off again without telling them. I knew they weren’t really mad at me, though. They were just scared like I was, like I am. When they saw that I was crying, they stopped yelling and pulled me into their arms. They held me tight and told me how much they loved me. Then they assured me that they would be with me every step of the way, while I cried until the tears ran out. They didn’t make any promises, though, and that scared me because even in my young twelve-year-old brain, I knew if they weren’t making any promises, it must be bad.

  After I stopped crying, I asked if I could please sleep in the barn. I just needed to breathe the fresh air. It reminded me that I’m alive. I’ve always preferred the outdoors over being cooped up in our home, even if our house is one of the biggest ranches in Brenton, Texas. My mom wasn’t thrilled about it, but my dad said he would fix it up so I was safe. The next several weeks, whenever my dad wasn’t working on our cattle ranch, we spent our days turning the old barn into my very own home away from home. We rebuilt the ladder leading up to the second level and laid down new wood floors. We replaced the old skylights with new ones, and my mom helped us turn barrels of hay into a makeshift bed for me so I could lay under the stars from inside. They got me a cool mini-fridge to fill with drinks, and my mom fixed up the bathroom. My dad insisted they install a monitoring system, but I didn’t mind. I knew they were worried about my current condition and wanted to make sure they could two-way with me any time. On the nights it’s raining or is too cold, they put their foot down and make me sleep inside the house, but on the nights like tonight when the weather is perfect, I get to sleep out here.

  Feeling another bout of nausea hitting, I close my eyes again, willing it to go away. Only this time, when it doesn’t, I jump off my haybed and run to the garbage can that my mom put up here for this very reason. I reach it just in time and throw up my dinner. Knowing that once I start, it usually happens again, I don’t move from my spot. And sure enough, a few seconds later, I’m throwing up all over again.

  “Are you okay?” I hear someone call out from below. Before I can answer him, I throw up a third time, only this time I’m just dry heaving since there’s nothing left in my stomach.

  “Are you okay?” he asks again, his voice sounding closer this time. He must’ve walked up the ladder. Grabbing the wet wipes my mom keeps for me next to the garbage can, I wipe my mouth before I turn around to face him. Only when I turn around, there’s not one but two boys standing in front of me.

  “Who are you?” I demand, tilting my chin up to show I’m not scared in case they’re here to hurt me.

  “I’m Cole Andrews,” the first boy says, and I recognize his voice as the one who was asking if I was okay.

  “And I’m Xander Thompson,” the other boy adds. While I’ve never seen Cole before, I do recognize Xander. I’ve seen him at school, and I know he lives with the Carson family on their ranch along with the other foster kids they’ve taken on. The Carson’s property backs up to ours with only a wood fence to show where their property ends and ours begins.

  I reach into the fridge and grab a bottle of water. It’s important to stay hydrated so I don’t get weak. After I take a sip, I say, “I’m Delilah Cross.” I grab a piece of gum off the wooden shelf and pop it into my mouth to get the nasty taste out, then I offer them each a piece. They both take it and thank me.

  “I’ve seen you around,” Xander admits. “I was showing Cole your cows when we heard you puking. You have cancer, right?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I have cancer.”

  “Wanna help me sh
ow Cole around?” Xander asks as if I didn’t just admit to having a life threatening disease. Most kids who know I’m sick don’t want to be around me. Even though everyone knows cancer isn’t contagious, they act like it is.

  “I’m not really feeling well,” I admit.

  “We could ride one of your UTVs. I can drive.” Xander grins and his smile has me smiling as well.

  “What’s a UTV?” Cole asks.

  “You don’t know what a UTV is?” I question.

  “He’s from the city,” Xander says with a laugh.

  “It’s like a golf cart but for the ranch,” I explain. “It can drive through anything.”

  “Cool!”

  “Yeah,” Xander agrees. “So, let’s go!”

  “I don’t know if I should leave. I’m supposed to stay here.”

  “What are your parents going to do? Ground you?” Xander shrugs. “You have cancer. Nobody grounds their kid when they’re sick. C’mon, let’s go.”

  We spend the next hour riding through the fields and showing Cole a few of the nearby ranches. Xander wants to take him through the back of town, but I tell him no. My parents will definitely ground me if I’m seen on our UTV riding around. On the way back, Cole tells us how his parents died in a car accident a little over two years ago on their way to dinner for their anniversary. His grandma stepped in to take care of him, but she was old and died from a heart attack in her sleep a few months ago, and because she was the only family he had left, he had to go to foster care, which is why he’s now living at the Carson’s house with Xander.

  Xander, in turn, tells us that his dad is in prison for the rest of his life for killing someone on purpose, and that he never knew his mom because she took off right after he was born.

  Hating that they have no family, I don’t talk about mine or tell them that I have a good family. Unlike a lot of kids my age, I actually like hanging out with my parents. I love hanging out with my dad on the ranch after school and baking with my mom on the weekends. We go on a lot of trips together as a family, and my parents are always finding reasons to kiss no matter where they are or what they’re doing. It’s kind of gross but also nice. I hear a lot of stories from kids at school about how their parents fight a lot or are divorced.