Delicate Promises (Southern Bride 2)

We kept on with the penny game until it took us right by Willis Lake. The next three turns led us to a dead end.

“What do we do when we get to a dead end?” Kynslee asked in a serious voice. I wondered if she had any idea how sexy she was as she looked around, a concerned look on her face, as if she was truly worried we might have to end the game now.

With a wink and a smile, I answered, “Simple. We turn around.”

A wide grin erupted on her face, and I pushed all thoughts of Kynslee and Jack together out of my head. She was here with me now, not him, and if I had anything to say about it, she’d be with me for the rest of my life.

Miles

TWENTY-FOUR TURNS and we were in Ingram at Lake Old Ingram Park.

“What are the odds we would end up at a park!” Kynslee said, jumping out of the truck. I reached into the backseat and pulled out the blanket and basket of food I had packed up.

I followed her as she made her way to a picnic table.

“You know, we’re close to Stonehenge II,” I stated.

With a chuckle, Kynslee took the blanket. “I haven’t been there in forever. Do you want to sit on the table or in the grass?”

I glanced at the picnic table and then down toward the water.

“Let’s sit closer to the water.”

“Okay,” she said, chewing on her lower lip. Jesus, something about those teeth digging into that lip had me aching to be inside her.

While Kynslee laid out the blanket, I opened the basket and pulled out the chips and dip and fruit I had bought at the store, then pulled out two turkey sandwiches and laid it all out on the blanket.

“Hope this is okay. I made the sandwiches but bought everything else.”

With a look I couldn’t read, Kynslee said, “It’s great.”

I picked up the sandwich and handed it to her, and she took it with a short thank you. We ate our sandwiches in silence as we watched a family beginning to pack up from their day at the small lake.

Finally, one of us broke the comfortable silence we had fallen into.

“Are you settling back into life on the farm?” Kynslee asked.

“It’s weird at times, but I’m glad to be home. What about you? I’m dying to finally meet Whiskey.”

She smiled. “You can meet him when you drop me off. He’ll love meeting the man who named him after alcohol.”

I laughed.

“What made you decide to work for the CIA?” Kynslee asked.

“Honestly?”

She nodded. “Always.”

That one word made my chest tighten.

“Money, just like you said before.”

Her eyes widened. “Money?”

I took a bite of a banana. “They offered me enough to pay off the farm and get the house fixed up. Plus I was able to put some away for me for whenever I, um, moved on after the service.”

“Why did they pick you?”

Laughing, I replied, “Good question. I have no idea. My commander said it was because I was a good shot. I thought quickly on my feet, and I had no one to tie me down.”

“No one as in a girlfriend?”

I felt the pain in my chest. “Nope.”

Kynslee took a bite of her sandwich and stared over the lake. The sun was beginning to sink farther in the sky, and the orange glow bounced off the ripples, giving it a soothing, almost hypnotic feel. I had known I missed home but being back and sitting with Kynslee made me hate my father even more. It was because of him I had to leave her in the first place. I pushed all that aside and kept talking. I needed to focus on our future, not on my fucked-up past.

“They told me the large payout was a way to pull me back in. I had been planning on not reenlisting, but the money was too much to walk away from. It took care of my mom and brother and sister. Plus, it left me a nice little nest egg of my own.”

That made her head snap over at me.

“You weren’t reenlisting?”

“I didn’t have any plans to at the time. I had helped momma get out of debt and things were starting to look better on the farm. But, the amount would make life a lot easier for all of us. Sixty months and a lifetime of no worry. It was honestly a choice I couldn’t walk away from.”

“That dangerous, huh?”

“Yeah,” I said with a frown. “I think they knew that was the only way I’d agree to stay.”

She nodded slowly. “Money.”

It made me sound like a greedy dick, I knew that. But that was never my intention. I gave away more money than I ever kept for myself.

“Part of the deal for me agreeing to enlist was that no matter where I was on your birthday, I had to be able to call you.”