Promises (New Beginnings Book 2) (2 page)

Two

Elijah couldn't remember the last time he was so excited about anything. He'd been flipping houses for years. He started doing it with his old friend Jake, but Jake was no longer in the picture.

There's something about making an old house beautiful again that fed a deep need in Elijah. But then, each house had to be sold, and it felt like something was taken away from him. This house was his.

He knew Maggie thought he was crazy, and he'd hear it from her eventually. She could never keep her opinions inside for long. He sank a lot of his savings into the house, and there'd be a lot more needed for materials and for the jobs he couldn't do himself - like plumbing or electrical issues. On top of that, it meant he couldn't take on a flip this summer. But he could do it. A buddy of his with a construction company was throwing him a bunch of work over the next few months, so that should tide him over.

As Elijah stood in the entryway of his new home and looked back, he couldn't help but see what the place could be.

"You coming?" Maggie called from the back of the house. He strode across his soon-to-be-living-room and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

Home. It was something Elijah was lucky enough to grow up with. No one could enter his mom's house without feeling like they belonged there. But that was in Boston. In New York, he had yet to find it. He lived just outside the city, but he was only there because of Maggie.

At first, he had followed her from Boston after her life there blew up. She’d needed someone. Then he stayed because he just couldn't leave her.

"You're quiet." Maggie smirked sideways at him as she pulled into the street.

"Just thinking," he responded.

"About?"

"You think I'm nuts, don't you?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted. "But that's not really a bad thing. I get it. I understand why you're doing it."

"It's a bigger project than I usually take on."

"And? It'll be fine."

"Thanks." He meant it. Maggie's support meant more than anything else. She glanced sideways at him again and smiled her patented Maggie smile that made him feel like nothing else mattered.

Damn, this woman's strength always astounded him. Between her parents, her marriage, and everything else she’d been through, no one would blame her if she were a wreck. But no, instead she took on everyone else's problems as well and was there for them.

Jason and Michaela were waiting for them outside the diner. Jason was Maggie's cousin, but they were more like brother and sister. They were the only family either of them liked to claim, and with good reason.

Maggie parked the car and they got out.

"Hey guys," Jason said, draping an arm over Maggie's shoulders.

"Glad you could join us." There was sarcasm in Michaela's voice but a smile on her lips.

"Sorry we're late." Maggie shrugged and then pointed a finger at Elijah. "Blame him."

Elijah just shrugged. It was his fault, after all.

They walked in and made their way to an empty booth. Michaela and Maggie were already talking a mile a minute, so Elijah just leaned back and watched as he always did. Jason flagged down a waitress and got their menus.

After a few minutes, the waitress returned.

"What can I get you?" she asked.

Michaela and Jason went first and then the waitress turned to Maggie.

"First," Maggie started. "We'll both have coffee." She waggled a finger between her and Elijah. "He'll have the ham and cheese omelet."

"I can order for myself," Elijah interrupted her.

Maggie stared at him and smirked. "Well, am I wrong?"

"No," he said, breaking eye contact with her. "I'll have the damn omelet."

"That's what I thought," she turned away from him and handed the menus to the waitress. "I'll have the eggs benedict and fruit."

Elijah secretly loved that Maggie knew him so well. He also knew everything there was to know about her. They had no secrets. He looked up to find Michaela staring at him curiously. Her eyes darted back and forth between him and Maggie, and a small smile came to her lips. He raised an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything.

"Chris is coming to town tonight," Jason said once they had all started eating.

"So, we all going to Jason's?" Maggie asked.

"Well, I won't be anywhere else." Jason smiled through a mouthful of food.

Maggie threw a grape at him and he caught it out of the air before popping it into his mouth.

"Ass," Maggie said.

###

Jason's was busy by the time they got there later that night. Elijah lived right around the corner from Maggie, so she thought it just made sense that they went everywhere together. They were usually going to the same place anyway.

They found Michaela and Chris sitting at the bar, while Jason poured them drinks.

"Hey, man!" Elijah clapped Chris on the shoulder, and Maggie moved to hug him.

"It's good to see you," Chris said, releasing her.

Jason set a beer in front of Maggie, and she thanked him. It would be her only one that night. In fact, she never had more than one. Her father was a drunk, and she saw first-hand what that did to a person.

"How's everything?" Maggie asked Chris.

"Oh, you know, okay I guess," he answered, dropping his shoulders and sighing. "It'll be better once I'm back in the city."

"When will that be?"

"Very soon, I think. Our new offices are almost ready."

Chris had moved home to Connecticut after his father and Michaela were in a car accident. Michaela didn't have any long-term problems, but their dad was a different story. He’d lost a lot of his memories, and was a little slower than before. Chris ended up taking over the family law practice. Before the accident, they’d planned on opening an office in the city, but that had been put on hold.

"Seeing anyone?" Maggie asked.

Chris blushed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Chris Matthews, you sly dog."

"What about you, Mags?"

She could feel her face heating up and didn't know why. She looked sideways at Elijah, whose gaze seared into her, and then answered, "No."

"Well, then can I have this dance?" Chris held out a hand to her and she laughed, setting her drink down and following him to the dance floor. She’d always liked Chris. The thought came to her mind that whatever guy he was dating had better be good enough.

Michaela joined them, dancing with a vaguely familiar man who looked to be younger than her.

After a while they found an empty table, and Elijah joined them. Chris headed to the bar for another drink.

"Guys, this is Josh," Michaela yelled over the music and motioned to her dance partner.

"Michaela's hockey player friend?" Maggie arched a brow. "The brother of her ex douche?"

"Maggie," Michaela snapped.

"Don't hold it against me," Josh laughed.

"I can't promise anything."

Josh's grin widened.

"Anyway," Michaela said. "Josh does his summer training with a group of players in New York, so he's going to be staying with me."

"How are you with a hammer?" Elijah asked suddenly. Maggie kicked him under the table, but he didn't even wince.

"I can hold my own." The confusion that crossed Josh's face was mirrored in Michaela's.

"That's good to know," Elijah said. He didn't say anything else, but Maggie knew what he was thinking. That damn house. They were all going to be roped into helping. But that's what they did. She'd do anything for Elijah, especially after everything he’d done for her.

The house was where Elijah asked to be dropped off when Maggie drove him home a few hours later.

Maggie watched him out of the corner of her eye. "Why?"

"Just take me there."

"Fine."

She parked on the street in front and then followed him around to the back.

"Bye, Mags," he said, unlocking the door and slipping inside.

He wasn't getting off that easily. She wanted to know what was going on so she followed him. He turned on the light and all she could think was,
thank God the electricity at least works.

Looking around, she noticed things she hadn't before. Boxes here and there and a mattress tucked into the corner of the room.

"Are you sleeping here?" It came out as more accusation than question.

Elijah turned to look at her with a sheepish expression. He’d known she wouldn't approve.

"I needed to free up the money I was spending on rent."

"Where's all of your furniture?"

"I sold it." He shrugged. "I couldn't see any of it in this house."

"You can't sleep here, Elijah."

"Why not?"

"Come on." She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the door. "You're staying with me."

"You don't want me there all summer." His feet wouldn't budge.

"Of course I do. You're Elijah. You're my Elijah."

A smile tugged the corners of his lips and he nodded his head. Grabbing a few of his things, he followed her out.

When they reached her place, she pushed open the door to her guest room and gestured him in.

"Let me know if you need anything." She turned to go and he pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She smiled up at him, and then left without another word.

###

Elijah laid in bed, thinking about the last thing Maggie had said to him.

Let me know if you need anything.

You
, he thought
. I need you
. It was the kind of thought he’d buried long ago, but he couldn't help its return with her sleeping in the next room.

It was a thought Elijah hadn't been able to escape since the first and only time they’d kissed, all those years ago. What Maggie had always needed from him was an unconditional friendship, not the kind that was complicated by feelings. So, he’d given it to her. It had nearly killed him when she started dating Jake in high school.

Elijah never thought it would last as long as it did. Then they got married right after graduation. Elijah was the best man and also the maid of honor. He was the only person that stood up there with them. Hell, Elijah's dad even walked Maggie down the aisle.

Elijah was married soon after, but it never felt right. That's probably why it only lasted a year.

He ran a hand over his face. It had been a while since he thought about all of the shit that happened back in the day. There was no way he was getting to sleep now.

His phone vibrated against the bedside table. He sighed when he saw who it was. Twice in one day? Something must be up. He took one more long breath before answering.

"Jake," he said.

"Hey, bro."

Elijah flinched as if Jake had hit him. They had always called each other brothers, but that was before.

"What do you want?" Elijah asked.

"I tried to call you earlier."

"Yeah, I hit ignore." Elijah was in no mood to play Jake's games.

"Wow, thanks, man." There was anger buried in Jake's voice. He had always been quick to anger.

"Say what you called to say or I'm hanging up."

"Calm down, bro."

"I'm not your brother."

"Fine. I'm going to be in the city at the end of the week and want to meet with you."

"Not a chance in hell." Elijah was out of bed now. He walked into the kitchen with the phone still pressed to his ear.

"If you don't meet me, I'll just show up wherever you're living. I can find out."

Elijah glanced at Maggie's closed door and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Fine." He let out a huff. "But I choose the place."

"Done, just text me. And Elijah?"

"What?"

"Don't tell Maggie."

Hearing her name from his lips sent a jolt through Elijah. He ended the call and held a glass under the kitchen faucet. Taking a big gulp of water, he headed back towards his room. He hated to do anything Jake asked, but he knew he wouldn't tell Maggie. She'd demand to be there, and he couldn't put her through that.

Three

16 years ago:

"Thank God that practice from hell is over," Jake said as he followed Elijah to the locker room.

"What is with these 'conditioning practices' anyway?" Elijah groaned.

"It's because you're fat and lazy." Jake punched him in the shoulder and laughed.

"Coach just thinks that since the team sucks so badly, we should be able to outrun everyone else."

"Pretty much, bro."

Elijah took off his sweat-soaked practice jersey and threw it on the floor. They hadn't even put pads on today because all they were doing was running. He peeled off the rest of his clothes and stepped under the cold spray of the shower. The hot water never worked in this building. It was okay, though. It still felt good to get clean.

Elijah never really liked football, but his parents insisted it would look good on college applications. He hadn't had the balls to tell them yet that he didn't plan on going. He and Jake had other plans. They were only sixteen, but were already saving every penny they could to go into business together after graduation. They wanted to flip houses. Both boys loved building things and working with their hands, and they were both good at it. Jake's father was a manager for a construction company, and he let them work for him.

Toweling off, Elijah made his way back to his locker. Jake was already dressed and sitting there waiting for him.

"So," Jake started slowly.

Elijah sighed, knowing that was how Jake started off his crazy ideas that would get them both into trouble.

"I asked Maggie out." A smiled spread from one side of Jake's face to the other.

"Man, you've been trying to get her to go out with you for two years now." He shrugged on his shirt. "She's smarter than that."

"Apparently not."

Elijah felt a stabbing pain in his stomach. After stepping into his pants, he turned to his friend. "What?"

"She said yes this time!"

Elijah ran a hand through his damp hair and looked away.

"You okay, bro?" Jake asked, the excitement still in his voice.

"Why her, Jake? Why Maggie?" Elijah's voice caught on her name.

"Why not? Maggie's special."

"Damn right she is," Elijah growled. He breathed deeply to calm himself before continuing. "Jake, you're my bro and I love you."

"Aww shucks, man. If I'd have known, I would have asked
you
out."

"If you ever hurt her, I'm coming for you."

"Sheesh, Elijah. If I didn't know better I'd think you were in love with her."

"That's ridiculous," he said quickly. "But know this before you go out with her: If I ever have to choose between you or her, Maggie wins every time. I'm her family."

With that, Elijah left the locker room. He would have liked to think he left with his dignity intact, but in reality, he stormed out like a toddler in the middle of a tantrum.

On his walk home, he couldn't stop thinking about his beautiful next-door neighbor. His gut told him that Jake was going to destroy her, but if she wanted to take that chance, he wouldn't stop her.

If I didn't know better, I'd think you were in love with her.

Jake's words struck a nerve. Elijah loved Maggie, but was he in love with her? He didn't know anything anymore. He had a girlfriend of over a year, but he didn't crave time with her as he did Maggie.

The confusing thoughts were still rolling around in his head when he got home. He said hi to his mom and then started climbing the stairs to his room.

He pushed open the door to find a small blond girl sitting on his bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. She lifted her head to meet his gaze. He smiled, but she wore that broken frown that always told him something was wrong.

"I'm sorry," Maggie said, wiping the back of her hand across her eyes. They were red from crying. "Your mom let me in."

"What happened?" Elijah sat next to her and pulled her to him. She winced and pulled her arm away. He narrowed his eyes and very carefully reached out. She flinched away from him.

"I'm okay, really."

Elijah didn't buy it. He took her sleeve, and she didn't fight him anymore as he pushed it up to reveal a large bruise. His face twisted in fury and he jumped from the bed.

"I'm going to kill him."

"No!" Maggie moved to stop him. "He was just drunk. My dad didn't mean it."

"Like hell!"

"Please," her voice got small, and she took Elijah's hand. "Just let it go. Don't leave me here."

He looked down at her, and all he wanted to do was hold her and protect her from all of the evil she’d had to experience. He sat back down beside her and leaned his back against the headboard. She curled into his side.

"Can we talk about something else?" she asked.

Elijah blew out a long breath to calm himself and nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments before Elijah finally spoke. "So, Jake."

"Oh, God." She covered her face with her hands. "I can't believe I said yes this time. It's probably some huge mistake."

"Probably."

"Hey!" She laughed, bumping him with her shoulder. He shrugged. "Tell me everything is going to be okay."

"I can't. You know Jake. You know his reputation."

"I don't know why I agreed to this date."

"Because you like him." Elijah held his breath, hoping she would somehow refute this.

"I do."

"Well, then I'll tell you this: I think he's going to hurt you one day. That's just who he is. But when that happens, I'll be there. I won't say 'I told you so'. I'll just be there for you for whatever you need. I'm never leaving you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

###

Present Day:

Elijah woke with a start as the memories came flooding in.

Before last night, he hadn't spoken to Jake in four years. Not since the day he forced Maggie to leave him. Jake hadn't tried to call him after that. He hadn't tried to explain himself. He knew it wouldn't do any good. Jake always knew that Elijah would choose Maggie. There was no question. So, why now?

The smell of coffee dragged him from his bed. He pulled a shirt on and left his room. Maggie was already dressed, eating breakfast at the table.

"I thought your coffee maker was broken?" Elijah asked.

"Good morning to you too," Maggie said.

Elijah grumbled something unintelligible and poured himself a cup.

"Oh, I forgot, you’re a terrible morning person." She laughed.

"And I forgot that you’re way too chipper at this time of day."

"It's been a while since we've lived together."

"Yeah, about that." He took a sip and set the mug on the table. "I can't ask you to put me up for so long."

Maggie folded her hands on the table and narrowed her eyes. "Elijah, I basically moved in with your family when we were sixteen. You put me up for two years."

"That was different."

"You're right. This time we’re adults, and I say that you are staying. End of story."

Elijah knew better than to argue with Maggie when she used that don’t-mess-with-me tone.

"As for the coffee maker, I went out and bought a new one this morning. Not all of us need so much beauty sleep." She stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "I love you, Elijah, but I have things to do today, and I believe you do too." She kissed the top of his head and grabbed her keys on the way out the door.

Elijah leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh. He had a feeling this summer was going to be the death of him.

###

Elijah got an early start on Monday morning. He wasn't happy about being awake but he was excited to work on the house. He had all day free and he knew exactly what he wanted to work on first.

At his parent's house in Boston, the deck and backyard had always been a special place. As a family, they loved to eat dinner outside when it was warm enough. They had countless parties and he had spent a lot of time out there with Maggie.

It didn't make sense. He knew that. When the rest of the house was in the state it was, the exterior was usually the last step. But Elijah didn't care what made sense.

He had spent the day before doing measurements and shopping for supplies. Everything was ready.

He was just about to get started out back when he heard voices coming from around front. He rounded the house and found Jason and Josh.

"Elijah," Jason called. "Maggie said you might like some help getting started."

"Do you even know how to use a hammer, Jason?" Elijah laughed. He was used to seeing Jason behind a bar or doing the books on the computer.

"You use this claw thingy to pound the nail, right?" Now Jason was just messing with him.

"I'm going to kill Maggie." Elijah laughed. In truth
,
he was happy to have the help and the deck was a good thing to have them work on.

Jason laughed. “Josh here doesn’t have to be at the rink until this afternoon, so you have us for a while.”

"Come around back then." Elijah led them to where he had the wood and tools set up. "Maggie really sent you guys?"

"It was her idea," Jason shrugged. "But you know we would have helped anyways."

Guilt started to build in the pit of Elijah's stomach. When she was doing stuff like this for him, how could he hide something as big as Jake coming to town from her?