Promises Forgotten
Chapter 43

We got to the cafe and Mike was already putting the chairs up on the tables. I opened the door for Zach, who was still carrying Elliot.

“Uncle M! Look! My dad came to visit!”

There was an imperceptible look that fell over Zach’s face, but Mike cracked a smirk before turning to Elliot. “That’s great, kiddo! Why don’t you head up and get dressed for tonight? Your mom and I need to get everything together.”

“Okay!” Elliot dropped out of Zach’s arms and thundered upstairs.

“The cakes are cooling, ready for frosting.” Mike ignored Zach.

I sighed. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“Too much.”

Laughing, I h*p checked him as I walked by to the kitchen, but he barely moved.

“You know, if you didn’t lose those thirty pounds this month, I might have felt it.”

“Cállate, pendejo.” [Shut up, a*****e.] I yelled at him.

He yelled back. “Estas enojada porque sigues casada.” [You’re mad because you’re still married.]

I laughed. “El único que está enojado por eso eres tú.” [The only one who’s made about that is you.]

“Yah, bitch.”

Mike had taken out all the cake layers I had in the oven. It was about five different cakes. I grabbed my apron. Taking out different fillings and the prepped frosting, I set out my assembly line. Focused, I finished three cakes without sweating. At some point, Zach walked in and leaned against the cabinets.

“Thirty pounds?”

I chuckled. “He is exaggerating. Though probably between the two of us we might have lost more than thirty.”

Zach wheezed and snickered. “You’re probably right. When I came back from France, all anyone could say was that I lost weight.”

“I don’t know why. You look fine.” My eyes caught his for a moment before going back to decorating the last two cakes.

“Why did you do it?”

“Do what?” I swapped colors of frosting and started piping flowers on the bright blue four-layer cake.

My arm froze as Zach took ahold of it. I looked up at him. He looked mad.

“Why do you look angry?”

He let go of my arm and rubbed his hands through his hair. “I’m not…I just…”

I turned back to the cake and continued my decorating. “You look mad.”

“He knows me, Evie. Not just that, but he…”

“Loves you?” I finished his sentence as he struggled to find the right words.

I heard him huff. “Evie…”

“I didn’t want him to grow up hating his father! So I never showed him my pain. Not a single tear. A single iota of anger or sadness.” I hissed at him. “When I realized he was smarter than your average kid, I couldn’t just keep avoiding it. So I did my best to show him the man that I fell in love with. We would read the business articles and deep dive when I ran out of material that I had.”

“Evie…”

I sighed and set down my piping bag. “It was the only way I could keep him out searching for photos of you. He doesn’t know about your engagement.”

“Does he know we are married?”

I shook my head. “I knew by the time we started talking about it, you were engaged and we would divorce. I thought it better not to get his hopes up.”

“But he just came to me like he sees me every day. Like I’m just…”

“Stopping in to visit? Yeah. I didn’t want him to be traumatized every time you decided to leave. Depending on if you found out about him.” My words came out harsher than I meant them to sound.

Arms wrapped around my arms, and I felt his head fall to my shoulder. “If I do leave, it will never be for long. Not anymore. I still have some things I need to clean up in New York. But there is nothing left for me there.”

“Your friends? Your brother? Your family?”

“My brother is the only family I acknowledge now. He will have access to the jet. He can come out any time. My friends are equally capable of visiting. Evie, you are the only family I need and can’t live without.” He nuzzled further into my neck, hiding in my hair. “It’s three years late, I know. I know you’ve been alone this whole time. I want to take care of you, though. Take care of Elliot. Let me, goddess divine. Please.”

My breath hitched and choked on a sob at the endearment. How long had it been since I heard that? It made me go weak. His arms tightened around me, holding me impossibly close.

“Give me the chance I never got. I know I don’t deserve it. I know that all too well. I’m selfish, though. I need you to breathe. To live.”

“Z, I’m still…trying to wrap my head around all this. I just resigned myself to signing our divorce. I can’t…”

He sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Focus on El. Spend time with him. Help him in ways that I can’t. Be the dad he needs and deserves.”

“And you? What about you?”

I chuckled. “I’ve been alone for years, Z. I’m accustomed to it now.”

His head left my shoulder and his arms fell from around me. Immediately, I missed him, but I just let the cold settle into my heart. I needed to help Elliot recover when Zach left. I couldn’t handle it if I was falling apart as well. Taking a couple breaths, I closed my eyes and braced myself against the counter.

“You still don’t trust me.” His voice was laced with hurt.

“Of course, I don’t.” I don’t say it out of anger. It’s only out of pain. “I won’t survive again, Z. I barely survived the last time.”

I heard him walk from behind me and out of the kitchen. He stopped before shutting the door.

“I won’t let you go. Not again. I won’t leave you alone anymore. No matter how much you think you can handle it, it doesn’t mean you should. I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”

He walked out of the kitchen. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and stared at the forgotten cakes in front of me. Zach was going to be the death of me. My heart could not take it.

“You okay?” Mike popped his head in. “Elliot took his dad upstairs to show off his books.”

I nodded.

“Finish the cakes and we can head over to the beach. That always makes you feel better.”

Taking another deep breath, I forced a smile. “I’m almost done. Can you make sure that El is ready?”

“Of course. If you need anything else….”

“You got most of it packed up. So, we are good. Thanks.”

Quickly, I finished what I had started and packed up the cakes for travel.

“Ev! Frank is out front!!” Mike yelled from out front.

“Can you help me grab everything?”

Mike came in and helped me grab the boxes to load them up with Frank. Elliot was in the corner with Zach looking over a book. But Zach wasn’t looking down, he was staring at me as I carried the items out. It took a couple trips, but we got everything in his truck. Frank was the one that took everything to the beach. A bunch of the council members set up for the food, allowing all of the people who donated items to just enjoy the day.

“Evelyn! We appreciate you so much!”

“It’s no problem, Frank! Thanks for picking everything up!”

Frank took off and I headed back in. Elliot jumped in my arms. I winced as I felt the joint of the bionic arm slip and jam into my shoulder. The pain brought spots to my vision, but I kept the smile plastered on my face. It wasn’t Elliot’s fault and I refused to make him feel like he hurt me.

“Time to go?” Elliot asked.

“That’s right! Let’s head off!”

I nodded. “I’m going to take off my arm and head down after you guys. Mike, do you mind taking Z and Elliot down?”

“Yes.”

“Mike!”

He put his hands up. “Fine, fine. Come on, kiddo. Let’s go.”

Zach walked up to me. “We can wait…”

Shaking my head, I smiled. “It takes too long. Head on out. I’m trusting you with him. Don’t leave Mike, though. I’ll be there soon.”

He nodded and Elliot jumped into his arms. Elliot leaned over and gave me a k**s. “Love you.”

“Love you. Have fun.”

I watched the three of them walk down the block before I stumbled back again the wall. Tears streamed down my face as I grimaced in pain.

“¿Mija?”

My eyes snapped to Ron, opening up the front door. He ran to me and slid to his knees.

“The pin…Elliot jumped and it slipped…”

“I…how do I…” I saw him reach out, but keep pulling back his hand.

I chuckled through the pain. “Ron, take off my f*****g shirt.”

“Right.”

He grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my left side first and then slowly down my right side. Breathing hurt and as he pulled the shirt away, I saw it soaked in b***d.

“María, Madre de Jesús. Mija, you need to go to the hospital.” [Mary, Mother of Jesus.]

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. It’s not the first time. I need you to unstrap me.”

He nodded and started fumbling with the straps.

“Get a f*****g grip, Ron.”

“I can’t! I’m not good with b***d.”

I rolled my eyes. “No wonder Stella complains so f*****g much.”

“Hey Evie, Elliot said he forgot…”

Ron and I turned to look at Zach who was just walking into the cafe. He was staring at us, wide-eyed. His eyes roamed over me and then to the b***d now pooling on the floor. The look on his face dropped into one of horror and the color in his face drained.

“Evie?” His voice was shaking.

“F**k. Z, I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?”

He nodded, closing the door and coming over to us.

“Ron, move. You’re useless to me right now. If you can’t even get the straps off, I can’t use you for the bad part. Z, I need you to look me in the eyes right now.”

He locked eyes with me.

“Take a breath. I need you to disassociate. What you’re seeing now isn’t three years ago. I need business you. I need the shark. Can you do that?”

He nodded.

“There are six straps, take off each one.”

His hands came up and he nimbly unhooked each strap. As the weight fell off my body, it moved the pin and I grunted, muttering curses under my breath. It took him a minute to get the last one off the back, but once he did I cried out a little as the weight of the arm shifted me.

“I need you…to take the forearm of the arm…and I need you to pull…hard and quick. Do you understand?”

He nodded, his eyes locked back with mine. His hands wrapped around the metal and I reached out and grabbed Ron, who is still kneeling on the floor. I nodded and Zach pulled. I screamed, but the pin came out of my shoulder and I sagged against the wall. I knew b***d was pouring out, but the sweet relief of having the pin out was enough to make me breathe easier. I could see him struggling. He looked down at his hands and they were covered in b***d. I could see his mind falling back, so I called to him.

“Stay with me, Z.”

Zach’s head whipped up. “Next?”

“Help me up. I need to wrap it in the bathroom.”

“Evie, you’re bleeding all over the floor. You need to go to the hospital.”

“Stop. It’s fine. Not the first time this has happened.”

Both he and Ron lifted me up. I headed up the stairs and Zach followed closely behind. In the bathroom, I pulled out my med kit. He watched in the doorway as I cleaned the hole. Taking out the needle and thread, I dipped it in the alcohol before quickly stitching the wound. Once I was done, I bandaged and then wrapped my shoulder completely. Rolling my shoulder a bit, I was happy with the movement and put my kit back.

“I’ll have to send it in for repair.” My nose wrinkled and I turned to Zach. Pulling him in, I brought his hands to the sink and washed them. Slowly, I scrubbed them until they were clean.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to get b***d on you. Usually, it’s just me.”

“How do you pull it out? Normally.”

Smirking, I put my left hand on the towel rack. “This bad boy has pulled four pins out.” He didn’t find it as funny as I dis. “Come on, what did Elliot want? As much as I love Mike, he’ll give El anything he wants to eat, and I’ll be in for a rough night with a three year old with a stomach ache.” I sighed.

“His blue hat and sunglasses?”

“Ah! Yeah! Let me get them.” I walked over to the closet and opened the drawers.

“This feels like a hotel room.”

I smiled. “It’s small but it fits us. Barely. He sleeps in bed with me. One of these days I’d like to give him his own bedroom. We are really starting to pick up. So, I’m hoping soon.”

Holding out Elliot’s hat and sunglasses, Zach took them. I grabbed another shirt from the closet and put it on. Waiting a minute, I sighed and grabbed my hook off the dresser that helped me when I only had one hand. Unhooking the button on the front of my pants, I pulled them down and threw them off. Grabbing some jeans shorts, I pulled them up and started to button them when Zach stood in front of me. He reached out and zipped up the shorts for me, buttoning them.

“I can do that.”

“I know.” He didn’t say anything else as he stepped back.

We walked down the stairs and Ron was leaning against the wall. The floor of the cafe was clean.

“¡Ay, Papá! Mírate. Eres útil después de todo.” [Oh Dad! Look at you. You are useful after all.]

Zach behind me snorted and I smiled.

“Calla, hija. Me asustaste.” [Hush, daughter. You scared me.]

“I’m okay. Let’s go. Otherwise, I’ll get chewed out by my three year old and lord knows he loves doing it.”