Broken Promises

  * * * *

  Broken Promises

  Book 3 in the Broken Series

  Copyright © 2014 by Kelly Elliott

  Published by K. Elliott Enterprises

  All rights reserved.

  Photography by Photography by Shannon Cain

  Cover design by Kristin Mayer

  Interior design and formatting by JT Formatting

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9903210-7-1

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. 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.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Title Page

  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

  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

  Epilogue

  Playlist

  Acknowledgments

  Other Books by Kelly Elliott

  STARING OUT THE window, I dragged in a long, deep breath as I spun my ring around my finger. I couldn’t believe college was over. I closed my eyes and pushed down the same uneasy feeling I’d been pushing down every time I headed home for the last three and half years.

  With my eyes closed, I was brought back to that day in the barn when I gave Walker a piece of my heart.

  THE LAST PEOPLE from the party filed out of the barn and I watched as Walker and Jase said good-bye to their friends. When Walker turned and smiled at me, my heart stopped. I reminded myself that Walker was just a friend. My best friend, but nothing more. I looked over toward Ava and her best friend, Cindy before glancing back at Walker and Jase. Walker had been my best friend since I could remember. Our parents were best friends, so we were always together. Family vacations, birthdays, holidays—whatever we did, our families did it together. At age six, Walker had vowed that he would always protect Ava and me. We were his whole world, and no one would ever hurt his sisters.

  The problem was, Ava was his sister, and I was the best friend who’d been in love with him since the day he made that promise.

  Jase laughed and asked me, “How do you think it went?”

  I shook my head and said, “If Mom and Dad find out that you threw Walker and me a going away party in their barn, they’re going to be pissed.”

  Jase and Ava both laughed.

  “Please. I’ve heard all of Uncle Layton’s pontoon party stories. One little barn party is nothing,” Ava said.

  Jase winked at Ava. “A girl after my own heart.”

  Ava gave Jase the finger and turned to head out of the barn. “Cindy and I are heading home, Liza. See you in a few,” she called over her shoulder.

  Everyone had been calling me Liza since I was little, even though my first name was Taylor. It was short for Elizabeth, my middle name.

  Jase watched Ava leave the barn and he laughed. “Good thing I have a girlfriend.” He shook Walker’s hand, then kissed me on the cheek. “Love you, sis,” he whispered.

  “Watch it,” Walker said. “Ava is still my baby sister, Jase.”

  Jase laughed and walked out of the barn, saying, “I threw the party. Y’all clean up.”

  I stood and called out, “Jase Morris! You’d better get your ass back in here right now and help!”

  Walker shook his head. “Come on. By the time you talk him into helping, we can have the whole place cleaned up.”

  As Walker and I cleaned up the empty cups and trash, we talked about college. Walker was going to Texas A&M to major in biological and agricultural engineering. I was going to Baylor University and getting my degree in education. My dream was to be an elementary school teacher right here in Llano.

  “Are you still thinking of minoring in horticulture?” I asked as I threw the last empty cup away. I wiped my sticky hands on my pants.

  Jase had promised no alcohol, but I was pretty sure that some people had snuck some in. The evidence was all over my hands.

  Walker chuckled. “I’m not sure. I think I’ll be too busy with my major, and my dad says he doesn’t want me pushing it.”

  I rinsed off my hands in the sink at the end of the barn, then made my way over to a bunch of hay bales. I flopped down and giggled.

  “I think you probably know just as much as the teachers anyway,” I said, “with what all you’ve learned from your dad.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. My main goal is to help my dad and Layton out on the ranch. I’m itching to get into the racehorse world, but my damn dad won’t even let me go to the races.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. As I pulled my knees up to my chest, I looked at Walker and shook my head. “You don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that he caught you getting people to place bets on the horses, do you?”

  Walker gave me that smile that had been melting my heart for years as he sat next to me. I’d learned to cover up my true feelings for him, but he still did things to my insides.

  “Liza, can I ask you something?”

  I shrugged and said, “Of course you can. You never have to ask that.”

  He looked out the barn door. “Why haven’t you ever dated anyone for very long?”

  His question totally caught me off guard, and I dropped my legs and sat up, clearing my throat. “Um...I don’t know. I just want to be with that one person who...who, um...”

  Walker was still staring off in the distance as he said, “Makes your heart stop beating?” he barely said.

  I stared at him. “Yes.”

  “I want the type of love that takes my breath away,” Walker said as he turned and looked into my eyes.

  “Yeah. Me, too,” I whispered as I looked away. “What about you? Never found that one girl who makes your heart stop?” I asked as I bumped his shoulder with mine.

  When he took my hand, I sucked in a breath and tried to contain the crazy feeling zipping through my body. As our eyes met, something happened. Something changed between us, and my heart slammed against my chest.

  Walker stood,
pulled me up, and brought me close. When he placed his finger on my chin, his eyes landed on my lips, and I fought to hold in a moan. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. We shared that first kiss, slow, yet full of passion. Our tongues danced, and we both moaned as Walker pulled me against his body.

  When he pulled his lips away, he whispered, “Promise me something.” I swallowed hard and whispered back, “Anything.” Walker looked into my eyes and smiled. “Wait for me, Liza.”

  I smiled. “Okay.”

  “Say it, Liza,” Walker said.

  I tried desperately to ignore the feeling of him pressing himself into me as I said, “I promise, Walker, I’ll wait for you.”

  “LIZA? LIZA, ARE you listening to me?” Keith asked as he nudged my leg.

  I shook my head and chuckled. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

  “Aww, my deep thinker. Always lost in thought. What were you thinking about this time? A wedding perhaps?”

  Keith had asked me to marry him last December when I went home with him to meet his family. It was the first Christmas I wasn’t home with my own family. And the first Christmas I hadn’t seen Walker. I chewed on my lip, like I always did. It was a nervous habit I’d picked up years ago, and it drove my father crazy.

  “Um…just wondering what this summer will hold for me,” I said. “For us,”

  Keith shook his head and sighed. “Liza, when are you going to give me an answer? I feel like I’ve been pretty damn patient considering the fact that you turned me down in front of my entire family.”

  I looked out the window. Keith and I had been dating since the spring semester of our freshman year. Walker and I had decided over Christmas that year that there was no way we could make a relationship work when we were going to separate schools. It took Walker until the next year to start dating. I’d always felt guilty that I’d moved on faster.

  “You told me I had until the end of the summer, Keith. You promised.”

  Keith grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. I couldn’t help but smile when I looked at him. Keith and I met through a mutual friend at a party. The moment I looked into his hazel eyes I longed to run my fingers through his messy dark blond hair. He was just under six feet tall and played soccer. His body was amazing. I longed to unbuckle my seatbelt and kiss him

  I closed my eyes and pushed my wandering thoughts away.

  “I know I told you that, and I’m sorry, Liza,” he said. “I just don’t understand why this is so hard for you. You either want to marry me or you don’t.”

  I inhaled and let my breath out slowly. We’d been having this argument since Christmas Eve. “Keith, all I’ve ever wanted is to teach elementary school in Llano. It’s hard to just walk away from a dream.”

  He let go of my hand and ran his fingers through his hair. “It shouldn’t be hard if you’re doing it for love. You can teach in Dallas, baby. There are hundreds of schools. You want more space, we’ll move to the suburbs. I’ll move where ever you want to go.”

  I was about to say Llano when he raised an eyebrow.

  “Except for hicktown,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I wish you wouldn’t call it that. Llano is my hometown, Keith. I love it there. My family and friends are there.”

  “Maybe it’s time to make new friends, and belong to another family.”

  “Are you asking me to give up my family now?” I asked, glaring.

  He looked at me with a stunned look. “What? No. Of course not, Liza. You know what I meant. You’ll have my family in Dallas. Your new family.”

  I looked out the front window. Keith was pulling into the Austin airport. I placed my hand on my stomach, trying to settle my nerves. I wasn’t sure if I was nervous about Keith leaving for the summer or if I was nervous about seeing Walker. It had been a year since we’d seen each other. He’d gone to his girlfriend’s parents’ ranch over Thanksgiving last year, and then at Christmas I was at Keith’s parents’ house in Dallas.

  I pushed open the door to my Toyota Camry. I stepped into the sun and closed my eyes as I felt the heat on my face. I couldn’t wait to get home and go down to our dock on the lake and just sit in peace. And think.

  “You think too much, Liza.” Keith said, kissing the tip of my nose. I opened my eyes and smiled weakly.

  “What makes you think I was thinking?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He laughed and looked into my blue eyes. “Baby, you’re always thinking about something. You need to give your brain the summer off.” He pulled back and met my gaze. “Please, Liza. Just wear the ring. I don’t want an answer until I get back.”

  “Keith, you know I love you and—”

  “For me, Liza. Please wear the ring.”

  I swallowed and pulled my hand out of my pocket, looking at the ring I was already wearing. Walker had given it to me before we left for college. It was two hearts intertwined. Keith had asked me about the ring shortly after we started dating. I told him the truth: It was from my best friend and it meant a lot to me. I constantly played with it when something was bothering me or I was deep in thought.

  Keith reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he’d bought. My hand shook as Keith lifted my hand. My heart pounded as Keith slipped Walker’s ring off my finger. “Can we put this on your necklace for now? I don’t think Walker would mind, do you?”

  Tears were building in my eyes. I felt so guilty for wearing Walker’s ring while dating Keith. I reached up, unclasped my necklace, and held it while Keith dropped the silver ring onto the chain. I clasped it back on my neck, my hands shaking. Keith opened the box and took out the way-too-extravagant diamond ring. He put the red velvet box away in his front pocket and reached for my left hand. I watched as he slipped the ring onto my finger. A single tear slipped from my eye and traveled down my cheek. Keith gently wiped my tear away.

  “Please tell me that is a happy tear, Liza,” he said.

  I nodded and smiled when he leaned down for a gentle kiss.

  He pulled back slightly and said, “I have to go, but I really don’t want to go. I want to wrap myself around your body and make love to you.”

  My stomach took a sharp dip. Keith was so romantic and such a sweet, gentle lover. But sometimes I just wanted…more. I wanted passion. Raw passion. I wanted him to look at me like he couldn’t wait to have me. Like he wanted me and only me.

  He pulled me into his arms. “Thank you for putting it on, baby. I’m going to miss you so damn much. God, Liza I don’t want to leave.”

  I held onto him and closed my eyes. My emotions were all over the place. One minute I wanted to tell him not to leave—that I would marry him tomorrow if he wanted. The next, I was confused as hell about the feelings I still had for Walker.

  Keith pulled back. I slid my hands into my back pockets.

  “I love you, Liza,” he said. “I’ll see you August twenty-fourth.”

  I nodded as I wiped away my tears. “Be careful,” I said. “Tell your dad I said ‘Hi’ and that I miss him.” I said as Keith picked up his suitcases. Keith and his father, Tom, where going hiking along the Appalachian Trail together this summer. They’d been planning the trip for years. The moment Keith graduated, they wanted to spend a few months together, just the two of them. I knew how much this meant to Keith, especially since his father beat cancer two years ago.

  Keith took a few steps back and gave me that sweet smile of his. “I’ll text or call when I get a signal.”

  I sniffled and said, “Okay. Be careful.”

  “Always, baby. I love you and I can’t wait to get home and make you my wife.” He quickly turned away before I could even say anything.

  I watched him walk into the airport. When I could no longer see him, I turned and got back into my car, pulling in a deep breath. I rested my head on the seatback. I was going to miss him. I lifted up my hand and looked at the ring, wondering if I could marry Keith, if I even wanted to. I thought I did, but I wasn’t so sure. Shaking my head, I
let out a frustrated sigh. What the hell is wrong with me? I needed to come to terms with the idea of following my dreams in Dallas, with Keith.

  I looked forward and pulled out my phone and texted Jase.

  Me: Hey.

  Jase: Hey, big sis. Are you on your way home?

  Me: Yep. Just dropped off Keith and will be there in a few hours. My car is packed down with stuff.

  Jase: Mom and dad have a surprise party planned for you.

  Me: Oh, shit. No.

  Jase: Yep. Dad even bought something to try to persuade you to stay in Llano.

  “Great. Just what I need, my father butting in and making me more confused,” I said to myself as I started the car. I looked down at my phone and sent my brother a text.

  Me: Tell dad he can’t sway me, one way or the other. Then tell him I love him. Who all is there?

  Jase: Just us, big sis. No one loves you enough to show up.

  I laughed and shook my head as I tossed my phone to the side. When I heard my phone beep, I took one last look at it. My heart rate picked up when I read Jase’s last text.

  Jase: Just kidding. Walker just showed up.

  I TOOK A deep breath as I looked at Liza’s house. I hadn’t seen her since last summer, and it had only been for five minutes. Jessica had been with me, and when I’d tried to talk to Liza, it had been awkward as hell. She didn’t notice me looking at her finger and seeing the ring I’d given her before we left for college. I was shocked that she still wore it. She’d been dating her rich asshole boyfriend for three years or so. She seemed happy.

  I stepped out of my truck and was about to make my way to the front door when I remembered that, last time I walked through that door, I’d had every intention of telling Liza how much I still thought about her. I’d wanted to take her in my arms and tell her how I still felt.

  “Walker!”

  I turned to see Ava running toward me. I smiled and held out my arms, ready for a full force blow when she threw her body into mine. And that’s exactly what she did. I was almost knocked backwards as I laughed. “Why hello there, Ava Grace.”