Chapter 7
Rings and Promises
Iopened the front door for Leilani as she stood on the front porch. She pulled my hand and I joined her on the front swing. With her head cradled on my shoulder, I rubbed her stomach.
“Are we really going to be okay?” she asked meekly.
“I promise everything is going to be fine.”
“How do you know?”
“Because when everyone sees how seriously we are going to take this and how much we love each other, they are going to be stoked.”
“You parents are going to lose their shit.”
“Yeah, probably, but you know how Marty and Gina are. They’ll get over it faster than most would, and they will be excited once they come to their senses.” I was trying to convince myself more than Leilani, but it sounded good and seemed to calm her down.
“What do I tell Dane?”
“The truth, and sooner rather than later. Want me to do it with you?”
She rapidly shook her head. “It’s probably better if I do this one solo. We’ll tackle the parents together, but Dane and I have been all each other has for so long, I think it’s just better.”
“If that’s what you want, I completely support it.” I kissed the top of her head. “I have something for you.”
She glanced up at me. “Oh really?”
I nodded, pulling a ring box out of the side pocket of my cargo shorts. “I was going to give it to you tonight anyway. Obviously, this was not the plan, but I think it might mean just a little bit more now.”
Leilani opened the small velvet box and tears filled her eyes.
“Leilani, I love you, and I always will. I promise you that.”
She slipped the silver band onto her finger, gazing at the opal stone. The ring was a promise, one of those typical high school promise rings that guys give when they’re love drunk but too young to actually prose. I had been holding onto it for weeks, trying to find the right time to give it to Leilani and this seemed like the best time to really show her how serious about her I actually was.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you are.”
“I should go get this over with. If I don’t do it now, I will chicken out for sure.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“See you tomorrow at school?”
“I’ll be there.”
* * *
Not even an hourhad passed since Leilani left to tell her brother about us and the baby, and I was staring up at my ceiling fan as taps started to rattle my window. Opening it, I saw a face I was not expecting.
“We need to talk,” Dane barked as he climbed through.
“Yeah.”
I sank down on the bed as I watched my best friend pace in circles in the middle of my cluttered bedroom.
“How could you not tell me you were screwing my sister?”