Unbroken Promises (25 page)

At that moment, Jesse hated himself. All this because he wanted release and found it by having sex with a hateful bitch. She knew who he was from the beginning. That’s why she wouldn’t tell him her last name because she knew he’d remember she was Beth’s friend.

He then snapped to the realization that, when Becky left, she had no trouble starting her car.

When she got in, it cranked right up with the sound of a strong battery. Damn, how could he have been so stupid? That 19-year old girl just played him for a fool. In the long run, he had acted like an inexperienced kid Jesse dismally thought to himself.

Jesse ran his finger through his hair and then jerked hard in agony pulling several strands out by the roots. One thing was for sure; Jesse clinched his teeth; he meant what he said. There wasn’t going to be any man touching Beth but him. He would have her one way or another. He had waited too long and loved her too much to lose her now.

Jesse tried several times to talk to Beth, but she wouldn’t even look at him much less talk to him. She came over the next morning to see Susan and congratulate her and Jordon on the pregnancy. Beth was in full control. She was acting as if nothing had happened. The only thing difference in her actions was that she ignored Jesse as if he didn’t exist.

Jesse felt cold inside as if a part of him had died. He and Beth had been through so much for it to be like this between them. Beth acted as if she hated him and couldn’t even stand to look at him, much less talk to him.

They all sat in the living room before going into the kitchen to eat breakfast. The smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls filled the whole house. The sound of the washing machine and dryer blended harmoniously in the background. Jesse tried to arrange the conversation where Beth would at least have to acknowledge he was in the room.

“Hey, Beth, how does it feel to know you’re going to be an aunt?” Jesse said cheerfully in front of Susan and Jordon so she would have to talk to him.

“Jesse, last night when you walked in my bedroom and told me Susan was expecting, it was the most wonderful moment in my life, something that I had dreamed of forever,” Beth said with hidden meaning. “But, to answer your question more directly, it is an amazing feeling knowing I’m going to become an aunt,” Beth said in a happy voice so as not to cause Susan and Jordon to suspect anything was wrong. She had no intention of dampening their breathtaking news and high spirits.

However, as soon as Susan and Jordon walked ahead of them to go into the kitchen and they couldn’t hear what she was saying, she turned to Jesse.

“You know, Jesse, maybe it won’t be too long and I will give the baby a cousin to play with.

What do you think? Hmm?” Beth said with a knowing, self-satisfied smile.

“I think, Beth, that that will happen only over my dead body; that is, unless it’s my baby you’re talking about giving as a cousin,” Jesse answered in his own arrogant tone.

“Not in this lifetime, big boy,” Beth returned as she followed Susan and Jordon into the kitchen leaving Jesse behind.

Jesse wanted to ram his fist in the wall or, better yet, put his hands around that pretty little neck. He raged inside but controlled his anger as he walked in the kitchen to join everyone for breakfast.

Later that day Jesse told Cody not to let Beth out of his sight. He told him to find out what her plans were and report to him as soon as possible.

Cody looked at Jesse with an, “Aren’t you going to tell me why?” look. Since he received no explanation, Cody just shrugged his shoulders and agreed to do as he was told.

There were several old school friends meeting at Crystal Beach. A few of the ones who were there already were setting up tents to stay the whole weekend. Overhead, the seagulls were steadily squawking as they hovered then dove for food. The wind blew at an easy pace off the Gulf to where it was pleasurable and not too hot. Some guy in the group brought his grill and the smell of barbequed burgers drifted in the evening air. Beth and Cody were playing volleyball with a group when she spotted Becky. Beth stopped what she was doing, narrowed her eyes, and stared her down.

If that girl got anywhere near her tonight, Beth was going to do her best to put her fist down her throat, but Becky just turned and went the other way.

Beth tried hard not to think about Becky and Jesse together. She knew she would break down eventually but right now anger held the hurt at bay. Beth had already been there awhile and it was getting late in the evening when everyone else showed up. She liked everyone there with the exception of Becky.

When she went back to playing ball, Cody walked up and warned her that Clay had driven up. Beth had mixed emotions about seeing him. She was still mad at him for what he did to her at the pond, but a part of her that loved him as a friend missed him. She hadn’t seen or spoken to him since that day. Many of the people at the beach knew him because he’d met them through his cousins who lived here. Everyone liked him; he was “Mister Too Cool.” Beth didn’t turn around but she could hear people greeting him as he came closer. She even heard Becky’s voice as she spoke to him. Beth knew he was standing right behind her so, when she turned, it was with a closed fist right on his jaw. She went crazy hitting him on his arms, chest, and stomach. She was still mad at him, but it was all the anger bottled up inside her that she unleashed on him.

Some of Clay’s friends started to drag her off.

“Leave her alone!” Clay shouted.

Clay just stood there, not even trying to block her punches. He stood like that until she ran out of steam. Then finally she just collapsed and Clay caught her in his arms. He picked her up, carried her over to a shaded chair, and sat down with her. He just sat there and held her until she stopped crying.

“Was all that about what happened at the pond? Jeez, Beth, you must have hated me. I called you hundreds of times to tell you how sorry I was, but you never answered or returned a message,” Clay said compassionately.

“Clay, did you know I could have died and I almost lost my arm where you clawed me? I had to stay in the hospital almost two weeks. My infection was so bad that it affected my fingers in a way that I’ll never be able to play the piano as well as I did.”

“No, baby, I didn’t know any of this. No one told me and apparently not many people knew because the family I have here tried to keep up with you for me. Will you forgive me, Beth?”

“Yes, Clay. I forgive you.” Beth was crying and hugging him now.

Jesse sat with Beaux in his new jeep. The windows were heavily tinted. No one would recognize it. He’d just witnessed everything. He watched when Clay first got out of his truck.

Jesse saw Becky run up and throw her arms around him while Clay threw them off and looked at her as if she was scum then kept walking.

It made Jesse a little leery to see that. He had a sick feeling that Clay knew about what had happened between him and Becky; and, if he did, it would be easy for him to maneuver back into Beth’s good graces.

Then he was shocked and pleased at the same time when Beth started hitting Clay. He was ready to jump out to kill the man if he hit her back; but, what Clay did was just as bad in another way because, when he just stood there and allowed Beth to punch him, it took all the steam out of her. It was after that that Beth allowed Clay to hold her.

Jesse knew that move was the best thing Clay could have ever done because Jesse knew in that instant Beth forgave him. It made him literally sick to watch Clay hold Beth on his lap and comfort her.

Jesse wasn’t worried; he was determined. Clay or no man was going to have what was his.

He was going to make sure of it one way or another. He wished so many times he could turn back the clock and never have left her bedroom that night. She wanted to give herself to him then, but he wanted to wait until they were married. Now look where he was—plotting to take the woman who was willing to give everything she had only a few days ago. One thing was certain; that ‘stud’ who was holding her now was not going to take his woman; no man was for that matter.

It was getting dark when Clay finished setting up his heavy canvas tent. Beth helped him as much as she could. They both laughed like old times as they put it together. Then they walked across the gritty sand that still held the heat of the day to join the others by the big bonfire that was spitting sparks high in the air. The heat from it was calming as they sat far enough away from it.

Cody walked up to the jeep. “What ‘cha want me do, Jess? They’re just startin’ to drink some homemade punch Cody’s cousin made and, if it’s anything like it was the last time he made it, ain’t no one around here gonna’ be able to, umm, walk.” Cody’s face heated a vivid red—“much less anything else within 40 minutes of drinking it.”

“Is that so?” Jesse’s eyes narrowed in speculation. “Okay, just watch ‘um close. Don’t let Beth do anything stupid.”

“You know I won’t. I’ve been watchin’ her since I was two years old.” Jesse smiled and tilted his head in a nod. “I know you have, bud.” Seeing Clay cradling Beth made Jesse want to wrap his hands around his handsome neck and squeeze tight—very tight. He sure hoped Clay drank enough tonight to have a ‘long, good night’s rest’. If not, Jesse would assist him in doing so.

Cody went up to Beth and Clay and watched them drink the punch Clay’s cousin had made.

Cody had drunk some after a rodeo one night about two months ago. He woke up in Ronnie’s house, lying on the floor not far from his front door, having no idea how he got there. Ronnie, who hadn’t drunk anything because he was bullriding that night, told him he’d found him passed out stone cold on the tailgate of his truck. Ronnie said he just shoved him over, shut the tailgate, and brought him home. When Cody had complained about not being put in the guest bedroom or at least on the couch, Ronnie just laughed and told him he was too heavy. He was lucky he got him in the front door. He then cocked a grin and said “I did cover you with a blanket in case you didn’t notice.”

Cody watched Clay and Beth from across the fire. He was worried about Beth drinking too much, afraid she was going to get sick if she didn’t slow down. He got up and sauntered over to her.

“Hey, Beth, you might want to go easy with that stuff, it’s pretty strong,” Cody whispered in her ear after he sat down beside her.

“Oh, Cody, you’re always so protective. It doesn’t taste strong at all.”

“Okay, well promise me this, back off for 15 minutes and, if you still want to drink when that time is up, I won’t say anything else.”

“Okay, Cody. I’ll wait your 15 minutes.”

Beth kept her promise about not drinking for 15 minutes; but, when she looked at her watch and the 15 minutes were up, she asked for another glass. This time she just sipped it as she talked with Clay. Clay, however, drank the stuff as if he was dying of thirst.

After he finished his eighth glass, he licked his lips and he hollered at his cousin who was adding some logs to the bonfire. “Hey, that’s pretty good stuff! What all do you have in there?” His cousin yelled back, “I’ll never tell.”

It wasn’t long after they finished their drinks that Clay asked Beth if she was ready to go to the tent. He told her he wanted to get away from everyone else.

When Clay first asked Beth to stay in his tent with him, she told him no, that she couldn’t, but Clay told Beth he only wanted to hold her tonight. After a lot of reassurance he would do no more than that, she agreed.

Clay asked Beth earlier about what was going on between her and Jesse. Her eyes teared up, but she only told him that Jesse had hurt her. Clay didn’t push the matter further. He already heard what was going around about Jesse and Becky. When Clay first got here and Becky ran up and put her arms around him, he just wanted to sling her off.

Clay was mad at both of them for hurting Beth like that. But who was he to judge anyone?

He had hurt her also. Clay did not intend to pressure Beth into doing anything she wasn’t ready to do. She had already been hurt enough and she really was one of his best friends.

Beth remembered what she told Jesse about giving her virginity to Clay. She was still crushed about that night, but she wasn’t going to make love with Clay out of spite. She thought too much of herself to do that, but it did sound nice to have someone hold her during the night.

Even with the things Clay had done to her at the pond, she trusted him. She blamed the way he acted that day on whatever drug he’d taken. She forgave him and she wasn’t going to talk about anything having to do with that day again.

Nor did she want to discuss with Clay what happened with Jesse, although she heard Becky already told several people. Someone told Beth that Becky was going around saying how she took Jesse from her and he was the best lay she ever had.

Hearing what Becky was saying was like reliving it all over again. The pain was so intense her whole being felt like an open wound. Although her mind and soul ached, it was her heart that was the lesion.

Beth felt betrayed by both of them. How she could have been so stupid to trust Becky to be a friend all these years? She had gone partying with her only once since Beth left home in the 10th grade. Several times when Beth had come home, Becky had called and asked her to go shopping and out to eat.

Now that Beth thought about it, Becky would always ask questions about Jesse. She even asked how much money he made, which Beth didn’t really know. She knew it was quite a bit because he and Jordon were partners in everything including the huge ranch. Beth always thought her curiosity was out of concern for a friend, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Beth had pointed Jesse out to Becky a couple of times when they were out riding around, but she never introduced them because they were always drinking when they saw him. At the time, Beth didn’t want to get close enough for him to know it.

She should have expected it of Jesse to screw around since he had been doing it all his life; but, when Jesse didn’t turn away when she walked out of the bathroom, it made Beth believe that things were going to be different between them. Surely, she didn’t see things that weren’t there.