Promises Forgotten
Chapter 32

The party settled down a bit after everyone ate. Ron was sitting to my right, Evie to my left. She had little Nevaeh, which I learned was heaven spelled backwards, asleep on her lap. Stella was next to her and they were chatting quietly as we listened to the band play. Some of her cousins apparently were part of a famous band and they played while people danced. It was now nearing 10:00 p.m. but the music was still lively and people still continued to dance.

“¿Mija, cantarás para nosotros esta noche?” [Daughter, will you sing for us tonight?]

I turned to looked at Evie was blushing. “I don’t think so.”

“¿Por favor?” [Please?] Stella looked at Evie, who was shaking her head.

“Evie, canta para tu madre. Sabes que a ella le encanta.” [Evie, sing for you mother. You know she loves it.]

I regarded Ron with a curious tone. “What’s she asking?”

“She wants Evie to sing. The girl has a beautiful voice. I wish she would have continued her musical career after her father died, but nothing and no one could force that girl to do anything.”

I raised my eyebrow at her. She had sung with me and even out in public. She also played at her friend’s wedding. Evie had said she wasn’t a musician anymore, but I didn’t realize it was because her dad died. Stella was still pleading when I took Evie’s hand, kissing the top of it.

“Not you, too.”

“What if I play with you?”

Her eyes widened. “You would? Seriously?”

I nodded. “You’ve already made me play at the fountain downtown. Family shouldn’t be that bad, right?”

She was quiet for a moment, thinking. Ron had a smirk on his face, and he jabbed me in the side. Shrugging, I didn’t reply as I waited for Evie to reply.

“Alright. Fine. Todos ustedes son imposibles.” [Y’all are impossible.] She grumbled.

Stella clapped and picked up Nevaeh from Evie. “Let me put her down and then when I come back you can sing!”

Evie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I hate you.”

“I love you too.” I cooed back.

She looked up at me, smiling. Leaning over, she kissed me. I reached out and pulled her closer to me on the bench we were sitting on. My hands roamed her h**s and waist.

“Jesus, consíganse una maldita habitación, ustedes dos.” [Jesus, get a goddamn room, you two.]

Evie started to chuckle and broke our k**s. I whined, but she cupped my cheek. Pressing my cheek into her hand, I looked into her eyes. A smile crept onto my face.

“Ustedes realmente se aman.” [You guys really love each other.] Ron said behind me.

She nodded, but didn’t look away from me. “No puedo explicarlo. Pero lo hago. Me encanta.” [I can’t explain it. But I do. I love him.]

I searched her eyes for a moment, wondering what she said.

“I love you. Te quiero. Eres mi corazón y mi alma.” [You are my heart and soul.]

Smiling, I nodded. “Yo también te amo.” [I love you too.]

She threw her head back and laughed. “Look at you, that high school Spanish coming in handy!”

Ron behind me also was laughing and I started laughing as well. She kissed my lips again and leaned into me, her attention moving back to the band playing. Ron was still watching us, but I leaned my head on hers and let my eyes settle on the band as well.

Ten minutes passed before Stella came back and sat down next to Ron this time. “Alright. Sorry. One of the other kids woke up and ended up being a whole process.”

Evie laughed. “So, when I number six coming?”

Ron shook his head. “Not anytime soon. Right, darling?”

He turned his head to his wife, but she was looking anywhere but at him, a slight redness blushing over her face. Evie sat up.

“¿Mamá?” [Mom?]

“¿Esposa?” [Wife?] Ron now sounded worried. “¿Amor de mi vida?” [Love of my life?]

“I still need to confirm it with the doctor.”

I bit my l*p to keep a smile from spreading further on my face.

“¿No estás bromeando, verdad?” [You’re not kidding, right?] Evie asked, unable to keep the smile off her face as well.

Ron however, was struggling to grasp the information he’d just been handed. Slamming my hand down on his shoulder, I let the smile spread further.

“Congratulations, man.”

It seemed to break him out of whatever hole he was digging in his mind, because a goofy grin encompassed his face. He pulled Stella into his lap and kissed her passionately.

“Now who needs to get a room?” Evie mumbled and I kissed her head.

“Me has hecho el hombre más feliz del mundo.” [You have made me the happiest man in the world.] Ron struggled to hold in his glee.

“¿No estas enojado?” [You’re not angry?]

“¿Cómo podría estar enojado? Te quiero. Tienes mi corazón.” [How could I be angry? I love you. You have my heart.] Ron laughed and kissed Stella again. “No más después de esto.” [No more after this.]

Evie laughed. “You said it was the last one after Ed. That was two kids ago. Well, three now.”

“Hush, you. I want to hear you sing. Go. Shoo.” Stella dismissed Evie, who shook her head.

I got up out off the bench and held my hand out to Evie. She took it and climbed over the bench as well. Together, we walked over to band, who was taking a break and moving instruments.

“Hey, cuz. Stella finally beg you enough?”

Evie nodded and sighed. “You mind if Z borrows your acoustic for a song or two? We won’t touch your electric baby.”

“Sure. Whatever you need.”

He went in the back and grabbed two stools, setting them down in front of the two mics. Nodding, I grabbed the acoustic that was sitting up in its stand and put the strap over my shoulder. The stool was a little short for me and so I just used it to lean against. Evie sat on hers, her feet unable to touch the ground. She adjusted the mic in front of her and looked at me.

“What are you in the mood for?” I asked, strumming a few bars.

Evie smiled and shook her head. “Just play what you want. Strum and hit a beat. I’ll follow.”

My eyes went wide, and I looked at her like she was joking. She was staring back at me, not a single emotion on her face other than slight amusement. I swallowed and looked down at the guitar in my hands. Taking a deep breath, I started to play. My foot tapped and my head nodded as I got into a groove, bringing in some of the different sounds I heard from the band earlier.

Suddenly, her voice filled the back yard. The small hum of talk that was constant since the end of dinner hushed as she sang. Every word she sang was in Spanish and I didn’t know what it was about, but I could feel it. So could the crowd as people pulled their loved ones closer. In the back, Stella rested her head against Ron. I continued to play and closed my eyes, focusing on the rhythm and the beat I was playing.

There was a sentence she sang, and I stopped playing, listing to her sing it out. Evie repeated it, her tone more hushed than the first and she let the last note linger before opening her eyes. She looked over at me and smiled. The whole yard erupted in cheers and claps. I was shocked for a moment that somehow the crowd that we had at the beginning of the song doubled in size.

“That was really good.”

I shook my head. “You’re joking. You just made up a song, didn’t you?”

She blushed. “Maybe.”

“Not a musician, my a*s.”

She laughed and I smiled. The glow I had seen so many times around her, shone brighter tonight. Evie glowed from head to toe. It was as though I could feel my heart fall for her even more. As though I could see the pieces of my soul and my heart that she held in the reflection of her eyes.

“You want to do a little more mainstream one?”

I shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

“You have to sing with me this time.”

Humming, I shrugged. “We will see.”

I started playing one of the songs we played together in the hotel room. She smiled and nodded. Her voice came out again and this time, people got up and started to dance. I added extra beats, rocking back and forth. She sang the song in Spanish, though, and looked at me expectantly. Leaning into the mic, I sang in English the parts that I knew. The whole back yard was now dancing, and a couple of the band members came back, adding drums and a bass to the mix. Evie swayed as she sang, losing herself in the song as she often did.

We finished out the song and everyone was laughing and clapping. Evie got up and waved them all off. I took the guitar off and set it down in the stand. She grabbed my hand and pulled me away, back to where we were sitting before.

“Cariño, eso fue maravilloso como siempre.” [Honey, that was wonderful as always.] Stella kissed Evie on the cheek. “Gracias.” [Thank you.]

“Only for you, Mamá”

I sat down and pulled Evie into my lap as we watch people dance, now energized by the last song. We stayed for another hour before Evie said we should head out. I agreed, but she went up into the bedrooms to say goodnight to the kids that were still awake. Ron was sitting in one of the dining room chairs and Stella was at the sink in the kitchen, washing off dishes.

“You know she is something special, right?”

I looked at Ron, who was eyeing me. “Yes, sir.”

“She has been through a lot. I know who you are, and I know your family, Anderson. I’ve had a couple dealings with them in the past.”

My eyes widened and I cleared my throat. “I didn’t realize you knew who I was.”

“Oh dear, our Evie might be a little slow on the uptake, but we raised her and we have five other kids. You should know better.” Stella smiled sweetly, but I could see the judgement in her eyes.

“It was surprising when she brought you by the food truck, but when she said she was bringing you over tonight, I knew something was going on.” Ron narrowed his eyes. “She has nothing to give you. She won’t bring you power, or money. She’s gorgeous, of course. Luckily, she took after her mother.”

Stella hushed him and threw a kitchen towel at him. He laughed and shrugged. “What? Her father said the same thing. Man looked like a high school history teacher. She got lucky.”

“She gives me the one thing I haven’t had in my life since my mom died.” I looked over at the stairs Evie had disappeared up. “Love.”

“If you hurt her, you will answer to the whole of the community. You know that, right? Not just ours, but every single one she’s lived in. She’s been pursued a lot over the years, but never once has she even given them a second thought. You are an anomaly, and you need to f*****g make sure you do everything in your power to make her happy. She deserves it.”

I nodded. “I never thought of giving it all up. The planes, the cars, the trips, the lifestyle. I lived it and loved it. Now…it pales in comparison. I can’t breathe without her.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.” Evie made her way down the stairs and kissed my cheek as she passed me. She walked over to Stella and helped with the dishes, but stole glances at me.

I smiled at her as I watched, chuckling every time I caught her eyes.

“Ah, young love. Remember that love? Cuando follábamos en el armario del conserje en la escuela secundaria.” [When we were f*****g in the janitor’s closet in high school.]

Another towel got thrown at Ron and Evie was laughing, but was red as a tomato. I laughed as well. This was something I thought was only in the movies. Even when my mom was alive, our social circles meant we were poised and in control at all times. Their easy flow of a family and the laughter that happened here, what I was a part of now, felt right. Felt like home. With Evie, I felt as if I finally found a home.