Free A Broken Promise by Megan McKenney

sounded like a female voice so I knew it wasn’t him.
    Indigo was standing out in the yard in the flowerbed picking weeds from the garden she had planted when she moved in. She had dirt smudged across her cheeks, and she was wearing a pair of red gardening gloves. “Jenna, I heard it was your birthday,” Indigo said excitedly.
    I nodded my head. “Eighteen today.”
    “Well, happy birthday.” She gave me a hug, careful not to get any dirt on me. “You’ve been really good to Keiffer. I just wanted to thank you for being so nice to him. He’s been having a hard time since his father died a few years ago,” her eyes shifted over slightly. “He probably told you about it.”
    “A few years ago?” I asked, feeling like someone just dropped a ton of weight on my stomach. “I thought it happened when he was a child.”
    “No, he was a teenager. Fourteen to be exact. Depression runs in the family on Mark’s side. He had been depressed for awhile. I should’ve never left Keiffer alone with his father that weekend. Blew his brains out right in front of the poor child.” She used the back part of her hand to wipe her nose. “Thought Keiffer was going to a bit crazy too. But since we moved here, he’s been doing much better. He’s even listening to music again.”
    “Music,” I whispered. I was the one who told him his music was crappy. What if I was going to be the one to make his depression act up again? What if I was his demon?
    “No pressure on you, of course,” Indigo quickly added. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in any way. Listen, you don’t even have to be friends with him if you don’t want to…”
    “No, I do,” I said quickly. “He’s a nice kid.”
    “The nicest. A bit quirky,” she laughed. “But he really seems to like you.”
    I was about to say something else, before I heard my dad calling me. I looked over my shoulder, seeing him and Brad already driving down our driveway. Brad was watching me cautiously as I talked to Keiffer’s mom. She and I said our goodbyes before running over to the car. Getting in, I could feel Brad’s icy glare. He, obviously, had some questions and I had to give him the answers.
    He didn’t ask me anything right away, but after an hour into the car ride, he leaned over and whispered to me so only I could hear. “Why were you over at Keiffer’s house?”
    “His mom just wanted to wish me a happy birthday.” I glared at him playfully. “Something that you haven’t even bothered to do today.”
    “I thought that’s what I was going this morning,” he said playfully back, touching the tips of my hair. “And that’s what I’ll be doing tonight too.” I felt my back straighten. I forgot that I had planned to sleep with him. I felt myself start to sweat. “Honey, it’s okay, we will just cuddle. I just want you in my arms, no matter what we’re doing.”
    “Do you mean that?” I asked.
    “Of course. I love you and it doesn’t matter if you’re not ready. I will wait as long as I have to.” He looked up to make sure my dad wasn’t listening. “Sex doesn’t define this relationship, Jenna. I don’t need it in order to know how much you love me.”
    I rested my head on his shoulder. “You really are the best boyfriend in the world, aren’t you?”
    He laughed, “I try to be.”
    By the time we got onto the boat that brought us over to the island, I had almost forgotten about last night with Keiffer. Brad and I stood at the railing of the boat, feeling us glide over the water. The wind was blowing my hair around, but I never felt more alive. Brad wrapped his arms around my waist, letting myself fall into him. This was a perfect moment, a moment that I would always remember.
    After the boat docked, we carried our luggage up to the Grand Hotel. One thing about Mackinaw Island – there were no cars allowed there. Your only sources of transportation were your feet, bikes, and horses. We decided to use our feet because the hotel