A Soldier's Promise

Chapter Thirteen

Evelyn sat in between Zane and Marco on the flight to California. After everything that happened with Jonathan at the bar, Evelyn didn't want to stay in Savannah. She figured now was as good a time as any to get started on the egg retrieval process. Since she was a writer, technically as long as she had her laptop, she could work from wherever she wanted to. After a two-hour layover in Dallas, they finally landed in Santa Rosa. They picked up their bags and found Zane's white Range Rover. It was another hour drive to Napa Valley where they lived on Marco's family vineyard.

Evelyn didn't say much during the entire trip to California. Zane and Marco wanted to say something to try to bring her some sort of comfort, but neither one really knew what to say. Despite the awkward first meeting with Jonathan, Zane could see that Jonathan was in pain too. Marco argued that Zane's loyalty should be with Evelyn, and he shouldn't feel sorry for any son of a bitch that would treat Evelyn that way. Zane of course was on Evelyn's side, and he knew he would support whatever decision she made about the Jonathan situation, however, that didn't mean he wouldn't put his two cents in first. Had Jonathan made a grave mistake? Yes, he had. Was it a completely unforgivable mistake? Zane didn't think so, but he knew time would tell. When they got home, Zane and Marco took Evelyn to their spare bedroom. It overlooked the pool and all Evelyn had to do was step outside the French doors and she'd be in the pool in seconds. If that wasn't spectacular enough, the view of the vineyard with the mountains reaching to the heavens in the distance was completely breathtaking.

Evelyn was looking out the French doors when she felt a pair of strong arms circle her waist. She leaned her head back against his strong chest and sighed.

"Zane is going to the restaurant to get us some dinner."

"Won't your parents be upset that you're not with him?" Marco laughed.

"Are you kidding? They like him more than me anyway." Evelyn laughed softly.

"Now I know that's a lie. As much as they love Zane, they completely adore you."

"I'll see them tomorrow. I wanted to help you get settled in." Evelyn turned and looked into Marco's kind brown eyes.

"I'm ok. You can go see your family."

"No...you're not ok." He tucked her hair behind her ear and save her a sad smile, "But you will be."

Evelyn's throat tightened with emotion. Tears welled in her eyes and Marco immediately pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She cried softly into his chest and Marco simply held her. When her tears finally subsided, she slowly pulled away. Marco gently wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry," Evelyn smiled sheepishly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm always here for you." She nodded and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to go splash some water on my face and then I'll unpack."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll let you know when Zane is back." Marco closed the door behind him, and Evelyn headed to the bathroom. She leaned over the sink and let the cold water run before filling her hands. She splashed the cold, refreshing water on her face a couple times then stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"You are strong. You can handle this. This is not your first broken heart." She looked at herself for a moment longer before she dried her face and headed back to her room to unpack. She was just setting up her laptop on the desk beside the French doors when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

Zane poked his head in and smiled, "I'm back with food." Evelyn smiled back at her brother and followed him out of the door. He threw his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.