BROKEN

CH.39-the future

*ACE'S POV*

"I have a question," Kara asked.

"Hmm?" I asked as I exhaled, my breath touching the tips of her ears. My arms tightened around her waist as we lay down on the couch just talking. Scout was curled up at my feet.

"Do you ever think about our future?" She asked. I felt like she was hiding something from me and had been for a few days. She acted strange, but I wasn't entirely sure what to do. When I asked, she blew me off, and so I stopped asking. I don't want to bother her, but I want her to be okay.

"Of course, do you?" War saves little room for thoughts of relationships, but Kara was more to me than just a girlfriend. She was a part of my life. We were going to be together for the rest of our lives, no matter how long or how short those lives may be.

"What do you think about?" She asked. I rested my head on top of hers and reached my hand up to touch the angel pendant that she always seemed to have wrapped around her fingers, but it wasn't there.

Maybe she took it off when she got out of the shower or something. Nevertheless, she's blowing me off again.

"I think about what we are going to do after this war. I think about what ring I'm going to propose to you with. I think about where we are going to live someday and what kind of house we are going to have. I think about who we are going to stay in touch with. I think about our jobs and our pets, and even the names of our children," I said with no fear whatsoever. I was going to stay with her for the rest of my life.

"If we have a girl, what would you want her name to be?" She asked.

"I've been the only one answering questions, Angel. I think you should answer some of mine," I said trying to make small talk.

"Okay," she said turning around to look at me with her pretty hazel eyes. "If we have a girl, I want to name her Promise."

"What if we have a boy?" I asked and she tucked her head into my chest.

"I want you to tell me your answer first."

I knew my answer, and I had known it for a while now. I always thought that it was only fair that some of the people I care about most stay with me for the rest of my life, even if only in spirit.

"I would name him Andy Braxton," I said and as soon as the words left my mouth, Kara smiled.

"Why?"

"Well, Anderson is Sev's real name, but his parents and Eliza called him Andy as a child, even though he never got the chance to be a child. That chance was taken away from him when it shouldn't have been. It was taken away unjustly, and I want that name to go on to live a full happy life. I want my son to be a child because Seven never got to be. I never got to be."

"And Braxton is your father's name. He didn't live out the full extent of his life either," she whispered clutching to my T-shirt.

"Yeah," I breathed, kissing the top of her head.

"Ace, there's something that I need to tell you." She tucked her head further into my shirt.

"Go ahead," I said and she nodded.

"I use to have this dream. I was going to tell you about it once, but I couldn't bring myself to finish telling you the details."