Promises Not Kept

23

           Leah found a sliver of normalcy in Birmingham. A simple routine that kept her sane. She tended after Charlie, doing what she could to give him a sense of calmness among the chaos. It wasn't an environment to raise a child in, but they didn't have a choice.

She did her best to adhere to the strict regulations Tommy set out for the entire family. Never leaving the house without an escort, keeping contact with him every hour or so, keeping quiet about any business discussed, and being wary of strangers. The last thing she wanted was to do something that would put the family in danger.

In return, Tommy struggled to keep an open dialogue with her. Reassuring her things would be okay. No one else was dying on his watch and it was tremendous pressure.

~~~~~~~~~~~

One night, after speaking with Jessie Eden, Tommy returned to the flat. He felt like he was walking through a fog. The photograph in his pocket was weighing him down, making the trip upstairs difficult.

When he nudged the door open, he found Leah still awake. Charlie was sound asleep in his cot, blissfully oblivious.

"Are you okay?" Leah whispered. It was a hollow question and she knew the answer. Of course not. None of them were okay.

Tommy only nodded and went to slip off his coat. He took out the old photograph of him and Greta. When Jessie had given it to him, he had to hide his surprise. It had been ages since he'd seen her face. It had been ages since he'd seen a picture of himself before France.

Leah stood up and went to stand beside him by the window. She leaned into him, looking at the picture with him. "Who is that with you?" She asked gently.

"The first woman I ever loved." He answered. "I lost her before I went to France."

Wild rovers beside the seaside. June 15th, 1915. The handwriting was feminine and Leah didn't recognize it as Tommy's.

"A different man back then."

Leah kissed his cheek and went to the dresser drawers where she had packed away a few of her possessions. "Can I show you this?" She handed him a photograph. It was the last picture taken of her and Jonah. "I don't know that person anymore."

Tommy took in the picture of a younger Leah. Her smile was the same and he recognized the kindness in her eyes. Jonah looked happy to be beside her. Grateful for his adoring wife.

"That's not the woman who would have sex with men for money. She had a soul and..." She shook her head. "Just a very different person."

"Are you okay with the person you are now?" It was as if he were asking both her and himself.

Leah touched her cheek to his arm. "Well there isn't much I can do about it, can I?" He hummed an agreement and nodded. "But I know that I'm happy I met you."

He smiled gently and kissed her forehead. "I want to take you somewhere tomorrow. Just us."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Fog hung heavy in the air. The morning held a chill but there was an ominous humidity that gave the river a subdued feeling. Everything felt muted and strangely still. As if the Earth was standing still for them.

Tommy held her hand as he led her down closer to the river, beside the archways of the bridge. His eyes scanned the area, trying to find familiar markers from his past. He wandered over to the arch, the third one down. His fingers grazed over the stone until he found the initials he'd carved. It felt like a lifetime ago since they'd scratched in the letters, TS and GJ.

"We used to come here." His voice was low, timidly approaching his past emotions. "She'd wait for hours for me when I couldn't make it. I'd wait for her if her family kept her in."

Leah stood behind him as she listened. "The girl in the photograph?"

Slowly, he nodded and turned to face her. "I've not been back here since." He admitted and cupped her face in his hands. "But what you said about the person you used to be..." He paused. "I wanted to come back."

Leah's cheeks were red from the cold. "Tommy, the man you are now is not a mistake." She touched her fingers to his wrist. "What you've been through, the people you've loved, it's shaped you into the man who's standing in front of me. The man I love."

Tommy's forehead creased. All the guilt inside told him to disagree. But the rational side of his brain concurred. "And it all led me to you."

She smiled and nodded. "Will you kiss me?"

There was no reason to ask, he obliged and kissed her tenderly. Leah pressed backward against the stacks of hay piled beneath the arch. Her hand reached up to brush off his cap.

His lips parted, touching his forehead to hers. In that moment, he was glad to retreat into the warm comfort he always felt when she was in his arms.

Leah locked her fingers against the nape of his neck. She let out a soft sigh when he hitched her knee up towards his hip. His name slipped off her lips with a tenderness that coaxed a moan from him.

"Just forget everything." She whispered and nibbled lightly on his bottom lip. "We can escape for a moment."

Tommy believed her. Just a few kisses were enough to make him forget. Gratefully, he fell into her. His lips bruised against hers as he stepped closer. Her knees slipped open and she wrapped her legs around his slim waist. Her hands dropped, undoing his pants and tugging on his waistband to bring him closer.

He fought against the urgency building up in his stomach. Instinct drove him to hastily reach that peak. But he wanted to prolong the moment of peace he had. His head lowered, burying into the crook of her neck and allowing her to take control for a moment. When he felt her wrap a hand around him, he tensed up and let out an appreciative groan. It was easier to drift off, focusing completely on the feeling of her slender fingers and soft lips grazing against his ear.

"I love you." She murmured and drew her hand back to hike up the skirt of her dress. "I want to feel you."

Tommy pressed a kiss to her neck and took the invitation, slipping her panties to the side. Responding to her breathy whimpers, he worked her over with his fingers, building her up until she cried out his name.

Before she had time to descend, he slipped into her. She gasped and dug her nails into his back. "Tommy!"

He paused, letting them both adjust. "I've got you." A sense of protectiveness overcame him as he held her close. "Not letting go." It was a promise he would keep. No matter what, Tommy was going to keep her and Charlie safe. He would see them through this. Even if it killed him.