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Chapter Fourteen
Birch thoroughly enjoyed the day with Allison. He was able to push the conflict over his promise to Blade to the side and simply focus on her as they spent time on Luke and Mar’s beautiful island. They had fun playing in the waterfall pool, especially since he wouldn’t let her use her left arm to swim so he had to keep her close to his side and play lifeguard. It was much more fun than maid or doctor like they’d teased about in Jackson Hole as she took out his stitches. Truly lifeguard was just an excuse to hold her and kiss her every chance he got.
They relaxed on the beach for a while then had a nice dinner with Luke and Mar. They went on another long walk on the beach and she shared the story of her brother Abe and how he’d been betrayed by his fiancée and best friend and even gone to prison as they framed him for embezzlement and then how he’d met Rachel and their incredible story. Part of which took place on this very island. He could relate to Abe’s story and gained even more respect for the man.
After the walk they’d hugged and kissed for a while but he’d insisted they go to their own rooms before it got too late and his self control disappeared. If Allison had any clue how appealing she was to him, she’d be even more impressed with his determination to keep his promise to be pure and clean with her. The crazy thing was he completely trusted that she was being truthful with him. It shocked him, and made him ecstatically happy at the same time. More and more he thought that Blade would tell him to date Allison, to give her a chance, that he and his brother had been acting as dramatic as his mother and sister when they’d made that promise.
He climbed into bed and unfortunately thought of his mother and sister. Apple Autumn and Divine Destiny. Stupidest fake names ever. Years of drama, frustration, belittlement, and silly fights played through his mind as he drifted off to sleep. He tried to push it away and focus on the pure beauty of his relationship with Allison but sadly all the anger and aggravation was deeply engrained in him.
He tossed and turned as the memories kept assaulting him. His mother had made many promises when he was a child: claiming she’d take him and Blade to the zoo, Disneyland, or even just to get ice cream. She always broke those promises. On good days she’d have the nanny take them and he and his brother had some great times together. On bad days she’d just berate him and Blade for being so needy and annoying.
The only time his mother had ever wanted to hug or kiss him was when a camera appeared and she wanted to pretend she was a doting parent. He remembered being around eight and suddenly his mother was holding him close and smiling at him as if she were proud of him. He’d been so happy and clung to her until she whispered harshly in his ear, “Pretend you’re happy but stop clinging to me, you’re wrinkling my blouse.” The paparazzi must’ve moved on because seconds later she disentangled herself from him and gave him a disdainful look. “Please don’t act like a needy child again, it’s humiliating.”
He kept telling himself that he trusted Allison and his past didn’t matter. But long experience with deceitful actresses made him start to doubt that trust. He hated himself for it. He prayed hard for help from above and for help from his brother and then he prayed to simply sleep. In the morning he could hold Allison again. That would set everything right.
* * *
Allison drifted off to sleep with a smile on lips that blissfully could still taste Birch’s kisses. She woke to deep calls for help. Blinking in the darkness she lay unmoving in the luxurious bed and strained to listen. Had she been dreaming?
“Blade! Bermuda, please … Noooo!” The loud holler came from Birch’s room.
Allison scrambled out of bed, out of her room, and followed the yells to Birch’s darkened room. She turned on his lamp and saw him twisting in the bed. The top sheet and blanket were thrown off and his muscles were taut as he called out to his brother, begged Bermuda not to hurt Blade, and then called for help over and over again.
Allison climbed onto the bed and wrapped her hands around his shoulders. “Birch,” she said sharply. “Birch, wake up. It’s just a dream.”
Birch’s eyes flew open. He stared up at her as if not really seeing her and then he asked, “Ally?”
She nodded, relieved he’d awoken. “It’s me. It’s just a dream. You’re okay.”
He sat up quickly and wrapped her up in his arms. He cradled her close, resting his cheek against the top of her head. Allison snuggled into his firm chest, wrapping her arms around his lower back. Her left shoulder gave a slight twinge but it was fine, and nothing that was going to stop her from enjoying his touch, and hopefully comforting him from his dream.
“You’re okay,” she repeated.
“Oh, Ally.” His body shuddered and then he started speaking, “It was awful. Bermuda was torturing and killing Blade and there was nothing I could do to help him.”
Allison didn’t want to upset him, but his bigotry toward her friend was getting old. “It was just a dream, Birch. Bermuda never hurt Blade.” She felt him stiffen against her but felt she had to say it. “I’m sorry Bermuda hurt you emotionally but you were both young and I’m willing to bet Jeremiah should take a lot of the blame. Bermuda is a good friend to me and has always been there for me. I trust her and know she’s a good person.”
He didn’t even seem to register her words. His arms around her relaxed and he leaned back against the headboard and away from her. He said in a voice that sounded lifeless and resigned, “Then as Blade died he looked me right in the eyes and said, ‘Don’t forget your promise’.”
Allison pushed away from him and stood next to the bed. She felt … angry. Which she knew wasn’t fair. He’d promised his brother the day Blade died that he wouldn’t date an actress and Birch had told her he’d never planned on Allison coming along. She tried to empathize by thinking how she’d feel if it was her brother Abe she was breaking a promise to. Yet she could never imagine Abe extracting a promise like that. Abe had been betrayed and thrown in prison by his ex-girlfriend and he’d never come to Allison and said, “Never date a blond with wicked math skills, he might embezzle and frame you for it.” It was ludicrous.
Birch simply studied her, as if she had the answers to their dilemma.
“It was just a dream, Birch,” she said softly.
He blew out a breath and rubbed his hand over his head. “I hate that this is coming between us. Being with you today … it was one of the best days of my life.”
Allison softened at those words. She said something that might backfire on her, but she felt she had to try. “Blade loved you, you said yourself he was the best of all of you. Would he want you to be happy, or to hold on to a promise that you both made while in an emotionally fragile state?”
Birch’s eyes widened. His jaw slackened and she thought maybe it was the time to have a deep discussion and figure out how to navigate their relationship, but instead Birch said in a teasing growl, “I think I would pummel any other person who dared call me fragile.”
Allison laughed in surprise. “Try it, big boy,” she taunted.
He chuckled and then passed a hand over his face. “You have no idea how badly I want to jump out of this bed and tackle you to the floor.”
Allison’s eyebrows lifted. “Well that sounds all kinds of appetizing. You want to pummel me and tackle me to the floor?”
Birch laughed and then he leapt off the bed and onto his feet so quickly she stepped back in surprise. He didn’t tackle her but abruptly stopped in front of her. Tenderly running his hand down her arm, he clasped their fingers together. “You know I’d never pummel you or tackle you.”
