Page 50 of When Darkness Calls

Charles leans over, pressing a kiss to Marlene’s temple. “I’m going to run and grab us all some food. I’ll be back soon.”

The door shuts behind him.

“Boys, can you all look at me really quick? I have to tell you something really important, okay?” Marlene glances at each of us, our eyes locked on her. She never uses that voice unless it’s something really serious.

“You would all do absolutely anything for each other, right?” She asks, eyeing us.

We all mutter a “yes” with a sharp nod, or rapid nods if you’re Alex.

“And you protect each other and take care of each other?”

We nodded again.

“And you’re always, always there for each other no matter what?”

The rapid nods come from all of us this time. We’re brothers. We’ve been brothers for years.

Marlene exhales a long breath, nodding too. “Good. I knew you were going to say that. Can you guys promise me something?”

None of us utter a word, and she takes our silence as agreement.

“Dani…she’s one of you now. You guys brought Nick into the group, and you all love him, protect him, care about him, and will do anything for him. Dani is going to be the same way as Cade’s little sister, like Nick is Alex’s little brother. It might be a bit different because you’re all much older than her, but she is one of you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, we understand. But Marlene? It won’t be like with Nick…” Alex speaks up.

“Why not?” Marlene’s voice is sharp. The only time I remember her sounding like that was when we all tried to climb out of their guest room window onto the roof and she caught us.

“Becauseee. We already like Dani. We didn’t like Nick until yesterday.” Alex states as if this is information she should have known from the beginning.

Nick shoves Alex, who starts laughing, and crosses his arms.

Marlene snorts. “Alex, stop teasing your brother. I’m being serious. You all understand, right?”

We all say variations of yes and yeah. Cade even throwing out a “Of course, Mommy.”

“Promise me. All of you. Pinky promise you’ll be there for her, protect her, take care of her, just like you do for each other.”

The guys all hold out their pinkies as she wraps hers around it. They kiss their thumbs as she kisses hers and touch them together. A Beckett vow.

“Grayson?” She turns toward me, holding out her pinky. The movement causes Dani to stir, her eyes fluttering, before they open, staring right into my own. They are wide, bright, full of wonder as she looks at me. I was never going to hesitate making a promise to Cade’s mom. She was like a mom to me too. But at that moment, the second I looked into Dani’s eyes, and she looked into mine, I knew that any fear, anxiety, hesitance, whatever I could have had, would have melted away.

“I swear.” And my pinky wrapped around Marlene’s.

I shake my head, pulling myself from the memory just as our thumbs touched, sealing my promise, my vow, in the stone of my memory.

Laying on the counter are a few of Cade’s notebooks and files. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began to scribble a note to her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANI.

I’M SORRY I MISSED YOUR PARTY. I PROMISE I’LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU. I HOPE THIS YEAR BRINGS YOU ALL THE HAPPINESS AND ADVENTURE YOU HAVE MISSED SO MUCH.

YOU’RE A STRONG, FEARLESS WOMAN.

DON’T FORGET WHO YOU ARE.

-You know who

The climb upstairs to her room is quick and quiet. The sound of her fan muffling my near-silent steps as I slide the note under her door.