Page 23 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

Katherine studied her reflection as if a stranger were staring back at her. Of course, nothing about her outward appearance had changed. She was still the same person. Yet somehow, she wasn’t. Something in her eyes and the warmth of her complexion had her doing a double take.

In her youth, she’d heard that being in love made you glow, but she dismissed the notion as ridiculous.

Nevertheless, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror with butterflies in her tummy and contentment in her heart, she just might be a believer.

Because being around Matthew was good medicine, and it showed.

Smiling at the mere thought of him, Katherine searched for and found the spare toothbrushes Matthew had told her about.

“I guess Julia didn’t like pink,” she said, almost hating herself for the flippant remark.

Slumping down on the edge of the bathtub, holding one of the brushes in her hand, Katherine started to doubt if it was really okay for her to be there.

Maybe she’d been too caught up in the moment and those incredible kisses to make the best decision.

Maybe the right thing would be for her to leave and let go of the fantasy she’d built up in her mind.

She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting there staring at the pink toothbrush in her hand, fighting back tears of uncertainty, when Matthew tapped on the door.

“Katie… is everything okay?”

Katherine didn’t hesitate, she went to the door and yanked it open. Her eyes filled with tears and regret.

“What’s wrong?” Matthew asked at the sight of her pained expression. But Katherine couldn’t speak. She tried but didn’t know what to say, and her gaze fell away in shame.

“Look at me, Katie,” he said, his tone on the edge of demanding. “Look at me and tell me what happened.”

But she shook her head, afraid to lift her face and meet his gaze.

“Please,” he pleaded in a much softer tone. “You’re scaring me.”

When Katherine heard the worry in Matthew’s voice, she lifted her head and looked at him. “Are you sure I should be here?”

“I want you here.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Why are you asking? What’s changed in the last five minutes?”

“This.” Katherine held up the pink toothbrush. “As crazy as it sounds, this made me wonder if I should be ashamed to be here.”

“There’s no reason for you to feel ashamed.”

“How can I not?”

“Because we didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, how long is long enough before we can see where this goes?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in a situation like this before. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel or what I’m supposed to think or what’s the right way to do this.”

“Well, I don’t know either. I guess it’s something we have to figure out for ourselves.”

“I don’t wanna feel like we’re always walking on eggshells. Afraid to make the wrong move. Or worried what people will think.”

“I don’t want that either. But like any other relationship, this is going to take time. We’re not coming into this without baggage or hang-ups. And of course, it would be great if our situation was a little less complicated, but it’s not.”

“No, it’s not.” Katherine frowned. “But I wish it were.”

“So do I,” Matthew admitted, his expression matching Katherine’s. “Going down the hall just now, there was a brief moment when I worried about the floorboards creaking and upsetting Julia. That’s the kind of stuff that won’t just go away automatically. Wounds take time to heal.”

“Well, I just wondered why she didn’t like pink,” Katherine said, holding up the toothbrush. “Who doesn’t like pink? I mean, come on, we’re girls. We’re conditioned from birth to like pink.”

“It wasn’t the color. It was her thinking a simple no-frills brush wasn’t good enough. Just likeIwasn’t good enough.”

“But that’s just it. You were good enough. She was just too blind to see it.”

Matthew smiled, pulling Katherine into his arms. “You’re amazing, Katie. I hope you know that. And I’m sorry we have to start with so much hanging over our heads.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve brought my own baggage into this.”

As they stood together, Matthew knew he couldn’t let Katherine go. All this time wanting to be with her, to be close to her, he couldn’t let her put their past, or any uncertainties, in the way of what they could have.

“Look, we can’t dwell on things like this but we can work through it together when it’s necessary and then we have to let it go. We’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I guess that’s true.” Katherine shrugged. “We did honor our vows as best as we could.”

“Yes, we did,” Matthew agreed, relieved that vows, promises, and truth were as important to her as they were to him.

“I think I’m ready to brush now,” Katherine said, trying to pull away. But Matthew wasn’t ready to let her go.

“Promise me, Katie, that we can get through these things together.”

Katherine smiled. “I promise.”

“Good.” Matthew smiled back, taking the toothbrush from Katherine’s hand and tossing it into the trash. Then he threw out the other pink ones before handing Katherine a teal-colored toothbrush. “Fresh start?”

“Yeah… fresh start.”

By the time she had finished getting ready for bed and left the bathroom, Matthew was under the covers reading a book.

“Wow, you look great,” he said, seeing her in his pajamas. “I’ve never seen your hair down before.”

“Really?” She smiled, touching her cascading brown curls.

“Trust me, I would’ve noticed.”

Placing her folded clothes in a neat stack near the dresser, Katherine tried to stifle a yawn while her back was turned.

“You must be ready for sleep?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Not really.” He held up his book. “I thought reading would help me wind down, but I think my nap was too long.”

As Katherine sat on the bed next to Matthew, he set his book aside and reached for her hands, studying how small and delicate they were, and how nice they looked pressed against his.

“When we first met, I wondered how old you were.”

“Why is that?”

“I had a feeling you were younger than me,” she said, running a hand over his cheek. “Even with whiskers, your baby face gives you away.”

“Baby face?” Matthew chuckled. “I didn’t know I had a baby face.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Katherine said. “How oldareyou anyway?”

“Twenty-six.”

“I knew it,” she laughed.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.”

“Interesting.” Matthew smirked. “I’ve never made love to an older woman before.”

As a flush covered Katherine’s face, she looked lost for words.

“What made you want to be a police officer?” she finally blurted out, followed by a laugh that rumbled from deep inside Matthew’s chest.

“Don’t try to change the subject.”

“I’m not.”

He raised a brow at her.

“What?” her voice practically squeaked. “I’m serious. Ireallywanna know.”

“Okay… I guess I can let you off the hook this time,” he teased, sliding over so she could get in the bed next to him. “I got interested in law enforcement when our house got robbed.”

“Oh my gosh, was anyone hurt?”

“No, fortunately we were on vacation. But coming home and seeing your house ripped apart was still pretty bad. Especially for a kid.”

“I bet.”

“The cop assigned to our case went through the same thing the year before. Turns out there was a group of thieves targeting homes in the Seattle area for years.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s awful.”

“Just wait, it gets worse,” Matthew said, explaining that the travel agent his parents had used was handing over people’s itineraries to her boyfriend and his friends.

“By the time our house was hit, several local law enforcement agencies were working together to solve the case, so it was a pretty big deal that my dad was able to help out the way he did.”

“What did he do?”

“When he opened the front door and saw the house had been torn apart, he wouldn’t let my mom or me go inside.

He just shut the door, ordered us back into the car, and drove directly to the police station to file a report.

When they asked why he didn’t go in the house, he said he thought it was a way to preserve evidence.

He wasn’t sure if it would work, but said he had to give it a shot. ”

“Did it work?”

“Yep, and all it took was one set of fingerprints. After the first arrest, the whole crew went down one by one. The guy was so freaked out about taking the entire rap that he sang like a bird. That’s the first time I ever heard the phrase ‘no honor among thieves.’”

“Wow, you must’ve been really proud of your dad.”

“I still am. My mom’s called him her hero ever since. And that cop that helped us out, he even tried to get my dad to go into law enforcement. Said my dad had the makings of a good detective.”

“Did he do it?”

“No, but they became friends, and it was through that friendship that helped me decide my future. Although at first, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer and put criminals behind bars. But when I found out I could do the same thing and carry a gun, well, that was enough for me.”

“I can see how that could be a draw for a young boy.”

“Exactly!” Matthew smiled. “And get this… when I joined the Kinsey police force, that same officer who helped my family was the Chief of police. In fact, he still is.”

“It’s funny how things have a way of working out even now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your connection to your old Chief and now to your new one.”

Matthew looked confused.“I don’t really have a connection to the Chief here. Not yet, at least. He seems like a nice enough guy, but he’s not always the easiest person to talk to.”

“I know. He can be on the quiet side, and it takes time for people to get to know him, but he’ll come around. Deep down, he’s really very sweet.”

“So, you know him pretty well then?”

“Of course I do. He’s my dad.”

Matthew’s head cocked back. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, you didn’t know that?”

“Jerome and Ginny Bennett are your parents?”

“Oh, so you’ve met my mom?”

“I had dinner at their house.”