Page 5 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

Matthew Brandon knew what a move to Windsong meant for his family. For most people, relocating to a new town was a chance for a fresh start, a much-needed change of perspective, or an exciting new adventure. But for Matthew, it was just another step toward the end of his marriage.

In the end, it was his wife who had made the decision for them. Because Julia’s relationship with another man was really why they were leaving Kinsey, a small suburb of Seattle, to the even smaller seaside town of Windsong.

Being a part of his daughter’s everyday life made the upheaval, all one hundred and fifty-six miles of it, worth the effort.

Still, it hadn’t been easy going along with the charade of commitment and fidelity Julia set before them.

Especially since she had no clue that Matthew knew the details of her betrayal.

Between growing up together and a few years with the Kinsey Police Department, Matthew had enough gut instinct and insight to figure out when Julia had started cheating on him. And it didn’t take a shift as significant and unexpected as their move to Windsong for him to know something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t even the time she spent away from home because Matthew could understand those above and beyond the call of duty hours that she said would prove her commitment and solidify her budding career as a television news reporter.

Instead, it was the changes in patterns and behavior that Matthew noticed. And it all began the day Julia went to work and left her wedding rings at home. Something she’d never done before.

When they were newlyweds, Julia loved her rings and was eager to show them off.

Each time someone mentioned them, she’d smile and thrust her hand out for the person to get a better look.

And it made Matthew believe her happiness and love for them was because they were a symbol of their lifelong commitment to each other.

But as time passed, Matthew got the feeling that it had more to do with the size of the stones and the money spent. And less about the two of them as a couple or their years together.

The first time Julia left her rings behind, Matthew didn’t think much of it when he noticed them sitting in the heart-shaped ring dish on her bedside table.

Since it had been his day off, he thought about taking them to her on his way out to run some errands but changed his mind.

Their infant daughter had been fussy that morning, and he didn’t want to risk interrupting Julia’s workday on the off chance that their little Libby threw a crying fit at her mommy’s work.

Instead, when Julia came home that night, Matthew had the baby in her crib and dinner waiting on the table. Meeting her at the door on bended knee, he asked her to marry him again.

“Will you do me the honor of being my bride?” he’d said, sliding the rings back onto her finger. “I promise to love and honor you. And I’ll even pick up my dirty socks.”

Then he had pulled her into his arms, kissed her lips, and apologized for embarrassing her with the impromptu proposal. And even though she slipped from his embrace and headed straight to the kitchen for a glass of wine, his heart still went out to her.

“Long day, babe?”

“The longest,” she’d said, downing the first glass of many.

That night, Matthew hadn’t realized that Julia really didn’t kiss him back. She also didn’t bother to ask about how their daughter’s day was. And it wasn’t until later, when his memories came flooding back, that he could see what that night had really been like.

Maybe because Julia frequently said how competitive a career in television journalism was, Matthew had convinced himself that her mind was way too preoccupied with the pressures of her job, and it was just a bad day.

But when she left without her rings again the next day, Matthew knew something was definitely wrong.

And it wasn’t just about Julia leaving her rings at home.

It had more to do with where and how she’d left them.

Because on that second day, Matthew found them tucked away in a bathroom drawer while searching for a razor.

Standing there with Julia’s engagement ring and diamond wedding band in his hand, he actually had to stop and process what it meant. Had it happened to one of his friends, he would’ve understood immediately. Yet, there he was, frozen in disbelief.

Dropping to his knees, Matthew yanked the lid of the toilet open and threw up. “Damn you,” he had muttered, then puked again, not sure if he was cursing Julia or his own stupidity.

When he could stand, he got up on shaky legs to reach for a towel to wipe his face, and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. He looked as white as a ghost and felt just as empty.

Squeezing the rings into the palm of his hand, Matthew started to cry. “Damn you!” he shouted, punching a hole in the bathroom wall. He’d been too hurt to realize he might wake their sleeping baby.

So, when Libby started to wail, Matthew dropped the rings on the bathroom floor and ran to her crib. His heart was pounding, and tears of hurt and betrayal streamed down his face when he lifted their tiny infant daughter into his arms.

Seeing her squalling face and flailing little arms, knowing that out of his own fear and frustration, he had caused this, Matthew vowed that whatever happened from there on out, he’d move heaven and earth to shield Libby from heartache. Even if it came at the hands of her own mother.

Calming himself and the baby took time, but eventually, when he could face those rings again, he returned to the bathroom and put them back exactly how he’d found them.

Since his job had him scheduled for a four-days-on, two-days-off rotation, he’d gotten himself and little Libby ready and hit the home improvement store for a wall repair patch kit.

And when Julia arrived home that night, she was none the wiser, and Matthew chose to keep it that way until he knew more about what his wife had been up to.

But it didn’t take long for more proof of her infidelity to come to light, and the demise of their marriage was beginning to feel inevitable.

“How’s work?” he’d asked one night when she agreed to meet him for dinner at their favorite Seattle restaurant.

When his parents heard about his plans, they offered to keep Libby overnight and encouraged Matthew to pull out all the stops to make the evening even more special than originally planned. But when Julia showed up, she was already in a nasty mood.

“Fine,” she’d snapped, driving her dinner fork into a piece of poached salmon. “Work’s fine.”

After reaching out to touch her hand, Matthew asked. “Are you sure? Since your maternity leave ended, you’ve seemed distant and upset. Maybe you’re getting burnt out spending too many hours at work.”

At the mention of her job, Julia’s head had snapped to attention, and the expression on her face was positively arctic.

“Is there a crime against doing my job, Officer?” she’d said, pulling her hand away from his and taking a long drink from her third heavy pour of wine.

At first, she had seemed impressed when Matthew ordered the first expensive bottle of Pinot Grigio, let alone the second, but it didn’t stop her from trying to drink it in record time.

“Are you sure you can even afford this?”

Despite the jab, Matthew tried to smile. “I thought we could splurge a little and celebrate. It’s still your favorite, isn’t it?”

Her penetrating glare went right through him.

“What’s there to celebrate?”

When couples at the surrounding tables turned to look at them, Matthew lowered his voice, hoping Julia would do the same.

“How about our daughter, our life together, and our careers moving in the right direction.”

“Maybe yours is,” she’d snapped back. “But my career was put on hold to have a baby. Now I have to find a way to make up all that lost time.”

Regardless of what he’d already known, Matthew was still stunned by how coldhearted Julia could be about spending those first twelve weeks at home with their daughter. Especially since it had been Matthew and his parents who did most of the work looking after their newborn.

“You shouldn’t let it upset you so much. You’re still young and have plenty of time to build your career. Besides, by law, you’re allowed that time off.”

Despite his attempt to ease her fears, Julia only rolled her eyes.

“Spare me the lesson in the law, Matthew. You have no idea how cut-throat those old hags in the newsroom really are. Not to mention the ones of my generation.” Then, she lifted her glass and downed every last drop before holding it out for a refill.

“I’ve told you how fierce the competition in television is,” she’d slurred, then glared at an older couple until they turned away.

“Come on, Julia,” Matthew had said, giving the couple an apologetic smile.“Don’t be like that.”

“Like what?” she’d snapped, challenging him with a blank stare. When he didn’t cower, she lost interest, rolled her eyes again, and put down the empty glass with an exaggerated sigh.

“Maybe we should go.”

“Whatever,” she’d said, pushing her plate away.

Then Matthew waved their waiter over to request that the remainder of their meals be boxed up so they could leave. “My wife isn’t feeling well,” he explained as Julia reached for the wine. Intercepting her, he handed the bottle to the waiter. “We’ll take the rest of this too.”

Glaring at him, Julia pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. “You can’t stop me, Officer Mattie. I’ll do what I have to do, whenever I have to do it, and whoever I have to do it to, to make sure I land on top.”

At those fateful words, a sickened chill emanated from deep inside Matthew’s heart. He knew there was no going back. They were married no more. Certainly not like they had been. And moving forward, Matthew would have to find a way to get through what he needed to do for himself and his daughter.