CHAPTER 99: PROMISES
The couple said goodbye to Suzanne as they left her home. James held Diana's hand securely as they walked the short distance back to their house.
"Why were you ignoring me earlier?" she asked, her voice gentle but firm.
James hesitated, his gaze fixed straight ahead. "No particular reason," he replied, his tone evasive.
Diana raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with playful challenge. "That's a terrible excuse, James. I deserve a better answer than that."
She waited a bit. When she did not get any response, she nodded before speaking again. "If you don't want to talk about it, I get it, but I would have appreciated the response you gave your grandma instead of just totally ignoring me."
James turned her to face him. She looked at him with clear eyes. "If you were ever to find out that someone close to you committed murder, be it for the right or wrong reasons, what would you do?"
"Well, if their reason is good, I would support them, and if it isn't, I would become wary of them. But I don't think I believe in senselessly committing murder. You can punish, but murder takes things too far."
James swallowed and nodded with difficulty. Perhaps there was no point in telling her, so she wouldn't hate him.
"Treasure, what is this about?" Diana asked.
"I have committed a lot of atrocities in the past," James said.
"Well, those atrocities were before you met me, right?" Diana refuted.
"What if I've committed more now that you're with me? What happens then? Will you leave, run away with our baby, or marry someone else?"
"What?" Diana exclaimed. "What is it that you did that is so bad?"
"It's not important, Diana. Let's go." He held her hand and was about to walk away when Diana stamped her feet on the ground.
"What are you doing, Diana?" James asked when he saw she wasn't moving.
"What does it look like? Just hold me."
Before James knew it, the small woman had jumped on him. He instinctively held her, his hands under her butt, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her arms around his neck.