Keeping My Promise // Sequel to Promise Me

One.

A/N: Did ya'll miss me? ;)

"You sure they'll be happy for us and won't think it's too soon?" I yelled over the sound of the roar of Bradley's Jeep that has forever been burned into my brain. "She's only 13 months old!"

"They aren't real friends if they aren't excited!" He said back, just as loud, if not louder than me. "Besides, you know they've been teasing us about the secret we've been keeping."

Bradley glanced back at Charlotte in the backseat of the Jeep, who had seemed to fall asleep on the drive over to the steakhouse. She'd gotten so used to the loud engine and the whipping of the wind and had grown to like it so much that sometimes it was all that could get her to fall asleep.

We had just celebrated Charlotte's first birthday not too long ago. Everyone, including Hangman, came to the small party we had for her at our new house. About two weeks after her party, I noticed my period was a few days late. I figured it was due to stress I had been under months prior from moving and getting Bradley cleared for the Navy at the same time, so to give myself a peace of mind, I took a pregnancy test, which was very much positive. That definitely didn't ease my mind.

Bradley was over the moon happy when I had told him. He held me, and we both cried. The end of my pregnancy with Charlotte was hard on me not only physically, but emotionally as well. On the last mission Bradley went on, he got into an accident and lost his memory. He wasn't around much during the last bit of my pregnancy because he felt weird having no memory of getting married to me or having a baby, but I respected his wishes. It worked out in our favor in the end, though, his memory came back while I was in labor with Charlotte, and he ended up getting to be there after all.

This pregnancy was going to be different for the both of us. Bradley's not flying missions anymore. Instead, he's helping Maverick teach and train pilots who have been pulled for other missions, and he loves it. He gets the best of both worlds – he still gets to be in the Navy AND fly planes (more safely...and my personal favorite part of the job, he's home EVERY DAY!)

"I know, I know," I said as we pulled up to the restaurant a couple of minutes after we said we'd arrive, in true Bradshaw fashion. "I'm just nervous. We haven't even told my family yet."

"Do you wanna wait to tell them until we tell your family?" He asked, hopping out in one smooth motion and grabbing the diaper bag to sling over his shoulder before slowly getting Charlotte out of her seat and laying her head on his shoulder. She had grown to be quite the heavy sleeper. "It's entirely up to you."

"No," I responded as I opened up the door right as he came around to help me out. "They'll probably be more enthused than my own family will," I answered softly.

Even though my dad let us live in the house until we got our own place, he was hardly ever home. We had grown distant ever since my mom died while my dad was in the Navy, and I was left to raise my brother and sister practically on my own while he worked long hours. It put a strain on our relationship, and even though it had gotten better over the years, we were still pretty distant.

"Family isn't always blood," He reminded me as he linked our hands together as we walked into the restaurant. "We can tell them whenever you want. Or not at all."

He kissed my hand as we walked through the crowded restaurant towards the back, where I was more than relieved to see some familiar faces.

"There you guys are!" Phoenix squealed excited as she stood up and rushed over to engulf me in a hug. "We were worried you weren't gonna make it!"

"We're running on Bradshaw time," Bradley joked as the entire table laughed, to which Charlotte had started to wake up. "We're only a couple minutes late."