Authors: Janet A. Mota
Believe In Love
Believe in Love
Janet A. Mota
Text Copyright © 2015 by Janet A. Mota Books
All Rights Reserved
Cover Photography: Jeanna Lee
Published by: Janet A. Mota
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Acknowledgements
I am dedicating this book to my readers. Without you none of this would be possible. You have shown me that my stories are worth telling. Thank you so much for all of that.
Thank you to my family and my friends for all the support. A special thank you to my beta readers, Tonya, Vanessa, Sarah and Monique, for your input and insight in making this story the best it can be.
I love all of you so much!
Prologue
Amber
High school is finally over. I don’t have many friends so high school was not the best experience. My best friend, Miranda, was always inviting me over to her house but my parents never allowed me to go. I usually just kept to myself since my parents didn’t allow me much freedom. I will be turning eighteen in a week and have been dying to finish high school. The graduation ceremony is tomorrow and I will be starting at the local community college in the fall. My family doesn’t have much money so they cannot afford to send me to a University. By going to the local community college, I can pay for my education while living at home and I won’t have to bother my parents or put more of a financial burden on them. My father made it quite clear not to go to them for college money. They didn’t have it and that was the end of that discussion. It broke my heart but it wasn’t the end of the world. My father is very strict and hard to get along with. It’s his way or the highway always. There were no discussions ever with him.
The bus drops me off a block from my house and I quickly walk home. I let myself into the house and call out for mom. No answer. That’s strange. Mom’s usually in the kitchen when I get home from school. I call for her again. Silence. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Something isn’t right. I look around the kitchen. Dishes are sitting in the sink. The ingredients for her oatmeal cookies are all over the counter. Very weird. Mom is very particular and always cleaning. I look toward the garage door and see it open a crack and the light is on in there. I go over to the door and push it open the rest of the way. I step into the garage and call out for mom again. The car is in the garage which means dad is home too. Dad never comes home early.
Oh please don’t let them be having sex! Ew!
There is a strange smell in the air though. Almost like something is burning but not. It’s a faint smell. I look around but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Something is telling me to keep going further into the garage. I keep walking to the other side of the car and start to scream. Mom and dad are both lying on the floor in a pool of blood. My vision blurs and tears start coming uncontrollably. I can’t stop screaming. My legs feel like lead and I am stuck where I am. I want to run but I can’t. Somehow, I will myself to stop screaming and take a deep breath.
Call police. Must call police
. My brain must have given my legs a signal and I am finally able to move. I run back into the house and grab the house phone. I dial 911 and tell the operator what I just found.
1 hour later
I am sitting at the kitchen table with an officer going over my story for what feels like the millionth time. I sign a statement when I am done and he stands.
“Thank you Miss Mitchell. I am sorry for your loss.” The officer says and heads into the garage to join the other officers, paramedics and coroner’s office personnel.
I check my watch and see that it is almost time for my brother and sister to get home. I pick up the house phone and call Mrs. Brown. She lives down the street and her kids go to school with my siblings. Since we only have one car, Mrs. Brown offered to drive them to and from school every day. I quickly inform her of what is going on and ask her to please keep my brother and sister until I can get everything sorted out. She quickly agrees but is in complete shock. I also ask that she not drive in front of the house and she assures me that she won’t. I hang up and notice that two officers are waiting to speak to me.
“May we sit?”
I motion for them to sit and they do. “Have you figured out what happened?”
“As you know, we have done a complete search of the home and concluded that it was not a break-in. Your father’s office gave us some insight as to what happened though. We found a letter sitting on the desk. It was a suicide note. In that note, your father admits to murdering your mother. We need you to identify the handwriting. As of right now, we are ruling it a murder suicide.”
I stare at the officer. When I don’t say anything, he hands me the folded piece of paper. I open it up and see his handwriting. I look up at the officer and tell him as such. I read the note.
Amber,
If you are reading this letter then your mother and I are dead.
Yes, I killed her and turned the gun on myself. My reason-I couldn’t handle the debt anymore and your mother was no help.
Good luck.
Dad
I drop the note on the table and look up at the officers. “Investigation over. Here is your proof of what happened.”
Chapter 1
Six Years Later
Christmas Eve
Amber
I pull into a rock driveway and drive up to the house. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a large ranch style home with an expansive porch that has rocking chairs and a swing. I look at the cars parked in the driveway and realize how out of place I am. My beat up 1999 Toyota Corolla sticks out like a sore thumb. All the cars are new and shiny. My stomach churns. I am not used to all of this. Oh well. I take a deep breath, grab the cookies I baked and head toward the front door. The air is very cold here in North Carolina and I love it. I ring the doorbell and wait. I hear voices and the door opens. Miranda, in all of her beauty, stands there with a huge smile. She’s has long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. She’s a natural beauty. I’ve seen men walk into walls looking at her.
“Hi Amber! Welcome! I’m so happy you came.” She motions for me to enter and I do. “Let me take your coat.” She hangs it up in a small closet right behind the front door.
“Thank you for inviting me.” I smile. I inhale deeply. “Oh wow! It smells heavenly in here.”
“Mom’s turkey and stuffing. It’s amazing.” She starts walking and I follow. “Come in. Let me introduce you.”
I close the door behind me and follow her into a huge family room. It has high ceilings and I can see the second floor from where I stand. All the furnishings are modern and look so comfortable. The fireplace is spectacular and sits right in the middle of the main wall. A fire is going and looks so beautiful. Framed pictures sit on the mantel. Above the fireplace and hanging on the wall is an enormous television. The damn thing nearly takes up the whole wall. Right next to it sits the biggest and most incredible Christmas tree I have ever seen. I swear it belongs in a department store display. I am mesmerized by the room. I look to my right and my mouth drops open. The most beautiful country kitchen comes into view. It has black appliances and cherry cabinets. The granite counter tops enfolded the black and cherry into it and I couldn’t keep my eyes from wandering. Voices draw my mind back to what is going on around me. Miranda leads me to a beautiful older woman. Miranda is the exact replica of her. She has motherly eyes and I automatically feel comfortable in her presence. She embraces me.
“Welcome sweetheart. I am so glad you could make it. I am Miranda’s mom, Claire.” She says.
“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Morgan and thank you for having me. I almost didn’t take Miranda up on her offer.”
“There was no way I was going to let you spend Christmas Eve alone.” Miranda says and I offer her a small smile.
“Of course not. We are happy to have you and please call me Claire.” I hand her the plate of cookies.
“I made pumpkin spice cookies.” I say and she smiles.
“Thank you honey.” A tall man with graying hair appears in front of me. He’s very handsome and gives me a huge grin.
“Who is this beauty?” He asks and extends his hand. I place my hand into his. He kisses it and I blush.
“Dad, this is Amber Mitchell.” Miranda says and starts laughing at my reaction.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Andrew and you are to call me Andrew.” He says.
“Yes sir.” I respond and he laughs.
“Amber, come on in here.” Claire says and I head toward her.
“Can I help with anything?”
“No honey. Have a sit here and let’s chat.” Claire and Miranda sit on each side of me. We sit and have small talk for a few minutes. Andrew places a glass of white wine in front of me and I smile. I thank him and turn to Claire.
“Are you sure I can’t help with anything?”
“No dear. Everything is ready. Now we relax until it’s time to eat.”
“It smells wonderful in here.”
“Thank you.” Claire says and the chit chat resumes. I am amazingly comfortable with this family and I am so happy that I accepted Miranda’s invitation. The nervousness I am feeling is starting to dissipate. I turn toward her.
“Thank you for inviting me. I am so glad I ran into you at the grocery store today.”
“You are one of my oldest friends. I wasn’t about to let you be alone. Plus, I love having you here. I’ve missed you and wondered how you have been.” She says.
“I’ve missed you too.”
Miranda was my first friend here. My parents moved to Morganton when I was starting high school. They believed this town was a better fit for us. Miranda and I clicked from the first moment we met and she was my best friend through high school. When high school was over, I pulled away from everyone because of what happened to my parents. I didn’t attend the graduation ceremony and basically fell off the face of the earth. We lost communication and today was the first time we saw each other since that last day of school. I’m pretty sure she heard what happened but she had no way of contacting me. My friends weren’t allowed to contact me after school so no one had my phone number. Cell phones weren’t a thing then either and neither was email.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Miranda tells me that it’s her aunt and uncle. We both stand simultaneously when Claire opens the oven. We help her remove the turkey and other food from the oven. Introductions are made and we continue the food plating. A few minutes later, we take all the food into the dining room. Again, I am flabbergasted with the beauty. A long table is set perfectly and looks like a scene right out of a magazine. It is set with a beautiful red table cloth with a white and gold table runner. There is a big gold plate on the bottom with a white dinner plate sitting on top. A white rolled up cloth napkin sits on top of the plate. I want to get my cell phone and take pictures. Andrew and Ed, the uncle, disappear.
“Guys, dinner is served.” Claire yells out down a hallway right off the kitchen.
A minute later, I hear male voices and they enter the dining room. After Andrew and Ed, the hottest man I have ever seen walks in. He is really tall, probably around six foot two inches, and downright handsome. I can’t pull my eyes away. He has short dark hair, kind of like a military cut. His eyes are gray and a girl could get lost in them. He’s built with the right amount of muscle. It is very noticeable through his black button down shirt. He’s wearing black slacks and a red tie. He’s mouthwatering and walks right up to me. He extends his hand and I place mine in his. I love how my hand feels in his. He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it.
