Promises (New Beginnings Book 2) (17 page)

Maggie was frozen in her seat. This was something she’d considered on more than one occasion. She clasped her arms across her stomach, remembering the day a part of her died. The day she learned she'd never have a child.

"Kimberly is a little broken right now." Elijah wrapped an arm around Maggie's shoulders and pulled her closer. "Which is exactly why she needs you. I was never going to let her go into the system, and neither were you."

Maggie wiped at her tears with the back of her hand and stood. She started walking, under the power of something bigger than herself. She couldn't have stopped herself if she tried. Her feet carried her across the yard and up the steps to the deck. The sliding back door was already open, and she stepped through. Walking up the stairs, she suddenly realized she didn't know which room to go to.

"Second door on the left," Elijah said, stepping up behind her.

She wavered on the step, and he gripped her waist.

"It's okay," he said. "I'm here."

Those words had many meanings, and she was grateful for every one as she pushed open the door to Kimberly's room. Her feet didn't move forward as she took everything in. This room had been set up before Kimberly's grandmother died.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"You weren't really speaking to me," he shrugged. "Plus, I knew what you wanted. You just had to figure it out on your own."

Her eyes scanned the dark room, the yellow walls illuminated by a night-light near the dresser. She held back her tears as she took in the huddled form on the bed.

They’d tried to be quiet so they wouldn’t wake the girl, but it turned out they didn't need to worry about that. A muffled sob reverberated around the room as Kimberly pressed her face into her pillow and cried.

Maggie rushed towards the bed and crouched down.

"Kimberly," she cooed.

The girl lifted her red-rimmed eyes and sniffled. "Maggie," she cried.

Maggie reached out and pushed her hair back out of her face before planting a light kiss on her forehead. "Scoot over."

Kimberly made room in her twin bed, and Maggie sat next to her with her back resting against the wall. She pulled Kimberly into her arms, and the girl clung to her as her body was wracked with another fit of sobs.

"Shhhh," Maggie said, resting her cheek on the top of Kimberly's head. "I've got you now. You and me, kid, that's how it's going to be."

Kimberly grew still, and Maggie thought she had fallen asleep.

"And Jah too?" a small voice asked.

Maggie smiled and looked towards the doorway where Elijah stood, watching her.

"Yes, sweetheart," she said. "Elijah too."

Her eyes didn't leave Elijah's as she held the girl until she fell asleep. When there were no more sobs and the hands clinging to Maggie had gone slack, she lowered the girl to the bed and stood up.

Neither she nor Elijah spoke as they shut the door behind them and descended the stairs. They reached the kitchen, and their steps echoed off the hardwood floors. The hum of new appliances permeated the stillness, and Maggie turned to Elijah.

"Thank you," she said, suddenly aware how inadequate those words were.

"This is going to change our entire lives," he said. "I just hope we're ready."

"We are," she said.

"How do you have so much confidence in me?"

"Because, Elijah," she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "I love you."

He leaned down to kiss her, and she smiled against his lips before leaning back.

"You're always telling me how well you know me," she said. "Well, I know you too. And you, sir, can do anything."

He surprised her by picking her up by the waist. She squealed as he set her down on the counter-top, but it was cut off with a kiss. She pulled him closer, tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth.

He smiled. "We do this together then," he said, breathless as he pulled away to look at her.

"You promise?" she asked.

He grinned at the sound of their game. Only it wasn't a game. There was only one promise he'd ever broken, but it was the dumbest one he'd ever made, and he planned on breaking it every day. He couldn't not kiss her. He didn't know how he'd gotten by before those lips were his.

"I promise." He leaned in, whispering against her lips. "I will always promise."

<<<<>>>>

Thank you for reading
Promises,
the second book of the
New Beginnings
series. As an indie writer, every reader counts. Your feedback is invaluable. If you enjoyed this book, or even if you didn’t, please consider leaving a review on amazon. Nothing helps us more than that.

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Acknowledgements

We’d all like to say we can do most things on our own. As if our independence somehow makes our success more pronounced. The truth is, doing it alone would be less meaningful to me. It truly takes a village - a very special one in this case.

              To my family - thanks for taking the brunt of my annoyance when you try to talk to me during tricky scenes, or really any other time I’m writing. You are all saints.

              Thanks to those friends and family members who unknowingly allowed me the use of your names by being such great characters in my life. I promise only the good traits from these characters are stolen from you.

              Patrick - my editor. Your notes are invaluable. Thanks for not strangling me over having to correct my many many bad writing habits.

              Rachel - my cover artist. You seem to know what I want even before I do.

              My beta readers - Michelle, Kimberly, Bethany, Kristen, Jerusha, Kayla - you guys rock.

              My friends at the Young Adult Author Rendezvous for supporting me and keeping me going.

              Thanks to the girls at BB - you guys keep me sane with your humor and encouragement. 

              Thank you John for constantly giving me that little push and making be believe I actually can do this.

              Thank you God for giving me these people and putting me into a situation where I had to try something new. 

              And last, but definitely not least, thanks to everyone who has given my books a shot. You, the reader, are the reason I do this.

              This is my village and I don’t know where I’d be without them.

About Michelle

              Michelle grew up in Ohio but decided she was allergic to the cold weather and now lives in Florida. When she isn’t writing, she spends most of her time hanging out with her family - parents, two sisters, brother-in-law, and the most adorable niece in the world. She loves the freedom that can be derived from books. The freedom to be whoever you choose and do amazing things. She can often be found lost in another world. Outside of her fiction worlds, she is an avid hockey fan and a TV nerd. She also loves to swim and generally just have a good time.

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out the story of how Michaela and Jason found each other and fell in love in
Choices.

              Everyone makes lots of little decisions from the moment they wake up until they sink back into sleep at night. Decisions that have no consequences or expectations. But, what about the rare choices that could change everything? How do you know what is right for you? 

              Happiness is something you have to choose again and again, each day. 

              Michaela Matthews wants that more than anything. Standing in her way is a family pushing her down a specific path and the man she loves preventing her from choosing anything different. When she moves to the city for the next step in her parent’s plan, she starts to figure out what she wants - or more importantly, what she doesn’t want. She thinks she has to leave her old life behind to discover a new one. This throws every choice she has made into question. It isn’t until tragedy strikes that she learns that sometimes there is no choice at all. Sometimes you can have it all. 

              Jason Marks has had the kind of life where things have seemed to just happen to him, no choice involved at all. It’s a struggle for him to keep the past at bay while he tries to move forward. He is no longer the unwanted foster kid. He is a business owner, surrounded by people that love him. But, he isn’t in love. He’s not even sure he believes in it. Not anymore. At least, not until a heartbroken girl falls apart in his arms. It’s enough to make him a believer. Make him a dreamer. Enough to force him to answer that question. Do you give all of yourself to someone who might not choose you in return? 

              Yes. Yes, you do.

Coming in 2016

Dreams

Josh’s Story