The Promised - Book One

Prologue

Oh God please don't be pink.

Why do these things take so damn long?

It's all I can do to not throw up – again. I start to think about all the happy commercials you see about these – they never show the unexpected, scared or in my case, terrified people who buy these tests as some sort of hysterical giggle escapes my throat.

Who knew two minutes could take so long?

I can feel sweat start to trickle down the back of my neck as another wave of nausea hits me. This one I don't think I can hold back. A knock at the door startles me enough to stifle my urge to get sick. Stashing the test in a drawer in the bathroom I rush to see who's at the door. I figure its Janet, Kitty and Kai who are ready to help me into my dress so I'm surprised when I see it's my Mom.

Maureen Morgan looks flawless in her Mother of the Bride dress as she quickly enters and proceeds to lock the door behind her. Beckoning me over to the bed she sits down and pats the space next to her. If she's about to have the Birds and Bees talk with me I need to tell her it's a bit late for that but I can see worry in her eyes as she takes my hand in hers. I see glimpses of the mom I always longed for as she clears her throat and blinks back some tears. Gone is the woman who became so distant in my youth. Gone is the woman who has appeared so whacked out on pills and alcohol that half the time I wondered if she really knew what was going on around her. My own emotions flood over me as I can tell that something isn't right. Tears start to well up in my own eyes as I'm overcome by emotion and possibly hormones.

"Mom..."

Holding up her hand she stops be before I can go any further, "Amanda –" her voice breaks as she tries her best to compose herself. "We don't have that much time and I have to talk to you now."

"But Mom,"

"No. You need to listen to me," but before she can get the rest of her sentence out I have to bolt to the bathroom. Following after me she holds back my hair as I attempt to throw up, but nothing comes up.

"Oh Honey, are you nervous?" Mom takes a tissue from the counter and hands it to me. Slowly getting up I walk over the bathroom counter and fight the urge to check on my test. Splashing some water on my face I reassure her that it's probably just a bug or nerves, or a combination of the two. Avoiding eye contact with her she follows me out of the room as I busy myself with opening the jewelry box again. I don't want her to see my eyes, to see that something might be wrong.

"Amanda!"

I never have been able to ignore her when she yelled at me. Slowing setting the box back down, I turn to her, trying to remain calm. Putting her hands on my shoulders and looks me dead in the eye,

"There is something you need to know... about Andrew."

Chapter 1

Amanda

We first met in the closet of my childhood bedroom. I had to be about 5 years old when the girl with the golden hair and two eyes that shown like gold coins came into my life. Her name was Caroline, and she appeared only when I was alone, which was not often. She didn't scare me, in fact I looked forward to the times that she'd be in my room. The fact that there was someone in my world my age I could play with was a joy! In the rare occasion that I had some time to myself, there was Caroline. We would play with Barbie dolls and sing songs I had learned on Sesame Street or she would admire the art I drew on the walls of my closet with crayons. Whenever my Mom got finished washing her hair or got off of the phone with a friend, whatever scenario called for me to entertain myself for a limited amount of time, Caroline would leave. Though I knew she would be back, eventually.