Promises

By Simone Anderson

Ten years ago, Jason Caldwell left everything and everyone he knew behind and forged a new life out of nothing. Now, he has everything a man should want. A call pulls him back to the world he left behind and now that he's home, he learns...sometimes promises need to be broken.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simone Anderson
• Release date: Feb 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393185178

Book preview

Promises

Ten years ago, Jason Caldwell left everything and everyone he knew behind and forged a new life out of nothing. Now, he has everything a man should want. A call pulls him back to the world he left behind and now that he's home, he learns... sometimes promises need to be broken .

Dedication

To Molly, Nicole, and every parent who accepts and loves their children (either by blood or by love) unconditionally.

Chapter One

Gravel crunched under the wheels of the sleek, black sports car as it pulled into the nearly empty lot. It parked next to an ancient, faded-red pickup in front of the gray, weathered building.

Jason Caldwell released his grip on the steering wheel, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly then turned off the car. He stared out the window at the Spanish moss hanging from the centuries-old trees, the thick vegetation edging the clearing. Yanking the keys from the ignition, he pounded his fist on the leather-covered wheel, wishing things were different.

They weren’t, though. No amount of wishing would change what had happened. He’d been given no choice back then. Now, he was bound by duty. Tonight, he’d broken the one promise he’d sworn on his soul to keep. He’d returned home.

He stepped out of the low-slung sports car and locked it, shaking his head in silent laughter afterward. City habits had little place in the bayou, hours from what most people would term civilization. What was foreign and scary for his friends and co-workers was normal and right here. The fast pace and constant barrage of sounds and smells had been more than a little disorienting when he’d first arrived in the city ten years ago.

He pushed the memory aside. The air here was thick and heavy with humidity. Jason inhaled deeply, the distinctive earthy scent of the land filled his lungs, welcoming him home. The bayou didn’t care about promises made between people or even in the secrecy of one’s own heart. It knew who belonged and who didn’t. His gram had insisted the land would always call home those who belonged to it. It called them home after leaving for wars. It called them home from big cities and universities alike. He hadn’t believed her. Still the bayou had called to him with increasing frequency over the years. He’d resisted. Until now.

Shoving a hand through his hair, he crossed the gravel parking lot and paused at the bottom of the building’s steps. The two-story, gray-wood structure was exactly as he remembered. Large windows on either side of the door were open, drawing in the slight breeze and giving him hope that the