Promise Me Tomorrow

By Lyssa Cole

I fell in love with him when I was a child, watching from afar as he would catch butterfly after butterfly for me. As teens, our love grew stronger into one that lasts a lifetime. 

But one car accident left everything destroyed, my memories stolen from me, even the ones of him. 

Despite the difficulties, he waits for me to return. Patiently, he shows me our life, one memory at a time. He's determined to make me fall in love with him all over again.

Yet, when truths spills, and doubts grow, can I trust this man I don't remember?

Will my memories ever return or will I continue to pretend this is the life I know and love?

"Juliet, if you promise me all your tomorrows, I'll show you all our yesterdays." ~Will

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lyssa Cole Books
• Release date: Jan 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215297513

Lyssa Cole

Lyssa Cole has been in love with books for as long as she can remember. Escaping into a story is her favorite pastime. Wanting to be a writer for a couple years, she is now crafting her own stories. She loves to write angsty & sexy romance with lots of heat and some suspense to keep you guessing and wanting to turn that page! She lives in Southeastern Mass with her boyfriend, two children, three cats, and two dogs. Lover of coffee, all things chocolate, & always the avid reader, you can keep up with Lyssa Cole by subscribing to her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/NLsignuplyssacole. You can also find her at www.lyssacolebooks.com or www.facebook.com/lyssacolebooks.

Book preview

Prologue

Juliet

---

They say you never forget your first love. I want to know who exactly they are? And I want to let them know just how wrong they are.

You can forget your first love.

You can forget your entire life, all the people you know, and the whole world around you.

I know because it happened to me.

And I was left to pick up what was once my life when I really had no clue at all.

Except for him. He was my clue. My shining light in the dark, leading me back to figuring out who I was and who I am.

It hurts to be around him, the guilt all-consuming, the wounds so raw and painful, with a throbbing ache in my chest robbing me of air whenever he’s close.

Yet away from him, the wounds become unbearable, and I find myself always coming back to him.

The man determined to make me fall in love with him every damn day.

My first love.

My forever love.

This is our story.

Chapter One

Juliet

---

Beep, beep, beep.

Thump, thump, thump.

Beep, beep⁠—

Jules, sweetie. Open your eyes.

A voice I don’t know interrupts the soothing beeps and thumps, and my body instantly stiffens in response.

Come on, love. Open those beauties.

Who in the hell keeps talking and won’t shut up? I want to yell, but no words form in my throat. In fact, I can’t move, my eyes glued shut, my mouth dry with a tongue that must weigh a thousand pounds.

What in the ever-loving fuck is going on?

Give her some time. She may still be out of it. Her body needs time and, more importantly, rest. Another voice I don’t know. I wish more than anything to just open my eyes, my mouth, whatever. Yet I can’t.

When she wakes, she may be confused. There’s a possibility she may not remember much either. All of this is normal. What she needs is reassurance. That same voice is kind yet stern. Have I heard it before?

My eyes are so heavy, but I force them open, blinking several times. I look around and recognize nothing, except I’m in a hospital bed and way too many people are surrounding me.

Loud chatter fills the room when they see my eyes are now open. A dark brunette rushes over to me, tears splashing on her cheeks. Jules, oh, Jules. You’re awake! She touches my face, and I instantly jerk back. Who is this crazy lady?

The look on my face must scream my words because she looks hurt. Another younger woman comes up beside the brunette lady and chokes back a sob. Then a man appears next to me on the other side. My head spins. Do you remember us? the man asks, and my eyes frantically dart back and forth between them.

I don’t know how to answer.

Remember who?

Who is us?

Who are they?

Who in the fuck am I?

My stomach free-falls, and my breathing picks up speed. I hear them talking, but the words don’t register. The woman touches my face again, while the man’s cold hands touch my arm.

Another woman, who looks to be a nurse, comes up beside me, pushing the man aside gently as she leans over me. Her curly blond hair is a ball of frizz on the top of her head, and her tan skin glows dark. Her smile is warm and friendly. Hi, beautiful. Nice to finally see those pretty eyes of yours. Do you know your name, love?

I recognize her voice as the stern voice I just heard. Why would she ask me my own name? Of course, I know my own name. It’s—wait—it’s—I’m blank. I have absolutely no idea.

Do you know where you are? Or who any of these friendly folks are?

Now I’m really freaking the fuck out.

My heart rate soars, the machine next to me a dead giveaway to the fact I’m totally freaking the fuck out.

Shh, sweetie, it’s okay. Relax. The blonde pats my shoulder, and I find her bright pink scrubs a little too bright. I’m going to go get the doctor. She nods toward the other people surrounding me, who now move toward the door, then she turns her attention back to me. Small sips of water and deep breaths. It’s going to be okay. You’re safe and in good hands.

She brings a straw to my mouth, and I slurp with greed, the icy water soothing on my dry, burning throat. Small sips. The cup is pulled away, and I’m left wanting more.

I finally manage some words. Where am I?

You’re in the hospital. You were in an accident and injured your head. Your memory seems to be a bit fuzzy right now. Let me get the doctor.

An accident? Wh-what?

The door opens, and a man in a white coat walks in, followed by the man who was by my bedside. When did he leave? I can’t even begin to process all of this. My head is fucking throbbing.

Hello, I’m Dr. Evans. How are you feeling?

My head hurts, and I have no clue who the hell I am, I spit out with annoyance. I hate myself right now, but I can’t help it. It’s frustrating as all hell not knowing anything.

How do I not even know who I am? This must be a nightmare. I need to wake up. I squeeze my eyes shut tight and reopen them. Nothing’s changed. I try again but still nothing. Except now everyone is looking at me like I have three fucking heads.

I know it’s a lot to take in. But trust me, everyone here is looking out for your best interest. Now, let’s go over some things we do know. Maybe it’ll help jar your memory. Dr. Evans flips through a chart before settling his eyes on me. You were brought into the emergency department by ambulance. You were in a bad car accident. A drunk driver slammed into you headfirst, deploying your airbag, which saved your life, yet at some point, you hit your head hard. We ran a CAT scan and were able to see you suffered a concussion. It hit in just the right spot that we were afraid memory loss would occur, and it looks like we were correct.

I take a deep breath while trying to listen to what he’s saying. An accident? I don’t even remember owning a car, never mind getting into an accident.

You were taken into surgery, where we had to repair some internal damage causing a slight bleed, and you also broke your tailbone. Your seat belt did a good job of keeping you inside the car. Things could have gone much worse. Your memory loss, as I said, is normal, common. We just didn’t know how severe it would be. Things seem dire right now, as you’re probably very confused, but rest assured, most people get their memory back within a few days.

The others in the room have moved closer again, and I squint as I try to recognize them. Nope. Nothing. They look like complete strangers. Fuck, I don’t even know what I look like at this point. Glancing down, I see a lot of wires and tubes sticking out everywhere, and my body is bruised, with scratches and cuts along my arms, but nothing looks familiar.

We’ll be holding you for a few more days to watch for anymore bleeding and to make sure your concussion heals properly. We can have a social worker meet with you if you feel you need to talk about what’s happened. These lovely people here are your parents and your sister. They’ve been with you the whole time.

The whole time? How long was I out for? That’s the only question I can formulate. Not the fact the doctor just told me these strangers are my parents and my sister. I mean, they must be, right? Random strangers wouldn’t waste their time here with someone they didn’t know.

What else can I do but believe what I’m told? What would you do?

Only a few hours. You’ve been in and out of sleep from the pain meds. Nurse Jackie and I will leave you to visit with your family now. I know it’s hard when it seems like you don’t know these people, but try to take comfort in the fact their love for you is written all over their faces. Dr. Evans and Nurse Jackie smile before exiting the room.

Oh, Jules, I’m so sorry, baby. This is killing me. The woman, who I assume is my mother, fishes in her purse and pulls out pictures. You’re our firstborn, Juliet Marie, and we love you very much.

I glance at the pictures, but they don’t help. I don’t recognize anyone. But what I can recognize is the pain and love etched on her face. When I glance at the young woman, who must be my sister, I smile slightly, and she bursts into tears and runs around the side of the bed to hug me.

Jelly Bean, I’m so sorry. You’ll be okay. I’m here for you, she whispers and hugs me tight. I hug her back because what else can I do? Her love is strong, and I can’t help but want to feel a piece of it.

It’s weird knowing what these feelings are when I don’t know who I am. My mind drifts as I take in my room. I know it’s a hospital; it’s sterile-looking with beeping machines and a plain white clock with a black rim around it. How do I remember what a hospital looks like, but I can’t remember these people in front of me with so much love pouring from them?

Jelly Bean? I mumble as she pulls away.

My nickname for you. You call me Lil’ J.

Your name starts with a J, too?

She nods. Her hair is dark, her eyes even darker. I imagine I look like her, or I should say I hope I do because she’s gorgeous. Her tan skin, her big eyes and long lashes, and heart-shaped face, she must get whomever she wants. Jess, Jessica Diane. Our middle names are from Mom. She’s Diane Marie, and Dad is Peter Michael.

I nod and glance at the man next to my mom, who I assume is my father. When I look back and forth between my mom and dad, I do see my sister’s looks from them. I need to see what the hell I look like.

Does anyone have a mirror?

They give me a weird look, but Jess runs over to her purse. I do.

It’s in front of my face a second later, and when I see my reflection, my mouth drops open.

My look is similar to Jess, yet different in my own way. Soft features like my mother, and tan skin like my father, my own eyes big and slightly lighter in color than Jess, yet our similarities can easily be seen.

I hope studying my face would wiggle a memory, but nothing.

I’m a complete stranger to myself.

Handing the mirror back to my sister, she looks down at my hand. Jules, where’s your ring?

What ring? I look down at my fingers and wonder what she’s talking about.

Your engagement ring. I’m going to ask where they put your jewelry.

My head reels with the new information. Engagement ring?

You’re engaged, Jules. His name is Will, Jess whispers.

Another bomb dropped on me. Shit. This is all so fucked up.

Where is he then? I blurt out.

He’s on his way, my mother assures, patting my hand. He went out of town for a conference, but he took the next possible flight. He should be here anytime now.

The door opens, and a man stumbles in, looking disheveled and out of breath. Frantic and worried. But when his eyes land on me, his entire face melts.

My heart picks up in speed again.

But not from nerves this time.

I don’t know what for, but it’s there all the same, like my heart suddenly joined a race I didn’t know about.

He rushes over, and