Promise Me This

by Sarah Ashley Jones

  “Michael - don’t just stand there! Do something with your daughter.” My mother, Rosalyn Jennings, had officially lost control, and she knew it. She never enlisted the help of my father.

  I braced myself, ready for whatever plans my father had in store for me. Ever since I was born, I was Daddy’s little girl...but I knew that when having to choose between my mother and me, it would always be her.

  My father stepped forward, wrapping his thick arms around me and pulled me into his chest. I was frozen in shock. “Go to him. Don’t walk away from something like the two of you have. I’m so sorry for everything. He loves you. I’m sure of it.” He gently placed his hands on my shoulders, pushing me in front of him so I had nowhere to look but into his eyes. There was nothing but confusion written all over my face, but my dad’s reflected something else back at me. It was regret.

  “What? What are you sorry about?”

  “Charlotte, don’t listen to your father. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. That boy will only ruin you – trap you – someplace you don’t belong.” My mom’s voice echoed around us, but I couldn’t tear myself away from my dad.

  His hands dropped from my shoulders and he turned to face her. “Why keep lying to her? Maybe that’s your problem, Roz. Maybe you need to start listening to your daughter instead of talking for her. We’ve already lost one child. Do you really want to lose another one? I can’t do that. I can’t sit by and watch you break her, just like you broke Cameron.” My mom stood there in a stony silence, stunned from his brute honesty. Finally, his attention turned back to me. “Jhett fought to see you every day you were in the hospital. He never gave up. It was us who turned him away, and for that, I know you may never forgive me. But you’re a fighter, too, Charlie. Go and fight for what you want. I love you.” I could almost see my parents’ hearts breaking, both for different reasons, but both because they knew they were letting me go.

  I shuffled backwards in disbelief. My mother’s shrill screams of obscenities could be heard down the entire street. I silently mouthed `Thank you` to my father, before turning my back and racing in the direction my heart already knew. It didn’t feel right leaving my dad behind after all he just sacrificed for me, but I was never going back. The only direction I wanted to go was forward.

  Streets signs didn’t matter, because I knew exactly where to go. It took every ounce of endurance left in my beat-up body to push myself to keep going. Each step forward was a struggle, but some things were worth fighting for, even if it meant you had to get hurt every once in a while. I finally realized that all the pain was worth it, as long as you had someone by your side.

  As I approached the white picket fence, reality set in. The yellow one-story house that stood before me became my true home, even in just the few short months I lived there. I learned how to let go and grieve inside those walls. But I also learned how to love - not only myself, but also a man who would do anything to make me happy. My only hope was that he still felt the same way.

  I inhaled deeply once I stood before the maroon door. I was out of breath and still slightly damaged, but I was fighting for what I wanted. And in the end, that’s all that really mattered to me. I didn’t make it this far just to give up on myself now, or on the love I felt for the man who made me realize the strength that roared inside of me.

  With shaky fingers, I reached out and pressed the doorbell, anxiously counting down the seconds until I was forced to find the words to express what I felt in my heart.

  Jhett appeared in the doorway, looking just as broken as I felt. Our eyes met, and we stood there staring at each other in disbelief; the only sound between us was the thumping coming from my chest.

  “Hi.” That was the only word I could think of to say to the man I loved before me. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen once I made it inside, but I knew in my heart that it was where I was supposed to end up.

  Music has always played a big role in my life, and when it comes to writing, it plays an even bigger role. I can hear a song and instantly think of characters or scenes, which is half the reason why this list is so long. I did make it in order of the book, from start to finish, so if you’re feeling adventures, you can try and pick the songs you think go with what scene. You can always see my playlists on Spotify, but please check out some of these amazing artists!

  We The Kings – Just Keep Breathing

  Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah

  Jace Everett – Bad Things

  The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil

  The Who – Baba O'Riley

  Sum 41 – With Me

  The Corrs – Summer Sunshine

  Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire

  Cults – Go Outside - Menahan Street Band Remix

  Young the Giant – My Body

  Dropkick Murphys – Forever

  Edwina Hayes – Feels Like Home

  A Rocket To The Moon – You're My Song

  OK Go – Get Over It

  Tristan Prettyman – Shy That Way

  Nicki Minaj – Super Bass

  Ron Pope – A Drop In The Ocean

  OK Go – Here It Goes Again

  The Script – Walk Away

  Blue Foundation - Eyes on Fire

  The Civil Wars – Poison & Wine

  Ron Pope – Perfect For Me

  Vampire Weekend – A-Punk

  Yellowcard – Empty Apartment

  Josh Turner – Firecracker

  Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over

  Josh Record – For Your Love

  Never Shout Never – Happy

  Norah Jones – Turn Me On

  OneRepublic – Feel Again

  Bob Marley & The Wailers – One Love / People Get Ready

  Calvin Harris – Feel So Close

  Alien Ant Farm – Smooth Criminal

  Icona Pop – I Love It

  Train – Hey, Soul Sister

  OneRepublic – Good Life

  Jake Coco – Love Is a Verb

  Birdy – Skinny Love

  Labrinth – Beneath Your Beautiful

  Owl City – Good Time

  P!nk – Raise Your Glass

  THEME SONG: Tom Petty – Wildflowers

  Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark

  Shaun Reynolds feat. Laura Pringle – Stay (originally by Rihanna)

  Hurts – Stay

  Ron Pope – Please Come Home

  Angus – Just A Boy To Me

  Lupe Fiasco – Battle Scars

  Counting Crows – Colorblind

  Tom Petty – Free Fallin'

  Train – To Be Loved

  I want to start off by saying there’s no way I could have done this alone. I may have written a book, but many people have stood by my side during the last six months. I feel like there are so many people to thank for helping me get through this journey, so be prepared to sit back and stay a while. Also, because I love everyone on this list in some way, shape, or form, there’s no order to these. Just saying.

  Mom, thank you for everything. I feel like I have told you many, many times this same simple phrase, but there are no others words to express the gratitude I have for you in my heart, and not just for helping me become an author, but for everything you have done for me since the day you knew I existed. You have constantly pushed me to be a better person, even when I was a fairly miserable teenager, but all of that has made me into the adult I am now. Just remember, that no matter how old I get, I will forever take pride in the fact that I will always be your little girl.

  To my husband, Bradley, even though you escaped the craziness of this whole experience, I appreciate every moment when I was too distracted or up to my elbows in edits and you were understanding and let me get off the phone and back to work. I know how badly you wished you were home for this, but I’m just glad to know I have a husband who supports me when I tell him about my crazy ideas. But hey look – I actually did it! And now you get to be home for the real craziness to begin!


  To my Indie Troublemakers – Tess and Michele – how boring would Facebook and my life be without you three?

  Tess, you have been there since Promise Me This was just a laughable thought. Thank you for being my cheerleader, critique partner, person to bounce my ideas off of, writing partner, and friend. The late night and early morning text messages will be one for the history books, for sure. I’m beyond blessed to find such awesome people in the world all thanks to our mutual love for books.

  Michele, my writing BFF, it sure has felt like you’ve been around since the beginning. So much in fact I can’t really remember when our continuously open Facebook chat started. I am so glad that it did, though. Having you to go through this with has been just been something else, and I am so excited to see what is in store for us Troublemakers.

  Amy Bartol, I have to include you close to those fabulous ladies up there. I like to joke that you are the reason we all were able to come together – it was a love for your books that did it! It’s like six degrees of Amy. But I also have to thank you for being my role model, because even from afar, you have been a constant source of inspiration as a writer and a person.

  Stacy Sanford, I’m pretty sure you need to change your job description, because you are far more than an editor to me. You have put up with my many wee hours of the night freak-out emails and how you read through some of the stuff I have written in my half asleep stupor, I will never know! I appreciate all of the red pen, laughs, feedback, and advice you have given me, but most of all, I need to thank you for jumping right on board to this crazy train, time constraints and all. You told me we could do it if we worked our butts off, and I’d say we worked out sweet asses off, and did it!

  M.R. Polish, I think you are pretty amazing. Thank you for letting me badger you with all of my questions, fears, exciting news, and just being there to talk. You are someone I look up to and as you know, still fangirl for, too. I appreciate you taking the time to critique for me and essentially help me through this whole crazy thing. I’d probably still be crying in the corner somewhere without you!

  Kristin Day, I may not have told you, but you have been an amazing cheerleader. Since the first tweet you told me you believed in me and couldn’t wait to read my book, I have been in awe, and each time after that has been the same. You have pushed me through the dark blurb days where I thought I was going to suck big time and between you and Stacy, I might have peed myself a little bit with your back and forth Facebook comments.

  Cathleen McLaughlin, it’s hard to find words to describe us. Soul friends, maybe? I think that one works. You have played a huge part in not only this book, but my life as well. I truly think that everything happens for a reason and you were one of them. Thank you for letting me blast your picture and beautiful face all over the place as Charlie, and for all the late night burger-eating, wine drinking, banana pudding indulging, brainstorming sessions. Thank you for freaking out with me every time I wrote a new part or when I got good news. #donteverletgojack #BFFforlyfe

  To my fantastic group of Beta Readers – Karen McIntosh, Kayla Hargaden, Bieke Paesen, Shona Lawrence, Kellee Fabre, and Ren Reidy. You ladies have rocked it hard, short notice and everything. Thank you for letting me pick ya’lls brain and interrogate your thoughts. Hopefully I wasn’t too annoying and you all still love me after this, because I know I’m going to need help again! I valued each one of your opinions and suggestions to make Promise Me This everything that it is and more. You guys made that happen. Thank you! Dragon Hussies, you killed it again. We make a great team.

  Chad Spann, you made Charlie and Jhett’s story truly come alive. I have been completely blown away with your enthusiasm and support since day one and I can’t tell you how amazing that has been. I’m such a big fan of your photography and I look forward to all the new and exciting shoots that are yet to come! We’re not stopping here!

  Steven Mathew, or should I just call you Magic Mike? Or maybe Jhett? I’m so glad you agreed to be a part of this journey with me! I know the whole thing probably sounded like you were being Punked, but I couldn’t ask for someone better as Jhett. I hope you know how much I appreciate you letting me load your hair up with grease and dealing with my weird beard requests, but I’m glad to have made a new friend though the whole thing.

  To the Dropkick Murphys, thank you for influencing the first half of the book with your music and giving Jhett the perfect song to sing. And to Tom Petty, thank you for giving this book a reason to be. Wildflowers made so much of Charlie, Cameron, and even Jhett come to life. There’s so much about that song that made this book possible.

  And finally, but not any less appreciated, you guys – the readers, fans, and bloggers who have shown me so much love and support since day one. I have cherished every comment, message, and tweet leading up to release day and I will continue to value each and every one of you after that. You are the driving forces that continue to make me want to write.

  My husband and I live in Tennessee with our four dogs and when I’m not writing, I am working during the day in a pottery studio. I enjoy being outdoors and going fishing, camping, kayaking, swimming, and hiking. I also love to curl up any given night and just let a book suck me in. But that doesn’t mean that the next night I’m not all hopped up on Mountain Dew and watching The Vampire Diaries or YouTube while fangirling like a crazy person. I’m somewhat of an introverted extrovert, you could say.

  I am the creative child that refused to grow up. When I was a little girl, I would steal my mom’s tapes and make up my own dance routines to perform for my parents after dinner. I remember my brother and I used a handheld tape recorder and a tape player to create our own radio show skits.

  My Uncle was the first one to introduce me to the wonderful world of Broadway, and after that I performed in a handful of plays and participated in choir from Elementary School until my junior year in High School. I guess I have been a storyteller of some sort since that first performance in my parent’s living room.

  That love of stories stayed with me into college, and I ate up every English class I took. I would finish the required readings within days of receiving the assignments and bust out long-winded essays the night before they were due, but I didn’t care – I loved to read and write. A few years ago I started keeping track of the amount of pages I read during the year and then I began to blog. I started getting told that people enjoyed my blog and my writing and since I love to read, why not write my own book?

  I laughed at them. I could never write my own book. But the more I thought about it, the more these characters started to appear, and pretty soon I wrote the first chapter, and then I hit 10,000 words, and when I finally decided to announce that I was actually writing my own book, I was blown away by the response. I still am to this day.

  If I have learned anything throughout this whole experience, it is that being exactly who you are will get you right where you are supposed to be in life. Each day I am faced with challenges of many different kinds, but in the end, I get through it because I know I am strong enough to do it. Charlie may have discovered who she really was throughout Promise Me This, but I also did, too. I have never been happier now that I am pursing my dreams.

  I love to hear from all of you. Always feel free to email me, Facebook me, tweet me, etc! I always try and respond back!

  http://www.sarahashleyjones.blogspot.com

  http://www.facebook.com/authorsarahashleyjones

  Twitter: @Sarahashjones

  authorsarahashleyjones@gmail.com

  Stacy Sanford is passionate about the written word in all its inventive, descriptive glory, and is a grammartastic editing diva; dedicated solely to making authors sound fabulous, no matter what stage in their writing career they find themselves in. She is honest, not snarky, and maintains a professional working relationship with all she encounters. And she loves bacon. Stacy has worked with both Young Adult (YA) and New Adult (NA) novels, but is open to editing anything with words. Or bacon.

  You can co
ntact her at her blog

  http://www.thegirlwiththeredpen.blogspot.com/

  or through Twitter @GirlWithRedPen

  You can find Julie on Facebook

  https://www.facebook.com/JTFormatting

  You can find Sarah on her website and Facebook

  http://www.okaycreations.com

  &

  http://www.Facebook.com/okaycreationsSH

  You can find Chad Spann’s work on Flickr

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/chadspannphotography/

  If you are looking for another book to quench your reading thirst, I suggest you check out these books by some very talented and wonderful people.

  Never Let You Fall by Michele G Miller

  The Daughters of the Sea Series by Kristen Day

  Wolf Spell by M.R. Polish

  Ageless Sea by M.R. Polish

  The Premonition Series by Amy Bartol

  The P.J. Stone Trilogy by D.T. Dyllin

  The Exceptional Series by Jess Petosa

  The White Aura Series by Felicia Tatum

  Kaleidoscope by Mindy Hayes