Jillian's Promise

by Kristin Noel Fischer

  Jillian’s Promise

  By Kristin Noel Fischer

  Copyright 2016 by Kristin Noel Fischer

  All Rights Reserved

  Kobo Edition

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. No part of this work may be reproduced in any fashion without the written consent of the copyright holder.

  All characters in this book are fictitious and figments of the author’s imagination.

  www.KristinNoelFischer.com

  Cover by Lyndsey Lewellen

  Formatting by Paul Salvette

  Jillian’s Promise

  by Kristin Noel Fischer

  Dear Reader,

  I’m so excited for you to read the second book in the Rose Island series!

  Jillian’s Promise was a difficult book to write. If books are like children, this was the kid who stayed out late at night misbehaving, wrecking the car, and becoming familiar with teen court. Not that any of my darling children would ever cause me the least bit of trouble. Wink, wink.

  How did I finish the book? In a word, Jillian. Like any self-respecting fictional character, Jillian Morgan Foster wouldn’t let me go with demands for her own story.

  So, here’s your book, Jillian! I hope everyone loves your story as much as I do.

  Love,

  Kristin Noel Fischer

  The best way to stay in touch is to subscribe to my New Books Newsletter. Go to www.KristinNoel.com and subscribe.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Excerpt from A Mother’s Choice

  Acknowledgements

  I’m so grateful to everyone who has encouraged and supported me on my writing journey. I especially want to thank all my readers who have written or left reviews on Goodreads. Reviews are like gold to writers, and I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to tell others about my books.

  A special thanks to my husband who read the manuscript and helped me with a million questions. Thank you to my incredibly talented editor, Chrissy Wolfe at EFC Services, LLC. I feel so blessed our paths have crossed!

  A very special thanks to Juanita Spaulding Jones for helping me with my manuscript, teaching me the difference between expand and expound, and for her genuine friendship.

  So many people helped with this book, and I apologize if I left anyone out, but thanks to the following beta readers, developmental editors, information experts, and friends: Tracie Owens, Chris Campillo, Catherine Avril Morris, Jude Urbanski, Susanne Lakin, Ginny, Deb Rhodes, Kari Trumbo, Jennifer Oliver, and my parents. Thank you also to editors Megan Long and Susan Littman who gave me feedback on the first versions of the manuscript when it was called Her Soldier Returns.

  Thank you to Lyndsey Lewellen who created my beautiful cover and thanks to Paul Salvette who formatted the book.

  As always, love and hugs to my family!

  Kristin Noel Fischer

  Chapter 1

  Keith

  Seven years ago

  Before I deployed to Iraq for the third time, my wife and I threw a barbecue for our friends and family on Rose Island. The evening was perfect as I manned the grill and watched the kids race through the sprinklers, laughing.

  Despite the fact our rental house didn’t have a view of the ocean, my wife Jillian loved our tree-lined street and close proximity to the boys’ school and the assisted living facility where she worked as a nurse. Her parents owned a small hobby ranch a short, ten-minute drive up the mountain, and both her sisters lived within walking distance.

  In other words, Jillian couldn’t have been happier when I received orders to return to Fort Xavier on the island where she’d grown up. Finding out I was immediately deploying hadn’t pleased her, but at least this time she’d be close to family.

  Taking a sip of my Dr. Pepper, I flipped the burgers and admired my wife working the crowd. The fading sun shone on her long, honey-brown hair as she offered our guests drinks, appetizers, and encouragement. When she looked up and smiled at me, I knew I was the luckiest man in the world.

  After ten years of marriage, two healthy kids, several deployments, and five moves, I could honestly say I loved Jillian and our life together more today than the day we married.

  Later that evening, after the barbecue ended and the boys were tucked into bed, I found Jillian in the kitchen washing dishes. Walking up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her tight. “Come on, baby, let’s go to bed.”

  She leaned against me, and I inhaled her sweet scent of vanilla and strawberries. Sweeping back her hair, I trailed kisses down her neck. Without warning, her shoulders began to shake, followed by tears streaming down her face. She thrust a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry, but it managed to escape.

  My stomach dropped. “Jills, what’s wrong?”

  She swiped at her eyes. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “Oh, baby.” I pulled her close, rocking her against me. She was such a strong, independent woman that her vulnerability caught me off guard. “This is just a short trip. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “You’re going to be gone six months,” she protested. “You’ll miss Matty’s birthday and Drew’s first baseball game.”

  “I know.” Guilt swept through me as if I’d been personally responsible for my orders. Most deployments these days were eighteen months, so relatively speaking, this mission was short. Still, being separated was never easy.

  I turned her in my arms so I could see her face. “I love you, Jills.”

  She smiled sadly. “I know you do, and I love you, too. I’m proud of what you do, but it’s really hard sometimes.”

  I cupped her face with my hands. “When I return, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Just you and me. Or we can bring the boys if you want. We’ll get away, spend a ton of money, and just be together.”

  She swallowed and shook her head. “I just want you here on the island with me.”

  “Okay. Whatever you want.”

  My words calmed her, and she rubbed a hand over my whiskers. “What about Marcus? Is he going to be okay?”

  Jillian’s younger brother, Marcus, was deploying with my unit for the first time in his army career. Tonight, I’d promised his wife, Anna, that I’d keep him safe. Making a promise like that wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I’d wanted to ease Anna’s fears. I wanted to give her the strength to be strong so she could take care of their son as she waited for her husband’s return.


  Of course, I couldn’t make that same vow of Marcus’s safety to Jillian. As a long-time army wife, she knew there were no guarantees in the military.

  “Jills.” I brushed my thumb across her bottom lip. “Your brother has a family who loves and prays for him. He’s smart and has been well trained. He’s prepared for this.”

  “I know.” The sadness in her eyes grew so deep I couldn’t stand it.

  Clueless as to what else to do, I drew her toward me and kissed her. Although she returned my kiss, I sensed her hesitation. She pulled away and looked at me intensely.

  “What?” I asked.

  Looking down, she placed a hand on her flat belly. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’m pregnant.”

  “Seriously?” A mixture of confusion, joy, and fear filled me. We’d always wanted more children, but Jillian had suffered several miscarriages, and she’d struggled with both boys’ pregnancies. The idea of another child—completely unplanned and unexpected—shocked me.

  “I haven’t been to the doctor yet, but I took a test this morning and it was positive.”

  My throat tightened, and I covered her stomach with my hands, wanting to protect both her and our unborn child. I started to speak, but my voice caught and I swallowed hard.

  Jillian smiled. “I thought I was just late and gaining weight from stress, but I guess not.”

  “I’m speechless.”

  “Just be happy.”

  I pulled her into my arms. “I am happy. Thrilled. But I won’t be here to help you. I’m going to miss your entire pregnancy—the first time he kicks, your sonogram—”

  “How do you know it’s a boy?” she teased.

  My chest clenched. We both longed for a daughter. “If you find out it’s a girl on the sonogram, and I’m not here—”

  She placed her fingertips on my mouth to silence me. “It’ll be okay. You’ll be home in time for the birth, right?”

  Suddenly, the months stretched out like miles before me. What initially seemed like a short mission, felt interminable. “When I return, Matty and Drew will be done with baseball season and you’ll be as big as a house.”

  Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “So, Captain Foster, you better take advantage of me now before I get all fat and grumpy.”

  Laughing, I scooped her up and carried her down the hall to our bedroom. “I’ll love you forever, Jills.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m counting on it.”

  *

  The mood was somber as we passed through security and drove onto post the day of deployment. Jillian amazed me by looking past her own fears, sadness, and morning sickness to comfort everyone else.

  I was eager to say my good-byes and begin the deployment. The sooner we left, the sooner we could return.

  I hugged Jillian’s parents and her sisters. Then, I faced my mom, who’d struggled with some health issues this past year. Tears filled her eyes as she pressed a hand to my cheek. “Be safe, Son. I’ll pray for you every day.”

  “I’ll pray for you, too, Mom.”

  I turned to my oldest son, seven-year-old Matty. “You’re the man of the house while I’m gone. Take care of your mom and little brother.”

  “Yes, sir,” Matty said, always eager to please.

  My youngest son Drew jutted out his chin. “I don’t want Matty in charge of me.”

  I knelt so we were eye level. “Will you take care of Bella while I’m gone?” I asked, referring to our yellow Lab. “Will you walk her, feed her, and make sure she doesn’t forget all the tricks I taught her?”

  Drew’s eyes brightened and he jumped into my arms, wrapping all four limbs around me like the baby orangutan at the zoo. “Yes, sir, Daddy!”

  We were called to order, so I pried Drew off me and stood to face Jillian. “I forgot to tell you the lawnmower is almost out of oil. There’s a new container on the workbench, but—”

  “Just come home to me. And take care of my brother. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, okay?”

  “Hey, I heard that,” Marcus said, nudging Jillian’s shoulder.

  She nudged him back and gave him one last hug. Then, she focused her attention on me as if we were the only two people in the world. “Just promise me you’ll be safe, Keith.”

  “You got it, babe.” The crack in my voice betrayed my true feelings, but I forced a smile and turned my focus to the job at hand.

  Marcus and I boarded the plane with the other soldiers. Once our flight was in the air, I did what I always did—I looked one last time at my family picture before tucking it away and shutting the door on my domestic life.

  With those first deployments, I’d made the mistake of thinking about my family too much. Now, I believed it was best to focus on work and avoid obsessing about home.

  I’d encouraged Jillian to do the same by engaging in her own life during our separation. I purposely limited our letters and phone calls, knowing sometimes communication made things more difficult. Not all military families handled deployment this way, but it worked for us.

  Looking out the airplane window, I prayed for Jillian, the pregnancy, my mother’s health, my children’s safety, and the success of our mission.

  Watch out for Marcus, Lord. Send your army of angels to protect that kid, his wife, and their little boy, Travis. Use me for your will and return me home safely.

  I’d had very little rest over the past month, and overcome by exhaustion, I leaned my head back and fell asleep.

  Almost immediately, a searing pain ripped through my body, jerking me awake. I looked down at my leg, certain it was on fire, but I couldn’t see anything due to the blinding lights around me. What in the world?

  “Hold still, Mr. Foster,” said a woman with a thick Slavic accent.

  I stared at her, disturbed by the fact we didn’t have anybody in our unit who spoke like that. “Who are you, and what’s going on?”

  She didn’t answer me right away, but as my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized I was lying in a hospital bed. The room was filled with machines and medical staff. Someone spoke of the bullet they’d removed from my leg.

  I’d been shot? Where? How?

  Frantic, I searched my memories, desperate to understand. A vague image of a crying baby and a burrito floated through my mind, but that didn’t make any sense.

  The nurse with the accent leaned over me. She was a little older than Jillian and had bright red lipstick that matched bright red hair. “I’m Sonya, your post-op nurse. Your surgery went well.” She pronounced the word well so it sounded like vell. “You were a real hero today. You saved the life of a baby and his mother. They’re calling you the Hero of Rose Island.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about. “Where am I?”

  “In Recovery.”

  I shook my head, my brain sloshing against my skull. “I mean, what country?”

  “The United States. You’re on Rose Island. There was a shooting at the Happy Island convenience store. Do you remember?”

  I closed my eyes and only remembered falling asleep on the plane. What had I been doing at the convenience store if I was supposed to be on my way to Iraq?

  I opened my eyes. “Did you call my wife?”

  Sonya frowned. “You’re married?”

  I nodded despite the strange tingling at the edge of my brain, filling me with doubt. My throat felt like sandpaper and I desperately needed a drink of water, but I forced myself to clearly state Jillian’s name and phone number.

  Sonya’s eyes widened. “Jillian Foster? The nurse from assisted living?”

  I nodded again, relieved she must somehow know Jillian. “Is she here?”

  The crease between Sonya’s eyebrows deepened, and she shot a pointed look at the male nurse adjusting my IV.

  “Is he asking about his ex-wife again?” the male nurse asked.

  “My wife.” I pushed out the words, my tongue thick and sluggish. I was married to Jillian. Why were these people questioning that fact? As
clearly as possible, I repeated Jillian’s name and phone number. I also spelled out the name of my commanding officer and NCO. Surely, someone could help me.

  “Why is he talking about the governor?” the male nurse asked.

  Sonya patted my arm as she spoke in a hushed voice. “Governor Williams used to be in the army. Mr. Foster is obviously confused.”

  The male nurse shrugged and injected something into my IV. “This will help you sleep, Mr. Foster.”

  “No, don’t give me anything. Let me talk to my wife.”

  “It’s okay,” Sonya said. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “What’s going to be okay?” I tried to remember what happened. Tried to remember how I’d been shot, how I’d become the Hero of Rose Island, and why these people were referring to Jillian as my ex-wife.

  But as the medicine surged through me, the light faded, and all I remembered was the curve of Jillian’s hip and her soft arms around me, pulling me close, as I promised to love her forever.

  Chapter 2

  Jillian

  Present day

  Unloading the dishwasher, I glanced across the kitchen bar into the family room where Matt and Drew sulked in front of the TV. At fifteen and thirteen, they were old enough to stay by themselves, but I didn’t feel right leaving them alone tonight.

  “Do y’all want some ice cream?” I asked, hoping to cheer them up with a large dose of sugar.

  Matt glared at his brother. “There isn’t any left because Drew and his friends ate it after school.”

  Drew shrugged. “We were hungry, and I didn’t know you were saving it.”

  “I’ll buy some more when I go to the store tomorrow,” I said, wanting to keep the peace.

  I rinsed out a dish towel and wiped down the counter. According to the microwave clock, Keith was now three hours late. He’d driven down from Fort Hood this morning to spend the weekend with the boys on his fishing boat. I knew he’d arrived safely because he’d texted me earlier this afternoon. So, where was he now? Holed up in some bar, too drunk to see his children?