by Jon Mills
I cannot give you back the years of Amanda’s past, but what I can give you are the years of her future. Get to know her Ryan. She has your flair for writing. She has your humor. She has your huge heart. I only wish I could be there to introduce you to her in person.
On this Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for you. It’s with this letter that I send her to you, in hopes that she will bring you the same joy in your remaining days as she brought to me.
Love always,
Sophie
I sunk back into my chair.
“She said she didn’t want to screw your life up.”
“Screw my life up?” I mumbled out the words. I ran my hand over my face. The realization sank in fast, cold, and hard. I couldn’t believe for a second that she could have thought that I would have been anything less than overjoyed. A part of me felt robbed, a part of me felt sad, and a large part felt confused. An overwhelming mixture of emotions settled on the surface.
Amanda stepped away from the desk. “Look, I’m not expecting anything. I don’t want anything from you, if that’s what you’re thinking. She just wanted you to know, and I guess I was curious to see who my father was.”
I wasn’t sure how to reply to what she said. Sophie’s words still rang inside my mind. The finality of it felt fresh, though the years had put distance and perspective between us.
“By the way, you never finished reading what I wrote.”
“What?”
“The piece you read to the class. A sheet must have torn off.”
She reached into her bag, fumbled around, and withdrew a sheet of paper.
I took it. There was a tear in the corner where the staple had been.
She paused if expecting me to say something.
“Well, happy Thanksgiving Mr. Whitter, or maybe should I call you Dad?”
I glanced at her, my eyebrow shot up.
“Yeah, maybe not. Kind of strange,” she said.
With that she left the classroom. When she was gone, I turned over the sheet of paper and began to read the final piece.
“How does one measure love? For some they will say it is measured by the length of days two lives are together. For others, it is the depth of those days, whether they be fifty or only one.” I paused, peering over my spectacles toward the door. I continued reading, “If it is true that gold, one of the most valuable commodities on earth, is produced when two stars collide and that such a collision occurs only once every ten to one hundred thousand years, then I would say it was this. They were two star-crossed lovers destined to collide and burn up in each other’s atmosphere. A collision so rare, so beautiful, and having such immense value — its connection lasts forever.”
I placed the sheet with the others and stared at the title: A True Connection by Amanda Keens. I laid the paper down on my desk. Tears streamed down my face. I sniffed, wiped my eyes, and bolted upright. Grabbing my briefcase, I tossed a few remaining papers inside it and dashed out of the empty classroom.
Outside the building I was met by the sharp November air. I exhaled hard, relieved to find Amanda sitting at the bottom of the concrete steps that led up to the University entrance; she fumbled through her bag with an unlit cigarette in her mouth. Once I caught my breath, I made my way down.
“You know those things will kill you,” I said.
She glanced up.
“She said you smoked.”
“I did.”
“So what else don’t I know about you?”
“Quite a lot actually. Do you have time for a drink?” I asked.
“Alcohol?”
I smiled. “Coffee.”
She nodded, pursing her lips. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jon Mills is the author of the thrilling teen trilogy Undisclosed, The Promise, The Debt Collector and The Notes of The Heart Series. He can be reached through his website at www.jonmills.com. You can also connect with him through Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorjonmills or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Jon_Mills. You can send all email to [email protected]
ALSO BY JON MILLS
Want to read more?
The Promise
Romantically challenged and still reeling from her mother's death. Hailey Welland, an addiction counselor in a small town in New York, struggles to keep her parents' once flourishing treatment center from closing. When faced with a proposition of help she can't refuse, sparks fly as Hailey discovers it all hinges on helping the one Hollywood actor that no other center will touch.
With only two weeks to make it work, will Hailey be able to step up to the challenge? Can love truly heal all wounds?
The Promise tells an emotionally riveting story of a journey, one of love triumphing over human weakness and social differences.
Buy it: US UK
The Debt Collector
Jack Winchester was a notorious hitman for a ruthless New Jersey crime family until a job went wrong, and he wound up serving time.Four years later, Jack is free and he wants out of the game, but his boss won't let him go. Forced to take on one last job to make amends for what landed him in prison, he travels to the small town of Rockland Cove, Maine.There, he not only discovers that the target and money have disappeared; he finds himself falling for a damaged woman, and befriending an unruly son left behind.Under mounting pressure from his boss and local police—as well as the ghosts of his past—he must unravel the mystery and decide where his loyalties lie…before it's too late.
Buy it: US UK
Undisclosed
Undisclosed is the first book in the Undisclosed trilogy by Jon Mills
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Legends -- myths and religions -- called them by many names. One group was our protector, the other an enemy. Both knew the secret of human origins. Both had different agendas. Both remained undisclosed until now.
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Living in Los Alamos, New Mexico, a small town already shrouded in secrecy, disappearances and the unusual, teenager Travis Marshall's life spirals out of control after a sudden and horrendous tragedy.
One year later, when tragedy strikes again and this time his father, a molecular biologist at the illustrious Los Alamos Laboratories mysteriously vanishes and his own life is put in jeopardy, Travis discovers more than the truth behind his disappearance.
In a race against time and aided by an unusual band of outsiders, he finds himself thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse in which the outcome could change everything. Beneath a blanket of ancient lies, global cover-ups and genetic tampering he's about to uncover not only the origins of mankind, but also come face to face with those who threaten the fate of the human race.
The answers to the greatest questions of all time have never been as terrifying, exciting or troubling.
Like X-files for teens, by the time you are done reading, you will want to believe.
Buy it: US UK
Decoded
Decoded is the second book in the Undisclosed trilogy by Jon Mills
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Civilizations have been wiped out three times: first by fire, second by ice and third by water. Now begins the countdown to the destruction of humanity on a level not seen since the flood.
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Forever haunted by what occurred beneath Mount Archuleta in Dulce, New Mexico, Travis Marshall returns a year older, his DNA altered, and his full potential unknown. Exploring his newfound abilities, his relationship with Jayde and countless cities searching for his brother, he realizes the world he once knew has been forever changed.
Hiding the side effects of his genetic changes, and wrestling with a major discovery in the city of Chicago he is once again forced to face a
familiar menace, and this time vengeance is personal.
Driven to find the original diary of James Vincent Forrestal, as well as a legendary artifact, Travis must face his greatest fears and unravel an ancient mystery before it's too late. Through a series of unexpected twists and turns, every clue leads him closer to decoding a global event with catastrophic consequences.
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One
ONE is the final book in the UNDISCLOSED trilogy by Jon Mills
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An unknown airborne disease that kills
A dangerous government agency
And one hope for mankind
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ONE continues the ageless war between the Guardians and the Watchers with a new enemy that threatens to eliminate both sides, even if it means spreading an airborne disease that could wipe out civilization.
After escaping near death in Peru and preventing the destruction of humanity, Travis Marshall struggles to find a way to save Jayde and uncover the truth behind the agenda of the shadowy government agency known as ONE.
When Travis receives a series of mysterious packages from an unknown ally who promises to help, he must decide who to trust before it's too late.
Loyalties will be questioned, new allegiances will be formed, and secrets will finally be disclosed as he faces his greatest challenge yet.
Buy it: US UK