Promise Me Tomorrow: Book 3 in the Witness Series (Volume 3)

by Heather D'Agostino

  His head fell back against the seat before rolling in my direction. “We’re in an empty parking lot. What are you planning on hitting?”

  “I don’t know.” I nibbled my lip. Jase had managed to get us to the abandoned lot down the street, but had been in obvious pain. His car really required both hands and feet. As I watched the tension on his face, I wasn’t so sure that me learning to operate this thing was the best idea. “Maybe we should just walk,” I mumbled as I fumbled with getting the keys in the ignition.

  “No,” he shook his head. “It’s hot as balls out there, and the place I want to take you isn’t close. Now come on. Start the car, and let’s do this.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I slid the key in. “Move the seat so you can get the clutch all the way to the floor.” He pointed to the spot between my legs. I nodded as I jerked the lever causing the seat to slide forward.

  “Ok, now what?” I looked over at him.

  “Press the clutch to the floor, and put your right foot on the brake,” his voice was steady, but authoritative. I swallowed as I did what he said. “Relax,” he soothed. “Now, turn the key,” he nodded at my hand.

  As I turned the key, the engine roared to life, and I could feel the car rumbling underneath me. “What the hell kinda engine is in this?” I gaped at him.

  “A big one,” his brows wagged as he chuckled. “You see this?” He pointed to a graphic on the center console. This is where the gears are.” He gripped the stick in his good hand and moved through the gears. “First, second, third, and fourth. Reverse is over here,” he nodded.

  “What about that one?” I nodded at fifth.

  “You don’t need to worry about fifth; we’re not going to need it today,” he sighed.

  “So, put it in first,” his eyes stared at mine. I took a deep breath as I pressed the shifter forward and felt it click into place. The engine changed slightly, and I fought to hold onto my nerves. “Slowly release the clutch, and as soon as you feel it catch, you want to release the brake and press on the gas. Take your time. We’re not in any rush.” I did as he said, but as soon as I began to press on the gas, the car began to jerk back and forth like a bucking horse.

  “I can’t do this!” I squealed as Jase firmly told me to press the clutch back in. “I can’t do this. I’m gonna wreck your car.”

  “Yes, you can. It takes practice. Try again,” he pointed to the ignition. In the mix of things, the engine had died. My shoulders slumped as I pressed the clutch to the floor and cranked the engine once again. “All right. Let the clutch out slowly,” he watched me and I began releasing it at a snail’s pace. I could feel the gears begin to catch, so I switched to the gas pedal.

  The engine roared as I pressed the gas letting me know that I wasn’t letting the clutch out fast enough. My nerves began to get the better of me, and as I released the clutch farther, the car began jerking again. This time though, the gears caught and the car lunged forward. “I did it!” I squeaked as my feet slipped off the pedals and the car jerked to a stop.

  “Sort of, yeah,” Jase chuckled. “You gotta keep pressing the gas though, or you’ll stall.” He pointed to the RPMs as he shook his head.

  “Oh, right,” I nodded as I pressed the pedals down once again, and cranked the car. We went about this over and over for most of the morning. Jase was extremely patient with me, but I could tell my lack of ability was beginning to wear on him. I’d had about a fifty percent success rate when it came to driving his car.

  During the final lap around the lot, he threw me a curve ball. “When we get back up here, I want you to turn out on the road,” he pointed to the edge where you could pull out on the street.

  “What?” I shrieked. “I can’t do that. What if I stall out in the road? What if somebody hits me? What if I get stuck in an intersection? Jase! I can’t!” I was flipping out right there, and all he could do was laugh at me. “It’s not funny,” I growled as I smacked at his chest. He flinched, and I immediately felt bad, but the feeling quickly left when he winked at me.

  “You gotta jump off the edge at some point. What’s the worst that could happen?” he shrugged. “Someone might honk at you. Big deal. Fuck ‘em. You behind the wheel of my car is sexy as hell, and I want to take you somewhere.”

  “Oh yeah?” I giggled nervously.

  “Yeah, turn right, here,” he pointed when I paused by the highway.

  I turned on the main road and followed his directions, not really sure where we were going. It seemed like we were heading into the suburbs, but I was so nervous that I wasn’t really concentrating on anything. “So where are we going?” I glanced at him before returning to my white knuckle grip on his steering wheel.

  “I want to take you to meet someone?” he murmured.

  “And who’s that?” I pressed. I could sense his nervousness and wasn’t sure where it was stemming from.

  “My parents,” he swallowed, and that’s when it all crashed over me. Jase was giving me the last piece of him. He was letting me in all the way and not holding anything back.

  Chapter 19

  Jasen

  The grip I had on my thigh was sure to leave a bruise. Every time Tiff ground the gears together, my fingers would dig a little farther into my leg. I kept my mouth shut though. I didn’t want her to think that I was mad at her. I knew that with a few more outings, she’d either be an expert, or I’d be buying a new clutch.

  “Deep breath,” I repeated the saying over and over as we moved along the highway. I knew this route like the back of my hand, and it was a good thing too. There were moments that I felt the need to close my eyes. Tiff’s driving kept me on edge when we were in her car, but in mine, it was like facing death around every corner.

  “I can hear you over there, ya know?” she grumbled as she approached a light.

  “I’m sorry,” I sighed as I watched the red light grow closer and closer. Tiff wasn’t stopping, and I swallowed as my head turned in her direction. “It’s red,” I tried to remain calm, but the car continued toward the intersection at the same speed, and I watched as Tiff chewed her lip. “Babe?” I put my hand out in front of me, as if that would do any good. “It’s red!” I yelled, and she jumped slightly.

  “I know,” she slammed on the brake, barely stopping in time. “I was hoping it would turn green so I wouldn’t have to stop. I suck at this,” she whined as I sat there trying to catch my breath. “I’m never driving your car again. You make it look so easy,” she stuck her lip out in a pout before turning to face me.

  “I make a lot of things look easy.” I swallowed as my heartrate began to slow. “Teaching you to drive this thing isn’t one of those.”

  “I’m not that bad,” she scoffed. “I told you I didn’t want to go out on the road. You made me,” she flipped her hand in the air. “Are we there yet?” She turned her head to look at me, and the light changed again.

  “It’s green,” I mumbled as she squeezed her eyes shut. “You can do this,” I reached out and rubbed her arm.

  “Right,” she gave a quick jerk of her head before going about trying to get us moving again. It took her another light change before she got going, but I held my cool.

  “You know, cursing at her isn’t going to make her like you more,” I narrowed my eyes on Tiff as I rubbed the dash and thanked my car for letting Tiff beat the crap of her. We’d turned into the cemetery, and I’d had Tiff park near the gates. I figured we could just walk the rest of the way. It would be easier.

  After climbing out, I waited for Tiff to join me before reaching for her hand. I was nervous. This was the first time I’d ever brought anyone here. Dev had been here before, but I hadn’t brought him. He just knew that this was the place to find me when I was having an off day. I’d always kept this part of my life private, and today I was going to open this part of me to her. “This way,” I wrapped my good arm around her waist and began walking toward the big trees that shaded my parent’s final resting spot.

  ooooooooo
<
br />   Tiffany

  By the time we made it to the cemetery, I was ready to scream. My nerves were shot, and I could tell by the way Jase was breathing that he was ready to blow. I had to give him credit though. With everything that I was putting his car through, he was holding onto his control with an iron grip. I’m sure that this generosity was a one-time thing now. He’d probably hide the keys from me after this.

  As we walked along the headstone-lined path, Jase was quiet. I’d never seen him this contemplative. He gazed at something in the distance and his mind seemed to have traveled to another time. “Are you ok?” I whispered as I moved closer and leaned into his side. He nodded as his feet slowed, and a tortured look came over his face.

  “I forgot. I never forget,” his chin dropped as his shoulders rose and shook in frustration. He swallowed a few times before shaking his head and muttering something to himself.

  “Forgot what?” I whispered as I glanced around. We were stopped in front of a large granite headstone with the name Stevenson carved in an arch at the top of it. A large bouquet of lilies was lying on the grass in front of it. They were old and wilted. I wasn’t sure who had been there to place them, or when, but the look in Jase’s eyes said he knew.

  “My dad always gave my mom flowers after he’d worked a long day. I bring them to her now,” he mumbled as he released me and knelt down near the wilted flowers. “Lilies were her favorite.” He picked them up as he rested on his haunches. “I forgot them. I’ve never forgotten them,” he half whispered, half cursed. “Sorry Mom,” he murmured as he placed the wilted flowers back in their place. He took a few deep breath to calm himself before rocking back on his heels and looking over his shoulder at me. “Come here,” he motioned me to step closer. I shuffled along in my flip-flops before stopping right beside him.

  “Mom, Dad,” he swallowed “this is Tiffany, my fiancé.” I could feel the tears welling as the words fell from his lips. His voice sounded broken and vulnerable almost. It was as if they were standing right in front of us and he was looking for their approval. “She loves me. Can you believe it?” He chuckled as I slowly lowered myself to the ground. “I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I guess I did something right.”

  “You did a lot.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek as he shifted beside me. His palm flattened on my stomach as a grin broke out across his face. I didn’t see him smile this big very often, but when he did it was a sight to behold.

  “We’re gonna have a baby,” his voice rose in excitement as he caressed me. “Don’t know yet if it’s gonna be a boy or a girl, but you’re gonna be grandparents. I wish you were here to meet them both, but I promise I’m gonna love them enough for all of us. I’m gonna give them all of my tomorrows just like you did Dad. I promise,” he paused for a minute before kissing his fingertips and placing them on top of stone.

  His head bent down as a lone tear escaped the corner of his eye before he slowly rose to his feet and helped me up to join him. “I’m gonna love you enough for both of them,” he whispered as he stared deep into my eyes before he slowly lowered his head and brushed his lips over mine.

  The kiss was light at first but soon turned heated and full of desire. His tongue parted my lips, dipping deep into the dark corners of my mouth, coaxing the rush of euphoria I always got from kissing him to the surface. His head slanted as he cupped my jaw with his good hand, and his chest rumbled with a groan that he wasn’t able to hold back. “I promise you I will,” he vowed when he broke the kiss.

  “You and this baby are my life now. I’m going to give you everything you could ever want. Move in with me,” he begged as his head pulled back. He kept a firm grip on my cheek as he stared at me. “This weekend. Move in with me,” his eyes darted back and forth as if he was trying to gauge my reaction.

  “Ok,” I nibbled my lip as I watched a smile spread across his features. “Yes, I’ll move in with you,” I grinned as the idea began to sink in. I lifted up on my tip toes before pressing my lips back to his. My arms lifted and wrapped around his neck as he stumbled back a few steps, trying to regain his balance. We laughed lightly before he turned and looked back at the headstone.

  “Did you hear that?” he laughed. “She said yes.” He waited a few beats before looking back at me. “I hope you’re ready for all the things that come along with living with me like dirty underwear on the bathroom floor, and drinking juice right from the carton.

  “You asked me to marry you; I think I better I get used to this, right?” I smacked his chest lightly as I tried to step back.

  His arm held firm as he grinned at me, “Guess I better break you in slowly, huh? Let’s go home and celebrate. I’ll drive,” he started walking toward the car.

  “What about your arm?” I jogged after him to keep up. “You made me drive here because of your arm!”

  “I’ll survive. If you drive, it might be tomorrow before we get there at the rate you’re going,” he teased as he unlocked the car.

  “You are so getting it,” I pointed my finger at him over the roof of the car before ducking down to climb in.

  “That’s what I’m counting on, baby,” he smirked as he adjusted the seat and cranked the engine. With the ease of his driving, you never would have known that he had a shoulder injury that was only a little over a week old. He was so going to get it when we got home. Maybe I’d be in charge for once. Who was I kidding? When it came to Jase, I was never going to have any control. I could at least challenge him though, right?

  Chapter 20

  Tiffany

  As the days turned into weeks, Jase endured desk duty and we moved a little of my stuff each day. Dev had stopped by to help move the heavy things. We hadn’t told anyone about the baby yet. Jase let it slip one day that he had asked me to marry him, but that was all anyone knew. The look on Dev and Sam’s faces was priceless. I think they both thought he’d never marry. We’d danced around each other for so long that they’d just assumed that we’d be professional daters. Little did they know that we’d be a family the following spring.

  Simon was finally sentenced and given three life sentences. One for each of Jase’s parents and another for a guy that used to work for him. I didn’t really see what difference it made on how many he was charged with. He was spending the rest of his life in jail. The morning that Jase was notified, you could see the weight lift off his shoulders. The sadness that had burdened him for years melted away, and genuine happiness and relief replaced it.

  He’d gone to the cemetery that day, I’m assuming to tell his parents. I stayed home and opted to let him have his private time. Don’t get me wrong, Jase and I have come a long way when it comes to sharing our feelings, but I knew he needed to do this without me.

  When he came back to the apartment that afternoon, I could tell he’d been crying. He assured me that it was more of a release of guilt than anything. Over the last few nights, we’d sat up, telling each other stories about our childhoods. Jase had opened up about his brother, and how he felt responsible for the death of his parents.

  He told me about goals and dreams he’d had as a child, and how he wanted to make sure that our child had a happy life. He’d gotten his transfer into the homicide department, and as soon as he was medically cleared, he’d be back in the field with Dev. Those two were inseparable and seemed to be good for each other. I knew once our baby was born, Sam and Dev would be a wealth of information. Neither of us knew anything about kids, and I wasn’t sure this baby would survive the learning curve.

  Today, I was wasting time in the apartment, waiting for my shift to start. Jase had been begging me to quit for the last week. He knew that I should be resting, or at least taking on a job that didn’t require me to be on my feet all night, but I hadn’t told Sam that I was pregnant. I knew that if she knew, she’d work with me. She and Dev were still trying to get pregnant with their second, and she’d worked up until the day she had Mara. I knew she would understand, I just wasn’t ready to tell people. That was re
ally the first big argument that Jase and I’d had since I moved in. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but I just wasn’t ready.

  I wasn’t really showing much yet. A little extra weight around the middle and my boobs were bigger, but it just looked like I’d gained a few pounds. Jase was obsessed with the boobs. His eyes would go right there when I’d talk to him, and as soon as I would climb into bed at night, he’d start squeezing and kneading them as he tried to get me as worked up as he was. It was cute really, but he seemed to only see them lately and not me.

  I’d already started wearing my t-shirt untucked and tying my apron looser. I’d stopped staying late for drinks with the crew, and tonight, I was going to have to tell Sam that I’d really like to stay away from the closing shifts. I was so tired already, and some nights, I felt like it took everything in me to remain standing. I was currently yawning as I shifted through clothes in my closet looking for a pair of jeans that I could get zipped.

  “Need some help?” Jase’s deep voice came from behind me causing me to jump slightly.

  “I thought you had to work,” I mumbled as I jerked at another hanger and shoved the offending pair of pants to the side.

  “Got out early so I could keep you company tonight,” he dropped his chin to my shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. He’d been able to stop wearing the sling, and his physical therapist had told him to start using his arm so he could get motion back in his shoulder. It felt good to have both hands on me again, but every time he flinched, I felt guilty for thinking it.

  “Company huh? Is that all you were planning on?” I smirked as I yanked at another pair of jeans. They would have to do. I was going to be shopping next week, and I knew I needed to start telling people.

  “What’s wrong?” I knew he could sense my frustration as he slowly released me, and turned me to face him.

  I blew out a breath as I flung the jeans to the floor in front of the closet. “Nothing fits!”