A Promised Fate by Cat Mann Read Free Book Online Page A

night was perfect.
    Near the edge of the grouping of our closest friends
and family, Rory and Julia stood in profound closeness. His back to
the show, he whispered in her ear in between the explosive bangs
and whatever he said to her, brought on a rush of tears and
powerful emotion.
    A great big colorful finale lit up miles of skyline
and shortly after, the vibrant bursts were replaced with milky
white firework smoke and the smell of sulfur hung heavily in the
air. Max let out a giant yawn and wiggled his way down into my
arms. He rested his head on my shoulder and placed his small hand
against my cheek. The crowd of people slowly dispersed towards
their homes with lawn chairs, coolers and sleepy kids tucked under
their arms.
     

Chapter 6
The Storm
     
    Thunder crashed and lightening lit up the dark night
sky. The noise was startling and Ava jumped awake with a
scream.
    “It’s just a storm,” I said, calming her quickly and
quietly in between kisses pressed to the top of her head. “It’s
just a storm, calm down. Shh .”
    She let out an unsteady breath. We were knotted
together -- our arms and legs entwined like a tied shoelace. Her
head was pillowed in the dip of my chest and her skin was hot. We
were both sweaty.
    Ava let out another deep, shaky breath in an effort
to calm herself. “I was having a nightmare. Oh, God.” Another deep
breath and then, “Oh, God. It was just a nightmare.” Her speech
came rushed and panicky.
    “I’m here.” I held her tighter, enveloping her in my
arms and she breathed me in, sucking the air away from my skin.
“I’m here. What was it? What were you dreaming?”
    “It was so real, Ari. Promise me, promise me you’ll
never stop loving me. Not ever.”
    “Whoa...,” I said and adjusted my body to look into
her face. “Not ever. Is that what you were dreaming? Me not loving
you?”
    Ava’s head bobbed in a sad nod and she wiped her eyes
and nose with the back of her hand.
    “Of course, I promise, Ava. I’ve built my universe
around you. Without you, my world crumbles. I won't stop loving
you. I can't. Not ever.” I lifted her chin to look into her eyes.
“Tell me your dream. Talk me through it and you’ll see just how
silly a bit of imagination it was ... an absurd and irrational
fabrication.”
    Her face pinched. “I don’t think I want to talk about
it.”
    “You sure? It helps to talk -- you know it
helps.”
    “I can’t.”
    “Ava, please. Don’t shut me out.”
    “I’m not, Ari. I just don’t want to think about that
dream anymore. I want it out of my head. I can’t bear the
thought…”
    “Ok, ok. Shh. All that matters is that I am here and
I love you. My finger tapped on her chest just above her heart.
“You hold my heart in here, Ava. How could I live without it?”
    Her lips pressed into mine and I tasted the flavor of
her salty tears on my tongue. Her hands searched my body and our
heartbeats blended and pounded in time with one another.
    “Ari, I…” She pressed herself back against my chest
to look at me.
    “What, Baby? Tell me.”
    “I…” Her eyes were wet with unshed tears.
    “Mama!” Max screamed loudly from his bedroom and the
sound echoed through the monitor.
    Ava pushed off me, untangled her body from my limbs
and the blankets, then was up and out of our room and into Max’s in
a flash.
    “Shh, sweet boy, I’m here.” She shushed and hushed
him and then calmed Max down by reading his favorite story.
    “Llama Llama…” she started, and I leaned back against
a pile of pillows with the new tiny and soft baby blanket draped
over me. I listened to the story being told in her gentle voice
through the baby monitor. Thunder continued to crash outside and
our house shook with the vibration. Eventually, Ava’s words drifted
away and I knew the two of them had fallen back asleep
together.
    I stayed awake, my eyes focusing in and out on the
ceiling above me. I sometimes cannot sleep without her. For months
after I met Ava but