The Commitment (33 page)

One day about a year and a half ago, I took a trip to the gas station. I was sitting at the pump, facing the entrance and feeling utterly crazy because I’d been hearing things all morning, just like I had been for the past few weeks. That day it had been different, though. I didn’t know why at the time, but I had a feeling something big was coming. The whispers weren’t really whispers anymore, they were getting impatient, they were getting louder.

I need so much therapy.

I was about to shut off my truck, go inside and pay for my gas when ‘Bleeding Love’ by Leona Lewis came on.

I love that song.

I sat in the truck to listen, singing loudly in the cab without a care at who heard me.

This was between me and Leona.

Halfway through the song, I watched this guy walk out of the gas station at the same time a girl was walking in. They collided and immediately, her face shifted into embarrassment.

“Sorry,” their lips said simultaneously as he steadied her, both of them blushing.

I wonder how many times people meet like this…

I’d had a feeling something big was about to happen, but I never could have imagined this. Never.

By the time this book goes live tomorrow, it will be exactly one year since I hit publish on The Promise. This year has been a roller coaster. Irrevocably changed me.

This year, I lost the first person who ever supported my dream of being a writer. She was the second person I told about that trip to the gas station. When I told her I wanted to write The Promise, I told her I was scared. When she asked of what, I said, “Mom, I’m just a waitress.” She told me, “Baby, you’ve never been just a waitress. If anyone can write a book, it’s you.”

Every day, she told me she was proud. When I hit that button, we cried together. I said, “Momma, nobody’s ever going to read this.” She said, “I will. Even if I’m the only person, you did something to be proud of. I know I’m proud of you.”

I hope she knows how proud of her I am, too…

Thank you God.

Thank you Momma. Thank you Daddy. Thank you Husband. Thank you Grandma. All of you believed in me long before I started believing in myself and you never thought of me as
just a waitress
.

The past year would not have been possible without so many people.

My husband, the original Babysaurus and owner of my heart… Thank you for setting my soul on fire and teaching me that happily ever after’s exist.

My parents and grandmother, the first readers I ever had. I love the three of you so much and miss you in ways I will never fully comprehend.

My brothers for loving me and supporting me endlessly.

Sara for being the sister God sent me when I needed her most.

My nephews and nieces for being adorable and wonderful and perfect and constantly giving me hope in humanity.

My in-laws for teaching me that not everyone’s in-laws are horrible. Sometimes, they’re super awesome and you get to love them.

My best friends Janet, Angie, Brittnee, Michelle, April, Anna and Amanda for being the amazing, wonderful people you are and not just enduring my crazy, but embracing it and joining in.

Heather, there’s so much I want to say to you right now, but I just don’t know where to start. You’ve done so much for me this past year. You were my first beta, my PA, but before all of that, you’ve been one of my best friends. I never could have gotten through this year without you. I hope you know what your friendship means to me and how much I truly love you. There just aren’t enough thank you’s to do you justice.

Jenna, your email changed my heart and I think about it every day at least once.  You could have stopped at changing my life with your amazing email, but instead you became one of my best friends, my PA and so much more. I can’t say enough about you. I just love the crap out of you. It’s so serious right now… Thank you for sending that email, thank you for trusting me and thank you for loving my Jack Attack.

Charlotte, the first person to read The Promise… I’m so happy I met you. Thank you for being such a wonderful person, having such a great heart, being there for me always, for loving my characters and their story and for becoming like a sister to me. I love you.

My beta team, Heather, Charlotte, Jenna, Sara, Laura, Karrie, Jenna and Kathy for being brave enough to look my crazy in the eye and face it head on in its rawest form. You help me bring them to life and give them the story they deserve and for that, I can never say thank you enough. Thank you for gushing over them. Thank you for crying with them (and me), thank you for wanting to hear their story as much as I need to tell it.

My Admin Team Heather, Jenna, Nikki, Sara, Charlotte, Diana and Jenna for never saying we can’t. Thank you for everything you do for me every day. I’d never be able to get so much done without you and I’m so happy to call all of you my friends. I love y’all.

The Pimp the Promise Street Team, thank you for loving my books enough to work so hard to share them with the world! You girls bust ass for me and I know I can’t say it enough, but I am so grateful for all of you. Thank you so much for everything you do and for being some of the best people I’ve ever met! I love all the faces!

The Promise Series Support Group, thank you for loving these characters and their story like you do. I’m truly honored every day by the amount of support you show me and this series. Thank you just isn’t enough to tell you how much it means to me. I love all the Lovebugs <3

Panty Dropping Book Blog, Fictional Men’s Page for Book Ho’s and HeadTripping Book Blog for being the first blogs to take me under their wing and blowing me away with every release at the amount of support you give me! I can’t thank you enough for taking a chance on me and my books. I hope you know how much it means to me.

Big thank you to Trent “T-Bone” Ricketts for his insight into the world of sports, even though he laughed at my questions and made me feel like a cotton headed ninny muggins.

Special thanks to: Kathy Coopmans, Heather Brockett-Slayton, Kim Brown, Claire Lamb, Stephanie Mae, Sandee Love, Brandace Morrow, Jen Khan, Sarah Elizabeth, Jennifer Culbreth, Liz Cicchini, Ashley Wicker, Karrie Puskas, Colleen LeHew Lee.

Every single person who ever shared anything for me or my books, thank you!

The musicians who inspire me and help me tell the story I have to tell. When no one else is with us at 4am, and all I’m in my most basic form, thank you for blasting through my veins and help me say what I need to say. Especially Leona Lewis.

My readers, all of you, THANK YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m so honored that you took a chance on reading my books and every single day, I am thankful for you. This series means so much to me. So much. Thank you for sharing it with me and supporting me and my characters.

Finally, to Sophie, Chase, Jack, Drake and Ana… Thank you for choosing me. You’ve never been characters I made up. With that first whisper, you each took on a life of your own and I knew instantly that I loved you. I’ve written well over 100 chapters with you and I still can’t find the words to say what it means that you chose me to tell your story. I love you to the very pits of my soul and I hope that you never, ever stop talking to me. Saying goodbye to you will be one of the hardest things I ever do, so please don’t ever make me…

XO,

Kate

“Baby,” Analise smirks, her voice soft. “The lights green.”

“I know,” I whisper with a subtle smile as I lean back against my headrest and continue to take her in. “We’ll catch the next one.”

The Compromise

by

Kate Benson

Coming

Spring 2015

In addition to The Callie Leveaux Series, Kate Benson is the author of The Promise Series.

She grew up in Texas and moved to Florida when she met the love of her life 13 years ago. She wrote her first poem when she was five and it was about her love affair with pickles. She still loves pickles, but likes to think her writing has grown since then. She absolutely adores anything to do with books, whether it's writing them or devouring them in one sitting. She lives on music, love, and sweet tea.
She’s known for her silly but blunt personality. She’s been lucky enough to find the love of her life, marry him and is now working on their happily ever after. He inspires her in everything she does, but especially in telling love stories.
“I’m an ordinary girl living an extraordinary love and I’m so happy I get to share it with the world through my writing.”

For more from Kate Benson, please visit her author’s page on Amazon or find her on social media. She’d love to hear from you!

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http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Benson/e/B00J81M3GQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1412666654&sr=8-1

Facebook:

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Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7391945.Kate_Benson

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