A Promise Worth Keeping (2 page)

Mrs. Remy had stood by her man even when death had separated them.

And Clayton couldn’t help comparing the woman’s loyalty to Sarah’s.

For five years, she’d stood
by him through thick and thin.

She’d told him over and over again that
he was a man worth loving.

A tear streamed down his cheek.
Sarah carried his heart. And after being together for so long, they’d had their share of struggles, but always pulled through. In his heart, he knew, they always would.

Sarah
was
his
pillar.

From the beginning, he’d believed that love didn’t last, and, yet, his love
for her had only blossomed like the surrounding garden, day after day growing brighter and bolder. The garden was proof he’d excelled at removing the old flowers and thorns. Now he needed to remove doubt from his mind—the doubt that had gated his heart—and open his heart like the swinging gate in order to let Sarah’s love fully inside.

“Today is Valentine’s Day,” he pronounced.

A day to celebrate love. Everlasting love. He had an entire bounty of roses to pick from, but his heart settled on a single red rose to give Sarah.

Sarah
had promised to love him forever, but he’d been afraid to make that same promise. She’d vowed to stand by him no matter what because he was an admirable man worth loving. Now that his mind had been set free, his fears unraveled. He would be that man she’d believed in.

A
promise of the heart is a promise worth keeping. And he’d get down on his knee with a ring and make that promise. Tonight.

The End

Acknowledgements

The key to happiness is already inside you, if you choose to believe. Thank you to my round the clock writing partners, Susan Hatler and Virna DePaul for dropping everything to aid me and for believing in me as a writer. Your help on this story, and all the others, has helped me achieve true joy!

Thank you to my readers and fans. Without your support, without your request for
something
of mine to read, in addition to my blog, this story would never have been placed on the fast track.

And lastly, though always first, thank you to my very supportive family.
I love you. You boys ROCK!

This story is dedicated to my dog Angus, my floor buddy and loyal companion who unexpectedly passed while I was crafting this story. I hope he greets me with his enormous wagging tail on the other side.

In memory of Angus

July 2, 2004 – February 9, 2013