A Promised Fate

A Promised Fate

Book III of The Beautiful Fate Series

A novel

by

Cat Mann

Copyright© 2014 by Cat Mann

Smashwords Edition

http://authorcatmannblog.blogspot.com/

All rights reserved. Except as permitted
under the U.S. Copyright Act of1976, no part of this publication
may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the
prior written permission of the publisher.

First Electronic Edition: 2014

First Paperback Edition: 2015

The characters and events portrayed in this
book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or
dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

A Promised Fate: a novel / by Cat Mann-- 1st
ed.

Summary: Trust crumbles and
promises lose all meaning as Ari comes to grips with his past and
the vows made in the past in
his
name.

Without the support of the following people,
this series would have remained a secret: Derek Mann, A & L
Mann, my parents, Ron Shutts, Patty Shutts and our families, K.B
Maggio Weakly, Theresa Norton Greco, Mrs. Esther Kaplan, my
favorite book bloggers who gave me such confidence and pride in my
work with their praise. Rachel Harmon. Beta Readers: Lana Hughes,
Marie Mann, Melissa Brown, Angie Fairchild, Amber Beaghan, Jenny
Moore, Mhairi Ferguson, Chantal Goinet, Tina Burton. My primary
sales come from Central Illinois, and I want to thank the
community, the unconditional love and support that I receive from
family, friends and fans is mind-blowing and surreal. I never knew
I was so loved and appreciated. Thank you.

Cover designed by Derek Murphy of
Creativindie Covers

Jacket author photo by Jennifer Klitzsch
Moore with Moore Memories Photography

This is again in dedication to you. I am so
happy.

Table of
Contents

Title Page

Praise and Acclaim

Copyright Notice

Dedication

1- Nightmare

2- Her

3- Evil Eye

4-Who Am I

5-The Fourth

6-The Storm

7-Fight

8-Need

9-A Goodbye

10-Spaghetti Sandwich

11-The Future, Setbacks & Proposal

12-Intruder

13-Blame

14-Hot Dog

15-H Word

16-NDA

17-Dinner

18-Breath

19-Blush

20-Gauntlet

21-Battlefield

22-Adonis

23-Clean

24-Gone

25-Hunted

26-Bug

27-Paper

28-Gallo

29-Disappear

30-The Gala

31-Pratice

32-October Seventh

33. Push

About The Author

The sea was angry. Waves hit the shore with
vengeance, one devastating blow after another ripping at the Earth
and dragging whatever land it could back for the long return out to
deeper waters. The currents churned and white saltwater foam
swirled on top of the dark and dangerous tide. Watching from the
cliff side above, I tried to keep myself rooted to the ground, but
my heavy feet were shoved inexorably forward, forced to carry my
unwilling body along the edge of what seemed like the end of the
world. Sea spray hissed and then misted the sharp, jagged rocks far
below me. Broken and pulverized earth, chipped away with each
shuffling step I was forced to take, scattered down the tall,
narrow edge of the ridge. A fear unlike any other I had ever felt
was lodged deep in my gut and I choked on the impossible-to-swallow
heartbeats in my throat.

I have three choices. I can say no and die, I can say
yes and die, or I can jump and die.

I will do anything for her. I will do anything for
them.

Brilliant rays of morning sunlight slanted in through
our bedroom window. Light flickered and danced on the walls and a
cool breeze off the sea rustled our curtains. The breeze ebbed and
a beam of daylight made a path across the bedroom and rested on her
cheek, warming her. Soundlessly, I made my way back to our bed to
rejoin her. Taking my eyes away from her is always a struggle. From
the moment she came into my world, from my very first glimpse of
her, I have been consumed, obsessed and desperately in love.

Her chest rose and fell with gentle breaths. Her
lips, so full and so soft, are rose petals. Whenever my lips touch
those lips, a sensation consumes me that is unlike anything I have
ever experienced.

Sinking back into the bed at her side, the mattress
bowed a little with my weight. I contoured my body around her
curves and my fingers wound through her dark hair. Long, wavy
strands splayed across the white pillowcases. A smile grew on her
sleeping face and I could not help myself, I leaned down and kissed
the corner of her mouth. She blinked up at me sleepily.

“Good morning, beautiful Ava.”

“Mmm.” Stretching, she pointed at the face-splitting
grin that I couldn’t manage to hide, and rested the tip of her
finger on my lip. “What is this little smirk of yours all
about?”

“You. You were smiling in your sleep. 'Twas a sight
to behold.”

“Only because I was dreaming about you.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmm,” her head bobbed in a cute confirming nod.

“Tell me, Ava, please … What was I doing in your
dream to make you so happy?”

“I’ll show you.” She lifted her head up from the
pillow and joined her lips with mine. My hand cupped at her nape
and I kissed her back. Her mouth opened, allowing my tongue to slip
between her rose petal lips. Her hands found their way up my back
to my hair, still damp from my shower, and I closed my eyes at her
touch. The feelings that she pulls from my body are always powerful
and come on fast. My fingers edged up her leg to her inner thigh
and the higher they climbed, the hotter our bodies grew and the
needier we became. Ava made a little noise of pleasure and blushed
at the sound, then pushed herself against me, tugging at the towel
that was tightly knotted around my waist. Shifting my body, I
pulled her on top of me, straddling her legs over my hips, my hands
palming her bottom in a squeeze. We kissed more deeply and my lust
and need for her grew until my desire was all-consuming.

Then Ava’s muscles tightened, she stilled, her eyes
opened wide and after a moment’s hesitation, she swiftly moved her
hand away from the unconquered knot still securing my towel and
onto my chest, pushing me backward, away from her. The passion that
had been building between us evaporated in an instant and I looked
at her with wounded pride as she promptly moved off my lap.

She nodded in the direction of our bedroom door and
my brow furrowed in question until the thunder of Max’s quick bare
feet smacked against the hardwood floor and echoed down the
hallway. Our door came open with a crash and our three-year-old son
greeted us with the monster smile that is his stock in trade.

“Hiya, Max!” Ava grinned.

“Hey, Buddy.” I grabbed hold of his arms, helped him
up into our massive bed and then reached for my glasses and cell
phone off my nightstand. Ava rested her hands softly on either side
of her growing stomach.

Thumbing through a catalog of early morning messages,
a warm crack of a smile pushed up my lips at my latest text.

“Oh! Max! Ari!” Ava cried and grabbed Max’s chubby
hands, placing them quickly where hers had been. “The baby is
moving!”

Max squirmed and his fingers danced on Ava’s stomach.
She settled his fingers by placing her open palms over his small
hands.

“Now wait. Be patient,” she told him.

Max held still for as long he could and was rewarded
with his first encounter with the baby kicking. He pulled his hand
back at the initial shock of the strange meeting but Ava grabbed
him again and put his stubby, dimpled fingers back to her
stomach.

“Relax and try to feel her kick again.” She was
excited in sharing the moment with him. Her sea-green eyes twinkled
brightly and her ultra-white smile grew bigger and bigger. The baby
kicked once more with force and the movement of Ava's belly under
their hands made Max's eyes light up with joy. He clapped his hands
together happily.

“Talk to the baby, Max. Your voice makes her
happy.”

“You don’t know it’s a girl, Ava,” I sighed.

“And you don’t know it’s
not
a girl.”

Tossing my cell aside, I leaned back to watch my wife
and son, and smiled with my love for them. At twenty-six weeks
along in the pregnancy, Ava’s baby bump was hard to hide. Her
swollen stomach protruded from her small frame and she had an
ever-present glow.

“Are you sure you don’t want to find out if we really
are having a girl? Just think, I could call the nurse on my way to
work, have her pull your chart, and we could know by lunch.”

“Ari! We agreed to wait to find out the baby’s
gender. I want to be surprised. I thought you wanted to be
surprised, too.”

“I do, I do. But the thought is tempting all the same
and the suspense is killing me.”

Ava basically ignored my pain and went on to an
obviously more pressing matter. “We still need a name,” she
reminded me for the hundredth time. “We can’t have a baby without a
name.”

“I know,” I groaned, “but you don’t like any of the
ones I've come up with. And I really want Ileana.”

“Ileana is a no!” She scolded me for the twentieth
time, “and you don’t like any of mine either.”

“Abraham. Really, Ave?”

Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

“Maybe we should let Max decide on the name,” I
proposed.

Ava tilted her head at the thought and looked down at
Max, who was whispering into Ava’s belly button. “I am really not
wanting a baby named Llama Llama or Sponge Bob or Elmo. Or any of
the super heroes, either, Ari. This is important.”

“We still have more than three months to decide,” I
started to say. Then I noticed the stubborn thing that sometimes
takes over Ava's face -- a cute curvy line settling in between her
brows. “But I promise to work on it with you this weekend. Let’s
each come up with one name we really like by this evening. I’ll
pick a girl name and you do a boy. Okay?”

“Deal,” she gave a firm nod. “You are coming home
early today right? Do you promise?”

“I promise. I'm leaving early and have to make one
stop in Beverly Hills. Then I’m all yours.”

It was the Fourth of July weekend. I planned to take
off early the day before the holiday and I had sworn to Ava not to
work all weekend. We had plans with our family all weekend long and
I was not going to miss anything. Work and school had already been
keeping me away from Max and Ava a bit too much and I knew my long
hours spent at
baio
were getting on Ava’s nerves. I knew
this because she had said as much several times already in the past
two months. Gone were my days of apprenticeship during which I had
worked only when Margaux worked. My hours had vastly increased and
I had not taken even a Saturday morning off since the new year.

“Good, I cannot wait to just… I dunno... hang out
with you!”

“Me too.” My lips pressed to the corner or her
mouth.

“You were up early this morning.” Ava pushed out of
bed. “I didn’t even hear your alarm go off, that’s not like
you.”

Thoughts of my nightmare flickered and crept back
into the corners of my mind.

“Early bird gets the worm?” I teased.

“Yeah, right,” Ava gave me a sarcastic laugh with an
overly dramatic eye roll and sauntered off to the shower.

I have never been early to anything a day in my life
and she knew it. Despite the fact that I had been awake since the
pre-dawn hour, I was late to work once again. I threw on my
clothes, pausing just a moment to get my cuffs just right, and
then, toothbrush still jutting from my mouth, I picked Max up,
tossed him over my shoulder and carried him, squealing with
delight, off to the kitchen.

Just as we arrived at the refrigerator, there was a
rap at the glass door to the back patio. I set Max down on his
feet. “Let your Yaya Aggie in, Max?”

He happily flitted in stocking feet across the
kitchen floor, slid the lock out of place and let my mom enter our
home. She scooped him up in a hug, peppered him with kisses that he
wiped off and then she came to my side.

“Hey, Ma,” I said with a kiss to her cheek. “What are
you doing here this morning?”

“Where is Ava?” Her eyes scanned the kitchen and then
out into the living room.