Hearts Intertwined Read online

  Hearts Intertwined

  K.L. Myers

  Contents

  Prologue

  I. The Past

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  II. The Present

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments From Kl

  Other Books By K.L. Myers

  Hearts Intertwined © 2019

  This is a work of fiction. Any characters, names, places, brands, media, and incidents are used solely in a fictitious nature based on the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to or mention of persons, places, organizations or other incidents is coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted electronically or in print without the permission of the author. All rights are reserved.

  Dedication

  To my amazing daughter. You’ve grown from the timid little girl who came into my life as a child into the most amazingly strong and independent woman you are today. You’re as beautiful on the inside as you are on the out and it’s been my honor to have you grace the cover of this book with your awesome significant other.

  I’m so proud of you, baby girl. Live your life like tomorrow may never come. Follow your dreams no matter how large they are, and never let anyone tell you that you can’t do what you want.

  Love you, monkey

  Prologue

  October 2018

  Lightning flashed across the dark sky. The curtains had been pushed aside, as the pelting rain began to hit harder and harder against the glass. The grey clouds began to fly by faster and the sounds of thunder filled the hospital room. Alissa’s contractions had gotten stronger and came faster.

  Braxton had met Alissa in college. She had been pre-law, and he was pre-anything. He hadn’t been able to make up his mind on what he wanted to do. He had changed his major so many times that he never thought he’d figure his life out. If it hadn’t been for her, his best buddy, Paxton, and his twin, Paisley, Braxton probably would have dropped out.

  They were the four musketeers with a bond stronger than blood. They had helped him get through it all: late-night study sessions and pre-Alissa breakups. It hadn’t mattered that Paxton was attending Stanford, it just mattered that he was a phone call away. But Paisley—she was instrumental in Braxton’s meeting of Alissa, and he would always be indebted to her. After eight years, they had all walked away as lawyers, and he’d left with a BS in business. Yeah, it had taken him eight years to get a four-year degree. That was what happened when you couldn’t get your shit together.

  His parents had had money and couldn’t have cared less about what was happening in his life—that he couldn’t commit to his education or that they had paid for an education that had taken him forever to earn. They were legacies at Berkeley and had made big- donations to the school just to keep him there despite his flailing grades.

  He’d used the inheritance he received to fund a business that catered to the entertainment industry. Paxton, Paisley, and Alissa managed the legal side of things while he managed the public relations portion of the agency. Braxton was the wining-and-dining part of the team. He built the relationships with potential clients, encouraging them to sign with the company, and then his best friends and fiancée handled the legal aspects.

  “Christ!” Alissa’s screams pulled him from his thoughts.

  “Breathe, baby. Just breathe.” The spikes on the monitor told him when her contractions peaked and started to level off. “We’re on the downside, Alissa. Keep breathing.”

  Her face contorted with agony until it appeared the pain had started to subside. When her breathing slowed, and she’d caught her breath, Alissa spoke. “Man, those are getting worse, Braxton.”

  The door to her room opened, and Paxton and Paisley walked in. Paxton held a stuffed elephant and Paisley a vase of flowers.

  “Are we too late?” Paxton asked lightheartedly.

  Paisley punched her brother in the arm. “You’re an idiot, Pax.”

  Paisley set the flowers on the counter before coming over to hug Braxton. When she looked at him, there was sorrow in her eyes. He was about to ask her what was wrong when Alissa screamed out. Paisley immediately went to her side, taking Alissa’s hand and helping her through it.

  “Shit.” Paxton looked at Braxton, fear in his eyes. “Is that normal?”

  Paisley quickly responded, “You’re such a dumbass. Of course, it’s normal. She’s having a baby, dipshit.”

  The banter between the twins was exactly what Braxton needed. Though he was excited to be a father, he was freaking out about it inside. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be a responsible husband, let alone dad. His life hadn’t changed that much since college.

  He definitely didn’t want to be like his father. His dad had never been around, and he feared he’d be so focused on the business that he’d repeat the same behavior.

  Alissa was the rock between the two of them, she was the one with her head screwed on straight. She organized, whereas he tended to fly by the seat of his pants and hope everything would fall into place. He never worried because he knew Alissa had it all figured out for the both of them.

  The thunder boomed and the windows rattled from the intensity of the storm, catching Braxton off guard and filling him with unease.

  “Dude, what’s wrong with you? Are you even paying attention? Alissa’s been calling you.”

  His feet worked on autopilot and walked him to Alissa’s side. Alissa was worried. He saw it written all over her face. “You doing alright? You looked a little lost a second ago. What were you thinking in that head of yours?” Alissa always worried about him—even when she was the one in need.

  He bent and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Just remembering our college days and thinking about how everything has changed.”

  “Of course it has. We’re going to be parents. We’ve grown, and this is just the next step in life for us.” Alissa’s smile eased his tension.

  Paxton snorted loudly and once again, Paisley punched him in the arm.

  “What’s that for? I know I’m not the only one who’s thinking it. You know that we’ve all grown up except for Brax.” Paxton gave a shit-eating grin.

  Hearing Paxton say the words out loud only solidified Braxton’s concerns. His heart began to race, his palms started to sweat, and his throat felt like it was closing in on him. Was he really ready to be a dad?

  “Paxton, you’re a dick,” Paisley exclaimed, causing Paxton to go on the defensive. An argument was about to ensue, but Braxton quickly stopped it.

  “He’s right.” Braxton looked Paisley in the eyes. “I am the only one of us that doesn’t hold a respectable job.”

  Paisley started to speak up, but he cut her off. “Don’t say it, Paisley. I don’t, and you know it. I take clients to dinner, golfing, and sporting events. Then I sell them on what you and the team can do for them. Not what I can do for them. We all know I’d
rather be outside doing anything other than working in an office. I’ve never wanted to be confined to a desk.”

  “That doesn’t mean you’re not a responsible adult. It just shows you’re not afraid to live life the way you want it: on your terms and no one else’s. Unlike some of us.” Paisley glared at Paxton.

  Paisley couldn’t have missed the scowl on his face when Paxton spoke. “What? I’m living the life I want.”

  “You’re living the life our parents wanted for us.”

  Paxton thought about it for a moment before raising his head slightly in acknowledgment. “Okay, so you’re probably right. But hey, I’m making a shit ton of money. Hell, we all are, so what’s there to complain about?”

  High-pitched squeals filled the room, and the monitor began to flash red. Alissa’s right hand reached out for Braxton’s. She squeezed tightly as her left hand grasped ahold of her belly. The door flew open, and two nurses rushed in. Nurse number one pushed the twins out of her way.

  “Her fever has spiked,” nurse one told the salt-and-pepper-haired nurse beside her.

  The monitor reflected the blinking numbers 103 in bright red lights. The older nurse walked around the bed and stopped in front of Braxton, breaking the hold he had on Alissa’s hand.

  Panic shone in Alissa’s eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. “What’s happening to—”

  Her words were cut off as the second nurse placed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. Alissa reached for Braxton again, but the damn nurses were in the way and he couldn’t get to her—couldn’t comfort her. He was useless in that moment when she needed him the most.

  It tore him up inside. Braxton felt sweat beading across his forehead as a sick feeling bubbled up in his stomach. Alissa was in distress and he had no idea what to do or how to help

  Paisley immediately came to his rescue, taking his hand in hers and offering him the slightest bit of comfort. Within moments, an older overweight doctor entered the room. He was not the young doctor who’d recently graduated from UCLA Medical. The one who’d made Braxton feel at ease about this whole pregnancy. This one looked as if he was ready to retire and was just waiting out the years. He stood in front of the monitor assessing the situation.

  “Ms. Ivey, your baby is in distress. We need to perform an emergency cesarean.”

  Alissa called out to Braxton, her voice muffled beneath the mask. He froze, unable to move. Move, damn it. She needs you. Your baby needs you. But, his feet remained firmly locked in place as if snagged in a bear trap as he watched in horror while they wheeled the pieces of his heart away.

  “Braxton!” she screamed his name. He could understand her clearly this time, but he still couldn’t move as her bed was pushed through the door and out of his line of sight.

  A slender brunette nurse in her early forties moved closer to him. “Mr. Michaels, if you and your guests will move to the OR waiting room, we’ll find you there.” Braxton’s mind stopped functioning. His body was tingling like when your appendages fall asleep from loss of blood circulation. “Mr. Michaels, are you alright? Did you hear me? We need you to go stay in the waiting room.”

  His head moved in an up and down motion involuntarily, and that must have been the sign she was looking for because she turned and walked away.

  Paisley took Braxton’s hand, tugging at him to follow her. He stared back at Paxton as his friend grabbed the stuffed elephant and exited the room behind them.

  Outside of the l suite, Paxton caught up to Paisley who had let go of Braxton’s hand. Braxton began walking faster, following behind the twins, trying to catch up to them as they made their way to the waiting room, unsure of what his future would hold.

  Minutes seemed like hours. Braxton’s mind wandered back to the past and then jumped to a future he envisioned that was full of love and laughter with Alissa and their child. He was everywhere, but in the present and that was where he needed to be. He needed to stay grounded to the moment.

  He stared at Paxton, but his mind didn’t process that it was his best friend sitting across from him. It was as if he was in his own world, secluded from the here and now. Paisley’s hand rubbed up and down Braxton’s arm. It was soothing, and calmed his railing mind.

  When Alissa’s doctor walked through the door, his teal green scrubs and the cap on his head were soaked with sweat. The first thing Braxton noticed was the solemn expression on the doctor’s face. As though they were all joined at the hip, they rose and followed him to a nearby room.

  “Mr. Michaels, your daughter is in NICU. We’ll monitor her for a few days as a precaution. That is standard procedure when the mother has a fever or undergoes a C-section. It is no cause for worry; I believe she’ll be fine.”

  A heavy feeling rolled through Braxton’s stomach. “Alissa,” he whispered before clearing his throat and forcing his voice to project. “How is she doing?”

  The doctor’s face remained stoic. Braxton couldn’t get a read on what he was going to say, but when he spoke.

  “As you know, your fiancée suffered from preeclampsia during her pregnancy. That is why we were monitoring her blood pressure so closely when she was admitted. In rare instances, preeclampsia can cause placental abruption.”

  The doctor must have caught the deer-in-the-headlights look on Braxton’s face because he stopped for a moment, giving Braxton a chance to catch up to what he was saying. When Braxton spoke, his words were direct and to the point. “What the hell does that mean? Where is Alissa? I want to see her.”

  “It’s when the placenta separates from the uterus.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Michaels, the bleeding was too severe. We did everything we could, but we were unable to save Ms. Ivey. She passed shortly after your daughter was delivered.”

  Braxton stumbled until the back of his knees hit the chair behind him. His legs gave out as the weight of what he’d just been told set in. Alissa is gone? How can this be? She was fine. Everything had been fine, and now it was a mess. A fucking mess that he couldn’t wrap his head around. It was just an alarm. They had been going off every time the baby moved into the wrong position. How many times had he heard that beeping? Oh my God. I didn’t go with her. She yelled for me, and I did nothing. Alissa died without knowing how much I loved her. I should have been with her. Nothing was okay and it never would be again.

  Paisley’s tiny hand reached out, clasping Braxton’s forearm, and her tear-stained face peered up at him. Her eyes glistened with liquid that had been waiting to drain from her eyes and blaze down her cheeks. Her sorrow was as evident as his. Paxton stood close by, staring out the window, his eyes empty and devoid of any emotion.

  Part I

  The Past

  Chapter 1

  April 16th, 2005

  “Happy sixteenth birthday, Brax.” Paisley rose onto her tiptoes and kissed the side of his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her in a bear hug. One she was certain was stronger than she’d ever felt before.

  “Thanks, Paisley.”

  The front door slammed closed as Paxton walked in, interrupting one of the best hugs Paisley had ever had. She couldn’t keep her secret much longer. She was going to have to let Braxton know how she felt. She wanted to tell him that she loved him and that she had for so long as she could remember. But every time she attempted to say the words, Paxton interrupted. Today was no different.

  “Dude, Jennifer and Jessica are waiting for us. Tonight’s the night, right?” Paxton shoulder-bumped Braxton and gave him a high five. “Jessica’s hot for you. Jennifer told me she’s planning on popping your cherry.”

  “You’re gross,” Paisley said to her brother, then turned to Braxton. “Jessica’s the town whore. She’s slept with half the school. Is that who you want?”

  Deep inside, she prayed he’d say no. Prayed that he’d say he wanted her. She hoped that he’d tell Paxton he could never want Jessica because she had a disgusting snatch. But the truth was, she knew he wouldn’t say any of that. Yet she still held h
er breath until he answered.

  “Hey, if she’s willing to suck me off, who am I to complain?” Braxton high-fived Paxton once again. “Let’s go, man. I don't want to keep her waiting. See you later, Paisley. Thanks for the birthday wishes.”

  And just like that, the P and B duo rushed out the front door, leaving her heart crushed.

  Who was she kidding? Of course, Braxton would want a blow job. What male wouldn’t? Even if it was coming from the town whore. She hadn’t been able to tell him how special he was to her or that she loved him.

  Tears began to well behind her closed eyelids and when she opened them, her mom was standing before her with a sympathetic look on her face.

  “Your time will come, Paisley. He won’t always see you as his best friend’s sister. I promise you.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because, whether or not he even notices it, he treats you like a precious gift. And whenever the two of you are in the same room, he always looks your way.”

  Paisley wanted to believe her more than anything, but she knew her mother was just trying to make her feel better. She was hoping to keep her daughter’s tears at bay.

  Paisley wrapped her arms around her mom and squeezed her tight. Her reciprocating embrace was the final straw that forced the dam to open, and Paisley’s tears began to fall, soaking her mom’s shirt.