Found (Captive Heart #2) (16 page)
Read Found (Captive Heart #2) Online
Authors: Carrie Aarons
P
eople say
that lightning doesn’t strike the same spot twice.
Those people would be wrong. Sure, it’s improbable. Rarely ever happens. But when it does, it’s beautiful. It creates something magical and other-worldly.
Lightning struck twice for Charlotte Morsey and I. The forces of nature brought us back together and fused us so tightly, that these days I’m not sure where I end and she begins.
But that’s wrong. I guess lightning struck the same place four times.
Two little bundles of energy race towards me where I stand on the shoreline, making a beeline for the water that is a bit out of their league right now.
“Not so fast!” I catch Brady in one arm and Patrick in the other.
Our twin boys. Now two years old and a handful. Days filled with racecars, superheroes, bananas and peanut butter, and Baby Einstein. Nights filled with bath time and stories, kissing their little hands and heads until Char drags me out of their rooms so I can sleep.
“Good, Daddy can prevent you from drowning. Because Mommy is so tired she might fall asleep right here in this sand.”
Char plops down on a bench on the grass right above the shoreline, and her white sundress flutters in the summer wind. She’s still just as gorgeous as the day I laid eyes on her. Since having the boys, she’s complained that her body isn’t the same. That some things sag and she doesn’t feel quite herself. But I think she’s more radiant than ever. She has stretch marks, her battle scars I call them, and bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep for the past two years. And I love them. They’re sexy and remind me that she is the most amazing mother on the planet.
When we found out we were having twins, I nearly fainted in the exam room. I was thrilled to be pregnant, that Char was giving me the gift of becoming a dad. But two babies? At the same time? She picked me up though, slapped me straight and told me that if we could get through everything we’d been through, we’d get through a little poop and spit up.
And she was right. With the help of Jane, who practically lived with us for the first month of the boys’ lives like a grandmother should, and Jackie, who was better with kids than I ever expected … we made it through. Every day always presented some sort of challenge, but now we had toddlers.
And toddlers meant chaos, but also incredible moments. Watching Brady and Patrick develop personalities and thought logic, figuring out what foods and colors they liked, or why they did what they did. I could watch them for hours.
“Boys, let me tell you a story about when Mommy and I came out to this lake one night a couple of years ago …”
Char gives me the stink eye as I grin at her from a few yards away. We still find time to worship each other, even if I have to ambush her in the shower before work. I’m trying to knock her up again, which is exactly why she tries to swat my cock away. I win in the end.
“Let ‘em run in, they’ll learn sooner or later.” Willy comes to stand next to Charlotte, and I can see his mile-wide grin from here.
These are his grandsons, and he loves them unconditionally. They call him Papa and they call Melody, Nana. They’ve become permanent fixtures in our life. Our parents, for all intents and purposes. We go to their house for Thanksgiving, and they come to ours for Christmas.
And speaking of our house, I finally did put in that crown molding in our bedroom. It was the last project, the final renovation. I may have driven my amazing wife crazy for the past three and a half years, but I gave her the dream house.
“Only if you’re going in after them. I’m too tired.” Char reaches for Willy’s hand. “You want Papa to take you in the water?
Her voice gets higher as she talks to the twins, who are wriggling in my arms.
“Da-ee, swim!” Brady squeals.
“Papa, come in!” Patrick yells at Willy.
I tickle the little rascals and they giggle. “The tickle monster will attack if you don’t go find Nana and bother her!”
They run out of my arms and totter away, their little brown curly heads stuck together in some brotherly scheme as they go to find Melody.
I walk up to where Char sits and kiss her on the head. “They’re adorable. Let’s have ten more.”
“Absolutely not.”
She slides over and I sit beside her, sling my arm around her shoulder and inhale the sweet vanilla of her perfume.
“Why don’t you leave the boys with us tonight and go out? This is your vacation, too. You need to take your beautiful wife on a date.” Willy slaps me on the shoulder.
We come to Camp Marsh for a week every summer, and we’ve been here for about three days. A date with my wife; without having to cut up the twin’s food, or making sure they’re behaving in public, or trying to give them both the same number of crayons to color the menu.
“I think that sounds like a great idea.” I don’t even hesitate to take what Willy offers.
But Char is … well, Char. “But can we leave the boys for that long? They like to see us before they go to bed, and—”
“We’re going. Thanks, Willy!” I wave him off.
Char looks at me with a glare, but I just kiss her.
“We’re going. We need a night off. You need a night off. We are going to be adults, and eat our food without interruptions or bibs. We are going to drink wine, and get tipsy. And then I’m going to make love to my wife in the back of our car like a bunch of teenagers. So yes, we are going.”
She nods her head, a dreamy look in her eyes at my description. “That sounds perfect. But let me go brief Melody on the terrors she is undertaking for the night.”
Char stands and holds out her hand to me, pulling me up and lacing her fingers through mine. Together, we walk towards the quad where the boys are babbling in Melody and Willy’s ears while they color.
Not all of the days are perfect, little snapshots of life that I’ll keep stored in my brain forever. There are hard days. Days where I think about how easy it would be to get high or just leave. Days where it feels like the world is crumbling on my shoulders.
But I have Charlotte. The girl next door who turned into my saving grace. And I know that if I ever get so lost in the chaos of life that I can’t see straight, she will come find me.
A
uthor of romance
novels such as Red Card and the Captive Heart Duet, Carrie Aarons writes sexy, swoony and sarcastic characters who won't get out of her head until she puts them down on a page.
Carrie has wanted to be an author since the first time she opened a book. She loves spinning tales that include dapper men, women with attitude, and the occasional hunky athlete.
When she isn't in what her husband calls a "writing coma", Carrie is freeing up her jam-packed DVR, starting her latest DIY project, or planning her next travel adventure. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, who is more than happy to watch sports while his wife plots love stories.
W
e knew
each other a lifetime ago. And then...
We lost childhoods. We lost opportunities. We lost love.
Fate is giving us another chance. But a chance at what?
Because even though we've been brought back to each other under the worst of circumstances...
We are still. So. Damn. Lost.
Falling in love is hard. Falling in love on national television is impossible. Right?
Leighton Aldridge did not sign up to meet her soulmate. She signed up for the lights, camera and action. So when the Hollywood-native ends up with the wounded war veteran and a ring on her finger, it's a surprise to everyone. What isn't a surprise is the way she breaks Finn Wyatt's heart, or the massively public breakup that follows. But a year later she's back, ready for another round on the reality TV show that brought them together. She knows he was the real thing, and she's ready to fight for him.
Finn is the new Mr. Right. The country's favorite single guy, and the object of 25 women's affections. But when his ex-fiance steps onto set and back into the limelight, he wishes he never agreed to another season. Leighton shattered his heart for the world to see, and he's not ready to face that reality. Can Leighton convince him, and America, that she's the one? Or will her future with Finn only consist of 15 more minutes of fame?
She spent five years planning a future that will never exist. He spent five years trying to erase a past he can’t forget.
London is Leah Watson’s fresh start. When she secures the perfect internship during her study abroad semester, with an infamous celebrity public relations firm, she is determined to forge her own path - one that is nothing like her life back in Oklahoma. That plan is tested when British football’s bad boy, Killian Ramsey, decides that she's the one he wants and he's playing for keeps.
Will she put her future on hold — again — for the type of man she swore she'd stay away from?
Killian is one bloody good football player. After a tragedy shattered his entire world, the cocky and arrogant face he puts on for the media is a complete lie. When he meets Leah, his heart starts to beat for the first time in years. But when the feelings get too real, his perfectly constructed facade starts to slip.
Will he risk it all to be with her — taking whatever penalties are thrown his way — or will he play it safe?
What do you do when the town golden boy, who never noticed you in high school, decides to make a play for your heart?
For Minka Braxton, high school has been anything but easy. After a humiliating scandal sophomore year, she's avoided the social scene and anything having to do with boys, especially of the popular variety. But with senior year approaching, Minka decides its time to take life back into her own hands. That is, until Owen Axel, the type of guy she's always avoided, decides he wants her in his hands.
Owen Axel is the definition of popular. Good looks, all-star worthy pitching arm and a former pro-athlete father make him Mitchum's town God. Returning from college for the summer, his plan is simple. Beach, booze, and beautiful girls. But one look at Minka Braxton and he knows what he wants. He just doesn't count on her not wanting him.
As the summer unfolds, both must decide how much to reveal, how deep they should fall, and what might happen if they strike out.
After a lifetime of neglect and sorrow, Miles Farriston has hit rock bottom after his lying ex-girlfriend proves that no one in his life sticks around. On the outs with his friends, in jeopardy of losing his baseball career and this close to getting kicked out of Kappa Eta Sigma, Miles is forced to compete in the Greek Life dance competition. What he didn't bank on was getting bright, cheery Chloe Trabucco as a partner.
Ballet, friends and her sorority. The only three things Chloe Trabucco wants to focus on and excel at. So when she is asked to compete, as a freshman, in the popular Greek dance competition, she couldn't be happier. That is, until she learns Miles is her partner. The same Miles she's had a huge crush on for half of her life, and the same guy who made it clear months ago that he wants nothing to do with her.
Her positivity and patience annoy him. His attitude and anger finally drive her to the breaking point. Can they hit a home run, both on and off the dance floor, or will they go down swinging?
Kelsey O'Brien is the definition of a free spirit. She goes where she wants, when she wants, and takes to bed who she wants. And when she arrives back at Grover University after eight months on an African animal preserve, it’s her newly hunky best friend that has caught her eye. As their friendship turns physical, Kelsey begins to form feelings she swore she'd never have for anyone. But when the past she's not ready to face finds her, she must make a decision whether to stop running, or confront the truth.
The first time Clint Bellows laid eyes on Kelsey, he fell hard. Too bad she looked right through him. A year and countless hours in the gym later, she's back and hardly recognizes him and his new body. After a drunken encounter takes them over the line of friendship, Clint agrees to Kelsey's proposal of a benefits-added relationship. Only he's playing for keeps, and is willing to round all of the bases trying to score the self-proclaimed gypsy.
She's running from her demons. He's committed to winning her over. Can he catch her in time, or will she be out of his grasp before he can blink?
D
o
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