Unbreak Her Heart: A Billionaire BWWM Love Story

UNBREAK

HER HEART

A BWWM Billionaire Love Story By..

LACEY LEGEND

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Summary

“How can you really mend a broken heart?”

Aliyah has been through a lot of tragedy and drama in her life. Every man she has ever loved has hurt her and now she is living with a permanently broken heart.

Everything changes when a mysterious man approaches her in the middle of the day and seems intent on getting to know her better.

His name is Brad. He is very handsome, very intelligent and very funny. In fact he seems perfect for Aliyah and he could be just the man she needs to help mend her broken heart.

However, behind Brad's beautiful eyes lie a deep, dark secret. Before their romance develops there is something he must tell Aliyah and the truth could change everything.  Can Brad be the one to unbreak her heart? Or is he going to break it all over again?

Copyright Notice

Lacey Legend
Unbreak Her Heart © 2015, Lacey Legend
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Contents

Chapter1

Chapter2

Chapter3

Chapter4

Chapter5

Chapter6

Chapter7

Chapter8

Chapter9

Prologue

Aliyah heard her alarm and stretched beneath the crisp, lavender sheets. She rolled over and turned off the alarm with a groan. Getting up in the morning was becoming harder every day, but the sun was peeking through her curtains and blazing a path across the hard wood floor with the deep purple area rug.

She eased herself out of bed and stretched. Even though her job was hard work and didn’t pay very well, she was always glad to go and see her friends. She knew that she was making a difference in the world as an aid at the brain injury rehabilitation center. She also had a good set of friends who were glad to see her every morning, both patients and staff alike.

She slipped on her fluffy slippers that her cousin, Trinity, gave her for Christmas. She smiled every time she looked at the silly, little slippers. Trinity was only eight years old and had saved her own money to buy the gift. Her mother, and one of Aliyah’s best friends, was also Aliyah’s Aunt Julia, but they were only four years apart in age and had practically grown up together. Julia had been the big sister Aliyah never had, and they were always together as kids, running around in the yard to catch butterflies or playing with dolls in the attic, where they hoped to find a bit of privacy for their girl time.

Aliyah shuffled her pink, fluffy slippers to the tiny kitchen that she kept as neat as a pin. She didn’t have many luxuries, but her single cup coffee maker brewed the best tea she had ever had. She took the loose tea from a tin and placed it in the special device just for that purpose. She had always loved a good cup of tea, and since her doctor demanded that she stop drinking any and all caffeinated products, she splurged a little to get this little gift for herself. She also went to the Asian Market and purchased several packages of fragrant tea that helped her start her day. Her doctor, too, had altered her diet, with stern warnings about minding his instructions. She made herself a bowl of oatmeal. She couldn’t stand the little packets of sugar laden oatmeal, so she made herself a big pot of steel cut oats early in the week so that she could make breakfast swiftly in the morning.

As she cleaned up her breakfast dishes, the phone rang. “Good morning.” Aliyah tried to sound upbeat although she was having a little trouble getting herself going this morning.

“Hey there. Just calling to see how my girl is doing and if you’re ready to see me again. Don’t play like you aren’t, because I know you want it.” The voice on the other end of the line was much too self-assured.

Aliyah assumed from the deep growl in his voice that James hadn’t been to bed yet. He probably partied all night long and was still half-drunk. The idea of his whiskey breath and smoky clothes made her feel a little sick to her stomach.

“No, James. I broke up with you. It’s over and that’s that.” She didn’t say this with any anger. She just rolled her eyes and told him the same thing she had been telling him for weeks.

“Baby, come on. Let me come over.” James thought he was being sexy, but he fell far short of it.

“No. I said no. Besides, I’m leaving for work. Bye, James.” She hung up the phone before he had a chance to go on.

Aliyah sighed but quickly moved on. James had been her latest attempt at dating and now she just wanted some time to herself. She knew there were good men out there, but she was tired of dating men who either didn’t know how to treat a lady or could barely take care of themselves. Worse yet were the men who were so boring that she could barely keep listening while they talked. One time she almost fell asleep on a date. She and Julia laughed about that one for years.

Aliyah started to feel better as the morning wore on. A steamy shower and her favorite spring sweater lifted her spirits. The pale pink sweater set off her dark cocoa colored skin and made her feel like summer was on its way. She drank a large glass of ice water with cucumber as she put on her makeup and could feel herself perking up. She left her small apartment to start her workday. The building was a remodeled Victorian home and she loved the flowers planted along the sidewalk. The daffodils had just come out and she felt her spirits lift even further as she walked to her car.

She arrived five minutes early for work and spent a few minutes catching up with her friend, Amber. Amber had been a nurse at the New Hope facility for years. She had been a nurse in a hospital before, but felt that helping head injury patients learn to live again was her real calling. Aliyah felt the same way and the two had bonded strongly. It was always hard when they lost a patient. At present, they had three people on ventilators and it broke Aliyah’s heart to see them living their lives as if they were already gone.

It was worth it to help people in such cases. Aliyah’s favorite patient was a middle-aged woman who had been hit by a car and had to learn to do everything as if she were a baby, but Barb was a strong woman with a family who cared deeply for her, and over time, she relearned how to feed herself, walk, and even operate a computer. Aliyah had been by her side every step of the way and encouraged each new achievement.

Today, Aliyah was helping Barb to tidy her little room. While Barb was doing her best to dust a picture frame given to her by her sixteen-year-old daughter with a picture of the family and their dog smiling out of the frame, Aliyah hurried around the room, putting things in order. She could no longer do the heavy lifting of the usual nurse’s aide because her doctor had told her that she mustn’t lift anything over five pounds, but they found other work for her because Aliyah was, by far, the most loyal, caring, and dependable worker they had ever had.

This wasn’t just a job to her. She loved watching people regain their strength and their independence. Some of her happiest moments in life involved the joyous moment when a person recognized a loved one and regained the memories of a lifetime together. She cried with them as they embraced and remembered the love that they had lost and found again. This had happened with Barb and it was such a warm moment when the mother remembered her husband and two teenage girls. They had visited her for weeks and loved her in spite of the lack of recognition, but the moment Barb’s memories began to come back, the spark in the girls’ eyes came back as well. Barb’s husband held it together while in the room with Barb, but broke down in the hallway afterward with tears of joy and relief. Aliyah was there to share in this touching scene and to support the family.

Aliyah and Amber decided to give themselves a little treat and go out for lunch. They were both on a tight budget. Even with Amber’s work experience, she wasn’t paid a great deal by New Hope and she worked part time so that she could spend more time with her baby, Jenna. Aliyah “ooohed” and “ahhhed” over the eight-month pictures of Jenna, dressed in a frilly pink dress with her little feet in pink satin shoes.

“I think she’s going to be a ballerina!” Aliyah laughed as she looked at the little girl who was already happy to wear the small pink shoes.

“Lord knows she’s got the long legs for it,” said Amber. “Let’s get her walking first, though, okay?” The two friends laughed softly and enjoyed every bite of their lunch. The new restaurant had opened a few months ago and they were still exploring new dishes on the menu. Today they ordered and shared the food so that they could each get a taste of the creamy polenta and the sweet potato fries.

“Whoa!” Amber looked at the time on her phone. “I’ve got to run. It’s time to pick up Jenna at the sitter’s house. Are you still up for watching her Saturday night? I don’t want you to get too tired.”

Aliyah waved her hand in the air and shook her head. “Of course I’m up for it. I live for my time with Jenna.”

“I know you do, sweetie. That’s why you’re the best godmother in the world!” She leaned down and gave Aliyah a hurried kiss on the cheek. “But seriously—promise to tell me if you are too tired. I can always stream a movie instead of going out!”

Aliyah laughingly waved her friend to get going and said, “I promise, I promise. Now go!” But deep inside, she worried. She hoped that she was fit to be a godmother to this precious baby for many years to come.

After finishing her day, Aliyah was exhausted. She practically staggered from her car to her apartment. She didn’t even notice the daffodils or the elderly neighbor she usually greeted who was almost always sitting on her front porch. Her haggard expression would tell anyone that she was tired beyond belief. She climbed the stairs to her apartment and collapsed in the soft chair she had chosen carefully because it seemed to embrace her with warmth and comfort. Just then, her cell phone rang in her purse. She knew that she had to answer it. She had set the ring tone to alert her that it was a critically important call and, despite her extreme exhaustion, she had to find the energy to get into the side pocket of her purse and answer the phone as quickly as possible.

“Hello, Aliyah. I have excellent news for you!” Dr. Connelly had hope in his voice.

He usually kept an emotional distance with his patients. However, as a cardiologist, he had seldom come across a woman like Aliyah. No matter how hard things got for her, she continued to consider the feelings of the people around her. She was a tireless advocate for the people she worked with in the New Hope facility and Dr. Connelly and Aliyah had come together for several charitable events and to help individuals in the facility quite apart from his professional relationship as her doctor.

“We have a heart donor. Your wait is finally over. It’s a perfect match from a healthy individual. Not only that, but the donor is local and so the time and danger of transporting the organ has been eliminated as a factor. Aliyah, this is a very good thing, but we have to move fast. You know how it goes. You need to get here right away. Do you have someone to bring you?”

Aliyah’s exhausted mind spun. It was time? She had been waiting, but right now she was so tired that she could barely think.

“Ah… yes.” She collected her thoughts. “Yes, doctor. My friend Amber and I set up a network for this. I’ll set it in motion. Thanks so much for the call and… Well… I’ll see you soon.”

She felt the weight of this serious issue but she didn’t have time to think it through. She had to call Amber and get things started. She picked up the phone.

“Amber, it’s time for me to get a new heart.” Aliyah tried to sound cheerful, but she was numb with all of the emotions swirling around in her head.

She knew that she was dropping a bomb on Amber, but they had planned this over time and adjusted the plan as their lives changed to make sure that Aliyah would be ready. Aliyah could almost hear the shift of emotions as Amber absorbed the information.

“Oh my God. OH my God. This is great. I mean… Wow. I just put the baby to bed. So let’s use the plan for that situation. So, I’ll call grandma and she’ll come and watch her, and she’ll call New Hope to tell them that we’re doing this. You get ready to go and I’ll be there right away. Oh my God! Okay…” Amber had worked with Aliyah to prepare a plan for every contingency but now that it was happening, she was a nervous wreck. Her nursing training came to the forefront and she quickly regained her composure. “Well then, let’s make this happen!”

Aliyah put down the phone and sprang into action. She had already packed her bag with comforting items. She had everything that she would want at the hospital for her recovery. She also had a list of items that needed to be added at the last minute. She walked through the apartment and added them. The last item to go into her bag was the pair of slippers from Trinity. She sat on her bed and drew the slippers to her chest. As she hugged them tightly, she cried. It was hard to face such a daunting life event alone even though she knew that Amber would be there shortly. She double checked the fireproof safe she kept near her bed. Was everything in place?

She found her will in the right place. She knew that Julia had the key and knew where to find everything. Aliyah didn’t have much, but she had put her house in order in terms of her possessions. Since she had been ill from an early age, life insurance was never an affordable option for her, but she wanted to make sure that everything else was managed properly and didn’t cause stress for the people she left behind.

Next she pulled out the folder with letters to be distributed in the event of her death. The pink envelope with heart shaped stickers on it caught her eye. She withdrew it from the unsealed envelope and re-read her words to baby Jenna.

Dearest Jenna,

I am your godmother. Your mother has always been a great friend to me. After your father left, she told me about you and we decided that two friends could take great care of a child, even if the father was not around anymore. I was with your mother when she found out that you would come into our lives and she cried with joy. We anticipated your birth and spent many happy hours painting your nursery, making or buying your clothes, and preparing for your arrival. I held your mother’s had as you came into the world and we held you in the first few moments of your life.

If you’re reading this letter, I have moved on to heaven. I asked your mother to give this to you when she felt that you were old enough. I want you to know that I tried very hard to stay in this world so that I could help your mother to love and protect you, but if I’m gone, God must have had other plans for our lives, but I want you to know that wherever I am, I’m loving you, and no matter what goes on between you and your mother as you age, become a teenager, and start your own life; I will be cheering for you and knowing that your mother only wants the best for you.

When I wrote this letter, you were a sweet baby. I know that you will grow to be a young woman who can wear the ring that your mother will also give to you with this letter. It was my favorite. This small ruby ring may not seem like much, but my grandmother gave it to me when I was a girl. I couldn’t wear it until I was grown, but I used to take it out and look at it whenever I needed a little beauty in my life. I hope you find the same comfort in it and that you will think of me and know how much I love you when you see or wear it.