Dare
to Love
The Beautifully Broken Series
By Amanda
Kaitlyn
Genre: LGBT Romance/Gay Romance/New
Adult Fiction
Release
Date: June 9, 2017
Chapter
One
Ally
THE SMELL OF freshly
brewed coffee and powdered sugar hit my nose as I entered the coffee shop my
older brother, Lucas and his wife owned. The scent of coffee and sweet pastries
was heavenly and I stepped in the long line of customers, eager for my caffeine
fix.
“Allison? Is that
you?” I heard my name being called and I turned toward the sound, spotting my
sister in law, Kaelyn rushing over to me from behind the counter. Smiling wide,
I moved into her widely held arms and felt her sigh of relief against my
shoulder. I’d been driving all night long and was bone tired, but I was excited
to finally be here.
I graduated from Art
School yesterday and to say it felt damn good would be an understatement. It
felt amazing. It felt even better to be near family again, even if I wasn’t
back home in Chicago like I wanted.
When my brother asked
me to help out in the cafe over the next three months, I thought it would be
fun to have a nice, relaxing winter down south.
My sculptures could
wait, after all.
“I’m so happy your
here! We are going to have a blast this winter!”
Kaelyn’s excited voice
said in my ear and I nodded, my smile getting even bigger on my face. As she
squeezed me even tighter to her side and we stepped forward in the line, I gave
her an even tighter one in return.
Now that I’d seen her,
this place felt so much warmer than I thought possible and it felt just like
coming home.
God, how I had missed
this girl.
We sat in the large,
deeply cushioned chairs that were placed against the walls of windows making
the space light up with bright, natural light. My eyes took everything in and I
felt my body become rejuvenated just from the ambiance of the place.
How had I never been
here before?
The coffee shop and
bakery had been in Kaelyn’s family for two generations and now I could see why
it was so important to her. My brother had wanted her to sell off her shares of
the business and move back to Chicago with him and their two beautiful
daughters but she’d resisted. She wanted to finish out the year before transferring
her half of The Joyous Cup to her best friend and business partner,
Meghan. Having grown up in the heart of the windy city, I couldn’t help but
want her and my brother to come back home where our family was. Ever since I
was a young girl, I was surrounded by people who loved and cared for me. My
family was tightly knit and though, yes it could prove to be a bit stifling- I
loved every moment of it.
“So? How was the drive
in? Did you hit any traffic?”
“No, it was a pretty
smooth drive. I stopped for a few hours half way through. Who knew staring at
the road could make me so damn tired?”
Kaelyn laughed softly,
shaking her head.
“I still can’t believe
you drove all the way here, by your self for that matter. Babe, Luke would have
driven you.”
I waved her concerns
off, unworried.
When I was growing up,
my Dad took a truck driving job one year when the business at the garage wasn’t
doing very well. Most times, I would tag along on his long drives if they
landed on a weekend or during that winter. I loved the feeling I got from the
slow hum of a powerful engine underneath me and the sight of the road in front
of me. But after close to thirty hours behind the wheel, it had definitely worn
me out.
I desperately wanted
to get to the Bed and Breakfast I booked for the winter and sink my tired body
into a nice, hot bath.
“You look exhausted,
Allison. How about I close down early and drive you to the hotel?” Her hand
rested on my knee then, but I shook my head, not wanting to be a bother. It was
only a few minutes drive, anyways.
“No, no. That’s okay,
Kel. I’m going to head out, though.”
I stood and embraced
her and felt her slender arms wrap around my waist and hug me just as fiercely.
“Give the goofball a
big kiss and hug for me, OK?”
I said into her ear,
fondness for Luke clear in the tone of my voice.
Nodding, she pulled
away and I stepped out into the cool, crisp night air. Digging a hand through
my black-strapped purse on my shoulder, I slid my keys out and unlocked my car
before sliding back in front of the wheel.
Only a few more
minutes. I told myself, putting
the gear into drive and merging back onto the now quiet street toward my home
for the winter.
A Bed &
Breakfast was nested between two large, very old oak trees and the only parking
that I could find was a spot just next to the front door.
My feet ached as I
went inside and set my suitcase and carry on bag on the luggage cart I spotted
by the interior doors.
“Welcome to Bunk and
Bean Bed and Breakfast! My name is Bree, how can I help ya?”
The familiar voice
roused me from my long, indulgent yawn and a smile spread my lips as the petite
woman behind the counter turned toward me.
“Oh my gosh! Allison?”
Nodding, I dropped my
purse onto the luggage cart and rushed toward her, curling my arms around her
as soon as I got close enough.
“I can’t believe your
here, Bree! I’ve missed you so much!”
She pulled away from
our hug first, her eyes shining with excitement.
“How have you been?
Shit, girl, it’s been so long since I last saw you!”
I wiped away a stray
tear from my face, nodding. Bree James and I had been best friends since I
could remember ever having one. Our mothers were the best of friends, even
calling each other sisters as we were growing up. It was natural that we became
fast friends as children. I shook my head in blissful remembrance at all of the
shenanigans we caused back then. Bree and I were attached at the hip. As soon
as we could leave home without our protective mothers hovering nearby, we set
out to cause mischief. My favorite had to be when we poured ice water in a
metal jug and attached it to the door of my fathers tool shed, causing him to
be pelted when it opened. The look on his face as he spotted us hiding and
giggling loudly in the nearby bushes? Priceless.
Since I moved away
from our home town of Chicago, Illinois, we had lost touch. At first, it was
small. We would miss our daily phone calls, a visit back home would be canceled
or I would forget to video chat her after class one night. It was hard to be so
far away from the large, loving home I grew up in. It was even more difficult
to adapt to living without the constant presence of my two best friends, Bree
and Nathan. I didn’t notice how far Bree and I had strayed from our friendship
until it was too late.
As we hugged again and
reminisced on our childhood adventures, I thanked God that there was a such
thing as social media. We’d reconnected online last year and were thankfully as
close as ever, especially now that I was spending the hot, Texas winter here. I
was so happy she was here.
“The last few weeks
have been crazy, Bree. With final projects being due and my older brothers
coming into the city to attend my graduation, I was sure I’d go crazy before
the ceremony ended!”
Her sweet, carefree
laugh hit my ear.
I sometimes thought
that it was crazy we were ever able to get along.
We were opposite in
almost every way. I was bright and happy, overly excited for every phase of
life and eager to take the world by the horns.
I had always been that
way.
The always present
support of my loving family had made me thrust out of my shell at a young age.
Complete with bright,
neon colors, long flow skirts and enough books to last me a lifetime, that was
who I was.
Bree was this small,
light skinned beauty with black hair that fell down her back in waves. Her eyes
were the color of the sea- deep, navy blue with flecks of green and yellow in
them. She always wore dark colors, black, brown or brown. And she was always in
either a pants suit or a pair of snugly fit Levi jeans. Bree hated to dress up
and thought of herself somewhat goth. Her makeup was dark, ruby red lipstick
and silver eye-shadow. The faint lines of her midnight black eyeliner made her
eyes look even brighter as she lifted her head and I smiled.
Out of all of the time
I had known her, she never changed.
I loved that so much
because I knew she was real, through and through.
Growing up under the
watchful gaze of the public meant that most friends I had made as a child were
that of motive. Girls became friends with me to get closer to my musician
brothers. Boys befriended me in hopes of getting a shot with my families record
company. Almost none of them were founded by true friendship. At first, it
hurt. But then I realized that in time, I would find who my real, my true
friends were. In the end of high school, I learned who that friend had been all
along.
Bree James.
“I’m so damn proud of
you. I knew you could do it. When you left, I was mad. Not going to lie about
that. But your my best friend. My confidant. My sister from another mister,” A
loud laugh leaves me at that but she just squeezes my hand in hers and
continues.
“I couldn’t be mad at
you for long, though. You followed your dream of sculpture like a fucking
badass, Allison.”
I broke into a mess at
her honest words and flung my arms around her, again. As she hugged me just as
fiercely, I realized she was here. In Fredricksburg, Texas.
My eyebrows drew
together at the realization because it just didn’t make sense. We’d grown up in
Illinois. Her family was in Illinois. Why was she here, now?
“What are you doing
here, Bree?”
She pulled back,
smiling wider at my question.
“I own this place. My
husband and I bought it after the Wilson’s, the previous owners, passed away.
Don’t you just love this little place?”
My heart squeezed in
my chest almost painfully. God, I’d missed out on so much while I was away.
Somehow my once cynical and hopeless romantic best friend had gone and gotten
married and if the twinkle in her eyes was any indication, she was happy. She
had the life I always hoped she would. Surrounded by love and happiness and void
of the sorrow her childhood had once given her. My best friend was finally
happy.
“Oh, I’m so happy for
you. God, we missed a lot in each others lives, huh?”
I asked, cradling her
face as a bright, no holds barred smile spreads across her face.
“It was only last
month that we got married.”
I was pretty sure my
eyes bulged out of my head as I heard her voice whisper across the space
between us, her voice quiet as if she hadn’t meant to omit that confession.
“I wish I had known,
girl. I would have loved to be there”
Shaking her head, she
busies herself with the folder in her hands.
I could feel the
nerves radiating off of her in waves. Somewhere between the topic of the bed
and breakfast and Kingsley, she’d become a bundle of nerves.
“It was, uh, a quick
wedding”
“Oh my gosh, Bree!”
“What!” Her quiet yell
snapped back at me and my eyes widened as I noticed the blush that was now
littered across her cheeks.
“It was a shotgun
wedding?”
Sighing loudly, she
plopped back into the chair next to me and nodded, then quickly, she was
shaking her head again.
“Uh, no, I swear it
wasn’t like that. I moved here a year ago and I needed a part time job between
classes. Something to fill my time. Kingsley worked at the local bar and hired
me on the spot. Almost immediately, we began dating. It was slow going at first,
though. He would stay after his shifts ended and we had dinner after the night
crew had left. He’s just got this way about him, Allison.”
“My ears are ringing,
Bree. You bragging about me to our customers, now?”
A deep, booming voice
came from the doorway of the front lobby and my eyes moved toward the sound.
When my eyes landed on the large, tall man that not only stood in the doorway
but filled it completely, I gasped in surprise.
“Hey, I didn’t think
you would be home for a while. How was the meeting?”
Bree stood and walked
toward him, her hands instantly drawing up to touch his scruffy face. I
watched, entranced as the seemingly hard, stone faced man visibly softened the
moment she was touching him. Bending his knees just slightly, he brought his wide,
muscled arms around her back to take hold of her ass as he lifted her up his
body that had to be at least 6’5. Her hands smoothed over his cheek as she
smiled, a look passing through them that spoke volumes as to how they felt
about each other. My best friend was in love.
“It was fine. This
contractor is gonna get his ass kicked if he doesn’t stop beating around the
bush. I don’t need him to argue with me. I just need him to get this shit done”
Even with the anger spliced through his tone, his body molded tightly to hers,
his hands squeezing her bottom in a silent claiming.
“King. I want you to
meet someone. Stop feeling me up, silly man”
He scoffed roughly,
hiking her body up a few inches until their mouths touched.
“Don’t tell me what to
do, woman”
“Let me down.”
Frowning, he kissed
her briefly, then caved to her softly spoken demand.
“Allison, this is my
husband, Kingsley. Kingsley, baby, meet my best friend from high school,
Allison.”
He stepped forward,
out reaching one large hand to me.
“I’m damn glad to meet
you, Allison. Bree has missed you something fierce.”
Shaking his hand, I
nodded.
I had missed her, too.
“Me too. It looks like
you make her very happy.”
Bree rested her head
against his shoulder, proving my words were true.
A small, almost
private smile took up residence on his face.
“Yeah,” He nodded
once. “I guess, I do”
***
The softly blowing
wind whispered over my face, my feet stepping over crushed leaves as I walked
toward the small park in the middle of town the following day. After spending
some much needed time with Bree and her husband, I hadn’t been able to keep the
smile off of my face. It felt so damn good to be back near the people
that made me happy, made me laugh. Though I hadn’t seen my brother yet, I knew
that feeling of true happiness of this place would only grow once I did. Luke
was my biggest fan, after all. Hell, wasn’t that what older brothers were for?
The wind of the cool,
winter day picked up and my hands reached for the small zipper of the black
fleece jacket I wore, dragging it up until it reached my chin. The sun shone
above, causing rays of light to cascade over the hills of the grass covered
ground in Fell’s Park.
There was another
rolling hill toward the ending of grass, where the green ground led to a small,
dirt road and I noticed a quaint little brick house nearby. I squinted my eyes,
my gaze landing on the small sign at the top of the door. As I moved closer, my
hands slipped into the deep pockets of my Lucky dark denim jeans. The
sign becoming larger as I approached, my curiosity piqued.
Who knew an animal
shelter lay in the center of the small park I chose to take a walk in?
Ever since I was a
young girl, I had a very special love for animals of all kind.
Dogs, cats, anything I
could get my hands on, I loved them.
I couldn’t count on
one hand how many animals I had as a kid.
The time away from
home hadn’t changed that.
An excited smile
tugged my lips as I headed toward the small, brick house. But the closer I drew
to the house, I noticed it wasn’t really a house at all.
It was three brick
cottages built together, connecting by a large, cherry wood wrap porch. Behind
the buildings lay a long pasture of grass area where I saw the heads of a few
grazing horses. The excitement inside of me caused my heart to flutter like
that of a little girl but still, I couldn’t retreat from what I had stumbled
upon.
The large, wooden door
creaked as it closed behind me and I stepped inside, cautious. The floors were
the first thing I noticed. They were laminate hard wood and as I looked at
them, I could tell they’d been laid by hand. I watched my older brothers do
enough construction to know that wasn’t an easy task. My eyes moved next to the
large front lobby and a long, narrow hallway that most likely led to where the
animals were kept.
I all but jumped out
of my skin from surprise as a woman’s voice came from the other side of the
reception desk in front of me.
“Be with you in just a
moment, Ma’am”
A shiver ran up my
spine at the sound of the raspy voice and my hand came to rest on the handle of
the door I’d just come through.
As if at a moments
notice, I would bolt.
Maybe I would.
I didn’t understand
the mixture of trepidation and curiosity that was now humming through my veins
like liquid adrenaline.
I didn’t know why I
suddenly wondered why I’d stumbled inside the building in the first place.
I stepped deeper
inside as I heard the woman’s footsteps retreat from the desk, most likely
getting something from the the office.
For some reason, the
sound of her voice had struck a cord in me.
I had no idea how it
sounded so familiar to me, since I hadn’t been here even a few days yet. How
could I know her if we’d never actually met?
Maybe she was another
old friend from up North, where I grew up.
Shit, maybe I was
going crazy from the lack of sleep.
Between the long drive
from New York, my late night yesterday and a fatigue from the drastic change of
weather I’d experienced, I was probably losing it.
I was about to step
back from the reception desk and toward the large, oak wood door when the woman
came from the back office and into my view for the first time.
No. My inner voice screamed at me as I took a step
back unconsciously, as if from sheer instinct. It couldn’t be. I told
myself, shaking my head in disbelief.
“Ally,” She said, her
rasped voice now so much clearer as she stood in front of me. There was only
one woman who’d ever called me that. She was a ghost from my past but for
this one, small moment, she was real.
“C-Charlie?”
One moment.
One
moment changed my life forever.
Her big
green eyes looked at me and I knew I would never be the same.
But
sometimes in life, the things you want are the ones that stand just out of
reach.
The
pain her loss in my life caused was indescribable.
Hot,
piercing pain that in all of my fourteen years of living, I had never
experienced.
I
remembered her.
Every
day.
Every
bad date my friends pushed me into.
Every
lonely holiday I spent without her to talk to.
Until I
saw her.
And I
found her all over again.
My
father always told me that love snuck up on you when you were least expecting
it.
That’s
what happened with her.
Charlie
was my girl from that moment on and I would do anything to protect her.
Anything.
Amanda Kaitlyn
is an author of heart stopping, sweet romance. Finding Beautiful is her debut
novel. She is a hopeless romantic at heart. Books by Kristen Proby, Kelly
Elliott and Stephanie Meyer have influenced her writing. One thing that
inspires her is music. Country, pop, rock, Amanda enjoys it all. As a young
girl, she loved fairy tales. As she grew up she realized that these stories
change. Love isn’t always perfect and the fight of that love is what urges her
to write the stories she does. Between the pages of her books you will find
real, heartfelt romance, rugged emotion and lots of steam. Do you want to know
more about Amanda Kaitlyn and her books? You can find her on social media and
her author website.
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