Found Love

  Found Love

  By

  Y. L. Stokes

  Dedication

  To all my family and friends for all of your encouragement and support. Big thanks to Michelle.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Found Love by Y.L. Stokes

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Publishing with a touch of Class! ™

  The symbol of the Red Rose and Red Rose is a trademark of Red Rose™ Publishing

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Copyright© 2009 Y.L. Stokes

  ISBN: 978-1-60435-454-6

  Cover Artist: Emmy

  Editor: Michelle Ellis

  Line Editor: Jami Hodo

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

  Red Rose™ Publishing

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  comes with a touch of Class!

  Found Love

  By

  Y. L. Stokes

  Prologue

  Andréa doubled over in pain. Something was wrong. The cramps got worse with each and every breath. She reached for the phone and dialed Curtis’ cell number hoping he’d pick up…she waited and waited. His voice mail kicked in; she hung up and dialed again. After the fourth time he answered, and she could tell he wasn’t happy with her interruption.

  “Curtis, something is wrong. I need…” Another wave of cramps assaulted her.

  “Andréa, I told you not to bother me tonight. Whatever is wrong will be fine in the morning. Just go to bed,” he snapped and ended the call. And, just like before, he turned the phone off.

  On her feet now, she made her way down the stairs and out to the garage. She would have to drive herself to the hospital; she couldn’t call an ambulance—the brand new sub-development where they lived on the outskirts of town wasn’t on any of the local emergency routes. The pain got worse, as though her insides were being pulled out of her. Her hands shook, and she almost fainted. As she drove down the highway, she feared she’d pass out and crash. Not wanting to be responsible for anyone’s death, she pulled over and put the car into park, unable to go any further. She reached for her phone, too weak to even lift it off of the seat beside her. Andréa leaned her head back and prayed for someone to come and help her. She jumped at the light tapping on her window. Her head lolled towards the sound, but she could do no more before darkness consumed her.

  The car in front of Sebastian York drifted towards the shoulder of the highway. The woman had to be drunk or sick. Either way, the car needed to be stopped. Turning on his four-way flashers, he maneuvered his truck behind the woman’s car and released a deep breath. The woman pulled the car over to the shoulder. He climbed out of the truck and walked up to the vehicle, unsure what he expected to find.

  Sebastian peered through the driver’s-side window. Fear and pain in the beautiful woman’s eyes flashed, and she passed out. He took out his phone and called the hospital to have them prepare for his arrival. After shutting off her car, he picked the woman up and carried her over to his truck. She appeared in a lot of pain and whispered, “Baby….” His heart plummeted, and he prayed that his diagnosis this time would be wrong—but more often than not he was dead on.

  He made it to the hospital in record time. His assistant met him at the door with a gurney. They took her vitals as they rushed her to an examination room, and he turned everything over to the ER doctor on rotation for the night. He paced outside in the waiting room, wondering if his diagnosis hit the mark, and looked up. The head nurse walked towards him with the woman’s purse. He had the wits with him to grab it as he grabbed her.

  “I couldn’t find anything that would give us any insight on who to contact or anything other than her name and address,” the woman informed him.

  “I’ll call my brother and have him run a check on her to see if she has someone that we can contact. Do we know what is going on?” His gut told him before the nurse answered that what he’d suspected had been correct. She confirmed it, and he wondered why the woman had been alone trying to drive herself to the hospital in an attempt to save her unborn child’s life. Sebastian thanked the nurse before turning and heading for the elevator.

  Andréa lay on her side, staring off into space wondering if there would ever be a time that she wasn’t left alone. She’d been alone as a child, even while growing up in an orphanage filled with other children. Now, here, she lay empty, having lost the one thing that promised to end her hollow existence, but once again that had been taken away from her.

  “Is there someone that I can call for you?” the nurse asked from the doorway.

  “No, there’s no one for you to call. Do you know how soon I’ll be released?” she asked.

  “The doctor said that you should be able to leave tomorrow morning,” the woman answered, her expression seeming to indicate she wished for some way to remove the defeatist emotions swirling inside Andréa. “If you need anything just press the CALL button.”

  Andréa didn’t stir or say anything else, so the woman left. She lay there thinking about what the doctor had informed her. Maybe if she’d gotten to the hospital sooner they may have been able to save her baby. Tired of the heartache and disappointment that dogged her life, she refused to allow it to happen again. She would focus on building her business, Curtis be damned.

  Chapter One

  Andréa walked over to the buffet table and prepared herself a small plate of finger sandwiches and vegetables. She didn’t want to be here, but she’d promised Teresa that she would attend the party. Teresa had suggested the party in order to show off her home, the home that Andréa had designed for her. Andréa had loved drawing and designing things for as long as she could remember. Proud of what she’d done for Teresa, she hoped it would drum up business for her company. Lucky for her, she wasn’t hurting for business. Due to her investment sense, she could pick and choose her clients, and the prices she charged weren’t for the faint of heart. Looking around, she smiled. She’d come a long way from the lost little girl. Now she had great friends and her own business. What more could she ask for?

  “This is a beautiful place, and I hear that you’re the person that designed it.”

  Andréa turned. A tall, slender, dark-skinned man stood beside her. She suppressed the shudder that coursed through her. He gave off the same vibes as her ex—Curtis—did. She’d vowed never to allow that type of man in her life ever again.

  “Yes. Teresa told me what she wanted, and, knowing her like I do, I designed her home to her specifications,” she said, keeping her tone cordial and even. Not all men are like Curtis, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

  “How would you like to design something for me? You know, maybe our dream house?”

  Andréa laughed. “I’m sure that the honor should go to your wife, who I am not,” she quipped and excused herself, walking off to find Teresa and say her goodbyes. She’d been here far longer than she’d anticipated. The time
for her to leave had arrived.

  Sebastian York toured the impressive home his best friend Mack had told him about. He’d come because he planned on building his home on property he’d purchased a few years ago as an investment. He’d owned several parcels of land around town and had sold the new houses built on them before the real estate business took its downward turn. Each and every room here appeared airy, spacious, and welcoming. He glanced across the room and caught sight of a familiar figure. A memory flashed in his head of a night two years ago when he’d stopped on the roadside to help a beautiful woman in distress.

  “Hey, buddy, what do you think about this place?” Mack asked.

  Sebastian took his eye away from the gorgeous woman and glanced at his best friend. “Mack, do you know the woman who’s talking to Teresa?” he asked, ignoring his friend’s question.

  Mack frowned but looked past his friend and spotted the woman. “Oh, that’s Andréa. She’s the one that designed and built the house. Well, she did the designing and the blueprints, and my team handled the construction.” Mack turned from the designer, focused on his friend, and smirked. “Are you looking to build something on that property on the outskirts of town?” he inquired.

  Sebastian nodded, and his brow knitted. The designer stiffened as a tall, slender black man walked up behind her and slipped his arm around her waist.

  “That bastard has a lot of nerve,” Mack growled. “Andréa despises the man.”

  “I think its time you introduced us,” Sebastian said and headed towards the group.

  “Hello, love, it is so good to see you. I wondered if you’d show because I know how much you hate these types of parties,” Curtis said against her ear. His hand tightened for a second.

  Andréa moved out of his embrace and turned to face him. His breath lodged in his chest. She looked more beautiful now than during their relationship. Her emerald green eyes set off her warm cocoa skin tone, and her jet-black hair hung down in waves around her stacked body. A plain, cream silk dress—which wasn’t as extravagant as some of the dresses that the other women in attendance wore—gave her a sexy as hell aura. No, he corrected, the sexiness came from her not the dress.

  “Teresa asked that I attend, and I figured it would be a good opportunity to garner more business. What brings you here? I know that you and Teresa don’t sit well with each other.”

  Curtis looked past Andréa to the woman that stood behind her, glaring daggers at him. “My date has a friend that received an invitation, but she couldn’t make it and gave the invitation to my date for me.”

  “Well, I think it would be best for you to find your date and get the hell out of my house,” Teresa warned.

  The big brother that owned the construction company that handled building the homes Andréa designed, joined them, a just-as-big white guy with him.

  “Hi, Andréa, you doing okay?” Mack asked, giving her a hug and putting more distance between her and Curtis. “I wanted to introduce you to my best friend, Sebastian York. Sebastian, this is the beautiful and talented Andréa Morgan.”

  Sebastian stepped forward, forcing the prick to step further back. He kept his gaze on her face for any recognition. At the touch of his hand to hers, he wasn’t surprised by the way she struggled with holding in a gasp. Her eyes widened, confirming that she remembered.

  “It’s real nice to meet you, Andréa. I’m impressed with what I see in Teresa’s home.”

  She fought to recover, and the effort impressed him. Andréa gripped his hand—in thanks for not revealing their previous meeting?

  “Thank you. It means a lot to know that the person I’m designing for likes it, but also people that they invite over.”

  “I know this is a party and not a place for business, but I’d like to talk to you about designing a home for me,” Sebastian said.

  Andréa allowed him to lead her away from everyone. “I don’t mind at all, considering that’s the reason I attended. Teresa knows how much I hate these parties, but she had it right in saying that it could bring a lot of business. So, where is this property that you’re looking to build on?” she asked once outside on the patio leading out to the gardens.

  “It’s just on the outskirts of town near Miller’s Crossing. I purchased it several years ago and now I want to build my dream home. And, since I want it to be the home that I plan to live in for the rest of my life, I want it to be everything I could ever want.”

  “I appreciate you intervening back there,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to make a scene and end up ruining Teresa’s party.”

  “How have you been?” he asked, wanting to know that she had recovered from her loss. He’d checked the following morning right before his shift at the hospital to see what room she’d been admitted to and found out that she’d left on her own against the doctor’s advice.

  “I’m doing great now. It was been touch and go for a while, but as you can see I survived. I also need to thank you for that night. This is the second time that you’ve come to my rescue, and I have to tell you that for a very long time I never believed in knights in shining armor, but that night you gave me hope, and because of that I made the move that I’d needed to make a long time before.” Andréa leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, startling him.

  “I’m glad that I could be there for you that night and again tonight.” He wanted to be there for her anytime she needed him, but he kept that to himself for now. “So, how can I set up an appointment with you to get started on designing my house?” She frowned, and he wondered if he’d given off something that scared her. “If you’re working on something else I’d be willing to wait,” he added.

  “No, I’m just going over my mental calendar,” she said, placing her hand on his thigh. “I’ve had to go over some bids for a few jobs, but I don’t think that I want to handle them. The client kind of gives me the creeps, so I think I’m going to pass on it. How about we meet at your place tomorrow around three?” she suggested.

  Sebastian agreed to the time and gave her his address and directions before they headed back inside.

  Chapter Two

  Curtis lay in bed next to his current lover remembering how beautiful Andréa had appeared at the party tonight. She’d looked so damn good, it had taken every ounce of control not to grab her and take her into a secluded corner and fuck her until he couldn’t get enough. Instead, he’d come here and taken out his frustration on the little bitch beside him. Even imagining Andréa laying beneath him, he’d received only partial satisfaction. He’d have to be happy with that. Andréa wouldn’t take his cheating ass back, and he didn’t blame her, not one bit…but that didn’t stop him from wanting her and not wanting any other man to have her.

  The moment he’d first seen her he’d been desperate to have her in his bed and his life. Everything had been great until she started talking about children, and the first time she’d gotten pregnant he’d damn near panicked—he’d thought that it would be an end to their relationship because no matter what, he didn’t do kids. The first time she’d miscarried, he’d pretended to be away at a conference. She’d called him about the bleeding. He’d ignored her call and later claimed that he hadn’t taken his charger with him and the phone had died.

  After the last miscarriage, she’d packed her belongings and left the house that he’d purchased for them to live in once they’d married. His thoughts turned back to how wonderful Andréa had looked tonight, and his body reacted once again. Turning over, he eased his body between his lover’s legs and plunged into her, waking her from a deep sleep.

  “Okay, buddy, come clean. I got the distinct impression that you and Andréa had already met,” Mack said.

  Sebastian sighed. His friend wouldn’t give up until he told him what he wanted to know. He glanced around to make sure just the two of them occupied the parking lot. “Do you remember me telling you about the woman I helped some years back?”

  “Yeah, you told me that you noticed the car drifting and the woman
pulled over. You did also, and took her to the ER. You also said that you believed she’d had a miscarriage…” Realization dawned. “Are you telling me that Andréa is that woman?” Sebastian nodded; Mack cursed. “I guess I don’t have to wonder why she’d been alone,” he stated.

  “I don’t know, but I gathered she’d been at home alone and started having the cramps. She couldn’t call an ambulance because they hadn’t added that area at the time. One of the nurses had overheard one of Andréa’s phone conversations, and I’m thinking she’d talked to her fiancé. She’d asked why he’d hung up on her.”

  Mack let out another slew of curses. “That son of a bitch had to know she’d been losing the baby and hung up on her. I’ve never liked him, and it appears he’s still trying to get her back,” Mack said, his voice filled with knowing. “So, are you going to use her to design the house?”

  “Yeah, she’s going to come over tomorrow. Do you think she’ll be okay with Nico being there?”

  “Oh, yeah, she loves kids. Even after so many miscarriages, she still hopes to one day adopt a couple of children of her own.”

  Andréa let herself into her apartment making sure to lock the door behind her. She loved her two-bedroom loft, had fallen in love with it the instant the realtor had shown it to her. It had been the first step in sticking with her decision to move on, one she’d made the moment she’d walked out of the hospital the night of losing her baby. The cab had dropped her off to where she’d left her car. Once at the house she and Curtis shared, she’d packed the things she’d purchased, leaving everything Curtis had given her, including the huge engagement ring. As soon as he returned home, he’d called her several times, but she didn’t return his calls. Teresa had let Andréa crash at her place until she’d found her loft and moved in. She had just begun to recover from her last loss and he’d shown up at Teresa’s demanding to speak with Andréa. She’d spoken with him long enough to tell him that he needn’t contact her again.