Hearts Aligned (Eternal Love #1)

by Cheri Marie

  I stand looking at the door for a few moments, thinking about what all just transpired within a matter of minutes. Adrenaline is pulsating through me and I drop the gun to the floor with a thud. My legs are shaky and I feel them give out. Dropping to my knees the tears start to fall. I cry for what seems like hours, not because he left, but because for the first time in months I finally feel free.

  Picking up my phone I dial Ashlan’s number, she answers on the second ring.

  “Hey, is everything okay?” she asks.

  “No, not really.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Well when I got home, I walked in the door and Liam punched me in the face.”

  “HE WHAT??” she shouts, “I will beat his ass, where is he?”

  “I don’t know. He’s gone. I pulled my gun on him.”

  Ashlan shrieks, “You have a gun? Since when?”

  “Mom suggested that I buy one when I bought the house. She said it wasn’t safe for me to be alone in this house without some kind of protection.”

  “Holy shit!” she says. “So what, did he go when you pulled the gun on him?”

  “Well, at first he thought I was joking, he even laughed and took a step toward me until I cocked back the gun and he backed up.”

  “Good for you! I’m glad he’s finally gone and you’re safe. Do you need to go to the hospital?”

  “No, I think I’m okay. Besides, if I go to the hospital they’re just going to want to call the police.”

  “Okay, as long as you’re sure you’re okay.”

  “Yes. I’m sure.”

  We talk on the phone for a while until it’s time to call it a night.

  “I better get some rest. There are some things to check on for the big fundraiser Saturday.”

  “Okay," she says. “If you need me for anything, I’m only a phone call away.”

  “I know, I love you, goodnight.”

  “Love you too, goodnight,” she says and then she hangs up.

  I’m exhausted. I make my way to the shower, the warm water is relaxing and washes away the stress of the day. After drying off, I put on my pajamas and climb into bed. I lay there for what seems like eternity staring at the ceiling until falling asleep.

  Friday is uneventful; I call and check on the caterer and auctioneer to make sure everything is in order. Everything is ready and I’m relieved that at least work is going as it should be. I spend the rest of my day in my home office documenting possible contributors to the company. At about 11pm I decide to call it a night.

  The next morning my alarm clock startles me awake. I hit the snooze button and lay back on the bed not wanting to get up. Despite my body telling me to go back to sleep, I get up to get dressed. I walk into my closet and start to shuffle through my clothes. What to wear? I come across my favorite dress, a pretty black and white A-line dress that fits perfect around my ample cleavage and flows out, perfectly hiding my chubby tummy. I turn and head back into the bedroom with the dress, grabbing thigh highs on my way, along with my favorite black knee high boots.

  I dress quickly and put some makeup on my face, making sure to cover the bruise around my eye. I take a look at myself in the mirror, my long curly brown hair is pulled back in a high ponytail and my dress hugs my curvaceous body in all the right places. Liam’s voice pops into my head, ‘that looks horrible on you, you’re too fat to be wearing that.’ The tears start to build up in my eyes; I blink them away, choking back the lump in my throat. Taking a deep breath I push his words out of my mind before taking another look at myself. Yes, I think I’m ready to kill this fundraiser and make money to help these amazing families. I grab my keys, my clutch, and my cardigan as I head out the door. On my way to the fundraiser I remember I forgot to write my speech. Damn, I guess I’ll just have to wing it. I arrive early, check in with Tristan to see what still needs to be done and immediately start directing everyone where they need to go, and to what they need to do.

  The venue is perfect! Everyone will enter through the double doors, where you walk into an opulent open room with an extravagant chandelier hanging in the middle. There are twenty tables that sit five people each arranged into a double horseshoe facing the stage. Each table has a white linen table cloth on it with beautiful center pieces. The center pieces have a battery operated candle that is a symbol for those military men and women that haven’t made it home, surrounded by a beautiful flower arrangement. On each table there are five place settings, with beautifully carved china. There are bidding paddles laid above each plate for the auction. Flagging down one of the helpers I ask him to set up a couple more tables for any extra people that may arrive. I have about 15 minutes left before everyone will start arriving so I head to a quiet room just off the hall to work on my speech. I grab a pen out of my clutch with an index card and begin writing:

  First, I want to thank you all for coming to this lovely event and supporting our military. These amazing men and women go to war for this country and when they come home wounded with scars that you can and can't see, they are unable to receive adequate treatment to help them heal and cope. Sometimes these families even lose their homes, their livelihood, and their mental stability because our government fails them. These people put their lives on the line every day; the least we can do for them is make sure they never go hungry, homeless, or without medical or mental treatment. I created Angels for Heroes for the purpose of helping these families, I'm doing this for these soldiers, our Heroes.

  I read it over a couple times in my head. Yep, sounds good to me. I head back out into the event center to help greet guests. As I enter the hall I nearly collide with someone. A man, I’d say in his late twenties or early thirties. He’s tall over six feet easy, nice build with a beautiful caramel complexion, short dark brown hair and the most beautiful hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. Taking in the sight of him, he’s wearing a navy blue Calvin Klein suit. The white dress shirt under his jacket looks as though it was made specifically for him and it’s paired with a blue tie. Navy blue slacks hug his muscular thighs and great ass, and he has black oxfords on his feet. I can see a tattoo peek out from under the edge of his sleeve. When I look back up at his face a smirk plays on his lips and his eyes lock on mine causing me to lose my breath. My heart picks up speed and there seems to be a current between us that I’ve never felt before. Feeling the building heat between my thighs; I take a subtle step back, his close proximity overwhelms me.

  “Excuse me,” he says politely in an apologetic tone. I nod at him because I am at a loss for words as he gives me a dazzling smile. He turns and starts to walk away but suddenly turns back to me.

  “Please also excuse my bad manners. I’m Landon, Landon Holt,” he says. I reach out to shake his hand.

  “Arianna Taylor, it’s nice to meet you Landon.”

  “The pleasure is all mine,” he says, taking my hand in his and kissing the back of it.

  He holds onto my hand a little longer than necessary but I make no move to pull my hand away. After a minute he lets go, with a smile he excuses himself and continues on to find a seat. Taking a minute to catch my breath and pull myself together I head toward the tables where people are starting to crowd.

  I walk around to say hello to everyone and thank them for coming. I’m very happy about the turn out. There are CEO’s from the major banks in the city, small business owners, lawyers and independently wealthy individuals. As I turn around to walk toward the stage to get started, I nearly run into Ashlan this time. I’m shocked yet relieved that she’s here. She looks amazing! Her long blonde hair is pulled back in a perfect bun; she’s wearing this incredible white dress with a floral lace overlay that hugs her slender curvy figure. Her make-up is perfection, making her pretty blue eyes stand out and I’m suddenly envious of her.

  “What are you doing here?” I say excitedly.

  “Well, I managed to get out of work early and I remembered you were doing an auction during this fundraiser luncheon so I brought you a gift certifi
cate for a 5 day, 4 night stay at my resort for you to auction off. It also includes a day at the onsite spa with a full hour massage,” she says.

  “Oh my gosh, thank you so much!” I hug her. “Maybe I need to bid on this myself.” I giggle.

  “So, where shall I sit?” she asks.

  I point her to my table close to the stage where my assistant Tristan and her date are already seated. Once everyone takes their seats, I take the stage to begin my speech. When I’m finished everyone stands and applauds; I’m pleased.

  The caterers serve the food while my team sets up the table with the items to be auctioned. I hired my favorite restaurant to cater today, B’s Place. It’s a little mom and pop restaurant but the food is amazing. They’re serving homemade chicken cordon bleu, rice, and mixed vegetables. I look around the room. Everyone is chatting while finishing up their lunch. Ashlan, Tristan, and Tristan’s date Laz, are talking animatedly, and it makes me giggle. As I’m scanning the room I catch Landon watching me; I give him a small smile and continue scanning the crowd. I can still feel his eyes on me as I motion for the auctioneer to take the stand and begin the auction.

  I’m sitting in my office scrolling through a list of non-profit organizations looking for ones that specifically help with military veterans. As I’m scrolling I come across Angels for Heroes, run by a Miss Arianna Taylor. She specifically helps veterans who are struggling to get help with housing, medical and mental health assistance. I continue reading through the webpage when I come across a flyer for a benefit luncheon to raise money for the organization. Glancing at the time and date, I realize it’s today at noon. I don’t have any plans for lunch so I decide to head over and check it out.

  Parking my car in the parking garage I head inside. The hall is decorated both tastefully and beautifully. Walking towards the back to find a table with an open seat, I pass one of the doors off the hall I nearly collide with a woman. When she looks up at me I’m speechless, she’s stunningly beautiful; fairly tall for a woman, voluptuous, with long brown hair that she has pulled back. And those eyes. I could get lost in her beautiful green eyes. Snap out of it Holt, where are your manners?

  “Excuse me,” I say. She just nods, apparently I’m affecting her the way she’s affected me. My eyes look her up and down, stopping on her sexy lips. I crave to reach out and run my fingers over her lips but I resist. If I don’t walk away I just might push her back into that room and that’s definitely not a good idea. I start to walk away but rethink it. Talk to her stupid, I think to myself. I turn around and introduce myself. After introductions and me awkwardly hanging on to her hand as if it was my lifeline I excuse myself and continue on my way to find a seat. I manage to find an empty seat at a table that has a direct view of the table she is sitting at. I don’t know what the hell just happened, but I am mesmerized by this woman. I need to know more about her.

  The luncheon and the auction were fantastic. It went far better than I had anticipated and I can’t wait to see how much money we’ve raised. Sitting in a chair, I take a relaxing breath.

  “Do you need anything else boss?” asks Tristan.

  “No Tristan that will be all. Go enjoy the rest of your day with your date. I can finish up here. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, have a good evening,” says Tristan as she exits with Laz.

  “Do you have time to have a drink Ashlan?” I ask.

  “Sure,” she says.

  “Okay, I just have to lock up the building and then I’ll be ready.”

  I grab the manila envelopes that have the bids from the auction in them and walk around the building to make sure it's secure. Then I head for the front door where Ashlan is waiting for me.

  “Okay, everything is locked up, let’s go.”

  We head out the door and walk up the block to this quaint little diner that I adore. We walk in and a young waitress greets us.

  “Hi.”

  “Hello,” I say back. “We’d like the private dining room if you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Not at all Miss, please follow me.”

  We enter the small private dining room and take our seats. I order us a bottle of Moscato and we get to work counting bids. The waitress returns with the wine and two wine glasses.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “You’re welcome. Do you need anything else?”

  “No thank you.”

  She nods and exits.

  “So.... who was that guy that couldn’t take his eyes off of you?” asks Ashlan out of nowhere.

  “What?” Playing it off like I didn’t hear her. I swear this girl doesn’t miss beat.

  “The guy you caught eye contact with when you were scanning the room. I saw the way he was looking at you,” she says.

  “So? He probably still felt bad for almost colliding with me as I was coming out of one of the rooms from writing my speech; and his name is Landon.” Just saying his name, I remember the way just his presence affected me. My mind wanders to what it would be like to have him between my thighs. What the fuck Arianna, get it together. I shake it off.

  “So? Come on Arianna, he was totally checking you out. Maybe he liked… wait how do you know his name?”

  “I know his name because he introduced himself to me. Besides even if he was checking me out, I’m not interested. With everything that just happened with Liam, I really don’t want anything to do with any men right now.”

  Ashlan sighs, “fine,” she says. Finally, although I’m sure this isn’t the last time I’m going to hear about this.

  “Have you gotten all the pledges totaled up?” asks Ashlan.

  “Yes, I have. Ready for the grand total?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay, drumroll please. The grand total of all the pledges made today is… a hundred and fifty thousand dollars!” I don’t even believe the words as they fall out of my mouth. I look at Ashlan and her jaw is on the table. I laugh at her expression.

  “Wow, someone must have been feeling pretty generous. I mean that’s awesome but there wasn’t even that much pledged during the bidding from the auction. How did it become so much?”

  “I don’t know,” I start digging through the pledges and I find where all this money came from.

  “Here, look Ashlan. It’s a pledge donation from an anonymous donor for a hundred thousand dollars.”

  “Holy shit!” says Ashlan.

  Who the hell would have that kind of money to donate? I think to myself. There were many wealthy people at the luncheon but a hundred thousand dollars is a substantial amount of money. I’m determined to find out who it was.

  “Who do you think would have that kind of money to donate?” asks Ashlan.

  “I don’t know but I’m going to find out.”

  We’ve been at the diner for almost two hours. I love spending time with Ashlan; I don’t know what I would do without her.

  “Are you ready to go?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I should probably stop by the resort to check on the new girl we just hired and make sure everything is going smoothly for her.”

  “Okay,” I place all the pledge slips back into the manila envelope and grab my bag. I wave the waitress over so we can get the check. Ashlan tries to argue with me about who’s going to pay but I win that argument.

  We say our goodbyes and I head home. It’s about four in the afternoon. Strange to pull in my driveway and Liam’s car not being there, but I know I did the right thing. As I walk up to the front door I notice a long white box sitting by the door. I open it to find a dozen long stem red roses inside with a note. I pull out the note, it reads:

  I’m sorry, please forgive me. I love you… Liam

  I don’t know how to react to this. His quick mood swings completely knock me off balance. One minute he’s sweet and affectionate, the next he’s mean and degrading, and then he’s back to being sweet. It’s like a constant rollercoaster ride. I take my phone out of my purse and dial his number. He picks up immediately…

  “Arianna
?”

  “Yes Liam, it’s me.”

  “Did you get the roses I sent you?”

  “Yes I got them.”

  He’s silent for a minute like he expects me to say something else.

  “So?” he says. “Am I forgiven? I swear, what happened the other night, it will never happen again.”

  “I’m sorry but no. You can’t seriously think you can punch me in my face, and then send roses and all will be forgiven. We are not meant for each other. This is the best for both of us. I have a courier coming tonight to collect your things and bring them to you. As of now, I’d prefer you didn’t contact me anymore.”

  He’s silent. I don’t know if his feelings are hurt or if he is fighting back the anger.

  He sighs, almost exasperated. “Okay, if that is truly what you want, I will leave you alone. Goodbye Arianna.”

  “Goodbye Liam.”

  I hang up, relieved that he didn’t lose his temper. I unlock the door and head inside. I lay my stuff on the counter and go in search of a vase for the roses. Placing the vase of flowers on the counter, grabbing my stuff I head to my office. Firing up my computer, I get to work entering pledges. I make sure to email everyone to remind them to send payment to the business account. My email dings. It’s an email from the bank. The anonymous donor just deposited the pledge into the business account. I immediately call the bank.

  “Thank you for calling All State Bank, how can I help you today?”

  “Yes, this is Arianna Taylor. My business account for Angel’s for Heroes is through your bank. There was just a deposit put into the account, could you possibly tell me if you got the person’s name?”

  “No Miss, I’m sorry but he didn’t leave a name.”

  “How about a description; could you possibly tell me what he looked like?” This girl probably thinks I’m crazy, I think to myself.

  “Sure. He was tall, well dressed, dark hair and hazel eyes. I wouldn't forget someone that looked like him," she says.