Forbidden Paths

by Belden, P. J.

  “No, I can’t let you do this Fay. You have so much to live for.”

  “So do you. Love Leif Lia, he loves you so damn much.” I turn my attention back to Tony. “Tell everyone I love them.”

  “Faith, I can’t…” She doesn’t get a second to protest again before I’m shoving her out of the door.

  “A brave one, aren’t we,” Tony says with a smile in his voice.

  “What the hell do you want,” I ask, frustrated.

  “What I was promised,” he replies calmly.

  “And what was that?”

  “My money that is owed to me, your hand in marriage, your death on a plate,” he smiles.

  “If you think this is a shock to me, you’re wrong. Those two people are not parents. They were two people that made a mistake. They’ve never been parents. So, you can stop the attempt to throw me off now.”

  He stops and looks at me. You could almost see the wheels turning in his head trying to come up with something. A slow smile forms on his lips.

  “Well maybe the life of the man you love will change your tune?”

  “Nope, try again.”

  “What?” He asks, shocked. “I have your Logan.”

  “No you don’t,” I state confidently.

  Just then a guy bursts into the room through the cellar doors. “He’s gone!”

  A smile forms on my mouth. “Check,” I say softly.

  “Why you little…”

  I smile at him. “You see, you’re first mistake was setting up captive in a house that I know better than even the egg and sperm donor do. You’re second mistake was thinking that I’d be shocked to learn that they sold me to pay a debt. The third mistake you made was thinking that I’d be shocked you planned to kill me to collect far more than that.”

  In actuality, it did shock me, but I couldn’t let that show right now. Right now, my life depended on the element of surprise. And right now, I’m sure keeping him off balance.

  “You think you’re so smart. Yet, here you stand, defenseless and pregnant from the looks of it.”

  I laugh and it doesn’t sound as scared as I feel. Again I’m shocked with myself. “You really know nothing about me. Defenseless? Hardly,” I laugh again.

  # # #

  Logan

  “I’m so glad she got to you without getting hurt. Are you okay?” Levi asks in a rush.

  I laugh, pulling away from his hug. “I’m good. I’m sure I’ll be sore in the morning, but it’s nothing that,” I turn to reach for Faith, but she’s not there. “Where’s Faith?”

  “She’s right… Fuck! Where’d Faith go?”

  A twig snaps behind us and we both whirl around to see who’s approaching. Lia comes into view.

  “She’s inside. She had a gun, kicked me out, I don’t know…” For the first time, I see Lia crying. “A guy was trying to… He was ripping my clothes to…”

  Leif pulls Lia into his arms as she sobs into his chest. “It’s okay, Angel. I’m not letting you out of my sight again. No one will lay a finger on you ever again.”

  Giving Levi a confused look, he mouths “They’re together now.” Before he picked up his phone and called someone.

  “Rokes, we have a problem. Faith is inside the house with Tony at gunpoint. … Yeah. … Now? … Okay we’re going,” he hangs up the phone. Looking at me, he says, “Let’s go save your girl.”

  We all ran toward the house. Just as we were about to the steps, we hear a gun shot. I run full pelt to the house, up the steps and through the door. Skidding to a stop by Faith, I look at a moaning Tony on the floor as he clutched his leg. Turning, I cup Faith’s face in my hands and search her eyes.

  “Baby?”

  Just as the cops ran into the house, Faith cries out holding her stomach and falling to the ground. Catching her before she hit the ground, I scoop her up in my arms and run from the house.

  Levi was right on my heels, he directed me to the car they came in and we were soon headed toward the hospital.

  Levi calls ahead letting them know we were coming in with a four month pregnant woman with twins. It sounds so impersonal with the way he worded it, but I know he was trying to get her seen as soon as possible.

  It worked.

  The minute we pull into the emergency entrance, there are nurses waiting with a bed. Climbing out with her in my arms, I lay her carefully down on the bed. Levi starts explaining everything. One nurse stops me from following telling me I need to be checked.

  If it weren’t for Levi telling me that I need to do it for Faith, I probably would have continued to refuse. They showed me into another room, where the nurse went about checking me over.

  # # #

  When I walk into the waiting room, all my brothers are there. The only one missing is Lia. How could Lia not be here? Looking at my brother and he didn’t look upset.

  “Where’s Lia?”

  Then, just slightly, his face broke. Damn it, she left him. Without saying a word, I pull my brother into a hug. He hugs me tightly and now I’m not sure if it’s for me or for him.

  Holding him tightly, I whisper in his ear. “Everything happens for a reason, man.”

  “Yeah, sure,” he whispers back.

  The door opened then and a shocked nurse looks around the room. “Mr. Logan James?”

  Moving from the crowd of my siblings, I step forward. “How is she?”

  Her eyes move to the others and then back at me. “Why don’t you step out into the hall so we can have a bit of privacy?”

  Shaking my head, “If you’re about to tell me bad news, then I want my brothers here for help and so I don’t have to repeat whatever you’re about to tell me.”

  “As you wish. Ms. Harper has…” she trails off as Faith’s doctor steps in the room.

  “I’ll take over from here.”

  The nurse nods and leaves the room. The door opens one more time and Lia enters. Leif immediately pulls her into his arms. He’s whispering something in her ear, but I can’t make out what.

  “Any news on Faith? Logan, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I brush off her concern. “We’re about to get the update,” I say as I nod to the doctor.

  “Oh, sorry,” she steps to Leif’s side and looks expectantly at the doctor.

  “Okay, you’re fine with them hearing?” She asks.

  “Yes, they are my family and Faith’s,” I answer honestly.

  “Well, as I told you when I did the scan at the vacation home, I noticed some things on her last scan that I needed to recheck. It was confirmed that Faith has several large fibroids on her uterus. But they are growing and we need to remove them before you lose both her and the babies. What I need is permission to do this surgery. She’s left you as the decision maker.”

  “How will this affect the babies?”

  She sighs and drops the clipboard she was holding in her hands to her side. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. The survival of the twins is slim. One has attached to a healthy portion of the uterus and the other is only half attached to a healthy wall of the uterus. I can’t be sure on the survival of that one,” she says sadly.

  My knees gave out from under me and I fell to the floor. All the breath in my lungs expels from my chest and I’m struggling a bit now to get another breath. My chest was burning. Gripping my shirt in my hands, the first of my tears fall down my cheeks.

  “Please, Sir, I need your approval,” the doctor pleads with me.

  Leif and Levi kneel down next to me.

  “You need to do this for her. There’s still a chance that they’ll all survive, but if you do nothing, none of them may survive,” Levi whispers.

  Grabbing the clipboard from her, I sign the paperwork and she quickly leaves. My heart is breaking and fear has taken over me. Levi and Leif pull me up and over to one of the couches. My head was going to explode.

  Several hours pass by and I’ve spent the whole time rotating between pacing the room and sitting with my head in my hands on
one of the chairs or couches. Finally the door opens, the doctor walks in.

  “She made it through the surgery. Would you like to see her now?”

  “God, yes, please,” I breathe, my hands shaking.

  I’m lead out of the room, through a series of hallways, before I finally see Faith lying on a bed with her eyes closed. She looks so fragile, so pale. Reaching a shaking hand up, I grab hold of her hand.

  “How… Is…” Unable to complete a sentence, I look at the doctor pleadingly.

  “The surgery went well. We’ve removed all the fibroids. We’re running tests to make sure there are no cancerous cells. We’ll know more on those results in a few days.”

  “Our babies…” I choke out.

  “Well, your son will be just fine, but your daughter… only time will tell. I’m sorry I can’t give you more than that. Ms. Harper will be in the hospital under observation until we know more on the outcome.”

  Tears hit our combined hands as I take in all the information the doctor has just told me. We’re having a boy and a girl. But then the thought smacks me with such force that I have to sit on the bed next to my girl. We could lose one of our kids.

  Looking up at the ceiling, I utter out a silent prayer. Lord, have we not lost enough already. Please don’t take this from us too.

  Leaning over, I press a tender kiss to her forehead. “I love you so much, Faith.” My tears fall onto her face as I began to slowly break down.

  A soft knock fills the silence. Turning, I see the guys and Lia walking in.

  “How is she?” Lia asks as she steps up beside the bed.

  “They removed all the fibroids, but, uh,” I look back down at Faith unable to finish my sentence.

  “But what?” Lia asks concerned.

  “Our son is okay, but they’re not sure our daughter will survive.”

  The minute I finish the sentence, the sobs start. Everyone circles around me trying to give me comfort that wouldn’t come. Everything inside me was breaking apart. How was I ever going to tell Faith?

  “No, Logan, please, she has to be okay,” I hear a small scratchy voice behind me.

  Immediately, I turn to Faith and watch as tears slip down her cheeks. Cupping her face in my hands, I press a soft tender kiss to her tear softened lips. Resting my forehead against hers, we cry together. Everyone in the room is silent.

  “We can’t think negative. We have to try and stay positive, okay?”

  “Please,” she sobs.

  No more words were spoken. Gentle sobs filled the silent room. Everyone was feeling the pain, but no more than Faith and myself. This was one thing that I couldn’t protect her from, that I had no control of.

  Please Lord, save my little girl.

  Epilogue

  Leif

  Four months later…

  Smiling, I look around the room. It was complete. Faith remained in the hospital this whole time. So all of us chipped in and fixed the house back up to livable and banged out the nursery. It looks absolutely perfect.

  Grabbing my phone, I pick up the flowers, card, and gift as I dial Lia’s number. Lia and I have been together every day over the last four months. Honestly, it was hard to believe. I’ve longed for this to happen for so many years. I’m so unbelievably happy right now.

  Actually, I now know why Logan could never stop smiling when he met Faith. It’s refreshing. My life is finally headed in the direction I’ve always longed for it to go. Sitting in my car, I hang up the phone when her voicemail picks up. Checking my glove box, I check to see the ring is still there.

  I’ve talked it over with Levi and I’m taking Lia to the island house this weekend. It’s all planned out. My proposal is going to be one moment she will never forget. I’m not letting another ten years pass without claiming her to be mine forever.

  Redialing her number again, I start the car and head toward the hospital. Her voicemail picks up again.

  “Hey Angel, it’s me. I’m getting worried. It’s not like to you to not answer your phone. Please call me or meet me at the hospital, I’m headed there now. I love you. Bye.”

  My heart was hammering in my chest. Something wasn’t right here. I just know it. It wasn’t like Lia to just block everyone off like this.

  Maybe she’s already at the hospital.

  Hurrying through town, I hurry my way through the hospital and in no time I am knocking on Faith’s door.

  “Come in,” calls my brother.

  Opening the door, I see Faith’s smiling face immediately. She looks so tired. So does my brother, but they both look extremely happy.

  “Good Morning Gorgeous, how are you feeling this morning?” I ask, walking directly over to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Tired, but I can’t complain,” she grins widely. “Are those for me?”

  “They are indeed. And this is for both of you. Why don’t you let me over here and the two of you open it?”

  “Sure thing brother,” Logan says walking over to Faith. “Oh, Rokes just left. Tony has been sentenced to life without parole. The charges were very long against him. Faith’s testimony was essential in the case, but at least now we know our family is safe.”

  He kisses her deeply as he brushes the hair from her forehead. That’s what I look forward to. Lia lying in that bed after giving birth to our kids and me fawning over her and our kids. Looking down in front of me, my breath catches in my throat.

  “They’re gorgeous,” I breathe.

  “Liam is absolutely perfect. He weighed eight pounds ten ounces and twenty inches long. Hope weighed in at five pounds three ounces and seventeen inches. She’s got a bumpy road ahead of her, but they believe she’ll be just fine. Our baby girl will be just fine,” she whispers with a watery smile.

  “May…” I swallow hard. “May I pick them up?”

  “Of course. You’re their Uncle Leif,” she smiles.

  The minute I pick them up and sit down in the chair, I’m lost to everything around me. My sole focus is on my niece and nephew in front of me. They were absolutely adorable. Hope is so small I’m afraid I’ll break her, but Liam is just as I remember Landon being when he was born.

  “This is what I want,” I say softly not taking my eyes off of them. “I want to be settled down with Lia and have kids. Can you imagine how beautiful our kids would be? With her as their mom, they’d be drop dead gorgeous.”

  “I’m so glad you and Lia finally got off your asses and did something.”

  When I go to look at my brother, I see Lia standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

  “Angel, come here and look at these guys,” I smile at her.

  She walks over to stand next to me and I hear her intake of her breath. “They are beautiful,” she says so softly and her voice cracks.

  After a while more of visiting, I hand my niece and nephew over to my brother and pull Lia from the room. Once we were outside in the hall, I seal my mouth over hers and push her against the wall. She kisses me back so fiercely that I almost make a scene right outside the door in the hallway.

  All too soon, Lia’s pulling away and looking at me with fresh tears in her eyes. I smile at her as I cup her face gently in my hands.

  “Let’s go back to your place,” I say huskily.

  Lia starts shaking her head and backs away from me. “We can’t be together anymore. I love you, Leif.”

  Frozen in my spot, I shake my head side to side. “I don’t understand. If you love me, then why are you leaving me?”

  “I… I… I have to go.”

  Before I can stop her, she’s running away from me and I can’t get my feet to move. The shock of the whole thing has left me lifeless. Did I just lose the love of my life?

  If you enjoyed reading Forbidden Paths (#1 Forbidden series), you might enjoy some other titles by this author…

  Available Now

  Hidden Secrets series

  (Each book can be read as stand alones, but because the series follows a ‘family’
it’s best to read in order to have the full understanding of each character)

  Protective Love (#1)

  Fantasy Attraction (#2)

  Family Ties (#3)

  Tough Love (#4)

  Struggling Free (#5)

  Stranded series

  Alaskan Lifeline

  Falling in Deep

  Lost Trilogy

  (Must be read in order)

  Lost in Lies (#1)

  Lost in Fantasy (#2)

  Lost in Love (#3)

  Stand Alone

  Unexpectedly Lost

  Feeling the Moment

  Coming Soon

  Forbidden Life (#2 Forbidden series)

  Lia Hawthorne has never been a hearts and flowers kind of girl. Not until she met Leif James. He changed her life in so many ways. The day they finally spoke out on how they felt for each other will forever be the day Lia’s life both came together and fell apart.

  Leif has never loved anyone other than Lia. His heart belonged solely to her and will never belong to anyone else. Ready to move things forward with Lia, Leif plans out the most romantic weekend for him and Lia, but then she walks away.

  Both Lia and Leif are heartbroken and lost without each other. But what is tearing them apart may be the very thing that can either save them or kill them. Can Lia and Leif find the love they’ve always wanted or will it be lost forever? Sometimes we all dream of how our lives will turn out. But what happens when what you’ve planned for yourself becomes a Forbidden Life?

  Falling Hard (#6 Hidden Secret series)

  Nathan (Nate) Lane never wanted to fall in love. He never cared for the responsibility. Then his stupid heart fell anyway. Mary Williams had captured his attention on the screen and then even more when he had the honor of meeting her in person. Oh, he fell and he fell hard. The only problem was, she didn’t love him. Now he had to sit back and watch the love of his life, in love with someone else. This was exactly why he never wanted to fall in love. Love sucked! He swore he’d never fall in love again.