UNBROKEN (Friends, Lovers, or Nothing Book 5)

by Jackie Chanel

  “I love you.”

  “Is that how we’re saying good morning now? Because I like it,” he grinned.

  I reached up and pulled his face towards mine. Our eyes locked. An electric current ran through me from head to toe. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips against his. then we were kissing, the kind of early morning kiss that leads straight to morning sex and being late for work.

  “Normally, I wouldn’t stop you,” Aiden gently nudged my hands away from his pants. “But you need to eat.”

  I pouted and pulled the soft comforter over my body. “I don’t want to leave the room.”

  “Of course you don’t. What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t bring home the bacon?”

  With all the flair he could muster, Aiden presented me with a plastic bag holding three Styrofoam containers. I could smell crisp, greasy, and delicious bacon. My stomach growled in anticipation.

  “Listen to that!” Aiden laughed and handed me the top container. “After all that lobster and shrimp you ate last night, I can’t believe my little man is so hungry. Hurry up and feed my baby.”

  “I am,” I said as I munched on a piece of bacon. “Where’d you get this?”

  “Some little diner a few blocks away,” he answered. “The room service menu sucked. And when the girl started to get an attitude because I wanted to order off the menu, I just hung up the phone. I’m not dealing with that first thing in the morning.”

  “You’re telling me that you, Aiden Tyler, was awake in a hotel early enough to actually see the breakfast menu? You haven’t even seen the McDonald’s breakfast menu and they stop serving much later than hotels!”

  “You got jokes, huh?”

  Aiden opened a container of fruit salad and handed it to me. The last container in the bag was definitely for him only. The omelet and hash browns inside were smothered with a disgusting combination of chorizo, onions, mushrooms, cheese, and ketchup.

  “That is so gross,” I commented before stuffing a forkful of watermelon and strawberries into my mouth. “How can you eat that heart attack special?”

  “This is how an omelet is supposed to be made. Not with egg whites and spinach.” “Seriously though,” I said. “We can eat whatever we want while I’m pregnant but after she’s born,”— I patted my belly—“We’re gonna eat healthier and all that. We have to be healthy and in shape because we’re going to have two kids, Aiden. Two! We gotta be able to keep up, mentally and physically.”

  He chuckled and bit into his egg monstrosity. “You say two like it’s a lot. When he,”—he pointed to my belly—“gets here, Summer will be ready to start kindergarten. I could see if you were having triplets. Now that would be worth some extra cardio.”

  We laughed over the idea of having triplets for a minute while we finished eating. After Aiden cleared the containers off the bed, meaning he sat them on the floor for housekeeping to take care of, we did something that we haven’t been able to do in months, just talk. We sat on the bed together and talked about us, our careers, our kids, our families, and our friends for hours.

  Talking to Aiden has always been one of my favorite things to do. In the beginning of our friendship, there wasn’t a thing that we couldn’t talk about. We talked all the time. I believe that’s how we became so close so quickly and the reason our friendship has blossomed into a deeper love that neither one of us was prepared for.

  “What’s that little smile for?” Aiden asked.

  “I was just thinking that I’m really the luckiest girl in the world right now. I know it’s such a chick flick thing to say, but I really am marrying my best friend. It’s hard to believe since I didn’t even like you when I first met you.”

  “You’re not remembering it right.” Aiden shook his head. “I didn’t like you. You were mean as hell. I remember people at Rabbit’s telling me how sweet and nice you were. I was sure they were talking about someone else.”

  “I wasn’t mean,” I protested. “You were just an arrogant little shit who thought every girl you gifted with your presence wanted to have sex with you.”

  “They did! And I couldn’t understand why you didn’t. I was so damn frustrated,” he laughed.

  “Why?”

  “Because, I thought you were gorgeous and I really loved your voice but you were always using it to cuss me out. For real, I wanted to hit it in the worst way, but since I still didn’t like you, I couldn’t figure out to make that happen. You seemed like the kind of chick who didn’t do one offs and I couldn’t chance you catching feelings for me because I had no intention of calling you back.”

  I leaned back on the pillows and stared at Aiden, taking in his silky golden hair, piercing green eyes, and smooth tanned skin. This man is movie star gorgeous without making any effort at all and it’s always been like that. Ladies fall in love with him on sight. Lord, don’t let him smile while looking directly at you. I’ve seen girls pass out in Aiden’s presence. He’s the total opposite of every man I’ve ever seriously dated. How did he steal my heart?

  “Sunny,” Aiden said in a low voice. “When you bite the corner of your lip like that…”

  “What?” I leaned forward while still biting the corner of my lip. I had no idea something that I do involuntarily turned him on so much. Now that I know…it’s on.

  “Dr. Margolis said you’re supposed to be on bed rest and I’m pretty sure that means we shouldn’t…” his voice broke off as I crawled over to him and began to place light kisses on his neck. “Fuck…Sunny, stop.”

  “No.”

  I slid my hands under his t-shirt and rubbed them over his chest. His skin was tight and soft as silk.

  “Dr. Margolis isn’t here,” I whispered between kisses.

  I ran my hand over his crotch. Aiden sucked in his breath when my hand touched the head of his hardened penis.

  “I’m up now and so are you.”

  In a split second, Aiden grabbed my hands and flipped onto my back, pinning me down on the bed.

  “The last time you had me in such a compromising position, I think you knocked me up,” I reminded him.

  Aiden let go of my wrists and began to slide my t-shirt over my head. He lowered his head towards my breasts.

  “Good thing you’re already knocked up,” he replied before flicking his tongue across my tender nipples.

  I arched my back and pulled at his shirt until he lifted his head so I could take it off. While he was removing his pants, I slid completely out of my shirt. Then I slipped off the cotton panties that were getting damper by the second and threw them on the floor.

  Aiden slid between my legs and his fingers glided over my wetness. I moaned at his touch. The simple gesture made me eager for more. When he licked his fingers, I grabbed at his waist and pulled him into me. I wrapped my legs around him as he lowered himself on top of me so gently. He eased inside of me as he slipped one arm under me and held me as close to him as physically possible. Skin against skin, our connection felt unbreakable. Our bodies molded together as if we were one. In a way, we are.

  We share two children. We share an undeniably strong bond and a deep friendship. We are going to share a name. We will be Mr. and Mrs. Tyler…two bodies and one heart.

  Chapter 9: I Found Myself

  AFTER WE GOT BACK from Santa Barbara, the pace of my life went from seventy-five to a hundred miles per hour. Fashion Week came so fast. Hopefully, we’re prepared.

  “Sunny!” Aiden yelled from the seating area of the S.T.Y.L.E.Z studio. “What’s jumping the broom?”

  “Google it!” Delilah and I yelled at the same time. I dropped the stack of garment bags I was holding and walked into the living room, as we call it.

  “I don’t have time for these types of questions,” I told him. “If you’re going to be here, I have plenty of boxes that you can load onto the truck. I don’t know why y’all are just sitting here anyway.”

  “Calm down, Sunny,” Clay laughed. “You’d think you had something important going in.”
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br />   Delilah quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me back into my workspace before I slapped the annoying little shit.

  “Don’t start with her,” she hissed at Clay. “You two have been nothing but a pain in the ass since you got here. Go somewhere else!”

  “Why don’t you do something useful and go on a Starbucks run?” Kirk suggested. “We all could do with a little pick me up.”

  “I’m not setting foot in a Starbucks,” Aiden quipped. “Do you know what would happen if I walked into a Starbucks in Hollywood?”

  “Yeah,” Clay agreed. “I’m not trying to fight off a mob of his fangirls just because you want a latte.”

  Delilah’s face clouded over and she put her hands on her hips. “If you don’t leave, Aiden, I swear to God, I will go outside and carve my name right on the hood of your new paint job. And I’ll call Mom and tell here that you’re bothering Sunny.”

  Aiden threw his hands up in surrender. “No need to threaten my car, little sis. We’re outta here. Y’all have three hours to meet me at the plane or I’m leaving without you.”

  I was a little relieved when he and Clay walked out of the studio. When I arrived this morning at seven, I knew things were going to be hectic until we get settled in New York. Then there’d be a different kind of chaos.

  Delilah, Kirk, and I stayed in the S.T.Y.L.E.Z studio until a little after midnight finalizing each look for the New York show. I thought we had everything perfect, but when I was looking at the pictures on my phone, I decided on some changes. I came in this morning and unpacked mostly everything we’d packed last night.

  Satisfied that each look is perfect for now, we now have to repack everything and get it to the airport along with our own luggage. If I didn’t already have more clothes in my closets that I haven’t worn than clothes in there that I have worn, I wouldn’t worry about taking any clothes with me. I could just buy what I need. However, right after we leave New York, my team is headed straight to Paris then Milan.

  I’m trying not to stress because I don’t want to end up in the hospital again and I really don’t need Aiden hovering over me like a protective hawk. Although his watchful eyes have been a bit too much, I’m a little disappointed that he’ll be in Chicago while we’re in New York. Roxy booked him for some blues festival the day before my show and he won’t be able to get to New York in time. I’m trying to see the positive in this situation and not go off on both of them. I know I have Aiden’s unwavering support but I was counting on him being in the audience.

  To make it up to me and because he knows I am trying to remain cool and composed for the baby, Aiden chartered a huge plane than can easily carry my staff, all of our stuff, his band, their equipment, and the both of us. We’re going to drop them off in Chicago and head to New York. I feel much better knowing that my collection is flying with me instead of in the cargo hold of a commercial plane…or worse, with UPS or FedEx.

  I zipped the final garment bag and sat down on the floor surrounded by boxes of shoes, accessories, and racks of clothes. Runway show or not, I still have to work when we get to New York.

  “Okay, let’s go over our tentative schedules and the ground rules, Kirk, since this is your first fashion week with me.”

  Kirk and Delilah sat on the floor with me and we all opened the calendar app on our iPads.

  “Tomorrow, I’m with Chanel from eight to eleven,” Delilah read. “I’m pulling outfits for her to wear to Zac’s, Stella’s, and Marc’s shows.”

  “And we’re previewing Mei’s collection while Delilah’s doing that,” Kirk read. “Then while you’re with Asia, I’ll be helping Daniela and Candace at the RainDrops store for the boutique party.”

  “Did you confirm the guest list?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry about the party!” Candace yelled from her office. “Daniela and I have everything under control.”

  “They really do,” Delilah co-signed.

  When I felt satisfied that every detail of this New York trip was as organized as it could be, the four of us began loading boxes and suitcases into Clay’s borrowed truck and Delilah’s SUV. When the final suitcase was stuffed into the backseat, I shut the doors and looked at my weary team. Then I burst into tears.

  “Oh my God,” Delilah sighed. “Why are you crying now? We don’t have time for this.”

  I wiped my eyes. “You guys have been so great and—”

  “Save the speech and the tears until after the finale,” Kirk said. “We still have to make that plane. It’s two o’clock.”

  “Damn it!”

  We scrambled into the cars as I prayed that we made it to Van Nuys in time.

  ***

  Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child blared out of my phone’s speaker as I lay in my hotel bed staring at the ceiling.

  “Oh my God,” Erica groaned beside me. “Send his ass to voicemail. It’s too damn early in the morning to be calling anybody. He’s so fucking disrespectful.”

  “That’s not Aiden,” I told her. “That’s my alarm. It’s time to get up, boo. You hit the runway in five hours. Gotta get you pretty.”

  “Shit,” Erica grumbled but she sat up in the bed anyway.

  She flew in from Chicago early this morning. I was already sound asleep when she let herself into my room and climbed into the bed. I didn’t feel sorry for her because I’ve had her booked for my show for months. She’s the one who insisted on playing in Aiden’s show last night.

  “What time does the show start?”

  “Eleven.”

  Erica fumbled around the bed looking for her phone. She found it under a pillow and looked at the clock.

  “It’s six in the morning!” she shrieked. “Sunny, I ain’t walking on anybody’s runway after only three hours of sleep.”

  I got out of the bed and unplugged my work phone from the charging station. “Then you better sleep in the chair while you’re getting your hair and makeup done. That’s the only advice I have for you, best friend.”

  “I’m just playin’ with you.” My best friend grinned and hopped off the bed, completely energized despite really only getting three hours of sleep. “Today’s your big show! Can you believe it? You finally made it to Fashion Week!”

  I had been trying to remain calm and professional since we got to in New York the day before yesterday. It was hard as hell because I was about to jump out of my skin with excitement. Jade informed me that my show sold out yesterday. That was unbelievable. I’ve waited my entire adult life for an opportunity like this and it was finally happening!

  “Delilah and Kirk are on their way to Skylight to get set up,” I informed Erica as I read the texts on my phone. “I want to get there before the other models get there so that gives us two hours to get showered, dressed, and to eat.”

  Erica scrunched her face. “You’re going to eat? How can you even think about eating? I’m so nervous and excited. I know I can’t put anything on my stomach.”

  “I’m not going to eat anything heavy. Just some yogurt or a bagel or something. I have to have something on my stomach when I take my vitamin.”

  Erica eyed me suspiciously. I said too much. I knew I did as soon as she spun around and started staring at me. A knowing grin spread across her face.

  “Ooh, you’re pregnant!” she shouted. “When was your shady ass gon’ tell me?”

  “I’m not,” I giggled sheepishly.

  “You can’t even lie right,” Erica teased. “Let me see your stomach.”

  I tried to push her hand away from the hem of my t-shirt but she yanked it up anyway to reveal my small baby bump.

  “Oh my God! You really are knocked up! What did Peaches say? I know she is pissed that Aiden knocked you up again. Another baby before marriage? Shame!”

  Since I still haven’t told Erica about the engagement, I decided to let her have that little dig. I’d tell her when I’m good and ready because I didn’t know how she was going to take the news. Not that it matters. She had her chance and blew it...again.
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  “My mama doesn’t know. No one knows,” I told her. “I was going to tell y’all when we got to Europe so don’t say a word.”

  “Just wait until Aiden’s ass gets here. I’m gonna tell him a thing or two. He can’t just go around impregnating my friends and try to keep it from me.”

  I was getting a pair of jeans out of the closet and wasn’t paying any attention to Erica but I did hear Aiden’s name and something about him getting here.

  “Aiden’s in Chicago until tomorrow. He’s booked for two shows.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since Roxy booked him for two shows. Go shower while I find something to eat. No lollygagging today, Miss Steele.”

  ***

  “No, I don’t want any curls,” I told the stylist once again. “Bone straight all the way down her back with a razor sharp edge. I want so sharp it looks like it can cut paper. Like this.” I held up my phone so Toni could see the picture she sent me last week of the wigs the girls were wearing on the runway, the wigs she made.

  “You made these,” I pointed out. “Why you’re acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about is beyond me and I really don’t have time for it.”

  I had to remove myself from the hair and makeup area before I became too agitated and slapped someone. Backstage of Skylight was absolute chaos. Right after my show was the DKNY show followed by the Crazy-Beautiful show. I was pretty sure that most of the people who bought tickets to my show did it so they wouldn’t have to give up their seats when the big shows started. It’s what I would have done if I were one of the people who still had to buy tickets to fashion shows.

  Backstage, there were models, dressers, assistants, hair dresses, makeup artists, designers, and people just everywhere. Everyone was scrambling around and yelling for this or that. I’ve been backstage at too many shows to be fazed by the chaos.

  I walked up on a very familiar face and stopped dead in my tracks so the 5’11” blonde with ice blue eyes as cold as her heart would bump right into me. I was stunned, not only to see her backstage but that she actually booked a show this season. She separated from her wine king husband almost a year ago. I heard rumors that he left her after he found out that she was pregnant again. From the way she looked, I couldn’t tell if she went through with the pregnancy or not. People in fashion definitely gossip but, obviously not about that. I hoped my face showed exactly how surprised I was to see that bitch.