Monday, June 19, 2023

What The Heart Wants by Nikki Ash

 

Things just got a lot more complicated...

What The Heart Wants, an all-new curvy single mom, MFM poly romance from USA Today bestselling author Nikki Ash is available now!

Aubree

After losing my husband, life was all about taking care of my kids and trying to remain afloat.

Brody and Hayden crashed into my life with the force of an entire ocean.

Five years is a long time to be alone.

Now, I have not one but two sexy and successful men to drown in.

But can I handle the desires, passions, and love they both deserve?

Plus, two men mean double the heartache.

And my heart? It's already mended haphazardly, cracked in multiple places from my loss.

Falling for them could be a disaster.

Choosing between them would be impossible.

But the heart wants what it wants.

And despite my better judgment, I want them both.

Oh, and did I mention that they're best friends—and want to share me?

Things just got a lot more complicated…

Start Reading Today Free In Kindle Unlimited, In Audio Narrated by Teddy Hamilton, Corvin King, and Kelsey Navarro, or Get a Signed Copy On Her Website!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Ebnz2V

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/whattheheartwantsna

Signed copies: www.authornikkiash.com/shop/

AUBREE 

“Do you hear that?” I whisper, listening for any sound outside our bedroom. My question forces my husband’s eyes to open. He was already half awake, thanks to me asking him the same question a few minutes ago, but since it’s only five in the morning, he was probably hoping I’d fall back asleep. 

Peter shakes his head and smiles as he pulls me toward him. “I don’t hear anything,”he says, giving me a soft kiss. My belly erupts with butterflies, the way it always does when my husband kisses me. It’s been that way since the first time he kissed me ten years ago. 

Without breaking our kiss, he rolls us over so I’m on my back as he hovers above. “Merry Christmas, Aubs,”he murmurs against my lips as he pushes his groin against me. 

I wrap my arms around his neck, fully on board with some early morning sex, when the noise I’ve been waiting for finally arrives. 

“Mommy! Daddy! Santa came!” Evie shrieks. Two seconds later, she and her brother, Miles, burst into our room, both of their faces lit up with excitement. 

“There’s a gazillion presents!” Miles says as Peter rolls off of me, groaning even as he breaks into a smile. He’s already switching to dad mode.

 “We musta been sooo good,” Evie adds. 

“The best,” I agree. 

“Go check it all out, and your mom and I will be right there,” Peter tells the kids, who nod and race out, their tiny feet padding across the tiled floor. 

“To be continued,” Peter says, kissing me softly. 

After using the bathroom, we head out to the living room, where we find the kids attacking their stockings, candy and small toys strewn about, while they wait for us to open presents. 

Peter plops onto the couch and pulls me down with him, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my cheek. “All right, who’s opening the first gift?” he asks with a huge smile on his face.

 “Me!” both kids exclaim. 

We pass the morning with the kids opening present after present. Peter is a culinary professor, and I work at my grandma’s bakery, so we’re not rich by any means, but we love the holidays and always make sure to put money aside to make them special. 

“Mommy, this one says your name, ”Evie reports, bringing the small gift over to me. “Look…” She thrusts it at me. “It has an M for Mommy.”

“You must’ve been really good,” Miles says. “Rory said mommies and daddies don’t get presents because they’re too old.”Rory is Miles’s best friend in his preschool class. 

“Oh, your mom was very good,” Peter says with a knowing smile. “Open it.”

I take the box from Evie and unwrap it, a little giddy since Peter and I agreed not to exchange gifts this year due to money being tight. Inside the flat box are several pieces of paper. “What did you do?” I ask as I read the words over and over again. 

“It’s a two-week trip to France to study with some of the top culinary chefs,” Peter says, making me gasp in shock. 

“Pete…”My heart thumps wildly in my chest. “How did you…? How can we afford this?”

He lifts his hand and cups the side of my face. “I used my connections at work. You leave in three weeks, and I’m using my time off to stay with the kids.”

I look over at our four-year-old twins. I’ve never been away from them that long. But this opportunity is once in a lifetime. “Thank you. You’re the best husband ever.”

His smile stretches across his face. “I love you, Aubs. I just want—” His words are abruptly cut off, his features suddenly twisting into a pained expression. His eyes meet mine, a strange mixture of shock and…fear? 

“Pete, what’s wrong?” I ask, confused. 

“I…I think…my…chest…heart,” he stammers. He clutches his chest as I try to piece together his words. His chest…His heart…“Pete…”

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Evie asks, toys forgotten. 

“Daddy, does your belly hurt?” Miles asks. 

“My heart,” Peter repeats, and it finally clicks. His heart! “Something’s wrong…” He looks from the kids to me, and my own heart feels like it’s about to stop beating. This can’t be good. 

“Kids, go play in your room for a few minutes. Daddy isn’t feeling well,” I tell them, trying to keep my voice calm so they don’t freak out—which is damn hard to do since on the inside, I’m the one freaking the hell out. 

The kids, evidently too worried and scared to argue, run off. 

“Bree, I need you to call 9-1-1.”

Peter’s face is ashen, and his voice is breathy, like it’s hard to even speak. I grab my phone from the end table and then do as he says and call the emergency number. As I’m telling them all that I know—my husband is having chest pain and says it’s his heart—my eyes stay on Peter, praying they get here quickly. I’m giving them our address when Peter looks at me with tears in his eyes, mouthing I love you

His eyes close, and I scream into the phone to hurry. They ask me to stay on the line, so I put them on speaker, so I can use two hands to grab my husband’s shoulders and try to wake him up. “Pete, please, wake up. Help is on the way. Just hang in there…”

His body jerks slightly and then goes still, and I don’t know how I know, but I know his heart is no longer beating. I can feel it, as if my own is connected to his. As if our souls are one and he’s taking mine with him.

Learn more about Nikki Ash and her releases by visiting her website:

https://authornikkiash.com

My Review
5 Stars
What The Heart Wants by Nikki Ash is book two in the Love With Strings Series.  This is the story of Aubree 'Bree', Brody and Hayden. Bree is focused on her business and her children since the family lost she has suffered.  But after almost 5 years her friends thinks she needs more in her life.  Then she gets caught up in the two friend Hayden and Brody. Enjoyed their story.

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