Entwined Destiny (Destiny African Romance #3)

By Nana Prah

Time is ticking away for Adjoa Twum. She has until the end of the year to find a guy, fall in love, and marry. Or else, her father will disinherit her from the family business.

Adjoa hasn’t had success with the dating game. No man meets her expectations. Esi, her cousin, suggests a fake relationship with Adjoa’s best friend, Kwame Opoku, to pacify her relentless father.

Kwame thinks Adjoa’s request is ridiculous. Posing as her boyfriend might get tricky, but he can’t say no to those beautiful eyes. Once the falsified relationship begins, things heat up. He discovers deep feelings for her, feelings that might lose Adjoa and her friendship.

Should they take the chance and up it to the next level?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Decadent Publishing
• Release date: Jan 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781613339428

Nana Prah

Nana Prah first discovered romance in a book from her eighth grade summer reading list and has been obsessed with it ever since. Her fascination with love inspired her to write in her favorite genre where happily-ever-after is the rule. Her books are sweet with a touch of spice. When she's not writing she's over-indulging in chocolate and enjoying life with friends and family.

Book preview

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Entwined Destiny

Copyright  2016 by Nana Prah

ISBN: 978-1-61333-942-8

Cover art by Tibbs Designs

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

Look for us online at:

www.decadentpublishing.com

Dear Reader,

Thank you for joining me with my third Ubuntu romance. If you haven’t read the first two in the series it’s okay, you won’t get lost. Adjoa and Kwame came to me long after I closed the pages on Book 2, Esi and Adam’s story. If you read it, then you may realize that Esi’s cousin, Adjoa, was mentioned one teensy time in the story. I slipped her in during one of the edits when I got the idea for Adjoa and Kwame’s story.

The concept of best friends turning into lovers with the help of my favorite matchmaking midwife held too much appeal for me to ignore, so the story was born.

In this book I introduce you to more cultural aspects of Ghana rather than taking you on an excursion like in the first two novels. I hope you enjoy it.

I’d love to hear from you. Contact me at [e-mail].

Nana Prah

Decadent Publishing Recent Releases

Romancing the Author by Kali Willows

Endless Devotion by Libby Waterford

Claiming His Cub by Kayleigh Malcolm

Silk & Scars by Cassandra Dean

Rain by Taryn Kincaid

Hard Lovin’ by Desiree Holt

How Six Chefs Got It On by S. Ford Brown

Moon Crazy by D.L. Jackson

Gemini by Catherine Peace

Desert Tryst by Susanne Saville

The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker by Nancy Fraser

Rolling in Sin by Kayleigh Malcolm

One Night with His Wife by Sara Daniel

One Exquisite Night by Annie Anthony

Elena Chavez by Jeanette Collins

Spurred on by Jon Keys

Her Real-Life Hero by Vicki Ballante

Aden by AC Katt

Waking Beauty by D. L. Jackson

Seducing Susan by Alexis Lusonne Montgomery

Love and Punishment by Sorcha Mowbray

Playing with Fire by Desiree Holt

Also by Author

Midwife to Destiny

Destiny Mine

Entwined Destiny

Time is ticking away for Adjoa Twum. She has until the end of the year to find a guy, fall in love, and marry. Or else, her father will disinherit her from the family business.

Adjoa hasn’t had success with the dating game. No man meets her expectations. Esi, her cousin, suggests a fake relationship with Adjoa’s best friend, Kwame Opoku, to pacify her relentless father.

Kwame thinks Adjoa’s request is ridiculous. Posing as her boyfriend might get tricky, but he can’t say no to those beautiful eyes. Once the falsified relationship begins, things heat up. He discovers deep feelings for her, feelings that might lose Adjoa and her friendship.

Should they take the chance and up it to the next level?

Dedication

To my late, wonderful friend, Josephine Yamoah. I’ll miss you forever and I promise to never spell Akan wrong again.

To my fantastic author buddies, Debbie and Cathrina, you are the best. Thanks for being such awesome beta readers.

To Decadent Publishing for bringing a real and romantic Africa to the world through Ubuntu.

Entwined Destiny

Destiny Series Book 3

By

Nana Prah

Chapter One

I have until the end of the year to find someone, fall in love, and get married, or Mom says she’s going to do something drastic. Adjoa Twum paused in her vicious pacing of the tiled floor to raise her hands into fists at her last word.

Hand me the wipes from the table. AJ has made more of a mess than I anticipated. Haven’t you, Adam? her cousin, Esi Quarshie, cooed. You and your stinky bottom. But I can’t be mad at you because you’re too adorable. Yes, you are. Just like your Dad. Cutie patootie pie.

Adjoa handed over the wipes without rolling her eyes. Yes, he’s cute and spoiled. Now back to me.

He’s not spoiled.

The stinky poop fumes must’ve made Esi delusional. Adjoa crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

Okay, already. He’s spoiled. Aren’t you, sweetheart? But that won’t last long. You’ll grow up to be nice and balanced just like your Dad. But God help you if ever become a womanizer like he used to be. I’ll make sure you’re grounded for life. Yes, I will. She lifted her fresh-smelling four-month-old to her shoulder and headed for the garbage with the diaper in hand.

Adjoa gave her a wide berth. She loved her little cousin, but his dirty diaper should never be trifled with.

Now that you’ve finished harassing me, tell me what you’re talking about, Esi said.

Mom says she’s tired of waiting for me to get married. She claims I’m too picky. Adjoa’s conversation with her mother had been surreal.

I agree with her.

What? You of all people should understand. It hasn’t been long since you left the wretched dating pool. Has being married given you amnesia of what it’s like?

No, Little One. I haven’t forgotten, but sometimes you’re too discerning.

Adjoa ground her teeth, wishing she could give the old nickname a proper burial. Six years separated them, but Esi made it seem like she had raised her. Besides, at thirty two, she could no longer be described as little. Give me one example. Just one.

Esi placed the baby to her breast. Adjoa sat down transfixed by the sight, amazed by how the human body could provide food.

Shall we go from recent to past or vice versa? How about the guy you met last year who worked at the insurance agency. You dumped him after one month because he kept asking you about food when he called.

She’d been generous to allow it to go on for so long. He hadn’t stood a chance. We had nothing in common. Our main conversations revolved around boring insurance and what I’d eaten that day. You can’t build a relationship based on talking about food unless you’re a chef, and even then, it’s ridiculous.

What about Richard? I remember his name because I ran into you with him at the mall. Tall and handsome.

You recall the meet and greet, but me crying on your shoulder because I found out he had two other girlfriends at the time totally slipped your mind?

Ah, yes. It’s all coming back to me now.

That’s great, Celine Dion.

I don’t mind the sarcastic comparison because she’s fantastic. Let me see. What about the one you dumped because you said he had a big head.

The mention of Michael brought a smile to her face. Such a sweet man. You’ve just delivered a baby. Can you imagine pushing out a huge head? She shivered at the thought of anything forcing its way out of her vagina. Plus I think he was a little afraid of me.

That’s a bad thing?

Could you be with a weak man?

You have a point. As much as I enjoy getting my way, I like to be guided, too.

Exactly. I always led. It got to be too much work.

She switched the baby to the other breast. Okay, so you’re more discerning than picky. Where are Aunt Leticia’s threats coming from?

You.

Me?

For years, one by one, all of the cousins have gotten married. With each extravagant event, the pressure has gotten worse. No one thought you’d ever walk down the aisle, and then two years ago, bam. She clapped her hands for emphasis, making both Esi and the baby jump. Sorry.

It’s okay.

"Now all eyes are on me. Since I’m an only child, my mother has no one else to harass. The daughter and son of one of her friends got married last month. She couldn’t stop talking about how proud they’d made their mother. Adjoa flopped back on the couch. She gave me an ultimatum. Either I get engaged by the end of the year, which is only five months away, or she’ll arrange a marriage for me."

Esi sat forward. That doesn’t make sense. She’s a modern woman. She and your dad made a love match.

Yes, but her parents’ wedding was arranged. She said if they were able to create a successful marriage, so could their granddaughter.

She won’t follow through with it. What did your dad say?

Her heart had wept at her father’s response. He agrees with Mom. I thought he’d be on my side, but he’s not. I guess as his parents’ only son, he wants to see me married and breeding to appease his side of the family, too. What am I going to do, Esi? Who can I find in such a short time that I haven’t been able to meet in thirty two years?

You know in this day and age, no one can force you to get married.

And here’s the part that brought me over to you. Dad says he’s going to disinherit me.

Esi’s small shriek startled the baby. Do you believe he’d cut you out?

Adjoa’s voice trembled. I don’t know. He’s serious about this marriage thing. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he or Mom was dying.

Don’t talk like that. They’re both strong and healthy. She removed her nipple from the now sleeping baby’s mouth, laid him on her shoulder, and patted his back. You know our people’s mentality about having children. It didn’t help that for the past five years you bragged you weren’t going to have any."

Adjoa touched both hands to her chest. This is my fault now? Don’t I get a choice in whether I have kids or not?

A burp ripped through the air, making them smile.

Of course you do, but it’s not the culture. No matter how rich or poor a person is, they’re expected to have at least one child.

Unable to contain the righteous anger welling up within her, she stood and paced the room again. But that’s not right. People have children and can’t afford to feed, much less school, them, but they’re praised. I have none, donate my money to various institutions, and volunteer when I get the chance. Yet I’m condemned because I haven’t created another human being. Where’s the fairness in that?

I’m not saying you’re wrong for having your ideals. Millions of people all over the world don’t have children, and I’m sure they’re happy. But we’re in Ghana, and that’s the way it is. At least for now. Do you really not want to deliver?

The idea had had Adjoa swaying like a pendulum. The world was a harsh place. Why would she want to bring a child into it? The whole thing seemed selfish. But every once in a while, like now as she watched Esi lay her baby down and kiss his cheek, she’d get a yearning to have one of her own. If the right man were to come along, I’d have no problem having a child.

Her cousin walked back to the couch and plopped herself down. I see. I don’t understand why your dad is willing to cut you out of your inheritance to see you married.

It’s probably because of Aunt Catherine in the UK.

Esi drew her brows together.

You remember when I traveled to the UK after college for a couple of months?

Yes.

I stayed with Dad’s cousin, Aunt Catherine, who decided, when she turned thirty, never to marry, and she never did.

Why?

Adjoa sat on the arm of the sofa. I asked her, but she responded with something equivalent to men not being worth her freedom.

The plot thickens. Your father thinks you’re going to end up the same way, never marrying and leaving him without a grandchild and a legacy.

Even if I were to go in that direction, I’d be a happy woman. I wish you could meet her. She’s full of vitality and joy. She says that every day is worth living in the light.

I can see how existing without a man can make some women happy. Is that what you want?

She enjoyed her life, but sometimes, especially at night, she wished she had a man, instead of her pillow, to snuggle up with, someone to wake up and laugh with the next day. She could do without any of the stress that came along with living with someone, but, for the most part, she’d be happy with a man. Not just any male; someone whom God would plop down in front of her, saying with a host of heavenly angels as his backup choir, Here, my child, is the man I have designed for you. Because your souls are entwined, you will not strangle him and send back to me before his time. Enjoy.

If I could find the guy I’d be happier with than I am by myself, I’d marry him. Otherwise, I’d rather stay alone.

For being a younger cousin, you sure are wise.

I get it from you and Ora. I can’t claim any of our other cousins, though.

Esi laughed. I won’t tell anyone you said that. How come you didn’t go to Ora with this problem?

Adjoa diverted her gaze to a vase filled with a pretty array of silk flowers.

You little brat. You went to her. What happened that you’re sitting here with me, then?

Adjoa loved Esi, but she could get wild when it came to sensitive issues. Their cousin, Ora, possessed a more level head and a cooler demeanor, except when pregnant, and then everyone