Love Reborn: Love Series, #2

By Victoria Bright

Ahmad Dawson vowed to never give his heart to another woman when he tragically lost the love of his life. Will he learn to let go of his painful past to love again? Or is his happily ever after gone forever? 

A new, hot and upcoming magazine editor, Whitney O’Neal, knew that Ahmad was her soul mate the moment she met him. As she begins to develop feelings for him, she realizes that Ahmad has more baggage than she bargained for. Could this be love at first publication? Or could it flop like a bad tabloid?

Ahmad’s new trainer, Paris, is the perfect employee…a bit too perfect. Once he hires her, many strange events begin to happen that makes him question who she really is. 

After all that has happened in his life, can love be reborn?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victoria Bright
• Release date: Jun 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781500616717

Victoria Bright

Victoria Bright is from a small town in North Carolina and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina. You can usually find her hoarding bottles of Cool Blue Gatorade, playing The Sims when not writing, or obsessing over Camaros.

Book preview

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Baby, we need to get out of here. Keith is here and he’s looking a little strange, as if he’s been drinking, Camille said frantically, looking behind her as she fastened her seatbelt. Ahmad looked in his rearview mirror and saw Keith also. He clenched his jaw, put the car in drive, and took off.

Once on the highway to Ahmad’s condo Camille began to relax a little. He glanced over at her and saw how shaken she was. He grabbed her trembling hand and kissed it gently.

I’m not going to let anything happen to you, he said softly. Camille nodded without a word. They drove in silence, trying to calm down from the madness.

Suddenly, bright headlights blinded Ahmad in his rearview mirror. What the... he trailed, switching lanes. The car got directly behind him, causing Camille’s anxiety to go through the roof. Ahmad didn’t want to speed up because the rain was now coming down too hard. He didn’t want to jeopardize the life of his fiancé and his unborn child.

It’s him! Camille shrieked, looking behind them. Ahmad kept his eyes on the road, occasionally looking in his mirror to try to keep a distance from Keith. Camille gripped his hand tighter.

Baby, just pull over! He’s swerving! she panicked. Ahmad wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want to pull over and have Keith do something to the both of them. He glanced in his mirror again and saw that Keith was swerving a lot more. Where were the damn state troopers when you needed them?

Suddenly, Keith swerved into the next lane and sped next to Ahmad. Ahmad slowed down to get out of his way, but Keith followed his patterns.

Ahmelia kicked inside of Camille as she felt a panic attack coming on. Things were looking extremely scary. Just breathe, baby. We’re going to be fine, Ahmad coaxed. She perked up when she saw their exit approaching.

Babe, hurry and get to the exit! she shrieked. As Ahmad was merging onto the exit, Keith t-boned them, sending both cars flipping down the hill.

Ahmad’s arm immediately went across Camille to take off some of the impact from the air bag. He heard her scream as the car flipped multiple times. He growled in pain as the pressure from the air bag snapped his arm. He didn’t care about his pain; he had to protect his girls.

He felt his head hit his window and soon everything was quiet. Blood dripped down the side of his head as a horrible headache began to emerge in his temple. His surroundings now looked fuzzy. He could see flames in the distance where Keith’s car had ended in a ditch.

He couldn’t feel his right arm or hear Camille. He slowly looked over and saw blood pouring from her head and nose. He shifted himself as best as he could in his seat to get to her.

Baby, can you hear me? he asked, checking to see if she was breathing. He was relieved to feel a pulse, but it was weak. She was losing a lot of blood quickly and needed to get to a hospital fast. Someone passing the scene called 911 while Ahmad waited by Camille’s side.

Everything’s going to be fine, baby. Just stay with me, he pleaded, tightly squeezing her limp hand. He couldn’t get out of the car due to his door being crushed from the accident. He anxiously waited for the firefighters to cut him out of the car. When the medics tried to help him first, he quickly pushed them away.

Help my fiancé, she’s pregnant and unconscious! he yelled. Everyone rushed to Camille’s side to get her out of the car and onto a stretcher.

Ahmad’s heart ached seeing her in that condition. How did this even happen? They were just having the time of their life. She had just accepted his proposal and they were supposed to be going back home to celebrate all of the good things that were happening for them. Now, she was on her way to the hospital, fighting for her life.

Ahmad glanced over as another explosion sounded from Keith’s car. Firefighters were working hard to put out the flames while Keith’s charred remains were being placed in a body bag. Ahmad bitterly watched the scene as he was led to another ambulance to be taken to the hospital. He hoped that Keith continued to burn in hell.

Is she okay? Is my daughter okay? he asked the exhausted looking doctor after waiting for hours. He had received his cast and a few stitches in his head, but refused to stay. He wasn’t concerned about his pain, he only wanted to know if Camille was going to be okay.

The baby is fine. She’s a little early, but she’s doing very well. We had to perform an emergency cesarean due to her critical condition. She took a nasty hit to the head, which caused her brain to hemorrhage, the doctor started.

Ahmad shook his head. He didn’t care about this extra information. He just wanted a yes or no answer to his question. Please get to the point. Can I see her? I need to know if she’s alright, he said, trying to push past the doctor. The doctor held up his hand to stop him.

Ms. Anderson had lost a fair amount of blood before she arrived here. The bleeding in her brain caused her to have two seizures. The second seizure claimed her life. I’m sorry...

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Camille sadly gazed down at the scene unfolding in front of her. It pained her to see that he was still having nightmares about the incident that took her life. Although it had been three years since the accident, her heart still ached when she saw her baby girl and the man that she was supposed to marry. It was hard for her to see Ahmad struggle with losing her and it hurt her even more that there was nothing she could really do for him. She sighed deeply and continued watching, wishing that she were able to be there with them.

You know, out of all of the things that you can do in heaven, you decide to spend all of your time creeping on humans, a voice said behind her. Camille quickly turned around, startled.

How did you know I was here? What can I help you with, Patrick? she asked. Patrick chuckled and sat down next to her.

Who are you watching anyway? he asked, completely ignoring her question. Camille sighed and turned her attention back to Ahmad and Ahmelia.

They’re my family, she said quietly.

Patrick glanced over at her. Camille was the most beautiful angel he’d ever seen in his life. His attraction to her was immediate as soon as he first laid eyes on her. He loved her beautiful curly hair and thought her smile was brighter than the sun. She looked absolutely radiant in her white strapless dress that was accentuated with tiny crystals. They both arrived around the same time but never had the chance to actually talk about why they were both here. As young as she was, he was curious as to how she ended up in heaven. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to you? he asked cautiously.

Camille exhaled loudly. Are you here to talk me to death, Patrick? she asked. Patrick shrugged.

I would, in fact, talk you to death, but you see the way eternal life is set up... he joked. Camille smiled and shook her head. It was always nice to have Patrick around. Whenever she needed male company, he was always there. His thick, muscular, six-foot-four frame was intimidating to most, but he had a heart of gold. They immediately became friends upon meeting each other. It felt as if they’d known each other their whole lives.

Camille slid over slightly to make room for him to sit comfortably. I was in a really bad car accident. My fiancé and my daughter were the only survivors.

The other driver and their passengers died, too?

Yes, she stated quietly as sadness began to taint her beautiful features.

If you don’t mind me asking, what happened? he asked.

Camille sighed. The driver was a guy from my school, there were no other passengers with him. He was an evil person who was obsessed with me. It was a lot of drama and nearly tore my life apart. It just hurts me that he ended up making Ahmad suffer in the end, she explained sadly.

Patrick shook his head. He couldn’t imagine someone wanting to hurt Camille. She had a beautiful spirit and didn’t deserve what had happened to her. He knew that her sudden death was something that still bothered her, but she seemed more concerned about the man she left behind. Was she still in love with him?

You? she asked, cutting into his thoughts. Patrick blinked and looked at her.

What?

How’d you get here?

Oh. Killed in a home invasion. I was at my parents’ house on break from school, but my parents went to a charity auction that night. The robbers didn’t expect anyone to be home, so I guess they got scared when they saw me. I was shot twice, he said. Camille’s heart sank. She could only imagine what his parents felt when they came home to find their son shot to death in their home. She had heard about Patrick a lot while she was in college. He was a star football player at the University of Alabama and was usually always on ESPN whenever they had a game. Had he still been alive, she was almost certain that he would’ve gone pro. She gave him a quick look over. He was wearing his U of A football uniform and was barefoot also, just like her.

Whose idea was it to bury you in your uniform? she asked suddenly.

He shrugged and toyed with a piece of loose thread at the bottom of his jersey. It was probably my dad and my coach. In practice, I told them that I lived in my uniform and it wouldn’t come off of me until the day I died. I guess they decided to keep it on, he said quietly. Camille bit her bottom lip and looked down at Ahmad and Ahmelia. She wondered who dressed her to look this pretty as they laid her to rest. She could see Ahmad sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands.

You know...I wonder if he’ll be alone forever, she said.

Patrick raised an eyebrow. What makes you say that?

He won’t move on. All he does is work, hang with his friends for a little while and go home with our daughter. My baby needs a mother figure in her life and if Ahmad is shutting himself off from love, he’s depriving her of that, she said. She wished she could send him a sign to let him know that it was okay for him to move on. She didn’t want him to put his life on pause just because she was no longer there. It would be hard for her to see him with someone else, but she knew that he needed someone there to love him and help him through his grief.

Patrick rested his chin upon his knuckles and thought. Maybe if he could find some way to help her make her family happy, she wouldn’t be so obsessed with them. He’d tried many times to approach her in a romantic manner, but she didn’t seem concerned about him. All she cared about was the man she left behind.

In heaven, there was no such thing as jealousy or lust; everything was joyous. Although he was a little disappointed at her rejection, he still loved her the same. He watched her bite the inside of her cheek as she seemed to be in deep thought about something.

Suddenly, a thought came to him. You know...what if we ask Father if we can get an angel sent down to send him a message or something? he asked.

Camille quickly looked up with interest. We can do that? I have to go ask him if I can go now! she exclaimed, quickly hopping up and floating toward the edge of the White Zone.

Wait! Patrick called, hurrying after her.

Camille wasn’t listening. She was already heading back down to the main area and straight to Father’s office. Patrick pushed his wings to go faster, causing him to tackle Camille into a bed of clouds. Patrick! she squealed, trying to push him off of her. Patrick firmly held her in his grip and took a moment to really look at her. Her big brown eyes twinkled with frustration as she struggled to get up. Patrick, can you get off of me? Last time I checked, I wasn’t wearing a football uniform! Tackling is unnecessary! she huffed.

He sighed and rolled off of her. Look, you can’t go down yourself because he knows who you are. The goal is to get him to fall in love with someone else, not to let him believe that if he acts depressed long enough he can see you again. You can get penalized for that, he explained.

Camille sighed. She didn’t feel as if anyone else would be good for the job. She wanted to see Ahmad and her baby so badly, but rules were rules. Then what do I do? I need to be able to do this. I need to let him know that I don’t blame him for what happened, she said as tears formed in her eyes. Patrick took her by the hand and helped her up.

I know the perfect person to talk to. She’s helped people do this kind of stuff before and she’ll let you know who can help with it. It’s hard to get stuff like this approved by Father because he doesn’t see the point in going back to a sinful Earth when you’ve been blessed with an eternal life in paradise, Patrick said, guiding Camille back through the crowded main area.

She took a look around her. There were so many new angels gushing about their new wings and sharing their stories with the people they just arrived with. There were a few children who stood huddled in a group, scared and looking for their parents. They were soon swooped up into the arms of guardian angels who comforted them, made them smile and then sent them off to practice using their new wings. Camille felt a pang in her heart as she thought of her own daughter. She was pretty sure that her baby girl would look adorable in her new wings, but she didn’t want to wish death on her child.

They came to a stop in front of a woman who looked deep in thought. Camille could feel her jaw drop. Is that Victoria Beckham? she whispered, astonished. The woman was absolutely beautiful. Her brown, asymmetrical hair cut was accentuated with blonde highlights. Her eyes appeared as if they held the ocean, the beauty in the blues were impeccable. Her pouty lips were pursed tightly as she tapped a pen against her chin, studying the clipboard that she held. Patrick chuckled and shook his head.

No, that’s Bridget. She’s one of the head angels here who works closely with Father. She understands that transition can be hard for some people, so it’s her job to help any way that she can, he said, slightly pulling Camille closer to the woman.

Bridget looked up and smiled. Hi, Camille. What can I help you with? she asked. Camille stared at her. How did she know her name? Don’t worry, I know everyone. So, do you need something? she asked again. Patrick nudged Camille gently.

Oh...I...Patrick told me about you, she stammered, looking down at her feet.

Bridget giggled. Oh, did he? And what did he tell you, sweetie? she asked. Camille glanced back at Patrick, who nodded at her.

She took a deep breath. He told me that you could help me deliver a message-

You want to send someone down to your loved one to help him move past your death? she asked, glancing back down at her clipboard. Camille blinked and stammered her confirmation. Bridget nodded. We’ll see what we can do. This isn’t something that is likely to get approved. The only souls left on earth are the wandering ones; angels only intervene when there is danger. I’ll see what I can do, she said, running her fingers through her hair.

Camille watched silently as Bridget scribbled something furiously onto the clipboard. She quickly looked back at Patrick to see that he was occupied with another angel. Well, I’ll present your request to Father, but there’s no guarantee as I stated before, she finally said, adjusting the shoulder strap of her one-shouldered purple dress.

Camille nodded. When will I know anything? Will I be able to go?

That’s highly unlikely. If it’s approved, another angel will be sent. What is it that you want your loved one to know? she asked, preparing to write on the clipboard again.

Camille bit her lip. There were so many things that she wanted to say to him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him and thought about him all of the time. She wanted him to know how much she missed him and their daughter. She wanted him to know that her love still belonged to him.

She shook the thoughts from her head. She couldn’t tell him that. He’d never be able to move on that way. Ahmad was in the mindset where he didn’t want to love another woman if it wasn’t her and she didn’t want him living his life that way. He deserved a woman to make him happy and a woman who would love him and their daughter.

Bridget cleared her throat, pulling Camille from her thoughts. Camille sighed. Just tell him that I don’t blame him for what happened. Tell him that he has to learn to love again and he deserves to be happy. Our daughter deserves to have a mother and a father, even if it’s not me, she said softly, feeling the tears burn her eyes as they threatened to fall.

Bridget gazed at her sympathetically for a few moments before writing down on her clipboard again. I will try my hardest to get this done for you, Camille. I know how much this person means to you. I’ve see you go to watch them every day since you’ve been here. If approved, I will make sure the most perfect person is on the assignment. Your loved one apparently deserves nothing but the best, so I will do my best for you, she said, giving Camille a quick squeeze before hurrying off.

How do you think it went? Patrick asked, settling down next to Camille. She shrugged. She felt a little disappointed that she couldn’t go herself, but she didn’t want anyone to get in trouble.

She only said that she was going to find the best person to do it. I don’t know who would be a better person than myself, she said, slowly turning to walk away.

Patrick gave her a playful push. This is heaven. You never know what’s going to happen. Father knows best and it’s He who chooses who goes. Just be glad that your situation is being considered in the first place, he said, reassuringly.

Camille looked up at him and smiled. You know what? You’re right. As long as he gets the message, that’s all that really matters to me. But in the meantime, there’s a carnival going on and I smell funnel cakes. Would you like to join me? she asked, lifting herself into the air to hover over him. He grinned and spread his wings.

Last one there has to pay for them! he said and zoomed ahead of her. Camille blinked in confusion.

But we don’t even use money in heaven! she called out, flying quickly behind him through the crowd.

Bridget walked down the long corridor lined with velvet carpet. There were multiple doors on each side of her, doors that represented choices, lessons, and flashbacks. She remembered when she first arrived here and how relieved she was to finally make it here after spending so many years of her earthly life suffering from cancer. Here in heaven, she was beautiful and well. There was no illness or pain here. All the scars that marked her human body were not on her angel form. Her scalp now had beautiful brown hair growing out of it instead of being bald from harsh chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

She took in a clean, deep breath. It felt amazing to be able to breathe without feeling any pain. It seemed like yesterday