Heated Sweets (A Taste of Love Book 3) Read online

  Heated Sweets

  Volume Three of A Taste of Love Series

  A.M. Willard

  Copyright © 2017 by A.M. Willard

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  A.M. Willard

  P.O. Box 22822

  Savannah, GA 31403

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real person, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Inquiries about additional permissions should be directed to: [email protected]

  Cover Design by Shari Ryan @ MadHat Books

  Edited by Silla Webb @ Masque of the Red Pen Publishing

  This book is dedicated to everyone who suffers in silence, or knows someone that does. Remember to never let Endometriosis dull your sparkle!

  “There’s nothing a Cupcake and Coffee can’t solve.”

  ~ Marie Williams Johnstone

  Contents

  Connect with A.M. Willard

  About This Book

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by A.M. Willard

  Connect with A.M. Willard

  Website

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Instagram

  A.M.’s Sassy Reader’s Group

  Newsletter

  More titles by A.M. Willard

  The One Night Novella Series:

  One Night Volume 1

  One More Night Volume 2

  Forever Night Volume 3

  One More Christmas a Holiday Edition Volume 4

  The Chances Series ( a Spinoff from the One Night Series)

  Unexpected Chances Volume 1

  Unexpected Changes Volume 2

  A Taste of Love Series: A Romantic Comedy

  Frosted Sweets Volume 1

  Sugary Sweets Volume 2

  Heated Sweets Volume 3

  Spicy Sweets Volume 4 - Coming late 2017

  Business of Sex Series

  Boys, Toys - Oh My! Volume 1

  Boys, Toys - Oh My! Volume 2

  Boys, Toys - Oh My! Volume 3 coming 2017

  Standalone Titles:

  Love on the Screen:

  Hearts in Florence:

  Fading Memories:

  About This Book

  I wanted to take a moment and explain a little back history for Heated Sweets. Most of you have been following the gang since Frosted Sweets and eagerly awaiting Frankie’s story. Some have even wondered why I didn’t lead with this one, and that answer is simple. I had to work up to her story. I had to make sure that I was ready to dig deep and write this one. See, when I started this series, I wanted it to be like what our lives are like. What it’s like when you have four very different friends—how they love, how they struggle, and how life continues when you think it shouldn’t.

  It’s been touched on in the past two novels, but it all comes to a head in this one. This is Frankie’s story and how she struggles in life while dealing with Endometriosis.

  This is my story…

  This is your story…

  This might be our not so happy ending, and then again maybe it’s the ending that was meant to be.

  Endometriosis affects an estimated 176 million women world wide. It doesn’t care what age, race, or socioeconomic status you are, it just attacks. Most of this story is fiction, but the symptoms and feelings are real. I can tell you that they are real, because I’ve lived with Endo for over twenty-one years. Endured thirteen surgeries and one hell of a hysterectomy along the way… For that I wanted to bring some real life to this series, some awareness to the hidden disease that we suffer silently from.

  For more information on Endometriosis, visit ERC (Endometriosis Research Center) online https://www.endocenter.org/ and make a positive difference today.

  It’s up to us to research, support, and empower other women that are affected by Endometriosis.

  Prologue

  It’s my nineteenth birthday, and I can’t believe I’m celebrating it in an operating room. How crazy is it to have your doctor sing you ‘Happy Birthday’ as you count backward from ten? Pretty weird if you ask me, but I’m more than ready to get this over with. It’s been two years of pain, misery, and just maybe today I’ll have the answer to my question. ‘What’s wrong with me?’

  I’ve heard it all.

  It’s part of growing up and becoming a young lady.

  You might have Endometriosis, and even though there’s no cure, we have options.

  In a few hours they’ll all be revealed and then I have to make a choice, one that could haunt me for the rest of my life or ease the pain that I’ve already endured.

  I’ll never forget that day in his office six months ago when the doctor finally listened to me. When he took what I was saying for real. He finally understood that I couldn’t live my life the way I wanted because the pain caused me to stay hidden. I couldn’t go to school. Walking at times was a struggle, standing on my feet to work was even worse than sitting in on a lecture with one of my professors. Try to explain to your boyfriend that you rather stab your eyes out than for him to touch you. Yeah, that’s what I thought too as I watched them all run for the hills when they realized I was nothing but a hot mess.

  My mind drifts to the conversation I had a few weeks ago with my doctor as I allow my body to rest so they can perform my first laparoscopy.

  Francesca, we have a few options that can help treat the symptoms if we find out you do, in fact, have Endometriosis. They aren’t the best for a woman as young as yourself, but since there isn’t a cure for this, it’s the best we can do with what we have. Option one is to do a complete hysterectomy, and that really isn’t the best at your age. Option two is to control it with an oral birth control, and since you’ve been taking that for years with no relief, I don’t know how that’ll be of any help now. Option three is to put you on the Depo Shot. This will cease your monthly periods, causing your body to go dormant. This option allows for the growth to basically not grow. If we find evidence of the endo, we will remove it from the locations if we can. Then the shot will slow down the growth from returning. Option four would be for you to get pregnant now as your body will naturally stop menstruating. The longer you go with this the harder it can be for a woman to either get pregnant or even ovulate to allow a successful pregnancy. Infertility will be an issue in the future, and I think you need to weigh all your options now, rather than later. Here’s some paperwork that you can read and study up on. If you have any questions, write them down and we’ll discuss them after surgery.

  That’s all I got… No, we can find treatments, they’re working on ways to cure this. No, it’s either do nothing, take a pill, shot, or become a
young mother. I’m crossing option four off the list since I highly doubt that my current boyfriend is ready to donate sperm to cure me. I’ll just take a nap and when I wake, I can make the discussion.

  To my feelings when I woke, they could go to hell… My body felt as if I’d been ran over by a train and back over a few times.

  The nurse explained that the doctor would be in soon to go over the surgery with me. I must have dozed off because the doctor is now gently shaking me awake.

  “How ya feeling?” he asks as I try to wake up and figure out where I am again.

  “Sleepy and sore.”

  “That’s to be expected, but we’ll get you some medicine and send you home where you can rest better.”

  “Okay,” I say, licking my lips to wet them.

  “The surgery went well, and we did, in fact, find our culprit. To my calculations, you’re about a stage III which places you with a moderate amount of Endometriosis. I did what I could to scrap the sections that were reachable. Because you had more than I expected and in areas hard to reach, we’ll have to deal with it more in time. I want you to rest and then think more about your options. I’ll have the nurse schedule you to come in later this week. At that time, we’ll go over the results more and your treatment.”

  “Okay,” is all I can say since I don’t understand it all.

  “Get some rest, don’t lift anything over five pounds, and Happy Birthday,” he says to me before he grabs my chart and leaves the room. I’m trying to figure out now what’s so special about today and when will it all be over. Who wants or deserves these results on a day that you should be celebrating. Mentally I remind myself to never schedule another surgery on my day. Today should’ve been all about me as I celebrated with my friends, but instead I’m in pain and loopy from the drugs. At least I have answers, and soon I can find the help that I need. For now, I’m going to sleep and deal with this tomorrow.

  Needless to say, I didn’t know that this would be the first of many operations. The first of many emotions that I was going to rollercoaster through in my life. The first step in finding a way to hide from my reality. They forgot to tell me all this in the pamphlet I was given; trust me, I read the fine print, and they left this all out.

  Chapter 1

  I’ve been back in Atlanta for two months, and it feels like I’ve been gone for a year. The girls are still the same, but everything else around me is different. At night, I lay down and think on what it would’ve been like if I wouldn’t have left for those few months. Would I have fallen harder for Brody? Would I have the opportunities that I have now in my career? Would I have bought this house, or still be living in my apartment in the city? I have no idea, but I do know that I can’t dwell over the past. I have to keep looking at the future–making plans for the next stage in my life. If I don’t do this, I’ll sink back into the deep depression that I was in before I went to New York. Don’t get me wrong, I love how my friends are happy and their lives are full of joy and love. It’s just not in the cards for me anymore. The dreams that I had as a child are gone. The white picket fence–destroyed. The butterflies that I thought I’d have when I found my one true love–vanished. The giggling kids that I envisioned running around the grassy backyard–terminated. This is why I left… Now, I ask—why did I return? Was I truly ready for this life again? Was I ready to face the fact that Brody moved on and might’ve found his other half? No, I wasn’t ready for any of this. However, I’ve been giving myself a pep talk daily to make this work, to stop running from the monster that grows within me, to try and let people in when all I really want to do is hide.

  I knew things were going to be awkward with Brody, I just never expected it to be like this. Since the gender reveal at Zara and Hatcher’s last month, I’ve seen Brody on three different occasions. Once next door while he was visiting Hatcher, at the bakery, and then five minutes ago when I literally bumped into him and his so-called girlfriend. How in the world is it that Atlanta is this small when it comes to you wanting to avoid people? All I wanted to do was take some pictures in the park today for the piece they need in the Urban Living Magazine and haul my tired self back to the burbs and hangout with my very pregnant best friend, Zara. Which, by the way, I have to admit that I thought she was a little crazier than normal when she talked about the ladies in neighborhood. But now that I’ve seen it firsthand, she was right. I’ve found myself ducking in and out of the driveway as I run to the door and hide behind the blinds from the suburban moms. I’m pretty sure that all they do is cook, plan, cook, and stalk Zara and me. Not to mention poor Hatcher, he can’t even check the mail without getting harassed by them. Oh, and did I tell you they all think I need to date their cousin, brother-in-law, or, the newest one is the single dad who moved in six houses down. Yes, I have a dinner party to attend in a few days as we welcome them to the neighborhood. Don’t worry, I plan to drag Zara along kicking and screaming. She only agreed to go after I promised we would sit in the corner and talk about them as we stuff our faces and they pick at their plates. This party is the perfect decoy to keep my mind off Brody and my lack of a love life. My other distraction has been sinking myself into my photo shoots. Moving back here has been a plus for me being able to hide behind my lens. ALL the mothers, single moms, and extended families are booking with me. I love it as I can focus on getting that perfect moment captured in the day, while my nights are filled with editing.

  My problem, though, is that Morgan, Natasha, and Zara have caught on to this little trick and think that I’m about to self destruct. I, on the other hand, don’t see the issue. I knew a long time ago that I would be alone. Heck, isn’t that the reason I ran away from love with Brody? I couldn’t give him my whole heart… He deserved someone better, someone who could devote themselves to him, a family, and love. If I would’ve stayed, it would’ve ended worse than it did. If you ask Natasha, she’d explain that I’m using my illness as a reason to not be happy. Okay, she might be correct to a point, but it’s also a way to protect myself. I figure I have a few good weeks left before they gang up on me, and I plan to use these upcoming weeks for me. The plan is to prepare and become the person my family, friends, and clients need. I’m going to stop and take time for me. I even joined a support group for Endometriosis survivors in the city that I’ll give a try. My new doctor suggested it, along with some therapy. I’m going to let the girls know tomorrow, and I know they’ll support me in this just as they have with everything else in my life. I hate to be the downer in our relationship. I hate that they worry about how I might feel with joyous news. This has to change… I have to find happiness… I have to learn to be Francesca again, and not the barren sad lady behind a camera.

  Chapter 2

  The photo shoot I had this morning has me dodging traffic as I race across town to Morgan’s bakery. I agreed to meet them for lunch at noon—glancing at the clock on my dashboard it’s alerting me that I’m already ten minutes late and stuck in traffic. “What the heck, move outta my way,” I scream at the mini-van in front of me creeping along. My fingers grip the steering wheel a little tighter than normal as I blow out a frustrated sigh. The bakery enters my line of sight as I try to find parking. The easy choice would be to park in the garage around the corner from the cafe, but then I would have to briskly jog as I’m already late enough. I wouldn’t worry about being late, but Natasha only has an hour and a half for lunch before she has to return to court. The need to make sure that I have ample time to explain everything is strong, which means I need them all there. Slamming on the brakes as I notice the car pulling out from the curb. I flip on my blinker and wait as they pull out leaving me with an open parking space. Carefully, I focus on parallel parking. Positioned correctly, I dash out and dig for some change in the bottom of my purse for the meter. This section allows for a maximum of two hours, and I fill the metal coin monster full of shiny silver. With a deep breath, I glance at the traffic and wait for a moment when I can jog across the street without getting splattered. Tha
t would be one hell of a way to go out… Here I am trying to get my life together and I meet body against car—yeah, nope—not happening today. We’ve already had one scare this year with Zara and her car accident, so I make sure to wait for the perfect time to cross.

  Slinging the door open, I enter the bakery and take a deep breath allowing the scents of the sugary goods to bask my soul. It’s crazy how just the simple smell of sugar, vanilla, and frosting can calm me. It’s even crazier when I process the fact that Morgan’s bakery grounds us all. It’s not just her livelihood—it’s ours, too. Each one of us finds some form of comfort from the bakery, especially when we need it. Morgan used this place to find her true self, to figure out what she wanted in life. She was able to find the person she is today. Zara found her soul mate, the one who she was destined to be with for the rest of her life. Natasha finds peace when she needs a break from the judicial system. She always says she just needs a bite of a cupcake to wash the stress away from the day. Me… Well, I’m getting reconnected with not only myself but my friends over a sandwich, cupcake, and cup of tea.

  Approaching the table, I notice immediately that Zara is already stuffing her face. Chuckling, I toss my purse down next to her. “Hungry,” I ask. In return I don’t get a response, but the death glare of a very pregnant woman.