Accidentally in Love

Accidentally In Love LILIANA RHODES Accidentally in Love Copyright © 2023 by Liliana Rhodes Cover Design by CT Cover Creations This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. Dedication For my son, thank you for being you. I love you. * * * A very special thank you to my friend, author Angela Day, for the late night writing sessions, and pushing me when I was ready to give up. * * * And last, but definitely not least, a thank you to my friend Kristina Longoria for always believing in me, and demanding those word counts lol! Contents About Accidentally in Love 1. Maya 2. Ethan 3. Maya 4. Ethan 5. Joshua 6. Maya 7. Ethan 8. Maya 9. Ethan 10. Joshua Three Months Later 11. Maya 12. Ethan Six Months Later 13. Maya 14. Ethan Three Years Later Epilogue Also by Liliana Rhodes About the Author About Accidentally in Love Maya You could probably say I’m accident prone. So what happens when my best friend convinces me to join him on a weekend away? I have an accident at the airport. And after we land? Yup, another accident. Only that time wasn’t completely my fault. This hot guy with intense blue eyes was staring at me! You’d knock over a display and end up on your butt too. Ethan I made it a habit of wining and dining women on vacation at the resort. But when a curvy blonde literally falls into my life, she leaves me wanting more. Serendipity keeps bringing Maya and I together, but she’s still recovering from heartbreak. Can I convince her falling in love isn’t an accident waiting to happen? Accidentally in Love is Maya and Ethan’s complete, standalone story. CHAPTER 1 Maya “This isn't happening,” I muttered, staring at the steam rising from the buckled hood of my car. “This is not happening.” If there was one thing anyone could guarantee in life, it was that I would always be late. It didn't matter how much earlier I got going, something always happened to make me late. Today it was the car accident I just got into. But trust me, it wasn't my fault. Really. Well, unless you count the fact that besides being late, I’m also always having accidents. Five Minutes Ago “Where are you, Maya?” Joshua asked, his voice upbeat and happy as usual. “Please tell me you’re on your way.” I held the phone with one hand, careful to angle the mic towards me as I placed it on the dashboard. The airport was dead as I drove towards the terminal. “I just got to the airport, but I can't really talk,” I said. “I accidentally crushed my AirPods, don’t ask. You know me. So you're on speaker right now.” “Okay, okay. Just making sure you didn't chicken out on joining me.” "You mean I had a choice?" I asked, jokingly. “You know I can’t wait to squeeze my ass into that seat on the plane. Seriously, why aren’t they wider?” Out of the corner of my eye, a large black car swerved into my lane. My phone slid off the dashboard as I jerked the steering wheel away from the oncoming vehicle. Joshua’s voice came from my fallen phone, “What was that? Hello? Maya??” As I opened my mouth to reply, the black car’s front end plowed into the passenger side of my car. My little powder blue Honda Fit bounced into the next lane. I yanked the steering wheel hard, hoping to move the car out of incoming traffic. It started to spin instead. Everything seemed to slow down as I tried to remember if I was supposed to turn in or out of the spin. I was working on instinct, turning the steering wheel left, then right, and then left again until the spinning suddenly stopped. I let out a breath of relief, but the ride wasn't over yet. As if the car had a mind of its own, it careened past the black car and into a wide cement column next to arrivals. I was grateful that the spinning stopped, but couldn't tear my eyes away from the billowing smoke coming from my engine. “This isn't happening,” I muttered, staring at the steam rising from the buckled hood of my car. “This is not happening.” “Maya? Maya!!! Answer me!” Joshua yelled. Leaning over, my blonde curls fell over my face. I followed the sound of his voice with my hand under the passenger seat until I found my cell phone. I turned off the speaker and put the phone up to my ear. “I'm okay,” I said, pushing my hair out of my face. “This stupid car hit me, and sent me spinning into a column. Luckily I wasn’t going that fast.” Frustrated, I sighed as I started thinking about my insurance deductible, catching the flight, and about fifty other things all at the same time. “Great, there's probably going to be a police report. You know the kind. I can see it-- 'Car vs. Column’.” I should have been more upset, but when you have as many accidents as I do, you kind of get used to it. Not that I was in the habit of getting my car spun around and turned into an accordion, but there was always something. Always. “Is that you with all that smoke?” Joshua asked, his voice rising. I looked towards the terminal and spotted him in a pale green polo shirt and jeans, his dark hair slicked back perfectly as always.