Two Broken Hearts

Two Broken Hearts A Seven Brothers Series Novel Shelly Monarch Two Broken Hearts Copyright © 2023 Shelly Monarch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. For information: ShellyMonarch.com Cover Design: Iliyana Omareva Editing: Edits By Knight Author Photography: Kuwitzky Photography Print ISBN-13: 9798386110147 Digital ASIN: B0C1J4P32W First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Epilogue Acknowledgment About the Author Let's Connect Also By Shelly Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness. ~ Steve Maraboli PLAYLIST I knew You Were Trouble – Taylor Swift Man! I Feel Like A Woman! – Shania Twain Of Reality – Palingenesis This Is What You Came For – Calvin Harris & Rihanna Just Dance – Lady Gaga & Colby O’Donis Don’t Stop The Music – Rihanna Nonsense – Sabrina Carpenter Happy – Pharrell Williams Let Her Go – Passenger Red Flags – Mimi Webb Sunshine – OneRepublic I Hate Everything About You – Three Days Grace Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi Battlefield – Jordin Sparks Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage Anti-Hero (Acoustic Version) – Taylor Swift Flowers – Miley Cyrus Red – Taylor Swift Wake - Bitflip Click the link or search Two Broken Hearts on Spotify. CHAPTER ONE Killian I ’ve lived in my new apartment for almost five months, and Winter has been hounding me to allow her to decorate the whole time. I gave in with the kitchen and living room because I didn’t want to have to endure the razzing from my brothers at every family dinner if I made them eat off of boxes. As for the rest, I don’t really care. All I need is a mattress to sleep on, a desk for my computer, and a place for my tools. It doesn’t have to be pretty or have a feel. My sister, Winter, and my older brother Mag’s new girlfriend, Johanna, are coming over to begin working on my bedrooms and bathrooms today. My apartment is bigger than I need, but having too much space is never a problem for a man who accumulates electronics like libraries collect books. I trust the girls. I just hope they don’t expect me to have a lot of opinions. What do I care if it’s modern or farmhouse, as long as it’s functional? When I moved in, the space had clean hardwood floors, high ceilings showcasing the black girders in the living room, and exposed brick on the outside wall. The staircase up to the second floor where the two bedrooms are seems to float with only a black metal banister tying them together. It all looks very modern. Or industrial. Or… I don’t know. What I do know is that both ladies will want a hot drink on this brisk late-August day. I learned young that if you were going to make Winter a cup of tea, you’d better heat the water in a kettle, not the microwave. I’m just setting the tea kettle on the stove when the phone in the kitchen rings. “Hello?” “Sir, Ms. Winter and Ms. Johanna are here to see you.” “Send them up,” I tell the doorman. I gave him a list of names he can send through whenever they arrive at my door, but he still insists on calling each time. I don’t hate it. My siblings are known for showing up without calling. Sometimes I welcome the interruption, and other times, I loathe it. My building isn’t overly tall in the scheme of the Seattle skyline, but I ensured it had high tech security and safety features before moving in. Anything that didn’t meet my standards, I helped upgrade. I refused to pay this much for a home that didn’t fit every one of my needs. If my requirements elevated the cost for the other tenants, so be it. Winter is the sweetest person I have ever met, and she knows the seven of us brothers better than anyone. She’ll design something that I’ll actually like, not a rainbow explosion fit for a girl’s dorm room. She did a good job on the common areas, so I guess that was like a test run. At least she has the decency to knock before walking into my apartment, unlike my youngest three brothers. They’ve told me before that the doorman calling ahead is good enough. I guess that’s what I get for giving them all keys, but that’s what the Small family does. We support and trust one another—even when we drive each other crazy. “Good morning, Kill. We brought you some scones,” Winter singsongs. “I don’t even know how she managed it; the state fair isn’t for another week,” Johanna adds. Fisher scones are famous amongst fair goers. “You’ll come with us when we take Emelia and Adelais, right?” Winter asks me. “Yes! Adel keeps talking about riding rides with her favorite uncle,” Johanna says. I simply stare while the two women have a conversation with me without any actual input from me. “Of course he will. Haven’t you discovered he’s a big ol’ softy yet? He’d do anything for those girls.” “It was really adorable when Emelia was teaching