Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel (10 page)

“A
re you feeling better?” Grayson asked. His arms snaked around my waist and he kissed my neck. Artie glanced over at us and smiled before turning his back to give us privacy.

“A little,” I lied, sprinkling parsley on a plate.

All day, I’d tried my best to avoid Grayson, to keep from having to talk about wedding plans. The ring was on my finger, but I wasn’t ready to wear it. It felt like a lie. If he hadn’t proposed to me in front of all of our friends, I might have had the courage to say no. Now it was too late.

“What about tonight, want me to come over? I figure we need to talk about our next step.”

My heart ached for him and I hated myself for letting things go as far as they did. I loved him more than life itself, but I wasn’t
in
love with him. I honestly didn’t know if I could spend the rest of my life without the raw passion I knew was possible.

“Lara?” Evan called. He stuck his head inside the kitchen and noticed us in the corner. A look passed over his face, one I couldn’t decipher. I was just glad he saved me.

Grayson stepped back and I moved to the side. “Hey, how was practice?”

“Good,” he replied awkwardly. “I was wondering if you could help me out with something.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“When are you headed home?”

I glanced at the clock on the wall. “In about twenty minutes. Since everything’s slowing down, Josh and Victoria should be able to handle the floor. And Summer will be here.”

He nodded. “Which is why I need to get home, so I can watch Emma-Grace. Do you think you’d be able to stop by the house on your way home? I picked up a few things for Summer’s birthday and I want your opinion. It won’t take long.”

“Sure,” I replied excitedly. “I’ll be there shortly.”

“Thanks.” He waved at Grayson and then hurried off.

I turned to Grayson. “I can call you after we’re done. Does that sound good?”

Gaze narrowed, he studied me. “You sure you’re okay? You’re acting a little distant.”

“I’m fine. It’s just been a crazy couple of days.” I kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.” I hurried out of there, my heart breaking with each step. Why couldn’t I love him the way he should be loved? Grayson was a good-looking man, and he always put me before anything else. I was lucky to have a guy like that. Only, I wasn’t happy.

When I got to Summer and Evan’s house, Evan met me by the door, a finger to his lips. “Emma-Grace is sleeping.”

I knew the little princess would be out; she took after her aunt. “She has to get her beauty sleep.” I laughed. “So what all did you need me to look at?”

He grabbed the baby monitor and nodded toward the back door. “Let’s go outside.”

I followed him out the door to the back deck, expecting to see something spectacular, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Holding out my arms, I turned to face him. “O-kay. Care to tell me what I’m supposed to be looking at?” He cleared his throat and sheepishly lowered his head. “Evan, what’s going on?”

Sighing, he lifted his gaze. “I lied. I don’t need you to look at presents.”

“Then what did you need me for?” I searched around for a clue.

He held up his hands. “I just wanted to talk to you, away from Summer and Grayson.”

“If this is about Luke, you’re wasting your time,” I snapped.

“Do you really believe that? Because what I saw last night begs to differ. I saw your face when Grayson proposed. It wasn’t the look of a happy soon-to-be bride.”

I shrugged. “Maybe I wasn’t feeling well,” I challenged.

He snorted. “Tell that to someone who believes you. What gets me is, I never noticed before . . . you aren’t in love with him.”

The second he said it, everything came crumbling down. If he noticed, there had to be others. Closing my eyes, I turned away from him, my heart feeling as if it’d been ripped out. “I want to be in love with him,” I whispered. “I wish for it every day.”

“But your heart belongs to someone else. Look, I know Luke has made mistakes, but it’s been a year and he still hasn’t given up on you.”

“Was this his idea?” I asked, glancing at him over my shoulder.

He shook his head. “Mine. When I saw your reaction last night, I knew I had to do something. You’re miserable, and so is Luke. And to put it bluntly, it’s not fair to Grayson. You need to follow your heart and stop being afraid.”

Tears fell down my cheeks and he pulled me into his arms. “I’m scared, Evan. What if I give Luke my heart again and it’s not enough? I can’t go through this again.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ve never seen him this heartbroken over a woman before. He’s genuinely changed this past year. When I look at him, he’s not the same person anymore. It’s amazing what loving a woman can do.”

I gasped at his words. Letting him go, I wiped the tears off my cheeks and looked down at the ring on my finger. “What about Grayson? The last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

“He deserves the truth, Lara. It’s not fair to him if your heart belongs to someone else. Either way, someone’s going to get hurt. It’s either going to be you
and
Luke, or Grayson. It’s up to you.”

I knew what my heart wanted, and it would be the most difficult thing I had to do. “I think I know what I have to do,” I told him. Turning on my heel, I walked around the house and hopped in my car.

“I hope you make the right choice,” he called out after me.

Who really knew what the right choices were in life? All we had to do was make our decisions and hope for the best. I had to believe what I was doing would be the right thing for all of us. Shutting my door, I pulled out my phone and called Grayson.

“That was fast.” He laughed. “Are you ready for me to come over?”

“Actually, I’m on my way to you. I’ll see you in a minute.” I hung up and headed straight to his house. When I walked in, he was in the kitchen, wearing only a pair of jeans. I’d be stupid not to think he was one of the most handsome men on the planet.

“Hey, baby,” he said, grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator. “Want a glass of wine?” He glanced back at me and I shook my head.

“Not tonight.”

With his back to me, he opened his beer and took a long, hard pull before setting it down. I waited for him to turn around, but he never did. “You’re not happy, are you?”

My throat closed up and I lowered my head as the tears fell. When he turned to look at me, I broke down in sobs. “I’m so sorry,” I cried. “I love you so much, but . . .”

“But what?” he snapped. “It’s not enough? After all this time, you’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”

“I don’t want to be. You have no idea how many nights I’ve prayed I could love you the same. You’re everything a woman could want in a man.”

His jaw tensed. “I’m just not good enough for
you
.”

“No,” I gasped, “that’s not it at all.” I hurried over to him and grabbed his arms. He turned his head away, his fists clenched tight. “Grayson,
I’m
not the one who’s good enough. You deserve someone who can love you with all their heart.” I slipped the ring off my finger and placed it in his hand. “I’m just not that woman.”

Gripping it in his hand, he leaned his forehead to mine. “Please, Lara. Don’t do this to me, to us. I would never hurt you.”

Placing my hands on his face, I could barely see him through the tears. “And that’s what makes this so difficult.” I leaned up on my toes and kissed his lips.

His arms wrapped around my waist and he held me tight, his kiss rough and hard. I could feel his desperation to keep me close. “I love you so damn much it hurts.”

I stepped back and he reluctantly let me go. His sea-green eyes were red, his face showing every ounce of torment he was feeling. It killed me to leave him, but if I stayed it’d only make him miserable. “And I’ll always love you. Goodbye, Grayson.”

I walked out the door and glanced back to find him leaning over on the counter with his head down.
Please, God, help him get over this
. I didn’t want him to hurt. It felt wrong of me to seek my own happiness when I’d just ruined another’s, but I’d lost so much time with Luke, I couldn’t wait anymore.

Getting in my car, I hurried down the road. There were so many things I wanted to tell him. First off, I really wanted to hit him upside the head for using those other girls to get a reaction from me, but most importantly, I wanted to hear those special three words come out of his mouth. If he could admit his love for me, everything would be right in my world.

Pulling out my phone, my hands shook as I called him. There were so many emotions circulating through my body, it felt like I was on overload. The second I heard his voice, I burst out crying. I wasn’t the type of girl to cry, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Lara, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “Nothing,” I cried. “Are you at home?”

“Yes. Where are you?”

“On my way to you. I’m sorry it took so long.”

His breath caught and I smiled. “Are you saying it’s over?”

“Yes,” I murmured.

“It’s finally over between you and Grayson?” he repeated.

“Yes, but listen here. You have one last chance to make it right, Collins. Don’t let me down this time.”

“Baby, I promise I won’t. I know I should wait until I see you to say this, but I love you. I love you so much.”

Those were the words I wanted to hear. And I was about to say them back, when a blinding light came at me from the side. There was only a split second of time to react; all I could do was scream. Glass shattered all around me and the impact jostled every bone in my body. I didn’t know how many times the car flipped, but the pain was unbearable.

When the darkness crept in, I welcomed it with open arms. There was no pain on that side.

“L
ara!
Lara!”

The sound of the crash echoed in my ears. The screeching of tires, the impact of the hit and shattering of glass made me freeze. It was like I was in a nightmare, desperate to break free, but my mind wouldn’t let me out.

“Lara!” I shouted again. The phone went dead and that was it.

Adrenaline pumping, I raced into the garage and hopped onto my sport bike. If she was headed to my place, I could find her. I slammed my helmet down over my head and sped out of the driveway. Thoughts ran through my head, none of them good. There was no way in hell I could lose her now, not when we were so close.